February 17, 2012

One can hardly walk down the street in the capital city without seeing Illinois’ favorite son on every street corner. On Sunday, February 12, our nation celebrated Abraham Lincoln’s 203rd birthday.  

It is likely that in honor of America’s sixteenth president, students in elementary schools across the country meticulously constructed stove pipe hats and beards out of black construction paper. However, the lessons of Lincoln’s life are not only for school children.  His wisdom can teach every American a great deal.  

President Lincoln has gone down in the history books as one of the most controversial and highly revered presidents in U.S. History. Lincoln’s story is the human embodiment of the American dream.  From humble beginnings Lincoln went from boy teaching himself to read by the firelight in his family’s log cabin, to become the President of the United States of America.  

Lincoln inherited a nation in crisis, but his presidential legacy is indisputable.  During his time in office he successfully led this country through a military, constitutional, and moral crisis that threatened to tear apart the very fabric of the United States.  As president, Lincoln preserved this nation’s unity and eradicated the abominable practice of slavery in the process.  

While contemporary society views Lincoln with great admiration, in his own time the president did not receive such accolades.  As President he faced harsh criticism from all sides. Yet he persisted in pursuing what he believed to be right for the country.

It certainly would have been easier for Lincoln to allow the south to secede and preside over an orderly divorce. Instead he fought to preserve that union and with it the principals upon which the United States was founded.

This is perhaps the most valuable lesson that Lincoln leaves behind.  His legacy as a determined leader demonstrates the importance of being strong and standing up for what is right in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.  Lincoln once said, “The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me.”

Today Lincoln’s legacy endures, and his timeless wisdom resonates more and more with each passing day.  From that boy teaching himself to read by the fire, to the man who taught himself the law, to the President who struggled tirelessly against overwhelming odds to preserve the nation he loved, President Abraham Lincoln stands as a shining example perseverance, self sacrifice, and love for one’s country. 

February 9, 2012

On Feb. 9, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced plans to push for a statewide handgun registry that could make felons of downstate and suburban handgun owners.

The Mayor’s call for a statewide gun registry is expected to draw fierce opposition from gun advocates and many downstate lawmakers. According to media reports, the Mayor’s proposal would require all Illinois handgun owners to pay a $65 registration fee to the state, and provide the Illinois State Police with personal information, the gun’s make and model, and where and when the gun was purchased.

Currently, state gun owners are required to obtain a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card, but the actual guns aren’t registered with the state. Penalties for violation of Emanuel’s proposed legislation range from a misdemeanor charge for failure to report a lost or stolen firearm, to a felony charge for residents in possession of an unregistered gun.

The City of Chicago already enforces a strict gun ordinance, requiring handgun owners to register with the city and pay a fee. However, the Mayor says the statewide registry will help solve crime in Chicago, citing Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives statistics showing approximately 56 percent of guns at Chicago crime scenes are from outside city limits.

Gun advocates pointed out that Illinois residents are already vetted through the FOID card registration process, and criticized the hefty registration fees and severe criminal penalties associated with the Mayor’s proposal. 

February 9, 2012

On the heels of recent criticism from Republican lawmakers, on Feb. 7 Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Julie Hamos sent a letter to the federal government outlining the Department’s intentions to begin implementation of commonsense Medicaid eligibility requirements passed by state lawmakers.

On Feb. 2, HFS and Quinn’s Administration were taken to task by Republican lawmakers for attempts to expedite expansion of the Medicaid program in Cook County, even as the Administration dragged its heels on pursuing execution of the bipartisan Medicaid reforms signed into law in 2011.

Senate Republicans were pleased to see the Administration pursue a more aggressive stance on Medicaid reform. However, the Caucus was particularly interested in DHS findings outlined in Director Hamos’ letter that suggest nearly six percent of the Department’s monthly medical card mailings from November 2011 were returned “undeliverable with out-of-state addresses.” If six percent of Medicaid recipients were deemed ineligible for benefits for failure to meet residency requirements, that would amount to approximately $650 million in savings each year.

February 9, 2012

Illinois' problems with job creation were highlighted during the week when long-time Illinois company, Caterpillar, acknowledged the state's poor business and economic climate would have prevented them from considering Illinois for a significant expansion

Almost a year ago, Caterpillar Inc. made headlines when a private letter penned by Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman to Gov. Pat Quinn was leaked to the media. The missive outlined CAT’s concerns that the state’s massive tax increase would undermine the company’s ability to remain profitable.  This week, fears the company would bypass Illinois for greener pastures were realized.

On Feb. 7, an e-mail was leaked to the Peoria Journal-Star that Caterpillar—prompted by logistical deficiencies, and reinforced by the state’s inhospitable tax policies and bleak budget outlook—is bypassing Illinois to build the company’s new North American manufacturing plant in North Carolina. In a letter to Peoria County, the CAT facility selection team cited, “previously documented concerns about the business climate and the overall fiscal health of the state of Illinois,” that make it impractical to expand in Illinois.

As the largest private sector employer in the state—employing more than 23,000 Illinoisans—CAT’s decision is a blow to the Peoria area and the state as a whole. In the past, Caterpillar has lamented Illinois' excessive workers' compensation costs, pointing out that the cost for an employee with an identical injury is more than seven times higher in Illinois than at a similar plant in Indiana. Senator said that serious efforts must be made to right the state’s fiscal ship, roll back the Democrats’ tax increase, and reform Illinois’ tedious regulatory system.