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Capitol Fax

Rich Miller's commentary on State Government

Republicans, as a class, tend to pine for the good ol' days - mainly, the eras when they were in power.

That's been especially true in Illinois as the Republicans, uniformly blown out of power by George Ryan's scandals and George Bush's leadership style, have tried repeatedly to use the good ol' days to convince voters that they should be returned to stewardship status. For instance, every chance they get they trot out former Gov. Jim Edgar - one of the few living historical Illinois figures who still represents moderation and good governance in many voters' minds.

But Jim Edgar wasn't even at last week's Republican Day event at the Illinois State Fair. I ran into him earlier in the week, after Wednesday's rain storm. He was walking alone through the fairgrounds, heading for his car. He had a horse in a race, but the race was canceled because of the storm so he was leaving.

We chatted for several minutes, mostly off the record at his request. Edgar made it clear that he hasn't formally endorsed anyone for governor yet, even though most people think he wants state Sen. Kirk Dillard to win. Edgar said that Dillard had a good chance of winning the general election, and Dillard returned the favor the next day by repeating Jim Edgar's name again and again, everywhere he went.

But Dillard was one of just a few politicians at the fairgrounds last week who wanted to look back in time. Most others tried their best to focus on the future, which now looks brighter to more Republicans than it has in many years.

"I've never even met George Ryan," is one of state Sen. Matt Murphy's best lines on the gubernatorial campaign trail. Congressman Aaron Schock, the nation's youngest US House member, delivered the red meat keynote address to the gathered crowd's delight. At just 28, Schock was nine years old when Jim Edgar was first elected governor.

There was a hunger at the State Fair which was almost completely lost after Republicans realized late in George Ryan's term that they were doomed to exile. The Republican Day crowd was the biggest I've seen since the 2000 presidential campaign. Dozens of candidates showed up, many coming out of the woodwork to ride that massive energy wave they believe will arrive on Illinois' shores next year.

The GOP also turned the page on the contentious rein of state party chairman Andy McKenna, who surprised almost everyone by abruptly announcing his resignation before the event. More than a few grumbled that McKenna's self-centered move had taken attention away from the day's success, but the party swiftly and almost unanimously voted to name McKenna's replacement shortly after he resigned. Republican National Committeeman Pat Brady, who's proved popular with both moderates and many conservatives, was given the helm.

Imagine, a state Republican chairmanship succession that was accomplished without screaming threats of retaliation. Unreal.

McKenna's unexpected announcement helped overshadow the only other big controversy of the day. Sen. Murphy unveiled a cable TV ad which blasts Sen. Dillard's tax and spend record and attempts to tie the DuPage County Republican to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and Rod Blagojevich. Dillard's supporters seemed to be the most furious at McKenna for attempting to focus the day on himself, but McKenna probably did Dillard a big favor by distracting attention away from the Murphy ad.

As noted above, Dillard is the most likely candidate to invoke the state's past, partly because he was so involved in it. Jim Edgar's chief of staff, Jim Thompson's chief legislative liaison. Much of the Old Guard is with Dillard. His event last Wednesday night was jam packed with people from the good ol' days. But Dillard has also attracted a young, energetic crowd of campaign staff, volunteers and supporters. He's not totally living in the past.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, members of the Cook County Democratic Central Committee gathered behind closed doors to interview candidates for the slating process. At one point, somebody reportedly voiced a fear that the conference room was bugged.

The Democrats are on the run and the Republicans appear to be getting their act together. But there's a very long way to go until election day, and this is still a Democratic state.

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

Senate Week In Review

August 17-21, 2009, A view from the Illinois Senate Republican Press Office

More New Laws

SPRINGFIELD ­ A new law intended to increase public access to state records and information received widespread support from the public, the media and good government groups when it was signed by the governor this week, said State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon).

On Aug. 17, Gov. Pat Quinn approved legislation (SB 189/PA 96-0542) that makes substantial changes to Illinois' Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Bivins explained that the state's FOIA laws have been criticized for lacking the teeth to force government to comply with FOIA requests. The new law will enact strict rules, reduce the time deadline for government entities to respond to FOIA requests, drastically scale back possible FOIA exemptions, and penalize governments with fines if they are found to have intentionally violated the law.

Previously, government officials had up to seven working days, with a seven-day extension, to respond to the request. However, investigations conducted by the media and a government watchdog group found that in many instances, state government failed or refused to comply with FOIA inquiries. Now the state has five working days, with a possible five-day extension, to respond. Ignoring FOIA requests could lead to a fine ranging from $2,500 to $5,000.

A Public Access Counselor is also created under the provisions of the new law, which will take effect Jan. 1. The Public Access Counselor will have the authority to issue binding opinions to settle disputes relating to the Freedom of Information and Open Meeting Acts.

Another law to increase transparency in state government was signed Aug. 18. Senate Bill 54 (PA 96-0555) will increase financial transparency, make ethics investigations more public, strengthen the power of the Illinois Inspector General, expand the role of the Executive Ethics Commission and toughen the state's revolving door policy.

The current investigation process makes it impossible to know how widespread state ethics investigations are, and also shields the severity of the violations. The new law will require the Executive Inspector General to share investigatory reports with the Executive Ethics Commission, and under certain circumstances, would allow the report to be made public.

Additionally, Senate Bill 54 increases protections for state whistleblowers and allows for anonymous allegations to be submitted to the inspector general's office. The state's revolving door policy is strengthened, specifically relating to state employees who participate in the awarding of state contracts or regulatory/licensing decisions. Financial transparency is also targeted under the new law, which requires the Governor's Office of Management and Budget to post online timely Quarterly Financial Reports about the state's fiscal condition.

In other business, a detailed review of legal requirements was the focus Aug. 18 at the second in a series of hearings on Illinois' partisan system of gerrymandering state legislative and congressional districts. Lawmakers heard from redistricting experts from Minnesota and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

At the Springfield hearing, Peter Watson, legal counsel to the Minnesota State Senate, discussed federal requirements for drawing legislative maps that will withstand court challenges. Watson was joined by Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures, who provided an overview of redistricting trends in other states. Storey said that the number of states which rely on independent commissions to draw legislative boundaries has been growing. Currently, 13 states use commissions rather than leave the drawing up to legislators.

A third hearing is planned for Sept. 16 in Peoria. At the hearing, the Senate Committee on Redistricting is expected to turn its attention to needed reforms, including the recommendations of Gov. Quinn's non-partisan Illinois Reform Commission.

The following legislation was signed into law this week:

Absentee Ballots (HB 3972/PA 96-0312): Updates the language printed on all absentee ballots and absentee ballot applications to warn applicants that it must be postmarked no later than midnight of the day prior to the election if being returned by mail. (SB 2022/PA 96-0553): Allows a voter to vote by absentee ballot without disclosing why they are voting by absentee ballot.

Adlai Stevenson Day (HB 50/PA 96-0559): Designates Feb. 5 as Adlai Stevenson Day in Illinois.

Anti-Crime Programs (HB 3950/PA 96-0578): Attempts to ensure that local anti-crime programs continue to receive the funding they were intended under the Unified Code of Corrections by exempting these contributions from requirement that fees, fines, and costs, and additional penalties paid to the circuit clerk have to be disbursed to other governmental entities within 60 days after receipt.

Bank Takeovers (SB 1422/PA 96-0585): Requires approval by the Commissioner of Banks to make it more difficult for large banks to take control over small state-chartered savings banks.

Boards and Commissions (SB 1602/PA 96-0543): Requires the establishment of a searchable Internet database relating to appointed positions on the state's boards and commissions, and requires anyone appointed by the governor to a board or commission position to file a statement of economic interest.

Campus Security (HB 2507/PA 96-0594): Permits campus police to regulate and control traffic on a public way contiguous to the college or university property.

Community-Integrated Living Voting (HB 567/PA 96-0563): Allows unregistered residents of a community-integrated living arrangement to vote on all officers of that political subdivision.

Credit Discrimination (HB 418/PA 96-0560): Requires insurance providers and public utilities that deny, cancel, or refuse to renew a service based on credit information, to explain why and allow the affected party to explain his/her credit information.

Daycare Robbery (HB 10/PA 96-0556): Increases the penalty for a robbery or burglary committed at a daycare center.

Disability Data (HB 47/PA 96-0558): Exempts certain law enforcement information concerning residents with mental and physical disabilities from being released under FOIA. This is to encourage individuals to inform police that there is a person living in their home who has a mental or physical disability so law enforcement is aware of their presence when they respond to a call at the home.

Eavesdropping (HB 1348/PA 96-0547): Expands the consensual eavesdropping exemption for a child pornography investigation so law enforcement can quickly arrange to listen to and preserve the predator's call.

Elected Official Misconduct (HB 4078/PA 96-0597): Establishes provisions that would allow for proceeds collected by an elected official who has been removed from office by conviction or impeachment due to a violation of the official misconduct law, to be forfeited to both punish the official and prevent them from benefiting financially from their crime.

Electrologists (HB 1329/PA 96-0569): Provides a 90-day grandfather exemption to begin after the effective date for electrologists who failed to apply for a license within one year of the adoption of the Electrologist Licensing Act in 2006.

Employee Restrictions (HB 2474/PA 96-0593): Creates a task force within the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to research employment restrictions that affect individuals who have criminal record.

EMS Memorial Plates (HB 2433/PA 96-0591): Creates an Emergency Medical Services Memorial license plate, with fees that will go into an EMS scholarship and training fund.

EMT (SB 1254/PA 96-0540): Authorizes the Department of Public Health to review applications for EMT licensure from members of the armed forces with military emergency medical training and offer the applicant an opportunity to complete an exam as long as all qualifications are met.

Excessive Idling (HB 2664/PA 96-0576): Increases the fines for an excessive idling violation to $90 for a first offense and $150 for a second conviction.

Facility Closure (HB 3878/PA 96-0596): Provides that a health care facility must provide a written pre-closing statement no less than 90 days before permanently closing its facility, to require the facility to plan for the transfer of records and disposal of medical products.

False Identification (SB 1512/PA 96-0549): Authorizes the Secretary of State to issue fictitious identification cards to undercover law enforcement officers.

Forestry (SB 1413/PA 96-0217/HB 1087/PA 96-0545): Re-establishes the forestry development council to study Illinois' forest resources and industry.

Foster Care (HB 4054/PA 96-0581): Establishes a program of transitional discharge from foster care for teenage foster children, enabling former foster youths younger than 21 who encounter significant hardship upon emancipation to reengage with the Department of Children and Family Services. (HB 726/PA 96-0247): Requires an annual report be given to the Governor and lawmakers on the estimated cost and additional funding required to establish the rate for each child up to 100 percent of the Foster Care Minimum Adequate Rates for Children.

Gold Star Hotline (SB 1493/PA 96-0541): Mandates the Court of Claims create a hotline to assist Gold Star and Fallen Heroes families with claims made under Line of Duty Compensation Act.

Governmental Purchases (SB 420/PA 96-0584): Authorizes Central Management Services to purchase personal property, supplies and services jointly with governmental entities of one or more other States.

Health Department Fees (HB 3779/PA 96-0577): Exempts certified local health departments from paying a $1,500 fee for home service agencies or home nursing agencies.

Hoarding (HB 2388/PA 96-0572): Seeks to provide help and services for people age 60 and older who suffer from self-neglect, including compulsive hoarding, which threatens their lives or safety.

Information system (SB 1922/PA 96-0599): Creates the 2-1-1 system to provide information on where to obtain assistance from local and national social service programs.

Interim Attorney (SB 65/PA 96-0583): Clarifies and specifies issues relating to interim attorney's fees in divorce cases.

Line of Duty Compensation (HB 22/PA 96-0539): Provides that interest payment penalties will be added to all Line of Duty Compensation Act claims that were not paid as of Aug. 26, 2008, in response to the large backlog of unpaid line of duty compensation claims being adjudicated through the Court of Claims.

Local Goods (HB 3990/PA 96-0579): Establishes the Food, Farms, and Jobs Council to promote the purchase of local farm and food products grown, processed, packaged and distributed in Illinois, and sets a goal for all state agencies and state-owned facilities to purchase 20 percent of their food from Illinois producers by 2020.

Mental Health Court Case (HB 2280/PA 96-0570): Provides that in cases of voluntary admission to a mental health facility when there is a commitment petition before the court, the petitioner is entitled to notification of the voluntary admission and has a right to object to the dismissal of the case.

Nuisance Properties (HB 621/PA 96-0564): Allows townships to provide nuisance repair and removal for the cutting of grass, trimming of trees or bushes, and removal of nuisance bushes or trees and to turn off water and/or sewage service to residents who do not pay their sewage bill within 30 days.

Off-Track Betting (HB 467/PA 96-0562): Provides that if an off-track betting facility relocates, then GRF payments associated with that facility for museum purposes will follow the OTB and be paid to the appropriate park district (for museum purposes) in which the facility is located.

Pedacycle (HB 1181/PA 96-0554): Aligns the definition of motorized pedacycle with federal law, and allows the Secretary of State to provide an expedited motor vehicle title processing service for $30.

Pension Funds (SB 1611/PA 96-0551): Allows the United Counties Council to participate in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.

Prescription Drugs (HB 2450/PA 96-0573): Increases penalties for the manufacture, delivery, or possession of a certain amount of prescription drugs by a person who is not licensed to prescribe or dispense the drugs.

Prostate Cancer (HB 1033/PA 96-0567): Expands Medicaid eligibility to include coverage to uninsured persons who have been screened and found in need of treatment for prostate or testicular cancer.

Public Contractor Penalties (HB 2651/PA 96-0575): Strengthens penalties for state contractor misconduct involving taxpayer funds, as a way to encourage more ethical practices by contractors.

Public Labor (SB 1715/PA 96-0598): Establishes a time frame within which an initial collective bargaining agreement must be attempted before conciliation and arbitration can begin.

Pulmonary Disease Staff (HB 404/PA 96-0589): Directs Department of Public Health to designate a staff person to handle issues related to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Recall Notices (HB 964/PA 96-0590): Allows retailers to post product recall or warning notices electronically.

Regulation Compliance (HB 931/PA 96-0544): Brings Illinois into compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations.

Reverse Action (HB 379/PA 96-0588): Allows state purchasing officers under the control of Central Management Services and units of local government to utilize the "reverse auction" method of procurement.

Sexual Harassment Law Posting (HB 2573/PA 96-0574): Mandates that every institution of higher education must prominently post its sexual harassment policies.

Sexual Harassment Training (HB 2302/PA 96-0548): Authorizes the Department of Human Rights to charge tuition for the sexual harassment training it provides to non-governmental entities.

Statements of Economic Interest (SB 1592/PA 96-0550): Waives fees for elected officials who are late filing or fail to file statements of economic interest due to catastrophic illness or military duty.

State Parks Land Lease (HB 37/PA 96-0557): Requires Department of Natural Resources and the Historic Preservation Agency to offer qualified local entities, including a unit of local government or public college or university, the opportunity to operate and maintain any closed State Park or closed state historic site.

State's Attorney Vehicle Registration (HB 4048/PA 96-0580): Provides that a state's attorney may elect to use the address of his/her place of employment instead of his/her domicile address when registering a motor vehicle under his/her name.

Teachers Retirement System (HB 1148/PA 96-0546): Allows a TRS member to establish optional pension credit for up to two years of service as a teacher or administrator employed by a private school that's recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Test Wind Towers (HB 883/PA 96-0566): Permits test wind towers to stand for as long as the owner of the tower deems appropriate, or for the time period that a county licenses the wind tower.

Toll Highway Contracts (HB 2435/PA 96-0592): Allows the Toll Highway Authority to contract for construction projects costing less than $30,000 and supply and service contracts less than $10,000 without using the competitive bid system.

Utilities Crossing Railroads (HB 2626/PA 96-0595): Limits fees for utilities to cross railroad right-of-ways to prevent excessive fees from being charged

Veterinarians (HB 2331/PA 96-0571): Allows people with a degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine who have applied for a veterinarian's license to begin practicing under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian, instead of requiring them to apply for a temporary permit.

Voluntary Testimony (SB 1738/PA 96-0552): Deletes a provision that states that nothing prohibits a deaf or hard of hearing interpreter from voluntarily testifying in an adoption or child abuse case.

Worker Background Check (HB 762/PA 96-0565): Establishes that a person on the Health Care Worker Registry who's requesting a waiver of the prohibition against employment are required to show all outstanding fines have been paid, except if they are paying fines on a payment schedule.

Town Hall Meeting, Obama-style

Here is the gist of a report filed by an American citizen who attempted to attend a Town Hall meeting staged August 14 in Bozeman, Montana, by our country's new Doctor-in-Chief.

I say "staged" because, instead of holding it at one of several convenient and available auditoriums or gymnasiums offering easy access from any direction, with plenty of parking, seats, tables, utilities, audio equipment, not to mention a stage and podium, the President's scouts chose the most remote site imaginable ­ the most inaccessible hangar of an airport outside ofBelgrade, a tiny, nearby town, totally secluded from the public. No roads, no parking, no nothing.?So, the entire week before, instead of purchasing as much as possible from nearby businesses and thereby helping the local economy, tons of cargo was flown in at an enormous cost to taxpayers. Airport employees couldn't believe how much kept coming and coming.

Fifteen hundred tickets were printed by a local shop (Thanks, Mr. President, for the economic boost) but only 600 were passed out to the public. The others just disappeared.

On Thursday, the day before the President arrived, someone called into a local radio station from the UPS branch and said that thousands of dollars worth of lobster was being shipped in as well, even thoughMontanahas some of the best beef in the nation. Again, it certainly would have helped out the local economy, but obviously the President's men don't really believe or care about that.

Plenty of people from all over Montana were there to protest and ask the president questions, but they were confined to a special, roped-off area nowhere near him. Obama fans were also allotted their area, but without any warning, a large bus carrying Service Employees International Union members, who had a permit to assemble elsewhere, drove up and unloaded illegally right where the protesters were.

There was quite a commotion as two SEIU leaders tried to make trouble and start fights. Police got involved and arrested one of them but said they didn't have the manpower to remove the entire SEIU crowd.

These goons were very well organized, Alinsky-style, and young. About 99% were under the age of 30 and they weren't locals! They had bullhorns and professionally made signs. Some wore pre-printed T-shirts. Planned Parenthood folks were with them, professing abortion rights.?Those against healthcare/spending moved away to avoid confrontations. They were orderly and respectful, even though SEIU kept coming over and walking through, continuing to be as intimidating and aggressive as possible.

"We hadMontanafolks from all over the state cowboys, nurses, doctors, you name it with homemade signs, even dogs with homemade signs. There was a man fromTexaswho was driving through. He found out about the occasion, went to a store, made a sign, and came to join our protest," the letter said.

As for the press, all of the major networks were over by that remote hangar. They were conveniently parked on the other side of the buildings, far away. None of the protestors were even visible to them. They knew nothing about what was going on and couldn't have cared less. They were part of the show, after all.?We did have some local news media around us from Montana andIdaho. They were invited, but all of their questions had to be turned into the White House in advance of the event. (Wouldn't want anyone to have to think and talk off the top of their head!)

It was quite obvious that this farce was totally controlled by the White House. Everything was orchestrated down to the last detail to make it appear thatMontanais just crazy for Obama and government healthcare. The White House even called our local Human Resource and Development Committee for the names of those who were complaining about their insurance woes and asked them to come. Smoke and mirrors...EVERYTHING was staged!

"I am very dismayed about what I learned about our current White House. The amount of control and manipulation was unbelievable. I felt I was not living in theUnited States of America. More like theUSSR! I was physically nauseous. My husband and I have been around when other presidents and heads of state visited us. It has NEVER been like this before. I am truly very frightened for our country. Americaneeds your prayers and your voices. If you care about our country please get involved. Know the issues. And let Congress hear your voices again and again!! If they are willing to put forth so much effort to bully a small town, one can imagine what is going on inWashingtonDC. It's scary!"

Signed "Lady X" (She asked that her name not be mentioned, for obvious reasons.)

This is the president and these are the people Pat Wemstrom (Letters, 8/19) asks us to put our trust in! Indeed, to paraphrase her, "don't be misled by people who are trying to throw the public into a panic," like the SEIU thugs described above, "to advance their own agenda."

Richard O'Connor

Pearl City, IL

The Silly Healthcare Debate

The health care debate gets sillier and sillier. The Republicans, Libertarians and the hyper-individualists fill the air waves, op-ed pages, letters-to-the editor columns, and town hall meetings with lots of negative half-truths and outright distortions, but no facts or evidence to support their claims or alternative proposals which might help solve the problem.

Representative Manzullo says he can't read the bill. That says more about the representative than it does about the bill. According to Sarah Palin, the bill will bring death squads to our hospital rooms to decide who should live and who should die. But of course, if you read the bill, there's nothing of the sort in the bill. What the bill says is discussions with your doctor, which in many cases are covered now, will be covered when the doctor and patient talk about living wills and end-of-life treatments. The same conversation I started having with my doctor when I turned sixty and which he told me he has on a regular basis with many of his other patients.

Others claim that we shouldn't rush into things. The American people have only been trying to get a national health care bill passed through Congress since Harry Truman, only to be stymied by the health care industry and big business. Walter Reuther, who negotiated wonderful health care coverage for the UAW, pointed out years ago that national health care would be better for GM in the long run. They finally got the message. Executives of GM of Canada love Canadian health care.

With no facts to support his position, New York Mayor Bloomberg on a recent radio show went so far as to bemoan the fact that pharmaceutical CEOs are underpaid. Even before the program was over, he had to correct himself and admit that 15 to 25 million dollars a year salaries were pretty good. Others talk about rationing and point to stories they've heard about their friends' experiences in England or Canada. All these claims turn out to be simply urban myths. Other radio commentators claim that the bill is both socialistic and fascist at the same time. Not possible, but it does make for good name-calling.

Chuck Norris makes the silly claim that social workers will barge into our homes and tell us how to raise our kids. This is another fantasy from a man who is famous for playing a cartoon character in fantasy movies. The CEO of Whole Foods claims that a big part of the problem is greedy lawyers. There are personal injury lawyers only because there is so much medical malfeasance. Others try to be cute and say that they don't want a bureaucrat to become between them and their doctor. What do they call the insurance customer rep that they talk with to get pre-approval? A bureaucrat.

Another mindless quip is we can't have a public option because it would interfere with the marketplace. Tell that to UPS and Fed-Ex, who compete just fine with the USPS. Or as Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine has pointed out, "There is a serious problem with the lack of competition among insurers." She's nice, she wants to give them one more chance. I can't imagine that the insurance companies that have been over-charging us for years are going to voluntarily change if we let them off the hook again.

None of these right wing politicians and critics want to address the issues. None of them have any solutions. They don't really want to fix the broken system. They don't want to fix a system that doesn't work for us but works just find for their friends, the medical/pharmaceutical/insurance complex. The present system is designed not to help us citizens but to benefit the AMA and all the other components of the health care delivery system. Why are people building new hospitals and not new schools? Because we've created a system where there's a lot more money to be made from running a hospital than staffing a school.

The cost of American health care has been and is rising faster than the rate of inflation. We now spend more on health care than we do on food. Our health care system costs the most and delivers the least. The Right likes to make fun of Michael Moore. But what I liked about his movie Sicko is that, although the rightwing critics like to make fun of it, they can't find anything factually wrong with the film. When the movie is fact checked, it passes with flying colors. If you think that you lack the facts to participate in this discussion, see his movie.

We're the only industrial country that has millions of uninsured individuals; millions more who are underinsured, whose only protection is a so-called catastrophic plans, and millions more who fear that if they change jobs because of a pre-existing conditions they won't be covered by their new employer's plan. For years, employees have had to choose between health insurance and raises, because health care has become too costly to be absorbed by their employer.

Here's a fact that should simply end the debate, because there is no rebuttal. We have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the industrial world because we do not offer comprehensive prenatal care. Infants die in this country because as a country we simply and purposefully refuse to take care of them and their mothers. We all love to make fun of the French or the Swedes, but their children don't die from the lack of universally available health care, but ours do.

Obama's plan compared to the gold standard plans in Western Europe and Japan has some shortcomings. But not to pass it, to do nothing, would be worse.

Chuck Wemstrom

Mount Carroll, IL

(See this week's "Heart of the Matter" for follow-up to this, and last week's letters)

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia, State Representative, 89th District

With the numerous calls and e-mails that arrive at my Freeport and Springfield offices daily, my staff and I work very hard at responding to everyone. The comments we receive range from questions to sharing an opinion or advice.

Over the past two weeks, seventeen of you have shared the following: "You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." Those words were written by Pastor/Dr. Adrian Rogers and certainly they are words to ponder.

Throughout my lifetime, thanks to great parents and mentors, I also have come to believe "to whom much is given, much is expected." And yes, I count myself among those who have been given much.

A syndicated newspaper columnist, Star Parker, who happens to be an African American lady who grew up in poverty, has written a great book titled Uncle Sam's Plantation. She asserts that there are two Americas ­ a poor America dependent on Socialism and a wealthy America thriving on Capitalism. She writes "Instead of solving economic problems, government welfare socialism created monstrous moral and spiritual problems ­ the kind of problems that are inevitable when individuals turn responsibility for their lives over to others.

The legacy of American socialism is our blighted inner cities, dysfunctional inner city schools and broken black families. Through God's grace I found my way out. It was then that I understood what freedom meant and how great this country is."

She further writes "Instead of poor America on socialism becoming more like rich America on capitalism, rich America on capitalism is becoming like poor America on socialism." Many have said: "The trouble with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." Amen.

Finally, don't forget to mark your calendars for my Identity Theft & Scam Forum on September 4th, 11:00 AM at the Highland Community College, West Campus in Elizabeth. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

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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