Illinois Review

Governor Scott Walker and the Fight to Save Wisconsin

by John F. Di Leo -

Scott Walker was elected governor of Wisconsin in the nationwide Republican tsunami of November, 2010. And by that very evening, an array of domain names such as RecallWalker.org had already been reserved by his opponents. They didn’t care to wait, to see if there just might be any legitimate reasons to recall him. They wasted no time at all.

Rather than accepting defeat at the polls and gearing up for the next regularly scheduled election, the Wisconsin Democrats – aided and guided by their national party leaders and union bosses – instead reached for every possible tactic to stymie the reform efforts of Walker and the new Republican majorities in Madison. No tactic was too extreme or peculiar for them.

Study: Wisconsin's collective bargaining reform did not hurt state workers

A new American Enterprise Institute (AEI) study on public employee pay in Wisconsin compared the salaries and benefits received by state and local government employees in Wisconsin to those received by private sector workers with similar education and experience and found these results:

• Fringe benefits: after Act 10 (Wisconsin's collective bargaining law), Wisconsin state workers receive health benefits more than twice as valuable and pension benefits more than 4.5 times as valuable as what workers in large private firms receive.
• Total compensation (salary plus benefits): before Act 10, Wisconsin state employees received total compensation (salary plus benefits) about 28 percent higher than comparable private sector workers. After Act 10, public employee compensation is about 22 percent higher.
• In dollar terms, the average Wisconsin state worker after Act 10 receives total compensation including benefits of $81,637 approximately versus $67,068 for a similarly-skilled private worker -- a difference of $14,569.

The study is available here.

Madigan vs Cross

Anyone want to attempt a body language analysis of this AP photo taken yesterday behind the Speaker's podium? or perhaps a caption?

Things quietly got even more contentious on the House floor Wednesday, following the pension-provoked outburst by State Rep. Mike Bost Tuesday that went viral on You Tube, even showing up on Fox News' Greta Van Susteran's "On the Record" Wednesday night. GOP House members asked if a sudden deletion from the HHS budget of diabetes research wasn't a Speaker Madigan-initiated revenge and/or discipline on Leader Cross and his GOP caucus.

Illinois Center Right Coalition outlines June 30 convention plans

HOFFMAN ESTATES – The Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) is pleased to announce the details for its annual convention to be held at Liberty Hall, 8 East Main Street in Carpentersville, Illinois on June 30, 2012.

“This is a crucial election year for conservatives both nationally and across the State of Illinois,” says ICRC Chairman Frank Napolitano. “The 2012 ICRC Annual Convention brings together groups of like-minded passionate conservative leaders who are making the critical difference in Illinois elections. This is the time for strategy and action.”

Madigan hands pension bill to Cross as May 31st deadline nears

SPRINGFIELD - Just as the House was adjourning tonight after an array of budget bills were passed along party lines - Democrats for, Republicans against - House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) took to the podium.

"I have said publicly that I believe the pension costs should be sent back to local governments," Madigan said. "In a meeting this morning with Governor Quinn, he told me he agreed with the Republicans that the pension cost shift should not be sent back to school districts."

Madigan said he was turning over the sponsorship of SB 1673 to Minority Leader Tom Cross, and will release Amendments 4 and 6 from Rules Committee.  When the House Executive meets at 9 am Thursday morning, those amendments the Republican want on the pension bill will be addressed with Rep. Cross taking the lead on the bill.

Madigan's apparent surprise move will set the GOP House into last minute legislative activity.  Cross had just asked Madigan numerous times earlier this evening why the Speaker wouldn't take out the pension pay shift, and have easily-passed bi-partisan pension reform? The Speaker nor his Floor Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), who were both present in the chamber, did not respond to Cross' suggestion, until just moments before the evening's adjournment. 

The session is scheduled to adjourn May 31st.

Was Illinois' diabetes research cut a result of Madigan's revenge?

SPRINGFIELD - The Health and Human Services budget has just passed the Illinois House along party lines - and during floor debate, State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) had a difficult time explaining why suddenly this afternoon diabetes research funding was omitted from the this year's budget.

GOP state reps Jim Sacia and Dennis Reboletti both asked how and when the decision was made to remove the diabetes research, because it was included in budget amendments earlier in the day. 

"It is a question because of things that happened within the past 24 hours," Sacia said.

Yesterday and Minority Leader Tom Cross - who's high school age daughter deals with Type 1 Diabetes - staunchly spoke out against House Speaker Mike Madigan's pension plan, the lack of Republican input into budget decisions, and ultimately the decision for Republicans to not support the Democrats' budget proposal.

The question remains: after being in the budget fot the past 10 or so years, was this year's diabetes research cut a result of Madigan's revenge?

The news ... illustrated

Five reasons why Illinois Policy Institute supports local pension accountability

By Ted Dabrowski, Illinois Policy Institute -

To see how local pension accountability will affect your district, click here.

For decades, the state has subsidized the costs of pensions awarded to teachers who work at locally-run school districts. How? The state pays the “employer” share of pension benefits that teachers accrue each year, even though teachers are not state employees.

That arrangement has destroyed spending accountability across the state. Local school districts have been doling out end-of-career salary spikes, sick day accumulations and other pension sweeteners, only to have the state pick-up the skyrocketing pension costs. It’s a formula that’s been abused for years and has contributed to Illinois’ gaping pension shortfall.

Madigan gives Illinois judges a pass on pension reform

Legislation intended to curb the rising cost of public pensions in Illinois would reduce the benefits for recipients, except for the judges. Judges receive the highest average annual pension of any public employee, yet their benefits would remain untouched, according to legislation introduced by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. ...More HERE

Conservative bloggers "swatted" by the opposition

In attempts to shut down opposing viewpoints, anonymous pranksters are "swatting" prominent and effective conservative bloggers throughout the nation, Fox News reports.

Romneys share struggle with Ann's multiple schlerosis (video)

On World Multiple Sclerosis Day, Ann Romney and her family share their thoughts on her struggle with the disease. Ann and her sons also recount Mitt’s undying support to the woman he calls his “soul mate.”

17th CD polling shows Schilling ahead by 16 points

EAST MOLINE - Congressman Bobby Schilling's hard work during his freshman year in the US Congress is paying off, and preliminary poll numbers show it.  A Public Opinions poll released by the congressman's re-election campaign shows he's passed the 50 percent mark, leaving his liberal Democratic challenger Cheri Bustos in the dust at 35.

The state's powerful Democrats drew the new 17th CD to favor Democrats, and the same district poll showing Republican Schilling 16 points ahead of his Democratic challenger showed President Barack Obama ahead of GOP challenger Mitt Romney by 10 points. 

Schilling's name ID is at 86 and his favorability in the new part of the 17th is over 50. 

Bustos has a tough hill to climb that will demand lots of campaign cash. Thus far, her most generous donor besides the DCCC has been the pro-abortion PAC EMILY's List.

Left Sues for Denying Marriage Licenses to Same-Sex Partners

From Illinois Family Institute -

Today, May 30, 2012, the homosexual activist organization Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois have filed two lawsuits against the clerk of Cook County, charging that his office's refusal to issue marriage licenses to 25 homosexual couples violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the Illinois Constitution.

The fact that Illinois' civil union law grants homosexual couples all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of marriage means next to nothing to homosexual activists. As IFI and many others warned, civil union legislation was merely a stepping stone to legalized same-sex marriage. "It's now painfully obvious that the purpose for securing civil unions legislation last year was to gain legal leverage in the left's attempt to overturn the IL Defense of Marriage law," said IFI's executive director, David E. Smith.

Senate GOP leader lists unions that supported 2005 pension shortage

SPRINGFIELD - After hearing from seven public sector union-affiliated opponents to the proposed pension bill in Senate Executive Committee, State Senator Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) read a list of unions that supported Governor Rod Blagojevich's 2005 plan to short the public pension system $27 Billion in 2005.

"It's a big disingenuous to be opposed now," Radogno said. "There's many who are complicit in getting the pensions system to where it is today."

Radogno read from 2005 committee witness slips that supported the 2005 pension system shortage which included witnesses from SEIU, the Illinois Education Association, Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois Federation of Teachers. 

"I hope you get your boy!"

By The Cranky Housewife -

Start by understanding this, Planned Parenthood received $500 million dollars from the federal government in 2010. That means that the US government fulfills 47% of Planned Parenthood's fundraising efforts. That's an important statistic because it means that We the Taxpayers are funding what you are about to see. For all intents and purposes, the American taxpayers are minority shareholders in Planned Parenthood's "women's health initiatives."

We can now watch a video that has been posted on LiveAction which reveals how our tax money is being applied by the counselors at Planned Parenthood. In this video, we see an employee at PP in Austin, Texas advising a pregnant woman on how best to determine the sex of her unborn child so that she can late-term abort the child if the baby is a girl.

Gendercide.

Outburst on IL House floor earns Rep. Bost new moniker, "Rep. Boss"

The Illinois Tea Party grabbed a video of State Rep. Mike Bost's tirade on the Illinois House floor Wednesday. A request had just been denied by the Speaker to bring up an amendment that would have removed the cost shift from pension reform.

Why not bring up that Amendment for a vote? Too many Chicago Democrats would have been documented as being for what will become an historical tax shift from Illinois income taxes to local property taxes. That wouldn't be good for those in competitive races. 

Madigan's pension reform plan is to force teacher and university staff pension payments down to local school districts, forcing school districts to hike their budgets and local property taxes to meet the demand. Bost is from a downstate district that will face double digit tax increases and that's why he lost it. More lawmakers need to show this kind of passion when defending their constituents.  He's now been dubbed "Rep. Boss."

Illinois congressmen just don't get the problem with PLAs

CHICAGO - Blogger Warner Todd Huston explains the problems with PLAs (Project Labor Agreements) and the tin ears Republican Congressman have concerning them. They either don't understand the domination PLAs give unions, or the support they've received from pro-union backers has bought votes that don't fit several Illinois GOP congressmen's political image. Huston explains:

Unions love PLAs because the rule forces government construction projects to be conducted under union rules, to pay union pay scales to workers as well as pension payments to the union plans, and requires all work to be controlled by union bosses even if the companies hired to do the work are non-union. With PLAs unions feel they have the best of both worlds because they can still benefit from free government money even when they aren't hired to do the work. In short, PLAs are a sop to unions.

AFSCME boss spells out union demands on Illinois' pension crisis

SPRINGFIELD - Public Affairs' Jeff Berkowitz had a chance to sit down with AFSCME boss Henry Bayer last week in Springfield to talk about Illinois' pension crisis. Bayer's not happy with Governor Pat Quinn and not thrilled with Speaker Madigan, either.  In the interview with Berkowit, Bayer proposes AFSCME's ideas for fixing the pension mess - repeal the tax deal the Illinois legisalture made last year with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Sears, set into action a progressive income tax system, raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

This is a can't-miss interview in which  the veteran organizer doesn't flinch while advocating AFSCME's wealth redistribution demands. Bayer accepts Berkowitz's copy of a free market classic, which, Berkowitz told Illinois Review, Bayer returned immediately after the interview concluded.

House GOP Leader Cross confronts Speaker Madigan over pension cost shift

SPRINGFIELD - If you missed Tuesday's House Republican Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) confrontation of House Speaker Mike Madigan about the way the Speaker's handling proposed pension reform, you'll want to see the video linked below. Cross uncharacteristically let loose on the House floor about Amendment #4 to Senate Bill 1673, which would remove the pension cost shift to local school districts.

See the video on HERE. You may want to also listen to GOP State Rep. Mike Bost's outburst after Cross' comments.

EPA regulations threaten to close Illinois coal plants

By Nancy Thorner -

Part 1: EPA coal regulations advance government policies in name of man-made global warming/Heartland leads fight against 'warmists'

I have heard said a number of times by those who claim to be in the know about predicting election outcomes, that the November elections will be fought and won over the economy, jobs, with energy taking 3rd place. 

Energy really deserves the number one spot, for energy is what drives the economy of  this nation. With this nation's factories and industries humming along people are employed. With employment the American people have money to spend, which, in turn, fosters economic growth.