Politics...
So Gov. Quinn (in some circles, known as "Gov. Jell-O") has finally done something that is, of course, being labeled a Political Stunt.
And I'm ok with that. Because at least it SOUNDS like progress, even though, yes, by and large it is most likely a Political Stunt.
He's zeroed-out the budget for legislative pay (including his own, I must add), till the state politicos get their severe rectal-cranial inversion fixed and do something positive about pension reform. Now, that's likely to mean whatever they come up with will suck. But at least there may be some forward momentum, because right now, on several levels, this is a horrible situation.
We are the laughingstock of the nation. Aside from the 2 governors in prison, I mean. Our state rates a really crappy credit score; we have a "purple" state in that the Reds and the Blues are equally corrupt and practice the Religion of Nepotism with a verve and fervor not normally seen outside of the Bible Belt. And there are so many seniors I know who are in dire straits. They're in danger of being penalized by the politicos and losing what's left of their pensions.
The issue is truly complex to unpack. I can't. Well, maybe I could, but I'm not privy to anything other than what I read in the papers. And I can tell you that even the conservative Chicago Tribune said today in their editorial that the legislators haven't done their jobs, so why should they get paid?
Now, can we ask that question in Washington???
I know. Stop laughing.
Knitting...
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| Teal Trekking XXL |
Here's the progress on the Trekking XXL socks. Not much, but every sock starts with a cuff. At least the top-down ones, right? You can see the roll where I did the knit rows. And I have to say, a 1x1 rib is a very fiddly business.
The pattern is A Nice Ribbed Sock and you can click on the name to get the link. It's free. I think it'll be a nice addition to my sock knitting repertoire. You know how many varieties of sock yarn there are out there? Well, a couple of plain patterns in your notebook will be enough, really, to get you started on a "good sock drawer" full of handmade socks. I know, I sound like an evangelist, right? But as soon as I got past the "ayyyyyyyyyyyy" factor - in which I said, "Ayyyyyyyyyy, I'll NEVER be able to do this!!!!" -- well, it's not rocket science. Though one must suspend some belief around the time you turn the heel, because that's still magical to me. It just turns.
Seriously, you follow the directions and then, presto! A heel. Sheer genius!
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| Cuff & Roll |
I think that, just for grins, I'll actually follow the pattern this time. Though I still use the joining method in the sock book I have at home. Basically, on the DPNs, you exchange the first cast-on stitch with the last one and it makes a nice, crisp and basically invisible join with no jog in the first row. I'm not at the point where I'm able to knit socks off the top of my head, but I am more comfortable now.
I just noticed the picture. I really need some hand lotion...
I wish I could take my socks on the plane. Hubby and I are off on a trip in August. Kid #2 will be holding down the fort along with the intrepid Tippi and loudmouth Quinn. But I just checked the regulations...I can take plastic needles.
Seriously, you can take a butane lighter on a plane, but you have to have plastic knitting needles. Not even my bamboo circulars!! So I have to find a plastic set in my stash to put the Before and After scarf on. That's turned out to be my mindless-travel-knitting project. Well, it's 96" or so - there's a lot of "mindless" there. I'm just having a minor knitting spasm thinking of that lovely lace-weight merino on plastic needles.
I'm also going to the TKGA show in Indianapolis with two fiber fan friends. I am taking 2 classes and each of them is taking one class each. One of the classes is a big-honkin' Aran Sweater class! Yikes! I'm just doing Continental Knitting and one other. I have homework to do which amounts to casting on 40 stitches. I think I can get that done in time!! I'm driving, because I'm an anal retentive control freak who doesn't do well in traffic. It's been ever since the head-on accident in 2000 - I just get antsy when other people drive. That's ok. My truck is comfy, it's high up so I can see, and they can knit in the car. I actually can't knit in the car because of the no-line bifocals. They also prohibit my reading in the car, as well. Too much movement.
Reading...
It occurs to me that I haven't talked about books here for forever. Right now, I'm reading Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace in "real book" form and I'm working my way through the Jane Austen collection on the Kindle. The actual version of Sense and Sensibility is quite different from the movie, although I must confess that, aside from the obvious age gap between the actors and characters, I like the Emma Thompson version the best. The story is handled well, though Kate Winslet as a 17-year-old is stretching my literary muscle to its extreme.
Apparently, I can take the Kindle on the plane, so I may load up on some Margaret Atwood and have those to read. I had read Alias Grace and The Handmaid's Tale - I have both of them in regular book form. I don't mind re-reading a book if it's a good one.
I also re-read all of the Yarn Harlot books I have. I do have to pick up a few I missed. But those will be in regular book format. I've linked to her blog here, but her books are in the sidebar. What I like, aside from the humor, is that often, the patterns are so accessible! Her sock pattern is next on my list of experiments. With the Opal yarn, most likely, since it seems to be a pretty straightforward sock and the Opal is self-patterning.
Yoga...
So I taught my first Community Class. It was different, teaching with 2 other people, particularly when THEY practiced the sequence and I didn't! Happily, I did the intro, so there wasn't much for me to actually practice. We got lucky in that we all are fairly mellow folks; our practice was a quiet one, and we handled the transitions pretty well, in my opinion. The next one is July 23 and I'm still working on my section. In that one, I'm doing the middle section, so I have to wait - all we have is the middle and end sections...Dang, I hate being dependent on someone else to get things done. But I need to let go of that. She'll get it to us, and we have our part in to her, so she can see what we're planning. I just have to make sure my section is about 1/2 hour. With at least 3 poses "just in case." Always better to have too much, in this instance.
It also looks like my Tuesday a.m. class may be going on hiatus for August. We're not getting the people. But I have to say I'm very happy with the Wednesday night class. I had 8 people last night. You may think that's not a huge class; it's not huge but it's workable for someone with limited teaching experience. And I don't like big classes. Frankly, I think our training class is too big, but that's just me. I'm used to smaller classes at our campus in my day job, and I think that there has to be a limit in order to be effective teaching. The Tuesday class has only generated two or three people at a crack, and honestly, we need at least 8 consistently (which would probably mean an average of 10 who come "regularly" because the average might then be 8 week-to-week). We've got some options, so we'll see.
Dental Freak-out...
My permanent crown comes in next week. Yes, I'm freaked out. And I think I have 2 more cavities. What the heck........??? The crown gets "installed" the day before I leave for Indianapolis, so hopefully it goes without incident.
Anyway, tomorrow, I go with my knitting group to just sit and knit. Will finally (I hope!) get the cuff done on the sock and be able to start on the leg.
Saturday at work, I'll work on yoga homework. Hey - it's the a.m. shift and after we get them settled in, nothing else is going on!
Till next time....
No, the title's not a typo. You'll see.
So I did frog the Lettuce scarf. First off, I think there's an error in the pattern, which will frustrate me. Second, the scarf is BEAUTIFUL. In a variegated or hand-painted yarn. I think in a solid, it'll be just blah. Not blah as in ugly, but more, "Ok. Nice." Just not "Wow, you MADE this for ME??" kind of knitting.
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| Chandelier Lace Scarf |
To that end, I started the Chandelier Lace in the Cascade Heritage Silk, which is 85% merino superwash and 15% Mulberry silk. I purchased the yarn at Le Mouton Rouge, a very adorable LYS in Morris, IL. A little farther than I'd like to drive, but I am currently "out of like" with my more local LYS for a couple of reasons.
Lovely, lovely, lovely yarn to work with so far. That hint of silk is what's going to transform this project. Here's what it looks like so far. Not much, but it's a super-easy pattern to memorize, at least row-by-row. It's a 26-row repeat, but not really. What I mean is, the pattern total is 26 rows, but you are actually repeating rows 1 - 9 after row 10.
There's a new variety of stitch here. It's called S2KP. Let me explain - or let Vogue explain: Slip 2 sts tog, K1, pass 2 sl sts over. It's kind of like what I've done before, but not slipping 2 stitches together. We'll see. Can't be all that hard.
I switched from Addi Turbo aluminum to bamboo. I really should use lace needles, which I don't have. The only gripe I have is that this yarn has the potential to split easily, if you're not paying attention. Sharper points would help, but the only thing I have in really sharp points is a set of DPNs and this is a flat project. Anyway, the longest DPNs I have are only 7" and this scarf is at least 8 - 9" wide.
The picture, of course, doesn't do it justice, because the yarn is just a lovely color. Even with the crappy-camera on my phone. I think when I take a progress picture, it'll show up better. More fabric will equal a better picture.
Today is sooooooooo humid!! It's humid when, in a building where you can't open windows, and the A/C is working, you still have condensation on your water cooler bottle. Yuck. But for some reason, I'm chilled, so I don't necessarily want to turn on the fan. Though I probably will, just to move some air around.
New project, new bag. Well, not "new" -- one I got when I purchased some dog things at Fun Time Dog Shop. Fun Time is an online store where 100% of the profits goes to rescue groups. They have a list of partners and at checkout, you can pick where you'd like your profit portion to go. They were giving the bags away as a promotional and I was lucky enough to be sent a lilac one. So you can click here to check them out. They source as many products as they can from the USA; they test all their products. They take input from their customers. I'm just tickled to be able to have a nice place to get good stuff for my dogs. The treats, leashes, puzzles and other items have all been first-rate. And it's good to support rescue.
The bag is plain and nothing special other than a great way for me to spread the word about a female-owned small business that does wonderful work. In fact, to use this as a knitting bag, I have to use point-protectors because sharp enough needles will puncture it!
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Quinn ready for her nap
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So, you're wondering: Quinn and Quinn?? Well, I realized that I hadn't posted a picture of Tippi's daughter, Quinn. In a while, or ever... Here she is, being a goofball on the couch. She gets up there and paces back and forth trying to figure out her most favorite spot. Then she nests. Usually upside-down. And twisted. On you or right next to you, if you happen to be there and she needs a pillow. Or between me and Hubby. Always. Always - even sitting there staring a hole in us till one of us moves slightly, then she jumps up and jams herself in between us. We always wonder who'll get the butt-end. It's usually an even split. She's fair in that regard.
We're worried about her this 4th of July. She doesn't like fireworks or t-storms. The doc has suggested melatonin (3 mg) - taking 6 mg twice a day. We'll get it into her system and see how she does. We can layer a Benadryl on top of that, but we have a 50/5o chance that the Benadryl will either mellow her out or cause her to be more hyper. More hyper, we don't need. She already has a Thundershirt, which only worked a couple of times. We have a cave for her; she goes into our bathroom. I have ordered an Anxiety Wrap which is supposed to be more focused on accupressure points and covers a little more of the dog's area. There's also an Ace bandage wrap technique that's a figure-8 that is supposed to work.
This is all to keep her from freaking out and potentially hurting herself. I hate 4th of July.
The other Quinn is our beloved (?) governor here in IL. He's rewritten our newly crafted concealed carry law. Now, you all know that the only thing I think Illinois did right was to have a law against concealed carry. Well, the NRA fixed that. They bought a couple of politicians, like they've been doing nationwide, and we now have a "compromise" bill. I'll admit it's restrictive. But he wanted stuff like magazine capacities and the limit on only carrying one gun. And obviously, the Powers that Be (which aren't him, apparently) say that they'll veto his veto. Gotta love government that works. Trouble is that lately, we wouldn't recognize government that works because nobody's government seems to work at all.
I mean seriously... you really WANT to carry ALL your guns? Let's just ask for trouble, eh? And carrying guns where alcohol is sold? Yeah, that's just a totally cool thing. No problems there, right? I don't like the idea of concealed or open carry. I don't think - and a number of cops agree with me, because I asked them - that the average citizen needs to carry a gun. And large capacity magazines are idiotic. If you want to beat me over the head with the Second Amendment, let's parse that.
I believe they say something about a "well-regulated" militia... And that's only for starters. You want to go all Founders on me? Ok. Have your weapon. The average Colonist had one gun. One. Usually a rifle. Usually a lead ball and gunpowder. And he made his own bullets.
Fine. You can have that kind of gun. Not an automatic weapon with a 30-round clip. Go for it. Otherwise, please -- if you feel like it's that dangerous to go out, then stay in. Your "right" to arm yourself infringes totally on my right to not be your collateral damage.
Anyway, those are the Quinns we were talking about. I'm in one of those "I don't want to be here" moods and I think I'll just knit a few rows on the scarf to take my mind away from here. No yoga class tonight; we cancelled it because 9 times out of 10, right before a holiday, nobody shows up. So save some gas and aggravation, right?
Maybe a walk when I get home, if it's not raining. Have a safe 4th of July! Quiet, too, if you're lucky.
So, I'm going to try to be more consistent on the blogging thing...
We managed to escape any t-storms last night; today, it's clouding up a bit (and will most likely break loose about the time we take the dogs out the door to the vet) and there may be t-storms. I got brave, though, and put all the feeders back out and put the gazing balls back into their holders.
And I hit the LYS for one skein of sock yarn. Go ahead. Laugh. So the LYS is having a KAL. (Translation: The local yarn store is having a knit-a-long) And the yarn they're using is Trekking XXL - a sock yarn. The KAL benefits Ovarian Cancer research, so the color is Teal and it's called Susanne. It's really pretty - a bright pop of color.
The KAL is for a toe-up sock. Ain't happening; I'm going to do my own pattern - well, someone's pattern that I like. I think it's crying for a great leg; perhaps a little simple lace, or a chevron. The nice thing about the yarn is that there's a TEN DOLLAR donation PER BALL of yarn to research. That's phenomenal.
I have 2 very simple patterns; and I might just do the swirly rib that I'm using for Robin's Nest. Sure, it's the same pattern, but what do you want to bet that it looks totally different in a solid?
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| The Collar of Shame |
Tippi got The Collar of Shame last night. She was messing with the site of the pain patch. They removed the patch, but she's sensitive to the adhesive, apparently, and it irritated her skin. I tried to just be stern, but it didn't work, and I wasn't going to stay up all night making sure she didn't mess with the irritated leg. So this happened around midnight. She tried the "stink-eye." Then she tried the "sweetheart" -- and then she gave up. This picture was taken in her favorite hideout: my bathroom. She got it off to eat, but it's now back on. What happens is that she gets grumpy and then she figures out it's a good pillow. We go to the vet for the next bandage change; she's not bothering her incision at all. Thank goodness!!
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| Cascade Heritage Silk |
So, what else did I get at the LYS? Lots of Opal. I love the colors and it wears like iron! Here's what I have: Opal Sweet & Spicy, in colorways as shown on the pictures. Also, I've wound up the Cascade Heritage Silk. I was going to change to another yarn for G's scarf, but looking at the Heritage, I really want her to have silk. I added this to Ravelry, so you need to go there to find the pattern. The pattern is called Lettuce Leaf Scarf, by Janice Lynn for Madelinetosh. You can also go to the actual Madelinetosh site to find this; it's a free pattern.
I'm noticing a lot of blue so far! Yikes!
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| Opal 6752 |
Now for the Opals. They're all, as I said, in the Sweet & Spicy variety. I loved what 6752 looked like in the picture. There's a nice tweediness in the heel if I follow their pattern. Either way, it's a very pretty sock that would be good in a clog or even just a Birkenstock. I know - socks with Birks is cheesy. But I'm spending $20 per ball here, people... I want to show off my socks!
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| Opal 6755 |
The next one is 6755 - a very nice spring-ish green pattern with hints of taupe. What I like about this one is the variety of colors in this one, and how it's got that pop of orange in it. I think I can still use my size 2 needles. It can go down to a size 1, but I knit fairly tightly on the DPNs, so I don't have trouble doing a few rows and see how it looks.
I did for grins just buy another set of DPNs - bamboo ChiaoGoo. Not my favorite, but just in case I delay putting the scarf on needles, I wanted a spare set of DPNs in the smaller size to get cracking on socks. At some point, I'll have to go order another set of Kollage. I do have some Kollage size 1 circulars...Hmmmmmmmm. Maybe I should just do one of these in Magic Loop? There's a thought.
Magic Loop would certainly work better on this kind of yarn rather than the hiking socks that I tried it on! I have the basic idea, so it shouldn't be that hard to just wing it. It's only yarn. All I can do is try. If it doesn't work, I'll frog it.
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| Opal 6757 |
This Opal 6757 was the first one I actually purchased; this was acquired about 3 weeks ago. It's a great fall colorway and I love the star anise on the label. Maybe that's what the German means? Who knows? I can barely ask where the bathroom is in Spanish. And even if I asked, I don't know enough Spanish to understand your directions anyway.
So as I go forward with these socks, I will be sure to keep you posted.
I actually went ahead and listed some of my favorite knitting blogs on my site. I really like several of these and I admire the dedication of these folks to blog -- Every. Single. Day. I wish. I was doing that for a while, but I fell off the rails on it. Now I really do need to get back to it.
Oh, the Robin's Nest? I think I'll start the decreases this weekend. I'm at about 6.75" now, and I have to go to 7.5" before I start decreases. The straight knitting is a breeze.
On the news hole...I've kind of skimmed. I just didn't want to go there. It looks like Gov. Quinn might veto the initial handgun bill in IL. Actually, I'd really like to smack the NRA nutjobs; the only thing Illinois did right was to have the ban. But now, noooooooooo - it's more important for people to carry guns, as opposed to listening to those of us who don't want to be collateral damage.
On SCOTUS. I'm sorry, you can gut the Voting Rights Act, and call that "effective use of time" but the DOMA thing you're having a problem with??? Justice Scalia is a nitwit. I would have loved to see Justice Ginsberg catch Alito in the eyeroll.
On Texas. Well. What can you say to a Governor who's willing to spend millions in taxpayer dollars to legislate vaginas, but who won't pass a jobs bill, then claims to be "passionately pro-life" as his state executes its 500th person. And who says of those executions, "I can sleep at night" and not worry whether they're all truly justified. Lovely. Not.
So, what's on your needles? What are your summer knitting projects? What else can I add to my own WIP stack??
So at the revival meeting for St. Ronald of Reagan the other night (otherwise known as one of the first Republican candidate debates), the various Republican candidates were trying to "make like Ronnie" and prove who could out-Gipper the Gipper.
Let's see -- most of the chatter actually seemed to be at cross purposes because you can't channel the Gipper AND claim loyalty to the tea party, which is actually a very small percentage of the Republican party. And "real" Republicans are now - or should be - trying to pour oil on the tea to calm the zealots down. If they ever want to win something, it won't be on the attributes of the screaming wing-nuts. Just because they're noisy doesn't mean they're great in numbers. Luckily, most people are more moderate - we hope!
The Chicago Tribune, never a liberal bastion of journalism (at least in my memory) had an interesting article on September 7, entitled Revisionism at odds with reality. Go figure, the Repubs are re-writing the Gospel of St. Ron...
Here are the facts in the actual Gospel, all of which have been overlooked as the various candidates jockey for position and attempt to re-write history to fit their own purposes:
1. Reagan approved several tax increases to deal with a huge budget deficit. Haven't we been told repeatedly that tax increases don't "create jobs"? And that the only way to balance the budget is to CUT taxes? Hmmmmmm. Math, anyone?
2. Reagan repeatedly boosted the nation's debt limit which is quite the 'no-no' for this current crop of legislators.
3. Reagan signed an amnesty law aiding millions (yes, MILLIONS) of illegal immigrants and you know how Republicans feel about "illegals." Particularly the brown ones.
4. Reagan oversaw an increase in the size and spending of the federal government which is also "against the rules" because any good Republican knows that "big government is bad." Which makes you wonder why Rick Perry is asking for FEDERAL aid for the Texas wildfires. I thought that the poor and unfortunate were supposed to "pull themselves up by their own bootstraps" when they had troubles, and not look to the big government to help 'em out. How's that workin' for ya, Rick??
5. Reagan, as governor of California, enacted the largest (at the time) state tax increase in American history. Almost makes Pat Quinn in Illinois look like a piker.
6. Reagan signed into law one of the most permissive abortion laws of any state. And we all know that to Republicans, a fetus is important. A child? Not so much. But God Save the Fetus!!
The article goes on to state, "Reagan's willingness to compromise also has fallen badly out of favor in a Republican Party fired by its give-no-quarter ranks of tea party loyalists."
I would like to think that, since in his favor he was rather a pragmatist, he wouldn't have fallen prey to the tea party blathering. The final quote in the article says it all:
"I don't think...you should cherry-pick history."
Kinda sums up the entire Republican strategy, doesn't it?
In today's Chicago Tribune, there's a front-page article about how the State of Illinois is the only state to not have concealed-carry laws. Now that Wisconsin is on the brink (and I use that phrase deliberately) of passing concealed-carry laws, the pressure for Illinois to follow the herd will increase dramatically.
In full disclosure, I have nothing against guns. I used to own a .357 Magnum. My brother and I would regularly go to target practice and I found that I actually preferred his Browning 9mm - it was easier for me to hold. And I'm a pretty good shot.
But that's not the point. So far, Illinois and Washington, DC are the only places in the US that do not allow concealed-carry. And you know what? I'm ok with that.
Guns are not the problem. People are the problem. I applaud Governor Quinn's veto threat to the bill proposed last month. But it's scary because the legislation only failed to pass by six votes. That's the closest it's come.
I don't want "concealed-carry" laws. Period. There is no up-side to this. I don't care that the law is, according to its Democrat sponsor, "...so watered down that you could only have it on your person walking around or in your own house." It's the walking around part that gives me pause. The bill's "watering down" came down to this:
The bill would have prohibited concealed weapons in bars, restaurants, certain businesses, courtrooms, schools and college campuses. Chicago's ban, overturned by the US Supreme Court, forced the city to rewrite the law to allow weapons to only be kept in the home, not in public. They're banned in garages, front porches, yards, hotels, dorms and group living facilities.
Still... you can carry it. It's not the guns, really. It's truly the people. I can't see that this will help "keep people safe" which is the argument the NRA and other pro-carry people will force down our throats.
Some guy who owns a gun store (go figure) says, "Are 49 states wrong and we're right?"
Well. Yeah, maybe. Ever heard of "groupthink"?? Let's turn this on its head: Just because 49 states have this law, does it mean we have to go along with them? No. Not really.
Guns can only exacerbate an already tense situation. So you've got the gun. (A) do you know how to use it? and (B) do you know WHEN to use it?
And (C) --- are you prepared for the very real consequences? Bullets kill people. Bullets maim people. If your aim is off, "collateral damage" isn't just a video game...it's real.
When I was a criminal justice major, even though my field wasn't law enforcement, we all had to view and participate in the "Shoot, Don't Shoot" program. What an incredible eye-opener.
Of course, we were all in our 20s, studying for what we thought would be our life's work. And we knew ourselves. You can see where this is going, right?? Well, after the experience, our instructor, a former cop from St. Louis, debriefed us. And we knew then: Guns are for real. Bullets are for real. And in 90%+ of the situations presented to us as civilians, we didn't have a clue. We were wrong.
IF concealed-carry passes, then I suggest the following: tighten up the training and requirements. You must recertify every year. You must be licensed. You must have a "waiting period" before the purchase is consummated, so that a complete background check can be done on you. This background check should be nation-wide, not just state-wide -- this prevents someone coming into Illinois with a record as long as my arm, and buying a gun because he or she can waltz into the local gun show or Wal-Mart. And you must carry additional insurance for your home and auto, because if you do do something stupid, the people you harm must have appropriate means of redress.
Of course, I see a whomping new market for insurance companies: "So, you have a gun at home? Are you licensed? Have you been trained? Is your training up to date? If so, your premium is $XX... If NOT, then your premium goes up 50%. Your premium, by the way (on both your home AND auto) will be going up 200% anyway, because you are now a higher risk to us. You will need to pay those premiums or we will drop you. And of course, under state law, your auto at least MUST be insured."
This will, of course, make pro-gun people scream like crazy. "We have a right to carry guns."
And I have a right to not worry about being shot by some idiot channeling John Wayne or Annie Oakley.
...a "mandate" when you win an election by a hair's-breadth margin. I'm speaking about our recent nail-biter of a gubernatorial election in Illinois.
Governor Quinn, no longer the "accidental governor," was declared the winner and his rival Bill Brady finally conceded on the Friday after the election. It was mathematically certain that Brady had no chance of winning - and personally, I'm tickled to death about that. But all the same, he was within his rights to wait to make sure. At last count, Quinn won with a margin of almost 20,000 votes. Hardly a landslide.
A "mandate" as defined by Merriam-Webster's Desk Dictionary (the 1995 edition) is: an authoritative command; an authorization to act given to a representative.
So maybe he has the secondary definition in his favor, but in popular parlance, "mandate" has come to mean "landslide," which is unfortunate. Because it's not the same thing.
Facts are these: Illinois is broke. It's in debt up to Lincoln's eyeballs. We've had two recent governors convicted on criminal charges. We're taxed to the hilt and we still can't pay our bills. Unemployment is horrible (though better maybe than Michigan's) and the state is the punchline for jokes all over the place. Corruption is the state's new slogan.
All that being said, I have to agree with Quinn on a couple of points. Our education system stinks. The way we fund education is draconian. We have funded our education system on property taxes. Which is fine if you live in a high-rent district like New Trier where the average spent on a student is somewhere around $14,000 per student. In the smaller, more rural school districts, the spending is somewhere around $4,500 per student. In my school district alone, we have the dubious distinction of being "one of the poorest districts" in the state. How's that for a warm fuzzy?
And many communities have put tax caps on the property taxes. Which seems reasonable and seems like you are truly guarding that the homeowner won't be taxed out of his or her home. Until you hit the cap. Which is like hitting a brick wall. Something has to give because you're now in a state of diminishing returns. The schools can't afford basics. I'm not talking a laptop for each student.
I'm talking about textbooks that are 12 years old. That's too old no matter what side of the "spending for education" coin you're on. I'm talking about putting the school's "library" into a space the size of a closet and making the former library into classroom spaces because the school was built for 400 students but now as a population nearing 560 or more.
I'm talking about a high school built for 2500 students when the student body is topping that and is now in the neighborhood of nearly 500 more students. Crowding? Yeah, but look at the safety issues, too. We're in Tornado Alley. If you had to move nearly 3,000 students plus staff and faculty, could you efficiently move them - quickly? Probably not.
Quinn says we have to raise taxes. Which automatically sets off all kinds of alarm bells. But you know what? He's right. We do not need another casino. It only sucks revenue out of peoples' pockets. The house always wins, folks!
We do not need to cut social services any more than they've already been cut. We're not a frivolous state: the social services we have, we need. And it would be nice if the State could pay them for what they do.
Unless they're printing money in the basement of the Governor's Mansion, we are going to have to suck this up somehow. And tax increases are the most efficient way to do this.
Do I like it? Nope.
Can I do the math? Yep.
Do I have a better idea? Nope.
If anyone else does, please contact Governor Quinn. He could use the help.
