The Illinois Supreme Court will hear arguments on a lawsuit over public pension benefits next week, bringing to a head fundamental disagreements over the rights conferred by Illinois’ constitution and whether an emergency justifies overriding the constitution. If state employees and retirees are successful, they’ll see a law which undisputedly reduces the value of their […]
Illinois
Posted inOpinion
Pay as you leave
I guess you could call it a roaming charge. State Sen. Chapin Rose, a Republican from over Mahomet way, has introduced a bill to reform the program that grants tuition aid at state colleges and universities to roughly 140,000 poor students. Mr. Rose would like those students to repay those grants if they leave Illinois […]
Posted inOpinion
An overdue policy on the library
Is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum a museum with a library attached? Or is it a library with a museum attached? The two institutions are like conjoined twins, one of whom has a wonky heart; the best chance for each might be to separate them, in spite of the risks that surgery poses. […]
Posted inOpinion
A cautionary tale
For those who don’t know the story, here’s what happened. Politically connected Springfieldians undertake to put more of the city’s long-hidden Lincoln legacy on display to new generations of visitors. They envision a new building that will invigorate tourism, restore downtown, and put Illinois on the tourism map. The idea is pushed by winds blowing […]
Posted inOpinion
Insult with wit
Left, Former Vice President Spiro Agnew and right, Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, Ill Spiro T. Agnew came to Springfield in September of 1970 to make a speech. To that approximately half of the public not yet born in 1970, I must explain that Mr. Agnew was a vice president of the United States, meaning he […]
Posted inOpinion
A poet of fact
Lee Sandlin PHOTO BY FRANK BLAU PHOTOGRAPHY The man who arguably was Illinois’ best writer died not long ago, and hardly anyone south of the Loop noticed. Lee Sandlin, belle-lettrist and critic, was among the contributors to Chicago’s Reader who did best what the Reader became known for doing best – long-form journalism, essays of […]
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
Wrong in principle
Quick – how big a part of Illinois’ population in recent years has consisted of unauthorized immigrants. Ten percent? Fifteen? Twenty? In 2012, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, it was 3.7 percent. Not exactly a teeming horde, yet President Obama’s recent executive order to prevent the unnecessary deportation of such people – humane in […]
Posted inOpinion
Deer me
I read that Illinois hunters killed 52,000 deer in the first weekend of the season, and that’s just those using firearms; the muzzleloaders and spear-throwers have yet to get their crack at the state’s whitetails. And vehicle drivers have an open season on deer all year round; collisions on the roads account for another 15,000 […]
Posted inOpinion
Why did the pedestrian not cross the road?
GRAPHIC BY TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Most unexpected turns to the right put someone in jeopardy – the Republicans’ insistence on spending cuts for federal health research is but one example – and that is as true on the streets as in Congress. Merchants and property owners in downtown Springfield have been fretting out loud about […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Feeding our community
Saving Seeds and Growing Community On Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., join the University of Illinois Extension local food system and small farms educator Bill Davis for a program on seed saving and why seed libraries foster community and help participants save money. Earlier this year, Bill helped launch the Normal Seed […]
Posted inOpinion
Honest, officer, I didn’t see it coming
Note to readers: Like our governor-elect, I am a businessman, and to be successful, a businessman must know how to make his product stand out in a crowded marketplace. Which is why this week I have chosen to be the only opinion-monger to not burden his readers with my opinion of events that have not […]
