Letters & Commentary

Capitol Fax

Rich Miller's commentary on State Government

The original hope by Dan Hynes' Democratic gubernatorial campaign was that they could outspend and beat up Pat Quinn on TV by Thanksgiving to the point where the governor was vulnerable in the February 2nd primary.

Early benchmark polling for Gov. Quinn had him leading Hynes 54-26, with other polls showing similar results. Hynes' name ID was a relatively low 67 percent, compared to Quinn's 88 percent.

Since then, Hynes has spent close to $2 million on TV ads, but Quinn has matched him pretty much dollar for dollar. And while Hynes stopped running network TV ads on November 11th and went dark on cable last week, Quinn was up with a positive bio ad last week on both network and cable.

The governor has raised more money much faster than many people expected, given his historical aversion to the activity. Quinn has also run a much better, tighter and more visible campaign than many had expected. The governor is getting "earned" media coverage on the all-important Chicago TV almost every day, and the state's multi billion dollar capital construction bill has allowed him to cut ribbons all over the state, which is something Hynes simply can't match.

Recent polling conducted by other statewide Democratic candidates show Quinn ahead of Hynes 50-38 and 50-35, sources say.

While clearly demonstrating that the race is significantly tightening, the polling shows Quinn has not yet been brought below 50 percent - a crucial benchmark for all incumbents, even though there are more than two candidates in the race at this point (both of the second tier candidates face petition challenges, however, and could be booted from the contest). At least one of those polls has Quinn with about a two-to-one favorable rating, which shows that Hynes' ads haven't yet succeeded in roughing up the governor.

The Hynes people believe they have significantly closed the gap and are now in a position to make the final four-week run beginning in January. But big questions remain about what the "dark," period - when nobody is running ads - between now and January will do to the polling numbers. Will Hynes fade back to the status quo ante? Or, will his numbers roughly hold steady while voters' attentions turn to decidedly unpolitical things? There are reports from inside that Hynes plans to run a Christmas ad in December, but that will be a purely positive message and won't do much of anything to bring Quinn down.

Since Hynes hasn't yet fully put the governor on his back, there are those who believe that the comptroller's campaign message won't really work in the final four weeks, either. I have said publicly that I believe this race could be over by Thanksgiving if Hynes didn't have Quinn bleeding from every political orifice by the traditional holiday season kickoff date - after which negative ads would likely be a huge liability. He doesn't appear to have done that to Quinn, but I'm not quite ready to pronounce Hynes' campaign officially dead, although everybody would have to admit that he does face some very, very difficult odds.

Both campaigns have indicated privately that polling and focus grouping shows that Governor Quinn's proposed income tax hike "works" much better against him than attempting to tie Quinn to his ousted predecessor and two-time running mate Rod Blagojevich. Hynes has focused his advertising on the tax issue, but the ads clearly haven't put Quinn down as of yet.

It's not known whether Hynes will attempt to somehow use the Blagojevich issue in his January ad campaign. Quinn has a pretty solid reputation for honesty among voters, and he is probably seen as a "safe" choice, considering the last two governors. They also clearly want to see him succeed and have so far given him something of a pass on his many stumbles in office.

That hopeful voter attitude could all fade by next fall, after Quinn has another legislative session under his belt, but February 2nd is just around the corner. After this week, there are really only about four campaign weeks left, and every candidate who can afford it will be up on TV come January. There will be a lot of cash flowing, and messages will easily be buried under all the clutter.

Senate Week In Review

November 16-20
A view from the Illinois Senate Republican Press Office

SPRINGFIELD ­ The announcement Nov. 15 by Gov. Pat Quinn that Guantanamo Bay detainees could be moved to Illinois' Thomson Correctional Center has generated a number of important questions that deserve answers, according to State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon).

Bivins said that reports suggest the Thomson Correctional Center is the leading candidate to receive federal detainees, including suspected terrorists, when the federal government closes its military prison located in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The prison, which is a supermax facility located in northwestern Illinois, has sat largely empty since it was completed in 2001.

The correctional center was identified as a potential replacement by federal authorities, who would purchase it from Illinois and use it to house approximately 1,600 federal, maximum- security inmates, including approximately 100 detainees from the Guantanamo Bay facility.

The proposal has sparked criticism from some governmental officials and Illinois residents, who expressed concerns over housing suspected terrorists in Illinois. Critics also say that Illinois' prison system is already well over capacity, and Thomson should instead be used to reduce overcrowding at other state facilities and hire more guards, thus cutting substantial overtime costs.

It's estimated that Illinois' prisons are at 140 percent and 170 percent capacity for general and maximum-security populations.

Bivins said much more information is needed before a decision is made.

"At the briefing and tour Monday at Thomson Correctional Center, I asked the Governor's Chief of Operations Jack Lavin if there is a plan in place for using the proceeds from the sale of the prison. His response was 'I think we are getting ahead of ourselves.' I responded that I thought we 'should get ahead of ourselves' before making a decision of this magnitude. There are so many factors to consider," Bivins said.

"I would recommend taking some of the proceeds from the sale of the prison and putting that money toward helping the state's overcrowded Corrections system. The federal prison systems said it will house 1,600 inmates at Thomson and have 800-900 employees," he added. "Compare that to the prison in Dixon with 2,200 inmates and fewer than 600 employees."

Bivins also noted that the financial data needs a closer look.

"The State of Illinois still owes $80 million on the Thomson Prison. We have to pay that off. The Village of Thomson had to have a new wastewater treatment system, for which they floated about $12 million worth of bonds. That still needs to be paid. So we are looking at up to $90 million that is still owed," Bivins said. "If the sale price is $120 million, as has been suggested, that takes the profit to as low as $30 million."

The 45th District Senator said the state must weigh all options for the use of Thomson Correctional Center.

"We need to look at the entirety of the situation. We should open up the process. If we are going to sell Thomson, let's get the best possible price for it. Are there other bidders out there? The State of Pennsylvania is looking for a home for 2,000 inmates ­ have we explored that opportunity? There are all kinds of issues here that are not being investigated," Bivins said. "Or if they are being investigated, state officials are not being forthcoming with that information."

Bivins said lawmakers should have a say in the potential sale. Quinn has said he can sell the facility by arbitrarily declaring it "surplus property." Lawmakers are concerned that action could set a dangerous precedent impacting virtually every piece of state property. Some lawmakers also believe that if the federal government offers to purchase Thomson, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability must hold hearings on the potential facility closure, as required by state law.

In other news this week, a report revealed that Illinois' unemployment is the highest it has been in 26 years. The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced that the state's unemployment rate jumped from 10.5 percent in September to 11 percent in October. In October 2008, the unemployment rate was 6.8 percent.

Though there were job losses in Illinois industries, some sectors had noticeable increases in employment. Education and health services, as well as business and construction, all reported gains. Manufacture, transportation and trade sectors experienced losses.

The national unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent in October, which is the highest it has been since April 1983.

Fear of Change Continued

Last week, I wrote about the accelerating pace of change and the need for more change. This week I'd like to write about how some of that change might play out.

Obama has spelled out the agenda. Nobody wants to take away our guns or gut the Constitution or force us to speak Spanish in a mosque during our same sex marriage. What Obama wants us to do is two things. First, fix some of the mistakes we've made and do the things that we have resisted doing in the last fifty years: fix our healthcare system, fix the funding for our schools and universities, do a better job of protecting our environment, fix our broken tax system, and rethink our transportation needs. He might not say all of this himself, but yes add a drop or two more socialism here and there to our market economy and to learn how to do that, a good place to look might just be Europe. In some of these areas, Europeans have done a better job. It might help if we stopped thinking of ourselves as the greatest with all the answers. We're not and we don't have them.

The second arena is we must confront global warming/climate change and resource depletion. This is probably going to be the more difficult of the two tasks. These two tasks are interdependent and what we do in one area will certainly have an impact on the other.

Recently, our attention has been focused on the health care debate. But soon that debate will be over. And, then, Obama and the Democrats will shift gears and it will be on to Cap and Trade and Copenhagen. Actually, lost in the health care debate is the carbon debate that has already been going on. The average citizen has been debating global warming/climate change since Al Gore's movie, but scientists, policy makers and some environmentalists have been discussing global warming much longer. Again, there are some naysayers, even Congressman Manzullo told a group of high school students he doesn't believe in climate change. I'll bet the real problem is not that he disagrees with the science, but he is afraid to face the changes that confronting climate change is going to take. His comfort zone is being threatened. Things are going to change whether we do anything about it or not. No action will mean more negative climate changes; positive action will mean a healthier environment, a more stable climate and a better life for all of us.

There are lots of steps. As individuals there are lots of steps we need to take right away to fight global warming. Some of us feel pretty good about what we're already doing. It is probably not nearly enough. In some ways, industry has been a leader in reducing their energy consumption and they are definitely moving in the right direction, although they are probably still moving a bit too slowly. Illinois has not done as much as some other states and has a long way to go.

Sadly, the last administration actively fought every effort to do anything about climate change. Under the Obama administration that is changing. The federal government and the states working together (and sometimes particular states will be out in front) are beginning to move forward. The solutions as a package seem like a no brainer. Tax fossil fuel and people will use less coal and oil. Then take the money raised by selling carbon credits and use that money to help companies consume less energy. C&T is a proven, successful program the US has already used to reduce the impact of Acid Rain. Use some of the money to encourage people to weatherize their homes, install new windows, and replace energy inefficient home appliances. Tax gasoline and encourage people to drive less and use the tax money not to build more obsolete roads but to build public transportation networks, even in rural areas like Carroll County.

And finally, use the C&T money to help wean the country away from coal. Perhaps, at first encourage coal burning utilities to try and burn coal more cleanly. However, we have to realize that there is the unfortunate reality there is no such thing as clean coal and eventually, we will have to stop burning coal, even though there will still be tons of coals available. Some parts of the country that depend on coal for energy or mine coal as a resource will have a difficult period of adjustment. Hopefully, a national program can alleviate some of these differences.

The third step, an international agreement, will be more difficult. It is going to be hard to convince the rest of the world that the US, which helped write the Kyoto Accords and then failed to sign them, is serious. It is going to be difficult because we still won't have our own climate change legislation in place. What we can hope is that Obama will be able to get a treaty that is strong enough to get the job done. A treaty based on the assumption that the US will follow through with its responsibilities as a world leader and then the US Senate will sign the treat in early 2010. Also, hopefully, all the world governments, including India and China, will sign on to make meaningful changes at home to combat global warming. We will need big government at home and abroad to lead the way and we will need the international community working together to get things done globally.

The next step will probably be a carbon tariff. If we are forcing American industries to clean up their act we can't leave them unprotected if China and India don't start to clean up their act. We may have to impose on our trading partners a carbon tax. If a Chinese or Indian company is using dirty energy and they are polluting the air, poisoning the water and spewing CO2 into the atmosphere, we can tax their goods when we import them. That will help revitalize American industry and encourage the rest of the world to follow our new example and clean up their act.

It may be difficult to get the preceding structure in place, but in the long run it will be the easy part. Then everyone in the whole world, working as individuals in their own homes, business leaders in the market place, government bureaucrat's fine tuning the regulations, collecting the new taxes and dispersing the incentives and government officials meeting with their counterparts, will have to work out the details and then follow through.

The amount of change that will be occurring is staggering.At first, it's going to hurt our pocketbooks. But look at some of the advantages. The folks who want to go back to the fifties, in some ways might just get their wish. Small towns, the smart ones, will experience a renaissance, especially if they are near some old railroad tracks, the highways of the future.

Become part of the debate. Realize that the discussion will probably not be about why we're on the road we're on, but the best way to go down that road. These international treaties and agreements are not the first steps to world government, but the first steps to countries globally working together to solve global problems. Nearly everyone recognizes the need for thoughtful change right now. The debate is about how to protect our freedoms, pay for the needed changes and avoid a climate change catastrophe.

Chuck Wemstrom

Mt. Carroll, IL

Harry's Hate Mail

Noticed you're stumping in the paper for your old buddy Frank. I think someone needs telling you that you just think you are a moderate independent. I can tell by your comments in the paper that you come from the liberal Democrat camp too. Them apples must grow on and fall off the same tree. Typical "crybaby" liberal B.S. stumping and whining for you old buddy Frank. Sure hope you haven't been in any heated arguments lately. Should never dialogue or argue about politics because all them dudes in Washington are shady characters. Sure seems like "Obamacare" is the way to go isn't it. Another govt run program to provide us with more corruption and loss of freedom. That is what you guys plug for. Closest thing to eternity is another govt run program! That is until one gets his tax bill. Bet you and Frank both are cut from the Chicago mold. I'll bet you were both part of the Daly machine or Chicago MOB at one time. I come from there too and now reside at Lake Carroll. I can't write controversial jargon in the paper because I am a stalwart in the business community. You seem like you are probably a pretty level headed guy but that old Frank sure is a loony toon. Sorry about the abusive and foul language, some people are just born to be bad, Harry.

Yours Truly,

Clyde finger

P.S.

Hope you guys get your healthcare (Obamacare) passed. I know Pelosi and her supporting cast of clowns can get it through. Old Frank will be the first one to be crying and whining in the paper when he has to wait 1 yr to get a pacemaker!!

Sure hope you and old Frank can get your differences resolved and for sure don't get involved in one of those heated arguments out on the golf course. I sure would hate to hear that someone got run under by a golf cart!

*************************

I have a couple of friends named Frank. Which one were you referring to? The friend in my letter to the editor is named Paul.

Harry Cello

Lake Carroll, IL

Publisher's Note: The above is an unsigned letter regarding Harry Cello's 11/04/09 "Hate Mail" letter. At the request of Mr. Cello, the recipient of the reply via U.S. Mail, a copy of which is in my possession, The Prairie Advocate agreed to print it, along with Mr. Cello's reply.

"Clyde" says, "I can't write controversial jargon in the paper because I am a stalwart in the business community." In my opinion, a "stalwart" would have the courage to write. I think Clyde is a coward. Thanks for sharing your "hate mail,' Harry.

Thomson Prison Points to Ponder

News articles are suggesting that Thomson Correctional Center is on the short list of locations to be used as a possible site for Guantánamo detainees, with politicians from both sides of the aisle positioning themselves for and against the decision to hold a hundred or so of the Gitmo inmates along with other federal prisoners.

Thinking locally, the question we face is this: are we willing to accept the potential risks that accompany having a maximum-security facility that will house suspected terrorists in order to bring an estimated 3,000 jobs and a powerful economic boost to our community?

Do we put targets on our backs by having suspected terrorists detained here? Will their presence bring others to the county? Will they diminish our safety? We can't know for sure. But one thing seems certain: this horse may already have left the barn.

Slate.com reported in May that (according to data provided by a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons), there are already 355 terrorists (216 international and 139 domestic) held on American soilincluding in facilities in Terre Haute, Indiana, and Marion, Illinois. The story noted: "Some of these miscreants have been locked up here since the early 1990s. None of them has escaped. At the most secure prisons, nobody has ever escaped, period."

I believe in our community and in our ability to ask the right questions. I would like to see our local legislators request some definitive assurances regarding these jobs before accepting the proposal that will allow the detainees to live here. What about the jobs of those who already work at the facility? It's important to consider that once the federal government owns this property, there are no guarantees that it would be used as currently promised.

That said, in the end, 3,000 jobs would bring tremendous economic progress to our area. I believe the controversy of the prisoners would no doubt fade with time, leaving a viable prison and jobs in its wake. Time to help rebuild the area so that our strong and pragmatic citizens are given an opportunity to show how it can be done.

Terrorism is not going away anytime soon. Our future safety requires us to openly engage with one another and also accept the challenges the enemy presents us with: to not ignore the divisiveness that terrorism creates or assume that it is someone else's problem.

Lou Schau

Mount Carroll, IL

(Source for quote: http://www.slate.com/id/2219268/)

Thoughts on Detainees Coming to Carroll County

Recently we have learned that the administration is considering Thomson Correctional Center (among others) as a possible site for about a 100 terrorist detainees now being imprisoned at Gitmo.

Understandably there is quite a bit of buzz going on around here about this. I would like to offer the following thoughts as something to consider, especially if this possible use causes discomfort and fear.

First, if the State prison were opened fully to Illinois bad guys (very bad guys) as originally planned, then we would probably see quite a few visitors coming to our county. These visitors would be family, friends, and associates of these very bad criminals. They most likely would live within three hours of Thomson so could easily come out for a 'day trip'.

Some of these visitors will also be bad guys - the kind of bad guys that are typically opportunistic by nature in their predation. Without intending to be offensive, we in Carroll County would look like easy prey to some of them and I think we would see an increase in violent, as well as, non-violent crime.

Now, we have a possibility of Thomson FEDERAL housing detainees from Gitmo. Most, if not all of theses terrorists are not from this nation. Will they be allowed visitors? No. Additionally, the motivation for doing evil is different for terrorists than the Illinois bad guys. These evil doers want to trade as many lives as possible for their own worthless lives. Carroll County generally speaking is not a target rich environment for this kind of individual. Big cities and military bases, as we just saw at Fort Hood, are much more preferable for Islamic terrorists. We would not be without risk, but probably the risk factor would be less than that with the Illinois criminal alternative.

Consider, if the Savanna Army Depot were still operating, we would be at much higher risk than for the prison in regards to terrorists. So, the preference I would think is the prison over a military base.

There will probably be more security because of the rancor of the debate and the risk for federal officials politically if there were to be a terrorist act here. We would not have that added security if we were housing Illinois bad guys.

I would presume that the facility will also house very bad guys already in the Federal prison system. They would probably have more unwelcome visitors than the Gitmo detainees but fewer than the Illinois very bad guys as they most likely will come from all over the nation rather than specifically just Illinois.

So again, there will be some risk, but probably less than if the prison were utilized fully as an Illinois State prison.

I am against bringing the detainees to American soil and especially against granting them rights that they do not have nor deserve. However, if they are going to come to the US, Thomson prison is as good as any and we will benefit economically.

Let's be realistic about the economic benefits though. Our democrat leaders would have us believe that this will create 3,000 jobs and inject a billion dollars into our local economy. Most would agree that these are lies. Estimates for full employment of Thomson prison as an Illinois facility were around 750 full time jobs with an annual payroll of around $35 million. We would expect an increase of some jobs (not a lot) from added spending in the county. So, maybe an increase of 800 to 850 jobs would be a good estimate if opened as an Illinois facility.

Because of the added perceived risk due to terrorist detainees we can expect more security, including military personnel. So, maybe a good estimate would be somewhere more in the 1,000 to 1,200 increased jobs for Carroll County. This is a good improvement still, but not the 3,000 Senator Durbin lies about. I would offer that the one billion dollars into our local economy is more of a distortion. That figure probably represents years, if not decades, of operation. However, we should expect to see some tens of millions of dollars injected into our economy annually. Again, this is a very good thing.

The last point I would like to make is that whether we are for it or against the sale of the Thomson Correctional Center to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, it really will not matter in the least to this democrat administration. That means state administration and national. So, don't kid yourselves with delusions of grandeur of working "with" or "against" these phony baloneys. They will only be nice as long as you go along with what they are going to do anyway. The people's government was killed January, 2009.

John McConnel, Jr.

Mt. Carroll, IL

What Are Republicans Afraid Of?

Now that the Obama Administration's Justice Department has decided to follow the U.S. Constitution and bring some of the alleged terrorists from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to New York to face terrorism charges, the republican Party that allowed the Bush Administration to have dictatorial powers, and who created this mess, are running scare trying to spread hate and fear among the American people - as usual, with lots of help from Fox propaganda and the rest of the media.

What are these republicans afraid of? Are they afraid that the truth will come out at the trials? Are they afraid that the American people will find out that they let the Bush administration break US laws and trampled on the Constitution? Why do they lack the courage to follow the Constitution? We have the best Foundation in the world. I remember a few years ago they didn't have any problem sending other people's kids to fight their political wars which we are still fighting and costing this country dearly in military lives and Trillions of Dollars. The Obama Administration has decided to do what is right, and all the majority of the Republican Party does is continue to spread their fear mongering. I guess the Party of "no" is becoming the Party of "no courage". I wonder if they have any remorse.

When these public officials are sworn into office, they take an oath to uphold our Constitution. I guess the Republicans only take this oath seriously when the Democrats get elected to run the country because during the Bush administration when U.S. and International Laws were ignored, these self proclaimed defenders of the Constitution were nowhere to be found. Ah, the hypocrisy of the Republican Party continues!

And what did Congressman Manzullo said a few weeks ago? Oh yea, he was going to bring jobs to northwest Illinois. Sure! He is working on it. When, when . . .

Paul Gonzalez

Lake Carroll, IL

Stop the Games

Congressman Don Manzullo says he "Proudly represents the people of Northern Illinois," at least that's what his website says. Ia m not convinced.

From the looks of things, he is getting real good at reading the talking points given to him by Mark Kirk. He is representing the views of his Chicago Republican colleagues (who I seriously doubt have ever been to Carroll County - hint: it's on the western side of the state near the Mississippi River, not Lake Michigan).

But the Thomson prison issue is not about campaigns or scoring cheap political points or trying to embarrass the President in his home state. It's about jobs.

How is it possible that our Congressman would turn his back on us when we need it most? The 16th District is hurting. Unemployment is the highest in the state. And yet he's saying no to good paying federal jobs that will turn our county, our towns, our area, and our lives around.

Congressman, come to Carroll County, listen to your constituents (some of them actually voted for you because they thought you were on their side). You will hear us loud and clear, we want the Feds to open Thomson. We're not scared of former Gitmo detainees in what experts have said will be the most secure prison in the U.S.A. We don't think that Thomson will become the top target in the country. WE have faith in our law enforcement and military. And let me say it again, we need the jobs - both inside and outside the prison.

Please Congressman, stop the games. Fight for us as hard as you are for the Republican Party in Washington.

Sincerely,

Gerald L. Bork

Mt, Carroll, IL

Majority Wins? Not

I would like to comment on Harry Cellos' statement (Responses, 11/18/09) that "The people who were elected won the majority of the votes. That is plain and simple to understand."

Mr. Cello, that simply is not true. 1824 Andrew Jackson lost with a majority of votes, 1876 Samuel Tilden lost, 1888 Grover Cleveland lost, and most recently Al Gore in 2000. Just thought you would like to know.

Ernie Carroll

Morrison, IL

Republicans and the Politics of Fear

The Republicans continue to use fear as political tool. They hyped the Al Qaeda threat after 9/11 and invented the threat from Saddam during the Bush administration. They now tell voters to fear Obama, fear government and trust their health insurance company, fear closing Guantanamo prison, and fear bringing the detainees to our prisons. That along with voting against the stimulus and all other useful legislation designed to get America out of the mess we are in, makes them the party of no and no good ideas.

Stephen Reid

DeKalb, IL

To Remember

I once saw an obituary of a 14 year old child. Her obituary picture was a water-damaged 1st grade picture. This was the last physical memory her family had of her. This has to change.

My name is Elizabeth Tessendorf and I am the owner of a professional portrait studio based in downtown Mt. Carroll, Illinois. This holiday season, I am participating in an International Movement called "Help-Portrait". Help-Portrait was created as a collection of photographers around the world using their time, equipment and expertise to give back to those who are less fortunate. Currently Help-Portrait has over 1,700 photographers worldwide. None of the photographers or volunteers involved are being paid or making money off of these photographs. The goal is simply to find people in need and take their picture. I will be giving the portraits to the families/groups as a gift.

I need the assistance of my community! Nominations are being taken now for people, families, agencies and groups that could benefit from an extra blessing this holiday season. Nominations must be in by Nov. 28, as I will be choosing an agency/person/family by December 1st. The 2009 Help-Portrait Project will be held on Saturday December 12, 2009, location and time TBA.

Please spread the word. Displaced families, sick children, single moms/dads, lonely veterans/elderly, your neighbor, the homeless: the ones the world does not see. The economy has impacted us all in one way or another. This is who I intend to serve. For some, it will be their first portrait, others it will be a time when they feel beautiful, special, loved and appreciated. I will also be accepting names of individuals that wish to volunteer to assist me on this day, which will consist of a couple hours on a Saturday afternoon changing the lives of the people around us. Volunteers such as: makeup and hair assistants, help with registration, image printing and delivery, etc. Nominations may be sent by email to , or forms are available at the blog at www.photographybyelly.wordpress.com. Self nominations are not accepted. Consents must be given for minors under the age of 18.

Feel free to check out the Help-Portrait website to learn more and see video of photographers in other areas helping those around them. I look forward to impacting our community and participating in a movement towards change. Any questions feel free to contact me @ .

Sincerely,

Elly

104 E. Market St.

Mt. Carroll

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia, State Representative, 89th District

At the request of Governor Quinn, I, along with Senator Bivins, arrived at Thomson Prison on Monday to find a daunting number of reporters, heads of local municipalities, law enforcement officials and others with a need to know more about the proposed plan to sell the prison to the federal government. We were immediately ushered to the front of the briefing to join Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley and my good friend State Representative Pat Verschoore (D-Milan).

The briefing itself lasted about two hours. It was impressive and thorough, and it answered much of the "coffee shop spin" that was already gripping Northwest Illinois. It was conducted by the Governor's Chief Operating Officer Jack Lavin, Illinois Department of Corrections Director Michael Randle, Jonathon Monken the Director of the Illinois State Police, Harley Lappin the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and Phil Carter U. S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs.

Without this briefing, there would still be far more questions than answers. Several very important considerations have influenced my strong stand in favor of the state of Illinois selling the Thomson Prison to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

First, the 1600-bed maximum security facility in Thomson has sat nearly vacant since its completion in 2001, breaking the hearts and dreams of those in the surrounding community who invested their life savings and all they could borrow into businesses to support the anticipated opening of the prison. Many are now bankrupt.

Second, as a state legislator I have no control over President Obama's decision to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GITMO). If the detainees now housed there are coming to American soil, I'm all in favor of housing approximately 100 at Thomson and filling the remainder of the facility with maximum security federal prisoners. Both Mr. Carter and Mr. Lappin assured us that the GITMO detainees would never be co-mingled with other federal prisoners. They would have their own segregated wing under the control of the U.S. military.

A fact not known to many of us before the proposed sale of the Thomson Prison is that there are already 340 former GITMO detainees currently being housed in federal prisons in the United States, 40 of them at the federal facility in Marion, Illinois. It wasn't made clear this week how many may be housed at other federal Illinois facilities in Greenville, Pekin and Chicago. It appears the transfers of those prisoners weren't newsworthy because they weren't tied to the closing of GITMO.

No, the transfer of detainees here won't result in the creation of terror cells in Northwest Illinois. Detainees are not allowed visits from anyone other than clergy, lawyers and the Red Cross. Other prisoners at Thomson would retain normal visiting privileges.

Please remember folks, we are not breaking new ground here. Our federal facilities already are housing 340 of the worst of the worst with no problems. Thomson would simply fall in line, but of course, it is tied to the closing of GITMO, so the politics have gotten out in front of practical reality. This is an opportunity for up to 3200 new, direct and indirect jobs ­ many of them federal law enforcement positions. There will be local hires and transfers from the state system to the federal system. The facility will have an $85 million per year operating budget. ­ that's money pumped back into our local economy.

Thomson prison is new, it's practically vacant and our state can't afford to fully open it. Yes, you can make an argument that we need it open. I, along with the citizens of Thomson have been making that argument for eight years. It's time to plow new ground.

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.