Capitol Fax

Rich Miller's commentary on State Government

One of Gov. Pat Quinn's favorite lines is "I speak truth to power." He uses it almost all the time, and has for years.

It appears to be a verbal tic. Quinn has grown so accustomed to saying it for so long that he can't stop himself. He said it once while explaining how he would pitch his income tax hike plan to average voters.

The governor has several of these verbal tics. He talks about the "chirpers on the sidelines," and how there is always "more than one way to get to Heaven." His favorite little phrase for his Democratic primary opponent Dan Hynes is "ankle biter."

Quinn's constant use of those little phrases, but particularly his "truth to power" line give us a window into how he thinks. It's no surprise. He's been a populist forever.

The "truth to power" phrase also defines how the media has covered Quinn throughout his career. The unwavering story line is that Quinn is the outsider, the rock thrower, the lone voice in the wilderness shouting for the common man.

Yet, Pat Quinn is now the governor of a major industrialized state. And the media coverage hasn't changed all that much. While certainly not omnipotent, he is most definitely a major "power," but watch the coverage and sometimes you wouldn't know. Being the governor means Quinn's actions now have very serious consequences, unlike in the past.

And that brings us to the bizarre situation of Gov. Quinn publicly bashing the Illinois General Assembly almost every day for the past couple of weeks or so because it passed a budget which didn't fully fund a college scholarship program known as the Merit Award Program, or MAP for short.

"(T)he General Assembly decided to only fund the first semester of college scholarships. That's not acceptable, we have two semesters here," Quinn told a rally at Northern Illinois University a couple of weeks ago. Quinn then vowed to punish lawmakers with unending special sessions if they didn't come up with a solution during the October veto session.

What the governor consistently failed to mention during that and other speeches - and what the media has just as consistently failed to report - is that Quinn signed the state budget into law. The very same budget with the underfunded MAP program.

There's an old saying in politics: "You sign it, you own it." In other words, that's Quinn's budget now.

Not to mention that Quinn himself said in July that he had "no reservation" about signing the new budget. And not to mention that it was Quinn's administration which decided to spend every penny of the drastically reduced MAP grant money during the fall college semester without a plan in place to pay for the scholarships during the spring semester, leaving thousands upon thousands of students in the lurch. And, it was Quinn who decided not to use his broad emergency budget powers granted to him by the General Assembly last summer to move money around to prop up the scholarship program.

Somehow, this situation is entirely the General Assembly's fault, Quinn says while speaking "truth to power," and the media echoes his every word. Apparently, Quinn is still the lieutenant governor or the state treasurer. He's not responsible at all for a state budget that he signed. He's just out there throwing rocks at "power," and that act alone is deemed the whole story.

If Quinn doesn't know that this is at least partially his fault, then he is delusional. I don't believe the governor is that far gone - although at times I vastly underestimated the delusion levels of two previous governors, so I guess I could be wrong again. I wrote a column once declaring that Rod Blagojevich was sane. Oops.

To me, at least, it's beyond obvious what the governor is doing here. Quinn got himself in big trouble and now he's lashing out at somebody else to draw attention away from him. It's just about the oldest political gimmick in the book, and it's so simple that you'd think somebody else would notice.

Senate Week In Review

September 28-October 2, 2009, A view from the Illinois Senate Republican Press Office

SPRINGFIELD ­ Higher education took center stage, as lawmakers and state officials continue to advance options to restore funding to Illinois' Monetary Award Program (MAP).

Also this week, State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon) said some lawmakers are calling for the elimination of the state's Legislative Scholarship Program, and a southern Illinois judge ruled on possible layoffs of state union employees.

Gov. Pat Quinn recently cut the state's MAP program, which provides financial assistance to approximately 145,000 Illinois college students. Quinn reduced state funding to MAP by 50 percent, and unless the revenue is reinstated, there will be no MAP awards for the 2010 spring semester.

Bivins said that while Illinois' dire budget situation precipitated cuts, Quinn had the flexibility in the state budget to protect the college scholarship program. The cuts have prompted an outcry from universities, community colleges and students across Illinois who depend on MAP. An additional $202 million is needed to fully finance spring semester awards. It is estimated that 138,000 students will be impacted by the reduction, and that many will be forced to leave school.

Although several funding options for MAP have been advancedincluding a $1 cigarette sales tax that is supported by Quinn, and proposed amnesty for residents and businesses who owe back taxesBivins noted that the Governor could fully fund the MAP program by taking revenue from $1.2 billion in discretionary funding given to him by the Legislature. However, Quinn has chosen not to use that revenue to finance MAP scholarships.

Another college assistance program, the Illinois Legislative Scholarship Program, is also being scrutinized. The program lets legislators offer scholarships to students within their district who might not otherwise be able to attend college.

Sen. Bivins uses a bipartisan committee to pick the scholarship recipients for the 45th District, but he says he could support a more centralized method of awarding the scholarships as long as it is fair and equitable for all regions of the state.

In other action, a judge ruled Sept. 28 against Gov. Quinn's plan to lay off thousands of state prison workers. Quinn initially proposed the layoffs as a way to reduce the state's financial obligations; however, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union challenged the proposed layoffs in court, citing safety and administrative concerns.

Circuit Court Judge Todd Lambert on Monday stated that the union did prove that "irreparable harmwould be suffered by employees" if the layoffs went through. He then ruled that Illinois and AFSCME should seek arbitration on the conflict.

The Governor's office has announced plans to appeal the judge's decision, and continues to advocate for the layoffs as a way to balance the state budget. The Quinn Administration insists that layoffs would not endanger the public's safety, and were necessary since AFSCME wouldn't agree to employee furlough days or wage freezes.

What's euthanasia?

Your dictionary needs correcting

Euthanasia is in the news daily now, with promoters denying and opponents charging that it's imbedded in ObamaCare, so it's important to know what the word originally meant and how it's misunderstood today.

Fredric Wertham, M.D., an expert on human violence, explained it in his 1966 book A Sign for Cain, which documented the involvement of German medical professionals in the Holocaust.

Euthanasia comes from two Greek words: eu (well) and thanatos (death.) "By it," he wrote, "the ancients meant the art and discipline of dying in peace and dignity, with special emphasis on relief from pain and suffering." It meant mitigating and relieving pain and suffering during the death agony by medication or other medical means.

Even before the war, before Hitler wrote anything about it, leading German psychiatrists and directors of mental hospitals launched a program to kill all mental patients in the country ­ those whose life was "not worth living" (lebensunwerten lebens.) The term "euthanasia" was used to conceal the actual purpose of the project.

Were those "good deaths"? None of them were dying. (That was the problem, as it is today in America!)

That false meaning continues to corrupt our language today, Dr. Wertham notes. Look up the definition of euthanasia in any dictionary you have in your house or school. Most likely you'll read: "mode or act of inducing death painlessly or as a relief from pain."

That is not euthanasia; that's homicide. If you "put a person to death," that is, deliberately kill him, that's murder. If you do it "painlessly," it's still murder. Many murders, like suicides, are committed without inflicting pain. A widely used dictionary of psychological and psychoanalytical terms defines euthanasia as "the practice of ending life painlessly." Some mass murderers do exactly that.

"That such confused and confusing definitions are given in standard dictionaries." Wertham writes, "proves my thesis that violence is more solidly and insidiously set in our social thinking than is generally believed."

Sincerely,

Richard O'Connor

Pearl City, IL

Damn Lie vs. Ugly Truth

Congressman Joe Wilson screamed "You Lie" at President Obama causing something of a tempest in the tea pot. Incredibly, it has been the notorious lies coming from Republican opponents of health care reform that have done damage to a rational debate over policy in order to make it an emotional issue and score hoped for political points. Wilson's scream was itself a lie.

Next comes Congressman Alan Grayson's ugly truth. Commenting on a research study to be published in the December American Journal of Public Health and conducted by Dr. Andrew P. Wilper, M.D. et al. he attacks the Republican strategy of defeating health care reform as causing 45,000 uninsured Americans of working age to die needlessly. The study, "Health Insurance and Mortality in U.S. Adults" confirms the findings of an earlier 1993 study that found a 25% higher risk of death among the uninsured. While concluding that "uninsurance is associated with mortality," the study goes on to say, "The uninsured are more likely to go without needed care than the insured. . . . The uninsured are more likely to visit the emergency department and be admitted to the hospital for 'ambulatory care sensitive conditions' suggesting that preventable illnesses are a consequence of uninsurance."

The Republicans are miffed and demanding an apology. Evidently the truth is worse than the lie. It reminds me of when President Truman was campaigning and someone in the crowd shouted out, "Give'm hell Harry" and Truman replied, "I just told the truth and they thought it was hell."

I don't expect the eventual reform bill will be perfect; but if we wait for perfection, nothing will be done. The uninsured can't wait, their lives are on the line. If we are to reduce health care cost which is essential, someone is going to have less money to stuff into their pockets.

Dr. Arthur C. Donart, Ph.D.

Thomson, IL

Freedom of the Press

Hello Tom,

Thank you very much for printing my letter (Fed Up Independent Voter, 9/30/09). You seem to be on the other side of the political spectrum than me, but as a newspaperman, you are what I think is what exactly is needed in this country.The fact that you print ALL points of view is remarkable at this time in this country.

You seem like a throwback from the times depicted in the old cowboy movies. A man who believes in freedom of the press and letting the truth be told even if it hurts.

By the way, if you were only on the internetI don't believe you would have the same impact as taking the printed copy out of the mailbox, holding in ones hand and reading it.

Thanks again,

Harry Cello

Lake Carroll, IL

A Good Read

Tom,

You can reread The Grapes of Wrath if you want (The Way We Weren't, 9/30/09), but the last time I checked, it was a work of fiction. A great book, but fiction none the less.

I saw this Abraham Lincoln quote in Midwest Outdoors and I thought it got right to the point:

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."

Respectfully,

Bob Stretton

Savanna, IL

Scare Tactics

Thank you to the writer of Read itHB 3200 (9/16/2009). I DID go on the internet and I DID go on links on HR 3200 Healthcare bill. I did not go on a site with a conservative slant OR a liberal slantI went on a site where the facts and realities were stated which debunked all of the writers interpretations.

The writer states "seniors will suffer" in the sentence before "this is not scare tactics". They are scare tactics to those who do not/c an not find out the true facts from the internet(some seniors)

Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security and Veterans health care are government-run plans. Would people give them up because they are government-run plans?

"Death squads" for seniors are just falsehoods of the opposition who are grouping for words to frighten people. Do not believe the bunk spouted by these peoplefind the facts out for yourself.

Government taking over our lives, our freedoms, our rights and our financial lives is just plain hogwash to try to brainwash the people.

I do have some reservations about the health plan and I do not agree that the costs with all those zeros is mind-boggling. The past 8 long years of GWB(the conservative?) his wars, his many zeros deficits and his Republican majority who dined daily on taxpayers $$$ with greasy pork-spendingWHY wasn't there any $$$ objections THEN from the fiscally conservative voters?

Plain and simple, this opposition is fueled by partisanship by the PAST majority Republicans who hope to be the FUTURE majority in congress and by the conservative voters who follow them along in a goose step.

Julie Kilpatrick

Hanover, IL

How To Say 'No' to Vaccines

It would appear that Federal and several state governments will attempt to make the H1N1 swine flu vaccine mandatory this fall. I've just learned the Massachusetts senate has passed legislation that calls for fines of $1,000 a day or stiff jail time for refusing the shots.

What your readers haven't been told, however, is that these shots contain sqauline, mercury and other products that make made many Gulf war vets gravely ill and caused severe arthritis and premature deaths in laboratory animals.

For any "doubting Thomas's" out there, take the following letter to your doctor and ask him to sign it. "I, Dr. ___ take full responsibility for any harm that occurs to patient ____ as a result of a vaccination I administer."

No doctor will sign this because the medical profession is will aware of sickness and even death, especially to children, that has resulted from several vaccine programs in the past.

Your readers should also be advised that mandatory vaccines are akin to medical experimentation against a person's will and are a violation of two international agreements ­ the Nuremburg Code and the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

What to do? First, store away food and water so that you can self-quarantine both for your health and to become less conspicuous.

Second, take advantage of any exemptions offered, like poor health or religious beliefs.

Third, stand tall and just say, "NO!" You and your children need not become pin-cushions to satisfy big pharma's greed for money.

Finally, if any official or school principal takes you to task, just show him the unsigned doctor's letter included here. In a final sow down, no honest jury would ever rule against you based on that!

Ron Rendleman

Chadwick, IL

It's All 'Relative'

Thomas,

Just got the PA today.Don't get a chance to read it too often, but for some reason I sat down and read a few articles. I thought yours on the back page was quite good (Heart of the Matter, 8/26/09).Then I read a letter from some guy from Mt. Carroll (Within Government's Powers, 9/9/09).

Did I miss something or is he a little misinformed?He claims to know something about the historyof this country, yet he doesn't seem to think history is repeating itself.Does he not see tyranny raising it's ugly head again? He spoke about the Constitution, and how it can be interpreted. That's all fine and dandy, but our elected officials take an oath to UPHOLD the Constitution, not interpret it. He talked about Freedom of Speech, and the Right to Bear Arms, etc. He better be damn thankful he has those rights or you could censor his letters and nobody would care how he felt. As far as carrying a gun to a rally, better an armed citizen or two, than amilitary trying tokeep patriots enslaved.

Listen,keep the PEOPLE informed.Tell the truth.Get the facts.You have the means to make a difference.

One more thing. Read the "give me liberty, or give me death" speech, and then tell me something isn't going on now that didn't already happen.

Your Brother American,

Richard D. Kocal

Antioch, IL

Publisher's Note: My brother and I don't agree on several things. For example, he is as much a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan as I am a die-hard Chicago Bears fan. But when it comes to our independence, we see eye to eye - Brother Americans.

Obama as University President

Columnist Victor Davis Hanson has proposed an interesting premise. His premise is that Barack Obama is under the delusion that he is a university president. Hanson's piece is four pages long, and appeared September 23rd on National Review Online (NRO.com). Surprisingly, Hanson's premise holds up well under a review of Obama's actions his first nine months in office.

Here's a sampling of Hanson's prose: "For many in the academic community, ...Middle America is an exotic place inhabited by aborigines who bowl, don't eat arugula, and need to be reminded to inflate their tires....It is the role of the university, from a proper distance, to help them, by making sophisticated, selfless decisions on health care and the environment that the unwashed cannot grasp are really in their own interest." It's a good read, I promise.

So, what are we to do, faced with this insufferable, pompous attitude, which the Congress obviously shares with the President? This attitude shows promise of bankrupting the nation (the national debt will double by 2012 and triple by 2019), sending utility bills "skyrocketing" (Obama's own word), and a quarter of our physicians into early retirement (ObamaCare). What are we to do?

A brief lesson in civics here. Who passes bills? The Congress. Which house of Congress passes the spending bills? The House. Which house of Congress must run for re-election every two years? The House.

Well, there you have it! Problem solved! Just GO GREEN, as many signs on 9-12 in Washington, DC read. RECYCLE THE HOUSE! Of course, you come up against the two-party system in this nation. Third parties fail because they can't raise enough funds, and the third party is always an offshoot of an existing party - Nader's party drew from Democrats/Liberals and Perot's party drew from Republicans/Conservatives. The two major parties will run the same guy over and over because he's got name recognition. Never mind that his constituents liked him well enough the first few years, but now would dearly love to be rid of him.

But, wait! There is hope! A new party has arisen, and it is not your typical "third party." The party is GOOOH (pronounced GO) - GET OUT OF OUR HOUSE (of Representatives). GOOOH empowers voters to choose their own candidate for the Congress. Chosen at four weekend meetings in April 2010, the GOOOH candidate will have undergone scrutiny by his neighbors in the district, will have indicated his positions on 100 separate issues, and will have pledged to quit the Congress after two terms, and not become "a fixture," like Robert Byrd.

GOOOH founder, Tim Cox, a straight-talking Texan, is coming to northern IL October 13-15, and will present his plan to replace congressmen with citizen-legislators, chosen by the people of their district. GOOOH candidates will not need to fundraise, and can benefit from a national media campaign. Issues will differ from district to district, but GOOOH is a party without a platform. Whoever the people of a district feel will best represent them, they can place on the November ballot.

Tim is coming to St. Charles (Oct. 15th) to the historic Arcada Theatre, one of eight remaining vaudeville theaters in the U.S., and to Key Lime Cove Water Park in Gurnee (Oct. 13th). He might come to your town October 14th, if there is interest. Please email for more information.

Now you know what HOPE and CHANGE will get you. Let's have some REAL CHANGE in November 2010.

Jane Carrell

Roscoe, IL

Feedback Needed Re: Illinois State Parks

As Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, I believe it is important to hear from our constituents. I urge you to TAKE OUR ON-LINE SURVEY (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=d_2fZVx9gzCQ9OpCIlnvZ94g_3d_3d) to tell us your opinions on important natural resources and outdoor recreation policy issues. (You may need to "control and click" to make the link work.)

The survey asks your opinions about public access on land for recreational activities, programming and recruiting for youth outdoor nature-related activities, and options to fund conservation and outdoor recreation.

Answers are confidential, and will not be attributed to you. Survey results will be presented at the Conservation Congress (a gathering of Department constituents to develop policy recommendations for elected and appointed officials) in October to inform the debate.

The survey closes on October 16 so don't delay. If you are a resident of Illinois, we want to hear from you.

Yours in Conservation,

Marc Miller, Director

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

CASA Says Thank You

The 15th Judicial Circuit Court Appointed Special Advocates' (CASA) program serves children who have been alleged to be or found to be neglected and/or abused in Lee, Carroll and Ogle Counties. The CASA advocates are trained community volunteers who devote their time and efforts to review records, investigate facts, meet with caseworkers, with counselors, with school personnel and others to determine and advocate for the best interests of a child for whom they are appointed in Juvenile Court.

The Court Appointed Special Advocates prepare detailed reports for the Juvenile Court Judge. These reports assist the Juvenile Court Judge in obtaining as much information as possible in order to make informed decisions in very difficult cases. The Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers advocate that a neglected and/or abused child's social, educational, medical and counseling needs are met while that child is involved in the Court process. The Court Appointed Special Advocates further advocate for that child to be placed in a safe, loving and permanent home as quickly as possible. Our communities are very fortunate to have dedicated citizens from Lee, Carroll and Ogle Counties willing to come forward to serve as advocates in this most valuable program. Training for new volunteers will be held beginning September 30th. Anyone interested in learning more about the program is encouraged to contact the CASA office in Dixon at .

In addition, as a member of the CASA Board, I would like to thank the many citizens from Lee, Carroll and Ogle Counties who attended the First Annual CASA Celebrity Waiter Dinner fund raising event on September 12th. The event was extremely successful in raising funds for the operation of the CASA Program. Sincere thanks also go to Nancy and Trevis Mayfield who Co-chaired the event. Finally, the evening could not have been as successful as it was if not for the excellent work of the Celebrity Waiters. Special thanks go to Ed Bushman, Mike Dale, Retired Judge David Fritts, Glen Hughes, Doug Lee, Trevis Mayfield, Chuck Phillips, Ogle County States Attorney Ben Roe, Emily Seifert, Kim Stahl, Greg Martin, Lyle Sykora and Darryl Vandervort who did such an outstanding job as waiters. The funds raised on behalf of the CASA Program assist the CASA Board in hiring staff to recruit, train and supervise the CASA volunteers to insure quality services and compliance with National CASA standards. Thank you.

John E. Payne

15th Circuit CASA Board Member

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia, State Representative, 89th District

It's hard to imagine that since January of this year more than 6,000 bills have been introduced in the 96th session of the Illinois General Assembly. Of that number, about 1,480 made it out of committee to be considered by the full House or Senate, and 854 passed both Houses and made it to the Governor, of which he totally or amendatorily vetoed 61. We return to Springfield in a few short weeks to deal with those vetoes. Veto session is always an interesting two weeks as other issues invariably find their way onto the table.

There is little doubt that Governor Quinn inherited a monster when he was appointed early this year. Our $59 billion state budget passed in July is still several billion dollars out of whack. The Governor, in complete frustration in my opinion, has taken a page out of the Blagojevich playbook, threatening the legislative leaders to solve the financial crisis or else we all will be held in Springfield in special session (at your expense) until we solve it. Oh boy, here we go again.

The Governor has also threatened to lay off several thousand union state workers due to the financial crisis, but a federal judge this week blocked that action. Remember, until January 1, 2010 all actions of the General Assembly require a 3/5ths vote instead of a simple majority, making it more difficult. Veto Session will definitely have its challenges.

Many thanks to Dr. Joe Kanosky at Highland Community College West for use of their West facility for our Identity Theft and Scams seminar, and to Carole Dickerson at the Freeport Library, for hosting our Unemployment Conference. Both events were very informative, and I would also like to send a very special "thank you" to Mike Hughes from the Illinois Attorney General's office, and Linda Swalve with the Illinois Department of Employment Security, for their tremendous help.

I proudly stood with many area citizens awarding scholarships to deserving Highland College students on Sunday, September 27th. The need to provide financial aid to our young scholars is always chief among the concerns of the Highland leadership. I commend their solicitation efforts, and even more those of the tenacious scholars in pursuit of their education.

On another education frontmany have contacted me regarding the need to keep our MAP grants in place for so many needy scholars. I and other legislators from both parties are working closely with Governor Quinn to solve the issue.

Anyone following national politics is well aware that the Reverend Al Sharpton and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich are completely opposite politically. They have teamed up as the political "odd couple" and are traveling the nation touting the importance of a good education. One of the schools used as a hopeful example is a Philadelphia inner city school that two years ago was a complete failure, but today is among the best in the nation. The kids themselves will tell you that it's because of discipline. You tow the line or you are expelled. What an interesting concept ­ discipline. It worksthe kids get it. Northwest Illinois figured that out years ago and our schools are among the best in the nation.

Kathy Drea of the American Lung Association asked me to share with you the following information about finding a location offering flu shots: type in http://www.flucliniclocator.org then type in your zip code and it will give you locations, times and costs of flu shot clinics near you.

As always, you can reach me, Sally or Barb at or e-mail us at . You can also visit my website at www.jimsacia.com. It's always a pleasure to hear from you.