-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and state Sen. John Curran: “We need to get back to the basics of our criminal justice system, and that is to demand accountability and protect our residents.”
Firefighters Union Local 2 President Jim Tracy said the city had put about 14 paramedics and 12 firefighters on no-pay status for refusing to report their vaccine status. And he said many other paramedics aren’t answering their phones when the department calls them to pick up extra shifts, because they’re worried the call is to order them to report to Fire Department headquarters to report their vaccine status.
“They cannot control if they’ve been exposed, they cannot control if they have to go home and isolate. They should not have to use their sick days for this,” Deputy Republican Leader Sen. Sue Rezin said.
“So much has been said and written about Chicago’s crime problem—a situation that’s generated lurid headlines and cast a harsh spotlight on a city long known for racial strife—it’s easy to forget that there are actual solutions, proven approaches that have helped other major metros to effectively reduce violence while also bringing wrongdoers to justice. In this week’s issue, our monthly public policy series, Crain’s Forum, takes a deep look at one aspect of the problem that persists in Chicago, and which seems least likely to change: police misconduct.”
Part of the problem lawmakers face is the fact that, under the Illinois Constitution, any bill passed after May 31 cannot take effect until June 1 of the following year, unless it receives a three-fifths majority in both chambers. That’s 71 votes in the 118-member House, and 36 votes in the 59-member Senate.
Austin Berg: “Madigan was just one man, but he built a system that has to be dismantled to prevent ongoing abuse in the future.”
“Teachers have faced so many challenges since the pandemic began,” said state Sen. Christopher Belt. “To go back in person, to teach, to do their jobs, and encounter their students, and quite possibly encounter COVID.”
Jim Dey: “No one, of course, should kid themselves about the map’s partisan impact. The GOP is in danger of being eviscerated. But in establishing certain goals — a second Hispanic district and making vulnerable Democratic incumbents invulnerable — map-drawers had to take from some Democrats to give to others.”
Dr. Allison Arwady said vaccine requirements for adults in workplaces are appropriate, but those “only started to be talked about in a serious way once there had been many months … of that real-world experience [and] lots of opportunities to get questions answered.”
“We want to do whatever we can to keep them here,” state Sen. Dave Syverson said. “The problem has been Illinois’ jobs climate, like higher energy rates on the manufacturers, higher unemployment workers’ comp, and a higher regulatory environment. The overall cost of doing business is higher here.”
Members of the House also engaged in a contentious debate late Wednesday on changes to the state’s Health Care Right of Conscience Act before voting to adopt the changes 64 to 52 with two voting present. That measure now heads to the state Senate for debate.
Said Drew Gronewold, an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, “I would argue that the economy of the Midwest depends entirely on water. We really need to be paying more attention to the future of this area and, in particular, how we’re going to improve the infrastructure to handle these changes.”
“Last year, the state took in more than $205.4 million in tax revenue. In many of those months, weed generated more tax dollars than liquor. That’s a mellow state of affairs in the Prairie State. There are similar reports of lofty pot sales from other states which have legalized recreational marijuana use.”
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos: “The truth of the matter is, those of us on Main Street are desperate for transformation, the kind of investment we haven’t seen since World War II.”
Count on property tax increases to pay for this.
Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski joined Scott Busboom and Doug Wolfe’s morning show on WZUS in Decatur. They went over what’s going on with the veto session in the general assembly, inflation and redistricting.
Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski joined Scott Slocum’s morning show on WJOL. They went over the hidden tax being placed on all Americans in the form of inflation.
Chicago homeowners are about to pony up more for property taxes.
A mixed vote by the city council approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $16.7 billion budget, including a $23 million property tax hike. The automatic increase is based on the national inflation rate instead of a local one that some economists say makes more sense.
Recent data from the Cook County Sheriff’s office shows the number of defendants on electronic monitoring facing murder charges jumped 444% between 2016 to 2021. Over the same span those charged with armed violence out on electronic monitoring went up 767%. Aggravated gun possession was up 436%. Felony gun possession more than 1700%.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot at the start of the school year blamed the problems on mass resignations of bus drivers in protest of the city’s vaccine mandate; As CPS vendors, they’re also covered by the mandate. But those resignations only took out 73 bus drivers. CPS already knew at that point that there was an overall shortage of more than 400 drivers.
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