Community Roundtable

Republicans can’t begin to agree on Trump’s proposals on immigration.  The Donald says, “All undocumented immigrants would have to go!”  REGARDLESS!!  He’s going to have a BIG WALL built, which Mexico will be GLAD to pay for.  He’s for changing the U.S. Constitution to reverse birthright citizenship, which is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!  He’s ignoring the estimated $100 – $200 billion price tag for mass deportations, and that a national E-verify system could not pass the Repub-controlled House in 2011, and that many conservatives favor greater state involvement in immigration regulation, and are differing on what benefits they make available to their residents.  State’s Rights can set up a situation likened to fugitive slave states, where the federal government is not supreme, as we’ve seen with marijuana legalization.    I agree with the majority of Americans who support a path to permanent legal status or citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally, who work and have not committed major crimes.  Mexican migration has already plummeted; “China and India are now the top-sending countries”.

The landmark deal struck among U.S., Iran and other world powers to curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting crushing sanctions has been a long time in the making.  After nearly a decade of international, intercontinental failed diplomacy, during which time “Iran’s nascent nuclear program expanded into one that Western intelligence agencies saw as only a couple months away from weapons capability”, (with U.S. and Israel both threatening possible military responses) President Obama, John Kerry, and other world leaders have hammered out a deal, not without concerns, but one coming from “a position of strength and principal”.  Iranian leaders, backed by Russia and China, have insisted the embargos had to end as their forces combat regional scourges such as ISIS.  Iran currently has enough material to produce ten nuclear weapons, but the agreement ensures inspection teams be put in place, 2/3 of Iran’s centrifuges be removed, as well as 98 percent of its enriched uranium and plutonium.   The sanctions, which are to be lifted in stages over the next decade, (unfreezing Iran’s assets overseas) will “snap back into place”, said President Obama, if Iran violates any part of the U.N. nuclear non-proliferation treaty.  “The deal is NOT based on trust, but inspections!”

Its how politics work.  It’s the playing out of the checks and balances of government that our constitution calls for.  At the state level the House has a Democratic majority, who are against the deep cuts that Governor Rauner wants to see instituted.  Rauner also insisted on including other issues in the budget such as “allowing local governments to opt out of collective bargaining with the public employee unions” , reducing worker compensation benefits and term limits!  These additional issues make the budget bill very controversial.  Rauner wants to see deep cuts in social programs that help protect children, the elderly, and the middle class!   Rauner’s budget would also include deep cuts for Amtrak, affecting tourism, students, and other travelers. In May the House passed a plan that included close to $300 million in cuts to state agencies, but that was not enough for Rauner, who wants to see much deeper cuts across the board.

No, That’s a bad idea!  I’m sure many lives have been saved as a result of putting a stop to Happy Hour practices, with its half-price drinks.  IL has lowered its percentage that one must “blow at” to be legally intoxicated.  Too many residents have lost their driving privileges. with many more to follow.  It is irresponsible for lawmakers to propose bringing that practice back.  If a driver has had one drink too many it’s a very costly mistake to come back from, with some folks doing prison time for a second DUI.  It’s just unacceptable!  Rauner has increased the speed limit on highways; we don’t need more distracted or inebriated drivers on the road.  Go home and have a drink.  Be safe, live longer, and let the rest of us live longer also!

It appears that the Senate Democrats reached a deal with the Republicans on Wednesday to move forward on U.S. President Barack Obama’s fast-track agenda, which would give “Obama greater freedoms in negotiating trade agreements with other countries, and Congress would have an up or down vote on the terms of the pacts; but a tougher road lies ahead in the House, where 150 Democrats are opposed to the bill despite the push by House leader, Nancy Pelosi.  The trade issue is “one of the rare areas where Obama and Republicans are on board”, with Paul Ryan and others urging its passage, which worries me — because if the Republicans want it and Democrats like Elizabeth Warren are against it — it must not be a great deal for most Americans.  “The legislation is seen as key to approving the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal between the U.S. and ten other countries in N. America, S. America and Asia.”       It is not secretive; Congress can view what is already “on the table” for negotiations, they just can’t pick it apart detail by detail and hold up negotiations with the other countries (because they like to showboat).

Well, let’s see:  He wants to institute Right to Work areas and let IL voters decide if union dues and membership should be voluntary, which Attorney General Lisa Madigan says would violate federal labor laws, and can only be enacted on a state-wide basis.  Rauner says that local governments will receive 50 percent less of the shared state income tax dollars, which will cost Galesburg $1.5 million.   He seeks to cut worker compensation benefits, tighten restrictions on eligibility for unemployment benefits, and cut fees to some medical providers.  He proposes a 40 percent cut in state funding for Amtrak, affecting many who travel to and from Chicago, eliminating 2 of the 4 Chicago/Galesburg routes and eliminating both routes to Quincy and Macomb.  He ended the temporary income tax increase from 5 to 3.75 percent at the beginning of this year, which amounts to $5 billion less in state revenue.  He’d like to offset cuts to local governments by giving communities relief from prevailing wage and project waiver agreements, which again, Atty General Madigan stated “would not be legal”.  He will be cutting pensions and health insurance benefits for state employees.  He slashed funding to Handi-van services and there will be plenty more cuts to come.  Hope all who voted for him are satisfied.

The original plan when our community center was “done away with” was to use the B&G Club as a temporary community center?  I never heard that!  Why a 5 year plan?  How long would it take to renovate the Armory?  And where does the City anticipate getting AT LEAST $500,000 for asbestos removal and renovation?  I think this plan is smoke and mirrors, and the City is not going to make good on its word to give us back a community center, which I would like to see — downtown, with plenty of parking!  I rented the community center twice, at about $50, and it wasn’t easy to get a 2 – 3 hour slot near the date that you wanted.  A lot of people used that center to host events.  The B&G Club is housed at Carver Center, which is owned by Carver Community Action Agency.  If the City wants to give the B&G Club some money why not just contribute without “the agreement”?  Give them $50,000 and let them find other funding.   And since Rauner slashed funding for Handi-van, is Galesburg going to pay for those services? And what other necessary services will be cut in the future?

With only several weeks of school left in this term it’s now important to do this testing and ascertain how students have progressed in their studies. “Common Core Standards, drafted by experts and teachers across the country, are clear, consistent guidelines for what every student should know in all the subjects from kindergarten through 12th grade.  Common Core focuses on developing the critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills students will need to be successful” in this ever-increasingly mobile and demanding world.  Students are entering colleges and businesses that expect more than ever before.  Students who move from state to state, or even internationally, need to be prepared for what’s expected of them at every level of education.  Forty-three states have adopted Common Core Standards.  “Common Core Standards are the best opportunity in a generation to put American students on a path to personal and professional success.”  And we need to get behind our students and teachers and do all we can to assist them.

Must not be that important to her followers because Hillary is trouncing the 2016 Republican “hopeful wannabes”, but I’m sure you Faux Noise viewers won’t hear about the latest opinion poll numbers.  The issue is all Repub-hype, the newest strategy of the Benghazi investigators, who couldn’t find anything more relevant to throw at her.  Hillary responded by turning over 55,000 emails stemming from her duties as the U.S. chief diplomat.  Supposedly there was no outright ban at the State Dept. on using a personal email address to conduct official government business, and Hillary has stated that she used a personal email acct for convenience, reasoning that all her communications to state staff went to the .gov server that would  automatically go into storage.  According to a new CNN/ORC poll Rand Paul comes closest at 43% saying they’d back him and Hillary is at 54%.  The Democratic primaries don’t begin for another eleven months, and the general election is still some 20 months away.  Hillary will be the clear front-runner so expect a lot more mud-slinging.

Missouri has a long history of mistreating blacks.  Deep changes need to occur in Missouri law, in our psyches, and in police departments throughout our nation.  Better training for officers and brass, more diversity in hiring, and more accountability are crucial.  The Justice Dept. found overt profiling in Ferguson, Mo. and flat-out bigotry. From excessive fines, warrants, harassment and exploitation of blacks to questionable use of deadly force, we can see that racism dies hard!   Government sanctioned or sponsored prejudice and hate implemented to influence neighbor against neighbor led to millions of Jews being cast from their homes, robbed of their wealth and possessions, and ultimately murdered in public group displays or sent off to camps to be exterminated.  What within makes us able to be so callous in our attitudes and treatment of others?  There was the Jewish Holocaust and the Native American Indian Holocaust.  There’s also been a “Black Holocaust”!  Since slave days millions of  blacks have been tortured and murdered, many behind the scenes; many are being unjustly imprisoned still, and even now, sometimes unarmed, they can be shot down in our streets, their deaths justified by officers who are sworn to serve and protect our citizenry.  “We must be the change we would see in the world”, said Ghandi.  I say, It’s high time!  Let’s change it up!  Jesus admonished us to “Love one another!”  He also asked us to “Love your neighbor as yourself!”