Archives / 2014 / January

Forpe Endorses Flamm for Committeeman

Forpe Endorses Flamm for Committeeman

Shirley Forpe, a longtime Palatine teacher and union official, has announced her support for Matt Flamm to be the next Palatine Township Democratic Committeeman. She had had filed petitions to run for the position but withdrew from the race. A resident of Palatine for more than 40 years, Forpe is a retired District 211 teacher and continues as a substitute teacher. She was a Vice President of the ... »

Bruce Rauner Wants to Cut the Minimum Wage – Or Does He?

Bruce Rauner Wants to Cut the Minimum Wage – Or Does He?

At a candidates’ forum in the Quad Cities on December 11th, Bruce Rauner said “I will advocate moving the Illinois minimum wage back to the national minimum wage.” You can click on this video and watch the first five minutes. Rauner’s proposal would reduce the minimum wage in Illinois from $8.25 per hour to $7.25. Karen Lewis, President of the Chicago Teachers Union, pointe... »

Not such a bad year

Not such a bad year

Conventional wisdom is that President Obama had a “bad year” in 2013. You hear it on talk shows and read it in newspaper columns. People cite the government shutdown, problems with the Obamacare rollout, and disclosures about the NSA. But was it really a bad year? Consider these facts: 1.  The Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) went into effect October 1st, despite the determined effo... »

Good Daily Herald series on FOID cards

Good Daily Herald series on FOID cards

The Daily Herald recently ran an excellent three-part series on Firearms Owners Identification (FOID) Cards. About 10% of people in the suburbs have FOID cards, which means that 90% of us don’t. Even among those who have FOID cards, most are hunters or people who have  a family heirloom or a gun for protection in their home. Most of them support reasonable regulation of privately-owned firea... »

Chicago Reader gives Bruce Rauner an “award”

Chicago Reader gives Bruce Rauner an “award”

In the December 23rd issue of the Reader, Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke give out their third annual awards for “political ‘achievement.'” Here’s a good one: “THE MITT ROMNEY AWARD . . . for pretending to be an average Joe when you’re actually a gazillionaire who has so many homes it’s hard to keep track of them all: Bruce Rauner, Republican candidate for gov... »