Capitol Fax

Rich Miller's commentary on State Government

The historical significance of last week's votes to elect a new Senate President and a new Senate Republican Leader is difficult to overstate.

For starters, replacing both chamber leaders at once is an extreme Springfield rarity. According to Kent Redfield, one of the state's leading political scientists, the last time this happened was 34 years ago.

Also, Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) became the first woman in all of Illinois history to lead a legislative party caucus.

The historical novelties, however, pale in comparison to the historical imperatives.

The state's political process has just plain stopped functioning. Illinois' unemployment rate is soaring, yet no job-creating capital construction bill can be passed. The state's budget deficit is eye-popping, yet nobody is seriously talking to each other about a real solution. Hundreds of important bills have died because of a fight over administrative rules. Gridlock is too kind a word. It's as if the government has developed a terminal case of toxic shock syndrome.

As you probably know by now, the Senate Democrats unanimously selected Sen. John Cullerton as the new Senate President last week.

Cullerton vowed to do his best to end the gridlock. He has a long personal and political relationship with House Speaker Michael Madigan and he lives just two blocks away from Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

His campaign for the presidency was a work of art. For instance, he raised almost a million dollars between early September and early November, which impressed just about everybody.

But it was his persistence, patience, evenhandedness and hard work which seemed to pay off the most. A Republican friend of Cullerton's said he spoke with Cullerton on the phone the Sunday evening before the vote. Cullerton couldn't talk long because he had just pulled up to Democratic Sen. Ira Silverstein's house for a private meeting. That's just one example of many to illustrate how much effort Cullerton put into this contest.

There were no threats of retribution from Cullerton, even when things got nasty.

Last Wednesday, one of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's most favored black Chicago activists held a press conference with a few Champaign-area ministers to pressure Sen. Michael Frerichs (D-Champaign) to vote for Sen. James Clayborne for Senate President. But the specter of a Chicago-based Blagojevich ally traveling to Champaign to urge a local legislator to vote for an East St. Louis Senator who was privately backed by the horribly unpopular governor didn't go over too well at the Statehouse.

"If that's how Clayborne is campaigning for Senate President, how would he govern?" several Senate Democrats wondered.

Also last week, voters in the districts of four Cullerton supporters - Sens. Michael Frerichs, AJ Wilhelmi, Susan Garrett and Linda Holmes - were hit with robocalls. The negative robocalls, paid for by a downstate Teamsters local on Sen. Clayborne's behalf, were made in direct retaliation for their support of Sen. Cullerton.

Sen. James Clayborne's people claimed that all four had pledged to back Clayborne and had broken their word. That's not how the four Democrats saw it, and tempers flared in the hours leading up to the president vote. Several Democrats demanded some sort of retribution against Clayborne, including withdrawing Cullerton's offer of Senate Majority Leader. But Cullerton calmed the waters and made the offer anyway. Clayborne accepted.

The calm under pressure, the disavowal of the political retribution of the recent past and the willingness to bring opponents into the circle are all extremely positive signs. Cullerton said last week that his first priority is to unstick the capital construction bill and then move on to education funding. Both of those issues have taken a back seat to the politics of vindictiveness that have plagued the Statehouse for years.

The road will not be easy, of course. Cullerton remembers well how Speaker Madigan undercut Senate President Phil Rock back in the day, because Cullerton was in Madigan's war room at the time.

Madigan prefers junior partners, as does the governor, but Cullerton's mandate is to remake the Senate into an independent yet cooperative body. That means Cullerton must be an equal partner at the table. And the admirable skills which got him this new job will have to be stretched to the limit if he hopes to succeed.

Failure is not an option.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and thecapitolfaxblog.com.

What Kind of Revolutionary Will You Be?

By John W. Whitehead

November 24, 2008

"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given up by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."Martin Luther King, Jr.

With the government's relentless assault on our pocketbooks and freedoms, the economic and fiscal picture for many Americans is bleak. The national debt is approaching $10 trillion. People are losing their homes and jobs, and five million have fallen into poverty. At the same time, lucrative tax breaks exist for the corporate rich, while the average citizen is heavily taxed. The Constitution and civil liberties have been undermined at every step. And don't expect any of these developments to let up anytime soon.

Understandably, many are bewildered. But now is not the time to shrink from our responsibility as citizens. In fact, we should welcome the chance to regain control of a government out of control. And if there is to be any change, it is going to be brought about by us, "we the people," not the politicians. No president, no congressman and no judge can do what you can.

There is no better time to act than the present. Fear, apathy, escapism or reliance on some government official to save us will not carry the day. It is within our power as citizens to make a difference and seek corrective measures. That principle is the basis of the American governmental scheme.

We need to think like revolutionaries. Thus, there can be no room for timidity or lukewarm emotions. What we need is passion, dedication and courage. And in the words of Martin Luther King, we have to demand change from the oppressors.

There are certain things that are common to every successful struggle. Here are a few suggestions from my book, The Change Manifesto (2008):

1. Get educated. Without knowledge, very little can be accomplished. Thus, you must know your rights. Take time to read the Constitution. Study and understand history because the tales of those who seek power and those who resist it is an age-old one. Understand the vital issues of the day so that you can be cognizant of the threats to freedom.

2. Get involved. Become actively involved in local community affairs, politics and legal battles. Think nationally, but act locally. If our freedoms are to be restored, taking action at that local level must be the starting point. Getting involved in local politics is one way to bring about change. Seek out every opportunity to voice your concerns, and demand that your government representatives account for their actions. Be relentless.

3. Get organized. You can overcome the behemoth with enough cunning, skill and organization. Play to your strengths and assets. Conduct strategy sessions with others to develop both the methods and ways to force change.

4. Be creative. Be bold and imaginative, for this is guerilla warfarenot to be fought with tanks and guns but through creative methods of dissent and resistance. Creatively responding to circumstances will often be one of your few resources if you are to be an effective agent of change.

5. Use the media. Effective use of the media is essential. Attracting media coverage not only enhances and magnifies your efforts, it is a valuable education tool. It publicizes your message to a much wider audience. It is through the mediatelevision, newspapers, Internet sites, bloggers, and so onthat people find out about your growing resistance movement.

6. Start brushfires for freedom. Recognize that you don't have to go it alone. Engage those around you in discussions about issues of importance. Challenge them to be part of a national dialogue. One person at a city planning meeting with a protest sign is an irritant. Three individuals at the same meeting with the same sign are a movement. You will find that those in power fear and respect numbers.

7. Take action. Be prepared to mobilize at a moment's notice. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're located or what resources are at your disposal. What matters is that you recognize the problems and care enough to do something about them. Whether you're eight, twenty-eight or eighty-eight, you have something unique to contribute. You don't have to be a hero. You just have to show up and be ready to take action.

8. Be forward-looking. Develop a vision for the future. Is what you're hoping to achieve enduring? Have you developed a plan to continue to educate others about the problems you're hoping to tackle and ensure that others will continue in your stead?

9. Develop fortitude. What is it that led to the successful protest movements of the past? Resolve and the refusal to be put off. When the time came, Martin Luther King, for one, was willing to take to the streets for what he believed and even go to jail if necessary. King risked having an arrest record by committing acts of nonviolent civil disobedience. He was willing to sacrifice himself. But first, he had to develop the intestinal fortitude to give him the strength to stand and fight. If you decide that you don't have the requisite fortitude, find someone who does and back them.

10. Be selfless and sacrificial. Freedom is not freethere is always a price to be paid and a sacrifice to be made. If any movement is to be truly successful, it must be manned by individuals who seek a greater good and do not waver from their purposes.

11. Remain optimistic, and keep hope alive. Although our rights are increasingly coming under attack, we still have certain freedoms. We can still fight back. We have the right to dissent, to protest and even to vigorously criticize or oppose the government and its laws.

The key to making a difference is in understanding that the first step begins with you. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "We need to be the change we wish to see in the world."

Governor Does Not Fund Historic Sites

SPRINGFIELD ­ State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon) says he is "cautiously optimistic" about news that the Governor acted late Nov. 20 to restore funding for human service agencies like Kreider Services in Dixon and Self Help Enterprises in Sterling, and for state parks, including Castle Rock State Park and Lowden State Park in Oregon; and Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, which runs through Rock Island, Bureau and Henry Counties.

Sen. Bivins expressed his "extreme disappointment," however, that the Governor did not restore funding for state historic sites, like Apple River Fort in Elizabeth, and Grant's Home in Galena.

"Although I am very pleased he has restored funding for our state parks and for important human service programs, I am extremely disappointed that he left many of our historic sites high and dry," Bivins said.

The 45th District Senator says the funding restored by lawmakers in September is in a special fund, the FY09 Budget Relief Fund, and can only be used for specific purposes, such as keeping parks and historic sites open and funding human service providers.

"The General Assembly made sure that this restored funding cannot be spent on anything else ­ only the items that lawmakers specified, like the state parks, historic sites and human services programs," Bivins said. "As of right now, there is more than $100 million in the FY 09 Budget Relief Fund, which is more than enough to restore the Governor's cuts in these areas."

Bivins thanked citizens across northwestern Illinois for their efforts in pushing lawmakers and the Governor to restore this funding, and asks that those efforts continue.

"We must continue to pressure the Governor to do the right thing. He has approved legislation that authorizes the money to be spent, but that does not mean that he will actually release the funding and keep the parks open or provide the funding for the human services programs," Bivins said. "His action on Nov. 20 is very encouraging, however!"

Information about how to contact the Governor and petitions opposing the Governor's cuts are available on Sen. Bivins' Web site at http://bivins.senategop.org or by calling his Dixon office at 815-284-0045.

The 45th District Senator has hosted four public forums about the budget cuts ­ Sept. 10 at the Oregon Coliseum in Oregon, Sept. 17 at Geneseo High School in Geneseo, Sept. 24 at the Old Market House in Galena, and Sept. 30 at the Highland Community College Campus West Campus in Elizabeth.

Response to Organ Donor Beware

First, I would like to state that yes, I am biased on this subject. I myself am an organ transplant recipient. Even though all I know about my donor is their initials (I do not know their name, age, gender, or where they lived), that person is my biggest hero.

One donor can help as many as 50 people. There were more than 8000 deceased donors (over 22,000 transplants) in the US last year. Comparing that to the cases you site in your letter, they come to about 0.05%. I do not think that number constitutes "not rare" as Drs. Troug and Miller state it.

These five cases (four of which are US) can happen to anyone, even if they are NOT organ donors. Be it rushed doctors, incompetent doctors, machine malfunction, human error, and yes, miracles. I understand that part of your point is that the "new definitions" are in place IN PART because of the time factor of quality organ procurement. I say IN PART, because the medical professionals also changed it to clear beds sooner and lower costs to the family by continuing life support, as opposed to waiting until they are "cold, blue, and stiff."

The Denver infant cases were actually a question of how long they were off life support. If they had been off support the "recommended" amount of time, there could have been damage to the organs. Even in the unlikelihood they somehow survived, that damage may have just prolonged the inevitable and prolonged the suffering.

I do not see anywhere on the back of the drivers license that "it's now assumed that everyone wants to be a donor." In fact, the law change that you mistakenly put the wrong date to (2006 not 2007), nullifies any signature of the license. Even if you signed the back of a pre-2006 issued license, you have not given consent unless you have signed up on the new registry at www.lifegoeson.com after Jan. 1, 2006.

I completely respect anyone not signing up to be an organ donor if it is against their religious beliefs. But, please don't let a conspiracy theory keep you from touching the lives of many hopeful recipients and their loved ones.

John Huggins

Lanark, IL

Senate Week In Review

November 10-14, 2008

A view from the Illinois Senate Republican Press Office

SPRINGFIELD ­ History was made in the Illinois Senate during the second week of the fall legislative session with the election of a woman to a top leadership position, and the state's budget crisis continued to be a focal point with Gov. Rod Blagojevich asking to borrow more money and cut up to 8 percent of both state agency and program budgets, according to State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon).

On Nov. 19, Senate Republicans chose State Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) to be the next Senate Republican Leader, making her the first woman in Illinois history to lead a legislative caucus. She will replace Senator Frank Watson (R-Greenville) who has served as Leader since 2003.

Watson recently announced he would not seek reelection to the leadership role, after suffering a stroke in October. Watson has been undergoing therapy and was able to return to the Senate for the final week of the veto session.

In budget news, Bivins said that the state's economic crisis should not come as a surprise, noting that for years Senate Republicans have warned that Illinois' overspending and the constant expansion and creation of new programs would result in staggering state debt.

The state currently owes $4 billion to businesses and other service providers, and the number is expected to increase to $5 billion by spring if the problem isn't addressed. The delays are a serious burden for Medicaid providers, who account for almost $2 billion of the backlog and already wait months for reimbursement by the state.

In other news, the Senate approved two bills that will advance a $2.5 billion, clean-coal energy project in Christian County. The proposed Tenaska project at the Taylorville Energy Park is expected to create about 1,500 construction jobs, 200 permanent plant jobs and provide opportunities for hundreds of coal mining jobs around the state by promoting the use of Illinois coal.

One bill allows for bonding authority to help finance the construction and the second bill authorizes the initial engineering study, which is needed before construction can begin.

Sen. Radogno, the new Republican leader, has served as Watson's Deputy Leader since 2007. For the past several years, she has been the Senate Republicans' chief budget negotiator and a leader in passing ethics, open government and budget reforms. She has traveled the state promoting reforms to restore discipline and accountability to the state's borrowing and contracting practices. She has also sponsored Medicaid Reform legislation, advocating commonsense changes to bring the state's skyrocketing public health costs under control.

Sen. Radogno has served in the Illinois Senate since 1997. She currently represents the 41st District in Cook, DuPage and Will counties.

Legislation passed by the Senate this week includes:

Autism coverage (SB 934) ­ Mandates insurance coverage for individuals younger than 21 for diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

Railroad police (SB 620) ­ Allow the Illinois State Police to investigate, if they deem necessary, allegations of abuse of authority or misconduct by railroad police.

Movie tax credit (SB 1981) ­ Extends the state's movie tax credit to encourage movies to be made in Illinois.

Court officials (SB 2452) ­ Makes it a Class 2 felony to interfere with a judicial officer. Also prohibits filing a false lien on property owned by judge, as retaliation.

Pheasant hunters (SB 2562) ­ Implements a gradual increase in hunting fees for pheasant hunters only.

Health practitioners (HB 4249) ­ Changes the repeal date for the law licensing Environmental Health Practitioners from Dec. 31, 2008, to Jan. 1, 2019.

School mergers (SB 2824) ­ Protects taxpayers of one school district from having to pay the debt of a second school district when the two school districts merge.

Housing (HB 2973) ­ Allows borrowers up to a 90-grace period for foreclosure action if they seek HUD approved counseling.

Pension reform (SB 2520) ­ Implements a number of pension reforms for Chicago municipal employees, Chicago police, downstate firefighters, downstate police officers, Cook County municipal employees, forest preserve employees and state employees. (SB 2558) ­ Allows employees of veterans' homes to purchase pension credit for time served as contractual employees. (HB 2047) ­ Revises disability pension statutes for downstate firefighters whose departments merge.

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia, State Representative, 89th District

On Thursday, November 20th, several colleagues and I held a press conference in Springfield to demand the Governor sign Senate Bill 1103 which was passed by both chambers of the General Assembly in August with bi-partisan support. The bill allocates funding to keep open our parks and historic sites among other important programs.

Its companion bill, Senate Bill 790, which swept monies from several dedicated state funds to provide the dollars to be reallocated, was also passed in August. The Governor signed it almost immediately to get access to the $221 million, but held off on SB 1103. One simply had to ask "why?"

Passage of the fund sweeps was the result of an outcry from the citizens of Illinois to halt the Governor's plan to close state parks and historic sites as well as cut funding for numerous social agencies. While none of us are happy to sweep funds, we agreed with our constituents that we could not allow these closures and cuts to stand. After initial bi-partisan cooperation, House Democrats sadly injected partisanship into the parks debate when my good friend Bill Black (R-Danville) introduced House Bill 6707 to allow our state parks and historic sites to be temporarily managed by local agencies. Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) objected to the bill being released from the House Rules Committee, effectively killing the bill when her objection was upheld by House members on her side of the aisle.

Well, late Thursday afternoon the Governor finally took action on Senate Bill 1103and there's some good news and some bad news. First the good news: the Governor upheld the funding we restored for our state parks and for drug abuse treatment programs and other critical social service needs. The bad news is he used his amendatory veto authority to remove the funding we had been fighting for to keep local historic sites like the Apple River Fort open and operating. Again, you just have to ask "why?"

As we are finishing our veto session numerous other financial issues continue to plague our great state. Our township supervisors are all aware of the dramatic increase in road salt costs with winter fast approaching. We passed House Bill 5151 which appropriates $34 million in supplemental funds for state purchases of road salt. Though we fought for assistance for our townships with their road salt costs, we were unable to get it included in the legislation.

As I have shared with you in the past, in my six years as your State Representative the state's income has increased by approximately $1 billion per year. For fiscal year 2009 we are projected to suffer a $1 billion shortfall. Financially, we are facing an extremely difficult time. I can't think of a better argument for passage of a desperately needed jobs and infrastructure (capital) bill. Speaker Madigan blocked it in the House this year, but I'm not giving up.

I view our economic difficulties as a challenge, and I am optimistic about the next two years. We have great folks serving in both chambers of the General Assembly and all have the best interest of our 12.8 million citizens in our hearts. I will be meeting with my advisory committees throughout the month of December preparing for our swearing-in and the start of our new session on January 14th, 2009.

As always, you can reach me, Sally or Barb at 815/232-0774 or e-mail us at jimsacia@aeroinc.net. You can also visit my website at www.jimsacia.com. It's always a pleasure to hear from you.

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