Politics or Babies? What’s a Governor to do?

Written by Kathy Valente

Politico recently reported that Governor Rauner’s “ongoing struggle with the politics of a controversial abortion bill hasn’t gone unnoticed by potential opponents.” A Democrat opponent in the 2018 gubernatorial race, J.B. Pritzker, has capitalized on “Rauner’s indecision with HB 40 by releasing a new statewide TV ad where the billionaire Democrat declares if he’s elected, HB 40 will be the first bill he signs.”

This comes on the heels of Pritzker, along with the bill’s sponsors, making a video about dropping off 4,000 postcards to Gov.… Continue Reading

Government as Family: Illinois’ ‘First Lady Launches Illinois Family Connects’

Written by John Biver

The Illinois state government’s fiscal condition has been a national news story for some time – even the butt of jokes and sarcasm as illustrated by this headline:

State That Can’t Pay Its Bills Gets Obama Holiday

(In case you missed that Obama holiday news, click here.)

That means it’s time for a new state-sponsored program, wouldn’t you say?

Back in May, the Office of the Governor broke the news with these four paragraphs (I’ve bolded a few passages for emphasis):

First Lady Launches Illinois Family Connects

FREEPORT — First Lady Diana Rauner is celebrating the launch of the Illinois Family Connects pilot program, a universal newborn support system.