•June 14, 2017•

By Jim Nowlan
NP Guest Columnist

In 1978 my friend Ron Michaelson of Springfield had just finished officiating a double-overtime super-sectional high school basketball game. On his way off the gym floor to the locker room, Ron was attacked by family members of a losing player. They broke his nose and put him in the hospital for several days.

So Ron is a sensitive observer of anger in American, and he says it’s getting worse all the time. Even in youth sports for little tykes, Ron says, he sees coaches venting anger at the refs all the time, and parents doing the same toward coaches who don’t play their kids enough.

Why are so many of us so angry?

According to the National Opinion Research Center, inflation-adjusted per-person income is up three times from what is was in 1950, yet the percentage of us “very happy” has not increased at all since then. Though the wealth gains are not evenly spread, even the poor are much better off than was the case in 1950. Read More

•June 7, 2017•

By Jim Nowlan
NP Guest Columnist

As a recovering political junkie, I am captivated by the titanic 2018 campaign battle shaping up between GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner and state Democratic Party chair and House speaker Mike Madigan.

Rauner has reportedly committed two to three times more than the $50 million he has already put into to his campaign. Billionaire Ken Griffin just kicked in another $20 million to the Rauner cause as well.

On the other side, Madigan appears to be encouraging J. B. Pritzker in his gubernatorial aspirations, on the premise that he will draw on his $3.4 billion net worth to self-fund a campaign to match or better Rauner’s money. This would free union and trial lawyer money for Madigan to protect large Democratic state legislative majorities.

Campaign finance expert Kent Redfield says a contest between Rauner and Pritzker would easily double the $113 million spent in the 2014 Illinois race for governor, which would make it the most expensive in American history.

Much of the Rauner-GOP money will be spent on the governor’s obsession with using a governmental matter (withholding approval of a state budget) to bring Madigan to his knees, crying “Uncle” to support business-friendly reforms. Read More

•May 31, 2017•

By Jim Nowlan
NP Guest Columnist

In response to my recent challenge, 40 readers provided detailed proposals as to how they would close the gap of about $7 billion between spending and revenue in the Illinois state budget. While there was sure no consensus among readers, predominant recommendations roughly mirror what will likely come out of Springfield in the coming weeks.

As you might recall, I provided readers a necessarily limited template of possible budget cutting and revenue increase options.

Only two respondents seemed to deny reality, at least as I see it, by saying, “No tax increases, no way,” and “We’ll just have to do without, as we did at home when I was a child.” Both suggestions are appealing, though probably not useful at the moment.

Here is a summary of the more detailed responses, obviously representing an unscientific sample:

As for budget cuts, only a few suggested cutting K-12 education, and those few said every budget line, including education, should take a small 1-3 percent cut across the board. Read More

•May 24, 2017•

That one word perfectly sums up the pain, dysfunction and instability Capitol politicians have inflicted on Illinois by their failure to provide a permanent balanced state budget for two years.

As the state’s credit ratings have been repeatedly downgraded, as residents sought greener pastures elsewhere, as community colleges and universities have been gutted, as businesses closed up shop and as social service agencies turned away the most vulnerable residents, elected officials have failed to do their job and show political courage to make the necessary painful decisions.

Who they blame is determined by whether a D or R follows their name. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is to blame. No, it’s Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. Don’t forget the decades of politicians who made terrible financial decisions based on what would get them re-elected, not what was fiscally prudent.

The finger-pointing has gone on for far too long.

The state’s fiscal problems have created a crisis throughout Illinois — except in the state Capitol. Maybe the dome deflects the misery that permeates the rest of Illinois. But it can no longer shield elected officials from accepting the blame each member of the House and Senate, and the governor, bears for the atrocious state of the state. Read More

•May 17, 2017•

By Jerry L. Ginther
NP Columnist

Known as the Second Jewel in the Triple Crown of thoroughbred horse racing, the Preakness Stakes is held on the third Saturday of May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. The distance for this race is one and 3/16 miles and is the shortest of the three races in the Triple Crown with the longest being the Belmont Stakes at one and ½ miles. The Kentucky Derby, the first of the three races, is just 1/16 of a mile longer than the Preakness, at one and ¼ miles or 10 furlongs. There are eight furlongs in a mile, just in case you’re doing the math, so, a 16th is one half of a furlong.

With the Kentucky race in our rear view mirror we move on to this second race where the Derby winner, “Always Dreaming,” will try to make it two out of three in his endeavor to be a Triple Crown winner for trainer Todd Pletcher. The Preakness will decide if there will be a chance for another three-race winner. Of course, winning the second race keeps the adventure alive if you won the first. If the Derby winner also wins the Preakness, the suspense and excitement grow as we anticipate the Belmont Stakes, the final contest of the three races. That final race will be held on June 10 this year at Belmont, N.Y. It will be a disappointment to many if the chance ends with this second race, but with a purse of one million dollars, the winner will be just as happy to go home with the money even if his horse was never in contention for the Triple Crown.  Read More