Photo by G. Kunz/ Tribune News Service The news media, as their name suggests, focus on what is new in the world. Journalism’s only subject is current events – “current” having been defined of late to mean “within the past 10 minutes.” Yesterday is barely mentioned, last year is nearly forgotten, a century ago does […]
government
Posted inOpinion
The razor blade in the apple
The interesting debate about property taxes in Illinois was the one they didn’t have last week at the Statehouse. Under consideration were various versions of a proposal, first made last year by candidate Bruce Rauner, to freeze local property taxes statewide. It was a loony idea, and thus enthusiastically embraced. “Property taxes are out of […]
Posted inOpinion
Voter reform
ILLUSTRATION BY Rick Nease/TNS As a nation we are split into two camps along familiar populist/progressive lines, with one believing that government doesn’t work because the people running our governments don’t understand the voters and the other believing that government doesn’t work because voters don’t understand government. Members of the General Assembly in the latter […]
Posted inOpinion
Selling off a metaphor
The James R. Thompson Center located at 100 W. Randolph Street in the Loop, Chicago. PHOTO BY PRIMEROMUNDO VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG News came last week that the liberty-loving Mr. Rauner wants to free the people of Illinois from the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. He took steps to establish its fair market value, thus taking […]
Posted inOpinion
Political economy
Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford PHOTO BY TIM WARD VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG “Because economic decisions are made by elected officials every day,” said Rockford state senator Dave Syverson to the Register Star recently, “we need to have officials who understand the economic impact of what they do.” Illinois lawmakers who do not understand such things, in the […]
Posted inOpinion
Keeping things clear
PHOTO BY NABIL K. MARK/TNS [Note to readers: The snow has gone, as snow does, but it will be back – probably in July, given how wacky the weather has become. Time now, while memories of the drifts are fresh, to ponder how best to cope with them a few months from now.] To most […]
Posted inOpinion
Home court disadvantages
Executive Mansion PHOTO BY TEEMU08 VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG “I look forward to living in the Governor’s Mansion,” said candidate Bruce Rauner to the Associated Press, “and would consider it an honor.” More than 216 miles separating Winnetka from Jackson Street in Springfield, and the promise to abandon the former for the latter might prove to be […]
Posted inOpinion
Dangerous propositions
Bruce Rauner, a Republican candidate for governor of Illinois. PHOTO BY TERRENCE ANTONIO JAMES/MCT It was sometime just after the new millennium, I think, that Illinois political leaders first started to resemble the first guy through the broken store window crying “Justice!” while looting a TV set. The thought occurred to me while reading about […]
Posted inNews
Downsizing government by ‘smart streamlining’
Illinois has more local units of government than any other state in the U.S., but consolidating some of those units could make the government more efficient. That was the message at a May 20 forum in Springfield, bringing together the Chicago-based Better Government Association and the Citizens Efficiency Commission for Sangamon County. The two reform […]
Posted inOpinion
Rearranging the desks
The citizens panel gathered to find what it called opportunities for economy in the provision of public services in Springfield and Sangamon County. Upon investigation, they found that the cemetery management was antiquated, that budgeting and accounting needed improving, that information about public agencies ought to be collected and disseminated to the public that pays […]
Posted inNews
Does FutureGen have a future?
With U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois looking on, Ken Humphreys, CEO of the FutureGen Alliance, signs a labor agreement on Monday to provide union labor for the FutureGen project planned in a rural area outside Jacksonville. The agreement may signal that the long-delayed project is moving forward. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Illinois is one […]
Posted inOpinion
Legislative little me’s
In a country where people of like social class (and thus political views) tend to huddle together like bison in a blizzard, defining the geographical reach of a given legislative district goes a long way toward deciding which party represents it. The unhappy results include uncompetitive races, political stagnation and columns like this one. The […]
