Huppke ignores broken bones for single offensive word

Apparently, Trib columnist Rex Huppke is not familiar with the wise aphorism "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." If he is, he certainly didn't absorb the wisdom of the simple truth that name calling simply doesn't rise to the level of harm that actions which physically degrade and diminish the lives of their victims does. His Trib column "CTU president's ISIS comments are Trumpian in their absurdity" spends hundreds of words agonizing over CTU President Karen Lewis' claim in a City Club of Chicago speech that Governor Bruce Rauner is "the new ISIS recruit". While I've blogged that Lewis' comments were a bit 'over the line', the fact remains Lewis is correct in calling Rauner's budgetary harm, reducing state funding for the needy to extort non-budgetary agenda items from the legislature, "acts of terror on poor and working-class people." Huppke, like the other normally clear thinking, progressive pundits bashing Lewis over her 'ISIS' comment, is immune to the real pain and suffering the needy experience at the hands of arguably the most insensitive and heartless governor in Illinois history. As a result, his sole criticism of Rauner's inhumane and outrageous treatment of struggling students, on the precipice state vendors, as well as the marginal needy, is that "I'm no fan of how Rauner is running the state." If affluent, comfortable and white privileged Huppke was one of the folks being damaged by Rauner's ruinous rule, he'd have no problem whatsoever with linking Rauner to ISIS terrorists, however hyperbolic that charge is. Comparing Karen Lewis to The Donald is totally inappropriate. The Donald now admits his neo-fascist rhetoric was just 'entertainment' to energize his base, a dastardly and cynical ploy which he'll now temper as the likely GOP nominee. Karen Lewis is engaged in an unfair struggle against a man and a system which cares nothing about the people it destroys. Focusing on a single word, utterly insignificant to the victims she represents, is pointless.

If Huppke was really interested in serving the Illinois public, he'd be urging his readers to rise up in mass civil disobedience against the debasement of powerless Illinoisans by the oligarchical near billionaire Rauner, who bought the governorship to enrich his rich base.

Maybe not ISIS, but Rauner a terrorist nonetheless

CTU prez Karen Lewis might have gone a bit over the line calling Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner "a new ISIS recruit", but her comment "the things he's doing look like acts of terror on poor and working-class people" is spot on. Ensconced every night amid billionaire splendor in one of his 6 palatial homes, Rauner is oblivious to the immense damage he does daily to the needy, dependent on state services to barely get by; the students struggling to stay in schools being decimated by his willful educational destruction; and state vendors trying to stay afloat while Rauner floats their receivables on sea of red ink. Practicing 'smash capitalism' on businesses unlucky enough to be gobbled up by Rauner is bad enough. Practicing 'smash capitalism' on the 13 million residents of Illinois is a form of public service terrorism. Rauner wasn't trained by ISIS. He's a product of the new oligarchical ruling elite of obscenely rich, nurtured right here in the Good 'ol USA

Saudi greenmail trumps justice for 911 victims

The bi-partisan Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JAST) would allow families devastated by the 911 attacks to sue governments found liable for sponsoring those attacks. The only country in the cross hairs of that law is Saudi Arabia which our government has been protecting by classifying the damning 28 pages of the 911 report witch implicate the Saudis. Now the administration has a full court press on to derail JAST. Why? Saudi Arabia is threatening to dump its $750 billion in Treasuries to jack up interest rates on US consumers. They could also stop buying US weapons of mass murder which pumped $100 billion into US merchants of death coffers this past decade. The Prez is in Saudi Arabia this week trying to calm Saudi fears Americans might just get justice that the hapless Iraqis have been paying for the last 13 years in the the greatest example of 'transference' ever. To put it simply:

                                    Money talks...and justice for 911 victims walks

Rauner running out of room in self painted corner

The other day Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner was caught on tape saying he didn't realize how tough it would be to implement his business turnaround agenda in Illinois. By the tone of his voice, it's clear Rauner still has no idea how really tough it will be. He can't face the fact that as hard working Illinoisans get laid off, struggling Illinois students drop out of school, the neediest Illinoisans lose state services, and state vendors see their accounts receivable mushroom, he has zero chance of achieving it.

Why? Injecting anti labor, anti state worker provisions is an unprecedented encroachment on the budget process which is a simple matter of A) what we need to spend to serve the people, and B) what revenue must we raise to meet those needs. Everything else is reserved to the legislative process over gubernatorial and legislative agendas for legislative change. Rauner thought if he required passing his agenda before even discussing budgetary needs and revenue, the legislature would roll over like the companies that Rauner whipsawed into submission on his way to billionaire status.

Government, Rauner is finding out, is not like the bloodless dollars and cents of the 'smash capitalism' he's been practicing for decades. Government requires a heart, a soul and a pulse that considers the needs of all 13 million of us instead of profit, profit, profit. By extending this soulless obstinacy for nearly a year, Rauner is solely responsible for the slow collapse of state governance.

Because Rauner and his extended family are insulated by his wealth from the damage he's doing to all the little people in Illinois, he thought he could ride out any protest to his immoral abdication of simply doing his job. But he's painted himself into a corner of disgrace from which there is no exit except to face reality and negotiate a budget without non-budgetary conditions.

Alas, Gov. Rauner is still wielding the paintbrush of his self destruction....and the space beneath his feet is beginning to disappear. 

Walt Zlotow

Glen Ellyn