I created the first federal income tax. It was a graduated tax based on ability to pay that required the wealthiest to pay their fair share at a higher rate.
Most Americans didn’t make enough to pay any income tax at all when I was President because that’s fair and just. I also created the estate tax on large inheritances.
In my day, Republican Presidents paid for the wars we fought by taxing the 1% instead of leaving a debt for future generations.
Illinois Capitol Building served eviction notice by Occupy groups
Several Occupy Illinois groups came together Saturday in Springfield for Occupy Your State Capital Day. I've been to enough protest rallies that it gets routine, but this event had some of the most exciting, energetic moments I've seen at any grass-roots political event.
A WAND TV reporter posted a short video that gives a feel for the day.
It started with reading a proclamation from Occupy Wall Street. Then several Occupy groups from central Illinois, including Occupy Peoria, were given a chance at the mic. Bloomington-Normal brought a large delegation and had someone sing a great song on banjo.
Next came the first reading of an eviction notice delivered to the lobbyists for the 1% and their servants in elected office who currently occupy the Illinois Capitol Building. It reflects that the same issues raised by the Wall Street Occupiers exist in Illinois state government. Rather than a request for temporary fixes, it's an indictment of a broken, corrupted political system that's largely unresponsive to the 99%.
The group then went on the march by downtown Springfield banks, including Chase, Bank of America, and US Bank. I started taking lo-fi cell phone picks as they arrived back at the Capitol grounds.
They marched to the front steps of the Capitol Building to deliver a notice of eviction at the door.
The eclectic crowd included union members, boomer hippies, young veterans, and everyone in between. The eviction was read again by a representative from AFSCME using "the people's mic."
After the reading, an energized group marched up the final steps to leave the notice at the door. It was a beautiful moment of the people demanding government represent them again. I wasn't sure what would happen next when a few people knocked on the door as the crowd shouted, "Who's house? Our House!"
The group eventually went back to the Lincoln statue for an open mic period. Occupy BloNo went up front as a group for another statement.
The whole event lasted almost three hours altogether. Radio show host Greg Bishop has a longer video with some highlights. It starts with Occupy BloNo's awesome banjo song. The reading of the eviction notice before the crowd stormed up the Capitol steps starts at the 7:45 point.
Saturday night, Occupy Springfield began a physical, round the clock occupation in view of three national bank offices. Stop by and see them on the South side of the Old State Capitol Plaza.
Where will CO2 from the proposed Taylorville coal plant really go?
The coal plant proposed in Taylorville by Tenaska is being called a clean coal facility. So, how much global-warming-causing CO2 will it add to the atmosphere? It depends on who you ask and what day you're asking.
The company is telling the legislature it will capture CO2. But, their new permit filed with EPA doesn't include CO2 limits. Once again, they're seeking to avoid binding commitments on how much will be captured and stored underground.
The carbon sequestration aspect of this plant is getting the most attention. But, there are several other places CO2 from the plant will go.
Some CO2 will be released into the air when they're using coal to make synthetic natural gas.
Some CO2 will be sold for Enhanced Oil Recovery operations, which will then cause more to be released in the atmosphere.
More will be released when they're burning Synthetic Natural Gas for electricity production.
And even more when their Synthetic Natural Gas is sold on the market and burned by someone else.
Taken together this would put over 6.5 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. That's more than what's being released by CWLP's new conventional coal plant in Springfield.
Tenaska is making yet another push for their so-called clean coal plant proposed in Taylorville. They need the legislature to give the plant special help because it's not economically viable in a competitive energy market.
Last year, Tenaska threatened that they would abandon the project if the General Assembly didn't quickly approve their bill. But, like a Kiss farewell tour, they keep coming back no matter how many times we think it's over.
The biggest special favor Tenaska demands is mandatory thirty-year contracts at a rate which guarantees their profits. Nearly all Illinois utilities will be forced to participate and rate increases will be passed on to their customers. It's socialism for the company, which gets guaranteed profits, while us taxpayers assume all the financial risk.
The Illinois legislature is being pressured to pass this bill because it will create temporary jobs for a few years while the plant is built. Even after those jobs are long gone, the state will be forced to carry the burden of overpriced, dirty power for the nest 30 years.
It's important to consider that the Illinois Commerce Commission study determined that the proposed Taylorville plant would produce some of the most expensive energy on the market, costing even more than current wind power prices. Will overpriced power from this plant still make sense 10, 25, or 30 years from now after wind and solar come down even further in cost?
It's amazing how far a bad idea can go when it's being pushed by every other lobbyist in town. Burdening the next generation with a 30-year mistake would rank as one of the legislature's most short sighted failures.
Occupy Springfield to serve eviction notice at Illinois Capitol Building
Occupy Springfield will serve a notice of eviction on the Illinois Capitol Building. It will be read during an "Occupy Your State Capital" rally, October 29, 1:00pm.
Notice of Eviction
The lobbyists for the 1%, and their cohabitating servants in elected office, are hereby notified that your occupation of the Illinois State Capitol Building is terminated. You are ordered to vacate for violation of your lease agreement with the people of Illinois. We, the 99%, demand that you return state government to the people due to your violations of the public trust:
• You have created barriers to direct democracy, concentrating power in the hands of a few Legislative Leaders and special interest lobbyists, who block most bills which serve the people from coming to a vote before the full legislature.
• You have maintained an unfair tax structure that does not require the super-wealthy 1% to pay their fair share.
• You have erected barriers to our right to receive an education by allowing the cost of tuition at state universities to skyrocket while also cutting financing opportunities.
• You have given millions of our tax dollars to fossil fuel interests that poison our air and water.
• You have betrayed the trust of public servants employed by the state by ignoring their right to collective bargaining and failing to pay your share of their pensions.
• You have enacted budget cuts which harm the most vulnerable among us rather than asking sacrifices from the wealthy few.
• You blocked legislation that would require banks to know the name, age and disability status of those being evicted, showing you have no regard for the fate of those you make homeless.
For these and other breaches of the public good you are hereby ordered on this day, October 29, 2011, National Occupy Your State Capital Day, to return this Capitol Building to its rightful owners, the people of Illinois.
I decided to check out Occupy Chicago on October 21 while I was in town. They didn't have an encampment site yet but around 200 were lined up along the sidewalk in the financial district. I heard the drumming from two city blocks away as I approached.
I could have used more cowbell.
They're under the shadow of the Chicago Board of Trade, which also appeared as Wayne Tower in Batman Begins. I heard a man in a suit ask a small group of occupiers why they were protesting him and his job.
The atmosphere was friendly. There appeared to be a non-stop soapbox session around the corner from the drummers. They had food and sign-making supplies free for the taking. This one was my favorite:
They marched to a spot in Grant Park for their General Assembly meeting. It was the most filmed and photographed walk down the street I've ever seen.
I had to leave before a rally planned for Saturday 10/22 in conjunction with their second attempt to establish a place to set up camp. Apparently, the city is responding with more arrests. I can't imagine what Mayor Emanuel hopes to gain by getting aggressive with a group that just wants to sit around and bang drums.
A rally in support of the Wall Street Occupiers happened today in Springfield at the Illinois Capitol Building. Over 300 people came for the peaceful protest.
After a reading of a statement from the Occupy Wall Street protestors, the group walked by several downtown banks, including Chase, and came back to the Capitol.
Following the stroll through downtown, there was time for anyone who wished to address the crowd. An AFSCME representative announced that their convention in Springfield today voted to support the Occupy protests.
One person brought their guitar for a short sing-a-long. About a dozen people took their turn at the microphone expressing a diversity of viewpoints.
There were plenty of Democrats but my impression is that a majority of the crowd were people disaffected from the two major parties and disgusted with electoral politics in general. Ron Paul Libertarians, union members, and the Radical Student Union were all well represented.
Everything went smoothly. The police were helpful and professional. Oddly, one person was asked by the police to either leave or remove his Guy Fawkes mask. He left.
I saw no sign of counter-protesters. A local conservative radio host spent all week telling people to counter-protest and even made a threatening comment on his discussion board. Apparently, his listeners chickened out (assuming he has any listeners).
It was a very positive event and I think everyone left with a desire to follow up. The next event is a national "Occupy your State Capital" day October 29. Expect it to be even bigger and better!
Universities of Iowa and Illinois students tour central Illinois coalfields
Over 50 students from the University of Iowa, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and several other campuses toured sites in central Illinois to learn about the impacts of coal mining. It was covered by The Daily Iowan and The Daily Illini.
“We’re busting at the seams with interest,” Cross said. “We’ll be able to see firsthand what’s happening.”
The students had the opportunity to talk to affected individuals of coal mines. They will be visiting coal mines that are disposing coal waste above ground, discharging coal ash into the water supply and storing it in pounds next to a local lake, Cross added.
“Coal is not a viable energy source,” she said. “We need to be moving beyond coal."
(Iowa Hawkeyes give thumbs down to impacts of coal mining)
The Daily Iowan article wrote about the tour and a campaign to shut down their campus coal plant.
The University of Iowa consumes almost 500 tons of coal each day.
And UI junior Zach Carter wants to change that.
After attending the alternative-energy event Power Shift 2011 in Washington, D.C., last spring, Carter started the UI Sierra Student Coalition this fall, in hopes of pushing for the university to shift its energy production away from coal and other fossil fuels to biomass.
I spoke on the tour so I'll post pictures and details soon.
Ameren to close two deadly Illinois coal dinosaurs
Ameren announced that it will close two of its oldest, deadliest plants in Meredosia and Hutsonville, Illinois. Ameren is blaming EPA's new Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) that regulates sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx). The rule will force the oldest, dirtiest coal plants in America to either clean up their act or shut down. Apparently, it's working already.
Despite making billions of dollars in profits, Ameren refused to update pollution controls on these plants for decades. Failure to control their sulfur pollution is why Ameren plants import coal from out of state rather than using Illinois coal. The Meredosia plant imports coal from mountaintop removal mining operators.
Mary Anne Hitt wrote in her blog that the Cross State Air Pollution Rule is designed to prevent soot and smog pollution that contributes to health hazards like asthma attacks and heart attacks. EPA estimates that in just the first two years of enforcement, these protections will save up to 34,000 lives, prevent more than 19,000 emergency room visits, prevent 1.8 million missed work and school days and improve the lives of millions.
I'm glad to see Ameren's press release express their "regret" for the impact the closures will have on the economy of these two communities. I have yet to see Ameren express regret for premature deaths and other health impacts they inflicted on Illinois communities for decades by refusing to install basic pollution controls on their coal plants.
Illinois residents have suffered for the sake of Ameren's quarterly profit margin. Closing these dirty coal dinosaurs is the right decision.
That resulted in price hikes for customers of utilities who invested in Prairie State. One of the biggest is the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) based in Springfield. The cost of expensive coal will be passed on to IMEA customers like the cities of Naperville, Chatham and the Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative based in Auburn.
These rate hikes offer an occasion for suppliers like IMEA to reevaluate their investment in coal. The cost of operating coal plants will only go up as EPA moves forward on new clean air and water rules. That will happen even if Congress doesn't put an additional price on carbon, which would make coal even less attractive. Coal based utilities will be forced to internalize the cost of their pollution instead of forcing everyone else to pay for their mess. The promise of cheap coal is a relic of the past.
Unfortunately, IMEA and it's partners like the American Public Power Association have chosen to act as puppets of the coal industry's legislative agenda. They work hand in hand with industry polluters to fight against regulations that protect public health and the environment. Customers should be aware that if your town or co-op is as member of IMEA or APPA then you're supporting the coal industry's campaign to demonize the EPA.
I'm sure the coal industry appreciates the loyalty of public utilities but procrastinating the transition to clean energy will only hurt their customers in the long run. It's time for providers like IMEA to reconsider whether marrying their fate to coal is really in their best interests.
Mayor Houston outlines sprawl agenda for Springfield
If you want to know what's really going on in Springfield you have to read the Business Journal. Business and political leaders are a little more clear about their plans for the future in the Business Journal than they are in other media outlets. One example is an editorial by Mayor Mike Houston titled "Retail Revolution good for Springfield" in their July 2011 issue.
He begins by referencing White Oaks Mall, which had opened shortly before Houston's first term as mayor in 1979, and how the resulting development on the southwest end moved the city's retail center away from downtown. He states that "a similar sort of retail revolution is about to take place" around Scheels along the MacArthur Extension.
Houston argues that this will benefit the entire city, and not just one geographic area, because "a rising tide floats all ships. This larger economic base will be a great asset as we continue to market our community to other potential retailers."
This claim, that sprawl on the edge of town won't detract from the city center, is an article of faith among Springfield's business and political establishment. Everyone is expected to believe that new development on the MacArthur extension won't detract from downtown, won't create vacant stores on the Southwest end, and will even bring new businesses to older sections of MacArthur Blvd.
Since Houston is making the comparison to White Oaks Mall, it's fair to reflect on what happened during that phrase of sprawl.
Did sprawl on the southwest end lift downtown or did it help empty out downtown retail activity? Did central neighborhoods deteriorate as newer houses were built on the southwest end? Did the city center suffer from neglect as limited resources were spent to build new infrastructure on the edge of town?
Any fair minded observer would have to admit that the last hiccup of commercial sprawl most certainly did not lift all ships. What we have on the southwest end is ugly, poorly planned sprawl with the city's most accident-prone intersections and stores that are inaccessible to pedestrians and bicyclists. At the same time, downtown and central neighborhoods suffered as businesses abandoned a sinking ship. Most other cities have had the same experience.
So, will Springfield do anything differently this time? Can we keep doing the same thing and expect a different result?
Groups like the central neighborhood associations, the MacArthur Blvd Association, and Downtown Springfield Inc should reexamine the "rising tide floats all boats" theory. The sprawl agenda being pushed by the Chamber and Q5 may not be in their best interests.
I checked out classic cars at the Route 66 Mother Road Festival in Springfield today. I caught the one I was most hoping to see. A 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88.
Sam Phillips makes a good case that in 1951 Rocket 88 by Ike Turner became the first recorded rock 'n roll song. That would make this vehicle the rocket that launched rock.
So that made my day. This customized Abe Lincoln bike was right up there. Check out the rail-splitting axe.
The tomb.
Many excellent cars on display. I found out how cars with familiar names got their reputation early on before auto-makers decided to make them all ugly in the 80's.
According to NRDC's blog Illinois Congressman John Shimkus is the second most lethal legislator in Congress. They created the list based on "how much they’ve taken from polluters during their congressional careers."
John Shimkus (IL-19) has taken over $939,000 from polluters and supports Lethal Legislation that could put as many as 56,200 lives at risk.
Anyone who follows John Shimkus' facebook page will notice that I occasionally respond to his misleading anti-environmental posts. His pro-pollution posts have become more frequent lately. Shimkus has always been a coal industry stooge but I'm going to guess his uptick in attacking human health has something to do with the millions of dollars the coal industry is dumping in the laps of House Republican leaders. Shimkus is being a good soldier in the House Republican war against EPA.
At least Shimkus and John Boehner can take pride in knowing that they don't come cheap. They're classy, high priced hookers for polluting special interests.
My White House petition: Create clean energy jobs in coal mining communities
The Obama administration created a new petition tool at the White House website. I don't know whether it will have much impact but it looks interesting enough that I'll give it a try. It encourages people to pester their friends about signing a petition. Most of my friends should be used to that by now anyway.
If 5,000 people sign the petition in 30 days then it will be reviewed and receive a response from White House officials. It will surprise no one that I created a petition about clean energy and coal.
Every region that bases its economy on coal mining is poor. Many clean energy jobs are being created nationally, but most of them are not in coal mining regions. Instead, coal communities are sold on unproven "clean coal" pipe dreams backed by federal subsidies and Department of Energy loan guarantees. How can real clean energy jobs be directed to coalfield communities so that unemployed miners will have an economic future beyond coal?
The Last Mountain and Dirty Business showing in Springfield and Taylorville
Sierra Club Sangamon Valley Group is hosting three energy movie screenings this month!
First, a campus screening of The Last Mountain, Wednesday, September 21, 7:00, at Lincoln Land Community College, Stephens Room.
The fight for the last great mountain in America's Appalachian heartland pits the mining giant that wants to explode it to extract the coal within, against the community fighting to preserve the mountain and build a wind farm on its ridges instead. With Bobby Kennedy Jr. enlisted as a passionate force for preserving Coal River Mountain and the economic power of the fossil fuel industry twisting democracy to its advantage THE LAST MOUNTAIN highlights a battle for the future of energy that affects us all.
In Taylorville Thursday, September 22, 6:00 at the Taylorville Public Library, 121 W. Vine St.
Then in Springfield Tuesday, September 27, 6:00 at Lincoln Library, Carnegie Room.
Half our electricity comes from coal, the largest single source of greenhouse gases. But it doesn't have to be that way. Featuring stories from China to West Virginia, Dirty Business reveals the true social and environmental costs of coal power and explores the murky realities of "clean coal" technology. Guided by Rolling Stone reporter Jeff Goodell, the film highlights the work of energy innovators and the viable, renewable alternatives they offer in an age of rapid climate change.
