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Illinois: The Land of Self Reliance

2019-02-26T20:09:00.001-06:00

JB Pritzker's gubernatorial win and retention of mostly Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly, as well as the 2018 victory of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, is a signal to all the liberal think-tanks to come out of hiding and start reporting on the devastation left in the wake of the Rauner administration.

First, according to USA Today in a story posted way back in November of 2018, Illinois notoriously took three of the top 15 rankings for the worst cities for black Americans, Springfield ranking 11th.

I only noticed it because it was featured in an article by sj-r.com about the Springfield Mayoral race between incumbent Jim Langfelder and challenger Frank Edwards discussing the problems of race and economic inequality.

This evening as I was preparing a diatribe on the subject I stumbled upon yet another scathing criticism of Illinois, this time, about babies.

News channel 20 (WICS/WRSP) revealed that the report came from a non-profit called ZERO to THREE. Here is the link to the Illinois page on that site. Before you click, take a deep breath because there is lots of data.

Hillary Clinton said "it takes a village." Everyone scoffed. She lost. Mother is supposed to be home to nurture the children 24-7. Dear old Dad comes home at the end of a hard day's work and dolls out allowances and pays the bills.Then Mother gets on her knees and then bends over and such, right? Isn't that why our laws are written the way they have been since the birth of the nation?

Life isn't supposed to be more complicated than that! If it is, it because of what, sinners? I thought you were pro-life? Life doesn't just end at birth, fellas.

Dealing with race in Springfield? When I was in history class at Grant Middle School, I cringed when I learned about slavery because I wondered how my black classmates felt hearing about it. It must have filled them with immense hatred and fear.

I've come to regard the history lessons themselves, of slavery and Jim Crow, as acts of intimidation and terror, because I have met and become friends with people from Africa who never experienced what happened to African Americans, and they seem to thrive in their family businesses without a moment's thought of what white people think of them,

Rahm Wants Illinois To Raise The Gas Tax

2018-12-12T16:36:00.000-06:00

Chicago Tribune: Mayor Rahm Emanuel pushes state gas tax increase to fund major transportation bill

I've been saying "sure, why not, just base it on miles of road per county." Well guess what I found at IDOT's website: Illinois Travel Statistics.

It's clear who needs the most infrastructure repair yearly. It's also clear where most people gas up their cars weekly. Proportionally, Cook county has the highest amount of road usage, at least four times that of the next highest county, DuPage. Beyond the top 13 in the chart, the rest pales by comparison, plus Cook county has the highest cost of living.

It won't really hurt the rich, but a gas tax is regressive and especially hurtful for people down-state who must commute 45 minutes to work or more than 10 miles to the nearest grocery store.

Illinois Vote 2018

2018-10-13T12:37:00.001-05:00

The Abstract Thinking of Springfield City Council

2018-09-06T06:14:00.001-05:00

Abstract thinking is the hallmark of adolescence, according to behavior scientist Jean Piaget, as he developed his research in childhood cognitive development. Abstract thinking begins at around age 11. Children begin to imagine themselves in the shoes of other people, and to consider the long-term consequences of decisions.

According to a news report by WICS/WRSP, 'Filling Springfield street cracks delayed a second time', last year the city of Springfield hired a contractor, which in turn hired labor from outside the city and wound up paying a fine to the city. It was the lowest bid, so what's wrong with that? The fine was just the cost of doing business (CODB).

September 5, 2018 in The State Journal-Register it was reported that "Springfield City Council members unanimously voted Tuesday to strengthen an ordinance that encourages contractors to have city residents work on at least half of the hours needed for city construction projects worth more than $100,000."

Now for the abstract thinking:

Fact: Money doesn't just disappear when people are paid. The money then circulates through the economy where it wound up.

Fact: The contractor was willing to pay the fine to the city for hiring labor outside the city of Springfield. So the city got cracks filled and a $14,000 rebate.

Fact: The remunerated contract money wound up circulating somewhere else besides Springfield, so the contract was mostly a SUNK COST to the city of Springfield, of course besides the cracks being filled.

Fact: The Springfield City Council was only willing to do a HALF MEASURE to keep the remunerated contract money circulating in Springfield.

Conclusion: The contractor, whoever it is, will probably only pay a slightly higher fine, and the money that gets paid out to the workers, will leave Springfield forever, again.

To think abstractly one must at least be over the age of 11, especially when one is elected to serve the people of Springfield.

Bruce Rauner and the Death Penalty

2018-05-27T10:15:00.000-05:00

Some people are saying that Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner added to a bill, the return of the Death Penalty, to ensure the bill was too toxic to pass through the Illinois General Assembly.

Some people are saying the Bruce Rauner wants a return to the Death Penalty in Illinois as a deterrent to crime, which has long been debunked, because as you should all know by now, people who commit crimes worthy of the death penalty, in states that already had the death penalty on the books, don't have the mental capacity to consider the consequences of their actions anyway.

Perhaps the state should eliminate the HIPPA regulations and open everyone's criminal and psychological records, regardless of age, and single-out clinically diagnosed psychopaths, for immediate extermination. Given Rauner's record, this might be a problem for him personally.

On April 28, 2018, the Illinois Innocence Project held a fundraiser at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield, Illinois. Featured Speakers included Co-Counsel to Steven Avery who was featured in the Netflix Documentary "Making a Murderer", Jerome F. Buting of William & Stilling S. C. of Brookfield, Wisconsin. Author of "Illusion of Justice"

Among the stunning and shocking accounts of miscarriages of justice that were told that night, was the case of Grover Thompson. He walked right into the path of Tim Krajcir and one of Tim's many victims. Of course, Grover was arrested and convicted instead of Tim. Grover died in prison 15 years later.

After all the evidence proved that Grover was innocent, Governor Rauner still denied his exoneration. Why? He probably thinks the state will have to pay the family a huge settlement, which they are due. Why else? I have no idea why Governor Rauner thinks the Illinois Innocence Project doesn't have credibility in his mind, unless he fears what they will find out about him.

As a former member of the IIP, one who learned how to research criminals, I now have an interest in Governor Rauner, personally.

Springfield close to remembering why they switched some streets to one way.

2018-03-24T08:41:00.000-05:00

After learning that Springfield was going to switch some streets back to two way streets after they were switched to one way streets, for some reason, I was going to try and figure out how they forgot why they switched the streets in the first place, but it looks like Dave Bakke at the State Journal Register beat me to it, way back in 2013 with the article: One-way streets were the answer to everything.

Thank's Dave for reminding everyone back then. It seems the post World War II boom of the fifties caused so much economic growing pains on the infrastructure, streets needed to be rearranged.

But apparently everyone has forgotten the reminder when another article by Crystal Thomas: Downtown Springfield closer to adding some two-way streets popped up recently.

The configuration might be slightly different. Some of the the rationale for the change seems to be related to safety, but another is that traffic has dropped so much it seems reasonable to reconfigure the flow of traffic. Wait, what?

What does that say about all that planning and studying for economic growth they've been talking about these past several years? Did they incorporate this traffic study with potential economic development?

How many times are they going to change the traffic, and at what cost?

Parking Solution for Springfield

2018-03-07T12:44:00.000-06:00

There's something interesting about these pictures besides the fact that they were taken at the state capitol in Olympia, Washington. What's missing? Parking meters, of course. How do they pay for parking?

Instead of using parking meters, visitors and employees purchase parking at a few kiosks, where you receive a printout that shows you the precise time your parking expires. You keep the printout visible on your car's dashboard.

You can purchase up to ten hours at a time, I think, maybe more. If you are just visiting to run multiple errands, you don't need to keep feeding any parking meters and you don't have to worry about leaving excess time on a meter after you leave for your next destination.

You may be able to purchase and print a parking schedule online in advance. It would have a bar code for authentication and monitoring by parking enforcement.

Some areas around businesses only allow for 30 minute to 2 hour parking maximum. For this, your tire would be marked with yellow chalk, and even if you paid for several hours of parking, you would still need to move your vehicle to another spot, for the sake of the businesses.

There is potential to have certain tiers of temporary parking permits, with packages for daily, weekly, monthly, or annual parking for residents who live downtown. These could be special window stickers. Ultimately this eliminates the ugly old style parking meters.

Illinois Most Entrenched Districts

2018-02-26T12:09:00.002-06:00

Illinois has been a problem for a very long time. The following chart is based on people currently serving in the Illinois General Assembly:

This chart is skewed because it's based on currently serving incumbents, but it does show a rapid increase it the rate that seats are turned over. However the power of the house and senate lie within the list of the longest serving, most entrenched incumbents. The turnover over the years has accomplished little, due to the hidden power structure behind the veneer of what we are taught in public school about how politics works Here is the list of top most entrenched districts in Illinois:

Name	District	Party	Chamber	Start Date	Years
Michael J. Madigan	22	D	House	1971	47
Barbara Flynn Currie	25	D	House	1979	39
David Harris	53	R	House	1983	35
Mary E. Flowers	31	D	House	1985	33
Lou Lang	16	D	House	1987	31
Daniel J. Burke	1	D	House	1991	27
Jay Hoffman	113	D	House	1991	27
Jim Durkin	82	R	House	1995	23
Sara Feigenholtz	12	D	House	1995	23
Michael P. McAuliffe	20	R	House	1996	22
Patricia R. Bellock	47	R	House	1999	19
Bill Mitchell	101	R	House	1999	19
Keith P. Sommer	88	R	House	1999	19
Dan Brady	105	R	House	2001	17
Cynthia Soto	4	D	House	2001	17
Linda Chapa LaVia	83	D	House	2003	15
William Davis	30	D	House	2003	15
Robert W. Pritchard	70	R	House	2003	15
Robert Rita	28	D	House	2003	15
John C. D'Amico	15	D	House	2004	14
David B. Reis	109	R	House	2005	13
Luis Arroyo	3	D	House	2006	12
Gregory Harris	13	D	House	2006	12
Fred Crespo	44	D	House	2007	11
La Shawn K. Ford	8	D	House	2007	11
Mike Fortner	49	R	House	2007	11
Elizabeth Hernandez	24	D	House	2007	11
Al Riley	38	D	House	2007	11
Michael J. Zalewski	23	D	House	2008	10
John J. Cullerton	6	D	Senate	1979	39
William E. Brady	44	R	Senate	1993	25
Dave Syverson	35	R	Senate	1993	25
James F. Clayborne, Jr.	57	D	Senate	1995	23
Terry Link	30	D	Senate	1997	21
Kimberly A. Lightford	4	D	Senate	1998	20
Dale A. Righter	55	R	Senate	1998	20
Antonio Muñoz	1	D	Senate	1999	19
Ira I. Silverstein	8	D	Senate	1999	19
William R. Haine	56	D	Senate	2002	16
Pamela J. Althoff	32	R	Senate	2003	15
Jacqueline Y. Collins	16	D	Senate	2003	15
Don Harmon	39	D	Senate	2003	15
Mattie Hunter	3	D	Senate	2003	15
Iris Y. Martinez	20	D	Senate	2003	15
Chapin Rose	51	R	Senate	2003	15
Martin A. Sandoval	11	D	Senate	2003	15
Kwame Raoul	13	D	Senate	2004	14
David Koehler	46	D	Senate	2006	12
Jil Tracy	47	R	Senate	2006	12
Linda Holmes	42	D	Senate	2007	11
Tim Bivins	45	R	Senate	2008	10
Heather A. Steans	7	D	Senate	2008	10

The Rise and Fall of Springfield, Illinois

2018-02-16T17:07:00.001-06:00

While doing research on the housing market I came across FRED, the Federal Reserve Economic Database. After viewing their charts I began to see a clearer picture of why people in Springfield seem to be so apathetic and resistant to change. I compiled some charts on a website which I may update if the numbers can be refuted, or there are some positive changes to report. Click the link below to view the site.

The Rise and Fall of Springfield, Illinois

City Sales Tax Issue

2018-02-05T13:20:00.003-06:00

The State Journal-Register reported "At least half of Springfield aldermen oppose raising sales tax" apparently to 8.75%. Springfield has a population around 115,715. Seattle, Washington has an official population of 608,660 as of the 2010 census, but the wider metro area has a population of at least 3.5 million people. The state of Washington has no income tax. Seattle has a sales tax of 9.6%. 6.5% of which goes to the state, 2.7% goes to the city of Seattle.

Currently, Springfield's sales tax rate is 6.25% but the total combined city, county and state sales tax is already at 8.5%, plus there's an income tax rate ranging from 3.75% to 4.95%.

The problem: Population shrinkage. According to the Federal Reserve Economic Database (FRED), The civilian labor force in Springfield, Illinois peaked in 2010 and as of November 2017, was at the level it was in 2005, and continuing to decline.

[edit] Looking at the Per Capita Personal Income in Springfield, IL (MSA) shows a steady increase since 1970, but this chart relies on whose data is collected. It could reflect the growth of income inequality. In other words, poor people earning less while wealthy people earn more. Wages have been stagnant over the last 30 years, while capital gains increased dramatically.

The unemployment rate in Springfield, IL according to FRED seems to be declining almost in a similar fashion as the Civilian Workforce, meaning the unemployment rate is lower because there are fewer jobs and fewer people.

So, imagine what a tax increase would do to Springfield. Some factors include the following:

People inextricably tied to their home because the mortgage is "underwater" or there are no buyers looking.
People in retirement or nursing care facilities on fixed incomes.
People inextricably tied to a government job that requires them to reside in or around Springfield.
Businesses whose customers are most frequently the people listed above.
Crain's: Slow growth, aging population plaguing Illinois.

Eventually, the tax burden will fall on who remains in town. It might be wise to relocate people away from the oldest, most vulnerable infrastructure and close off those older parts of Springfield until such a time as industry returns to the area.

Fake Political Organizations

2018-01-04T12:35:00.002-06:00

There are a few people in town who have insinuated themselves in almost every organization in town. They attempt to take over and run things, making the experience toxic for everyone else but the people they prefer to have around them.

There are also organizations that seem legitimate on the surface, but are really operating against goals of the organization. What are the warning signs that the leadership in your organization might be doing the opposite of your group's stated goals?

Their only purpose appears to be corralling social justice warriors (SJW) and activists into a false sense of actually doing something to affect change, but is really wasting time and effort until they get frustrated and give up.

Only a few select members of the group are allowed to communicate with legislators or be present during communication with legislators. Everyone is notified of scheduled efforts, yet the widely publicized effort results in no progress.
Leaders of the group suggest that some new members will be contacted to assist with important projects, but nothing ever comes of it.
Repeated attempts to join their Facebook group fails, you mention it at the next meeting and they say they will fix it, but they never do.
You participate in public events and pass out literature to other potential activists or SJW's
New ideas about how to affect change are received by the leadership who "will look into it" but never mentions them again.

As Economy Slides Schisms Heal Maybe

2017-11-29T10:49:00.000-06:00

This will never happen in the realm of Lincoln history, between the State Historic Preservation Agency, the Illinois State Historical Society, the historians who take sides on whether Mary Todd Lincoln was aware of her actions or if she was suffering from Diabetes, whether her letters to family in the south included military secrets or not, and so on.

The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce (GSCC), according to the article in the Illinois State Journal-Register, has endorsed consolidating efforts to develop the local economy. The caveat is that it "would be up to individual investors," whatever that means.

The city gives $100,000 to the GSCC annually. One online commenter said it was at the expense of the overtime police budget. It's bound to be at the expense of someone.

Consolidation of economic development efforts is a huge opportunity for a big money grab. Some people will get hired at exorbitant salaries, probably kicking some coin under the table for the big favor. Hey, it's Illinois, after all.

The ebb and flow of schisms where large sums of public money are concerned is starting to smell a little contrived, but such a long con job would require a team effort among some very safely entrenched families, not just within the local area, but the whole state.

Maybe my imagination is running away from me. We were all taught as children to treat others as we would want them to treat us, so naturally, I assumed that people actually did that. Naively I thought Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism was just that, a philosophy, and not the reality of human behavior where self-service and self-preservation always supersede altruism.

Bump Stocks Survive in Springfield

2017-10-26T14:23:00.000-05:00

Today the Illinois House voted on a ban of firearm bump stocks. The devices used in Las Vegas to increase the rate of fire to nearly fully automatic speed, contributing to the death of 58 people and injury of 546 more. Today, Illinois rejected the ban.

Photos are not a close approximation, but you get my point?

Tim Butler (R-87), Sarah Wojcicki Jimenez (R-99) and Sue Scherer (D-96) all whose districts overlap Springfield, voted against the bill. so this isn't a partisan issue apparently. Jimenez isn't running for reelection, Tim Butler ran unopposed in the last election. Scherer was unopposed in the last general election but did have opponents in the primary. Source: Ballotpedia.org

The Sangamon County Project

2017-10-13T14:49:00.000-05:00

The Illinois State Journal-Register published what I think is its most important article, ever.

It was just a few lines of copy. You probably skimmed through it and didn't think much of it. Who can blame you. It was about another study on economic development in Sangamon County.

I downloaded and read the report, and highlighted some parts so you could skim through it faster. It paints a grim picture of the general malaise of Central Illinois.

Generations ago, one organization started in the beginning, but then egos clash and schisms within the larger organization cause fragmentation and formation of competing organizations. Then every five or ten years, one of the organizations hires an outside consulting firm to do an economic development study, and nobody likes what they have to say, so they ignore it.

Elder Care Crisis

2017-09-21T12:34:00.000-05:00

The Baby Boomers are aging into the dependent phase of life. Record numbers are requiring much more attention and around the clock care. Theirs was the generation that set into motion Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Now their children's generation wants to raid those trust funds.

Back in May of 2015, The Quincy Herald-Whig reported that nursing homes face a $55 million cut in Medicaid funding and more if Governor Bruce Rauner's budget is passed. May 26, 2017, NPR Illinois reported that "...nursing home evictions in the state have more than doubled in the last five years.." On September 6, 2017, The State Journal-Register reported Oak Terrace closing followed shortly reported by WAND TV's report that Lincoln Manor in Decatur will be closing. Both facilities cited financial problems and this may just be the tip of the iceberg. State legislators are jumping ship.

There is a movement afoot to cut funding from one program in favor of another, which will inevitably hurt some people.

Nursing Homes in Illinois (Illinois.gov)

Crime page updated

2017-07-19T15:43:00.001-05:00

The Crime page was updated. Now there are links to three maps where you can see crimes in your own area. You can also compare the crime map to the Justice Map which shows census data.

What do do with the Y block

2017-06-20T08:32:00.000-05:00

Downtown Springfield has peaked and won't grow more economically unless we get "more skin in the game," which means not just trying to temporarily attract more visitors, but actually get more people living in the downtown area.

I think the best example I found for the old Y Block is near downtown Seattle. It's called Thornton Place, Here's the map:

Hi, it's been a while

2017-05-31T15:40:00.002-05:00

I don't make any money from this yet, so I must find other sources of income for the time being. I do have some updates from other sections.

Sage of Springfield recently posted a list of data sources for the current crop of Illinois Gubernatorial candidates. If you want an even bigger billionaire than Bruce Rauner running the sate, then J.B. Pritzger is your man.

If you prefer someone almost if not more progressive than Bernie Sanders, then Daniel Bliss is the one for you.

The data is there for you to use your own judgement. You can use the Politics page to find your district and representatives at most levels.

At Twitter I'm not really directly following people anymore, I have them all organized in Lists. From time to time as the situation warrants I can follow or unfollow anyone in my lists to keep my main feed relevant.

Vandals in Washington Park

2017-01-16T15:35:00.002-06:00

Photos from a recent spate of vandalism in Washington Park which occurred over the weekend when Springfield was supposed to be in the grip of an ice storm. From January 14-16, 2017

Why does nothing cool seem to last in Springfield?

2017-01-11T10:38:00.001-06:00

Someone I know started a business in downtown Springfield several years ago, actually a little over a year before the Great Recession of 2008, but I wonder if the recession really had anything to do with the business ending.

She had all sorts of cool ideas for promoting her business as well as stimulating public interest in downtown Springfield, but she was met with resistance. It seems most of the downtown businesses who managed to survive the recession, did so because they are shored up by hidden outside sources of income, and the shops are mostly just hobbies.

It makes me wonder why Vinegar Hill Mall had such a high turnover, and why the downtown business occupancy is pretty low. A month after I left for the west coast in 2012, the Illinois Times published an article called Making Downtown Lovable. I returned to Springfield in October of 2016, and all I noticed was that the Cardologist has relocated next to Recycled Records and there's a Hy-Vee down on MacArthur, give or take a few new restaurants popping up in old locations.

The fancy face of downtown is loaded with a lot of mascara, eye-liner and lipstick, paid for mostly by allowances dolled out by spouses who are state employees, lawyers, doctors or other large business owners.

If you think you can just start up a business cold in downtown Springfield, think again.

Springfield Growing Pains Extend to After Hours Too

2017-01-10T12:40:00.001-06:00

The State Journal-Register reported that Ward 6 Alderman Chuck Redpath proposed new rules for downtown 3 a.m. bars in Springfield, IL. It seems doubtful that there is money to hire more police for the third shift, so the alternative is to rein in the businesses instead.

Why? Because of stuff like this: Springfield, IL TRASH fighting on New Years Eve

If this town really wants to grow up to be a big city, perhaps it could use some help from local super heroes like Phoenix Jones and the Rain City Super Heroes Movement.

Menace in the Park

2016-12-03T15:00:00.001-06:00

Years have gone by and friends come and go, but in Washington Park some friends never leave. Like the person who never picks up after their dog which always seems to poop by the old Band Shell.

Local taxes pay for the extra bags and waste handling, and guess what, the people who don't tend to their pets leavings still pay for the services whether they use them or not.

If you're going to pay for it, you might as well use it or complain at the next city council meeting.

Another menace awaits underfoot everywhere. Some will be waiting under the snow for you to step on and roll you off your feet. The price we pay for the rich fall colors of the American Sweetgum tree.

These damn things can be deadly if not cleared from the sidewalks.

I know someone who fell and hit her hand so hard on the concrete that it took two years for her mobility to return to normal, and she plays a lot of tennis, even at age eighty one.

The park can be lovely when you have time to actually look up from watching every step you take, on the grass and the pavement.

I've been getting neck pains lately and I figured out it's from walks in the park.

What Fate Awaits Town and Country Shopping Center?

2016-11-27T12:45:00.000-06:00

After being away for four years I noticed that parts of MacArthur Boulevard have been razed and rebuilt, other parts have shuttered and gone to seed with peeling paint and tilting structures.

The last remnants of the previous recession are fading At first it looked like the end for Town and Country when I leaned of Burlington Coat Factory's future move out to the old K-mart on Wabash, but after a little digging it looks like the shopping center is gentrifying out its current tenants for more lucrative prospects.

The completion of Hy-Vee and what appears to be the resurrection of the outlet mall project down by Scheels at the south end of the boulevard might bring more traffic to those areas, and it looks like the notorious MacArthur Park Apartments are undergoing a similar strategy of gentrification.

There may soon not be much available retail space to lease at Town and Country Shopping Center.

Local business notes: On-and-off outlet mall on again in Springfield

Upgrades at MacArthur Park Apartments will bring new name, income guidelines, rent prices.

After School Nightmare Special

2016-11-16T17:38:00.001-06:00

This afternoon around 2:30 PM on Wabash a school bus was at a stop light ready to make a left turn on one of the streets heading into Jerome.

There was at least two car lengths between the bus and the car in front of it. The driver took his foot off the brake and the bus lurched forward and the driver pressed hard on the brake again, jolting the bus to a stop.

This happened about five or six times. At first I couldn't figure out what was going on. Maybe the bus has a stuck accelerator?

Then it occurred to me, maybe the bus driver was feeling a little vindictive toward the kids. I imagined their books and whatever else wasn't tied down sliding off the seats.

Affordable Shred Wake Up Service in Leland Grove

2016-11-15T08:21:00.002-06:00

"First it was the sound of beeping" she said. Then she described a strange grinding noise to which she awoke at 6:30 AM on 11/15/2016.

The truck was parked in the driveway right under her bedroom window. "He could have gone anywhere else, He could have gone to the park" she said. "They must grind up more than just paper" she said.

I suppose if you want to annoy your neighbors, one way to do this is to call such a service very early in the morning, but operating a commercial noise nuisance just feet from a residence outside of normal business hours makes one complicit.