Will Baumol
Will Baumol died on May 4. He is the economist who conceived of the concept of “cost disease.” An interesting man and an important thinker. He is obituarized here and his ideas are discussed here, here and here. Briefly put, Baumol argued that costs rise to provide government services because of productivity gains in other…
Ride sharing
Buildings are coming down along Ninth Street to make way for an off-street transfer facility for the Springfield Mass Transit District, with an eye toward construction someday of a full-scaled transit center served by bus, taxi and Amtrak. Alas, there is a chance that Springfield, after decades of dithering, will finally get a transit hub…
Populism is not about angry mobs
I’ve observed that the true political spectrum in our society does not range from right to left, but from top to bottom. This is how America’s economic and political systems really shake out, with each of us located somewhere high or low on that spectrum. Right to left is political theory; top to bottom is…
Kennedy’s best and perhaps only path
Illinois has elected just two wealthy people to major statewide office in the last 20 years: Former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald and Gov. Bruce Rauner. Both candidates won because they ran as firm, anti-establishment outsiders. Fitzgerald was best known as a state Senator in the 1990s for railing against the elders who ran his Republican…
Letters to the Editor 5/11/17
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. PROGRESS ON THE PAPERS In the April 13 Illinois Times, Alan Lowe, the recently hired director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, said this of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln scholarly editing project:…
Editors Note 5/11/17
At the Better Government Association’s Monday evening forum on “The Future of News: Covering the Capitol,” more than one of the journalists and editors on the panel agreed the news business will never get back to the staffing levels of 15 years ago when some 40 reporters covered the Statehouse. Some thought that’s not all…
The EPA is good for our health
As I reflected on last month’s Earth Day and the current attack by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), I considered what impact this agency has had on the environment and the health of the nation. The impact on the environment is easier to see. When the first…
Summer movie fun
Join the Springfield Park District on Friday, May 12, for the first showing in their 2017 “Movies in the Park” series. The film shown will be The Secret Life of Pets, the story of a terrier named Max, a dog who leads a charmed life until his owner takes in a stray named Duke. The…
Fur-ever homes for felines
The APL takes in hundreds of stray kittens every year, and they need your help in providing for and caring for these fine young felines. On Saturday, May 13, join the APL in the lobby of their spay/neuter clinic from 1-3 p.m. for games, refreshments, door prizes, and visits and playtime with the kittens. The…
This race has everything
Corn dogs, beer, doughnuts, ice cream, crazy costumes, professional timing for runners, live music and dancers are just a few of the zany things you’ll spot during the tenth annual FatAss 5K and Street Party for Charity. Runners and walkers of all ages, athletic abilities and walks of life will enjoy the 3.1-mile course peppered…
Don yawn
I’m a 40-year-old man who can’t seem to keep a relationship going for more than a year. There’s never bitter fighting or betrayal. I just gradually lose interest. I can’t blame my girlfriends – most of whom are pretty exciting people. I’m the problem, but why? And can I change? – Frustrated Ever gotten new carpeting?…
Enos Park presses ahead
A century after its peak, Enos Park soldiers on, hoping to regain its reputation as one of Springfield’s most desirable neighborhoods. It has not been easy. Elegant Victorian-style homes are in assorted states of elegance, some restored to magnificence, others waiting for saviors. There are a few blue-tarp specials with peeling paint, questionable roofs and…
Higher ed rally blames Rauner
The rally began as students and faculty gathered around Illinois’ Statehouse Rotunda, chanting “Fund our futures” and “Do your Job,” calling on Gov. Bruce Rauner to fund higher education. It continued outside the Statehouse by the Abraham Lincoln statue with speakers firing up the crowd about the effects of the budget impasse on higher education.…
City of Z a fascinating, compelling journey
James Gray’s The Lost City of Z is cut from the same cloth of old-fashioned adventure films like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Man Who Would Be King, a rousing jaunt that finds one man willingly facing impossible odds and the disdain of his colleagues while trying to find a lost Amazonian…
More than a Fat Ass
We’ve circled back around to Fat Ass time this weekend, as the popular event takes over the downtown area Friday night and Saturday day. But never fear, because along with your Fat Ass stuff, many other cool and equally appealing things are happening. There really is a Fat Ass 5K for experienced runners as well…
Chris Vallillo
A nationally-acclaimed singer-songwriter, folklorist, musician and producer, Chris Vallillo has cultivated a status as the go-to guy for original and traditional folk-based song-playing during his 30-some years performing music. Along with several recordings of original songs that focus on the “people and places of ‘un-metropolitan’ America,” CV also produced and performed a couple of outstanding…
Farming on the earth
In 1970, when I was 17 years old, I bought a book entitled Living on the Earth by Alicia Bay Laurel. It was illustrated with beautiful line drawings and the text was handwritten in cursive. Alicia Bay Laurel was a 21-year-old hippie living at Wheeler Ranch, a commune in Sonoma County. Intended to be a…
birdpoem # 11
birdpoem # 11 thinking of that last passenger pigeondon’t want to research it again heardabout it all my life there were millionsbillions they darkened the sun for dayswhen they flew over we killed them all (just like we killed every dodo and areobliterating species every day) killedthem for sport and for selling when werealized pigeons…
UIS strike ends
The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) and United Faculty union reached a tentative agreement on May 7, ending a five-day strike. A joint statement released by UIS Chancellor Susan Koch and United Faculty President Lynn Fisher expressed relief that both sides came to a resolution. “After a productive weekend of good faith negotiations, we…
NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
A controversial plan before Congress that would permit companies to fine workers who refuse to share their genetic information through workplace wellness programs has prompted Illinois lawmakers to tighten up a state law protecting workers from such repercussions.“We’re seeing changes proposed at the federal level that are concerning to me and to others,” said Sen.…
SoS employee tried ducking restitution
This story has been updated to include information from Southern Illinois University on how much restitution has been paid to date. Allegations remain unclear against Candace Wanzo, a top official in the Secretary of State’s office who was placed on administrative leave more than a week ago. Spokesmen for Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White…
Contest-gate
The Illinois Press Association has reopened an investigation into the rigging of a 2011 statewide journalism contest that only recently came to light. The investigation was reopened within the past week after Illinois Times obtained a scoring sheet from the contest that shows the Chicago Tribune, not the Chicago Sun-Times, finishing first for best web…
Torch Tuesday tosses in the towel
For over seven years, Torch Tuesday has been Springfield’s premier showcase for local and touring hip-hop music. Launched in 2010 by promoter Howard “Torch” Tomas, the weekly nightclub event – until recently located at Bar None at Fifth and Monroe – offered stage time to up and coming area rappers as well as hosting occasional…
