How’s everyone’s weekend going? Thanks for spending a portion of it with the Six.
This week in Springfield, the Illinois legislature met for what’s billed as a ‘veto session.’
How it works: Lawmakers convene at the state capitol and attempt to come to some consensus on bills Gov. Pritzker vetoed over the summer. Three-fifths of assemblymen must agree to override a veto in order for it to be reversed.
Reports out of Springfield say nothing much got done over the three days. That’s what happens when the state has a supermajority for one party. Another session is scheduled for early November.
One piece of legislation that has yet to be hashed out by the stewards of the state is the Invest in Kids program. Founded in 2017 by then Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, the tax credit scholarship program provides funds for students whose families meet income requirements to attend qualified, non-public schools and technical academies in Illinois. Donors––individuals or businesses––receive up to a 75 percent income tax credit on their donation. The five-year time horizon for the program is set to expire at the end of the year.
Since its inception, 41,000 scholarships have been awarded helping just shy of 10,000 students. Individuals and companies all get a nice tax break while assisting low income kids with their education.
Everybody wins, right?
Not in Illinois, where choice is the enemy of decree.
The teacher’s unions want the program gone, viewing it as a threat to their monarchal cabal. Head Boss of the Illinois Education Association, Al Llorens, claimed Invest in Kids disproportionately helps “white kids.” Data has since come out disputing his assertion, with one granting organization reporting how “53% of students receiving scholarships were Black or Hispanic.”
They lie. That’s what Bosses do.
The Big Boss himself, Pritzker, stands in the corner, guarding the pie while he plays political jiu-jitsu. He can’t do anything, he says, as “the legislature needs to go through this process.”
What a beacon of Democracy. A true servant leader!
An amended proposal has reportedly been discussed. Some small demonstrations from impacted families did occur at the statehouse.
But the program is toast.
The slow death of Invest in Kids is an example of sovereign governance.
The people want it––59% of Dems, 61% Hispanics, 65% Blacks support it with a 30,000 waiting list––but not enough to loudly protest its disappearance. Lawmakers read polls. So they draft a “compromise.” Pritzker says, “I will support it if it comes to my desk to extend the program in whatever form” knowing no form is most the most likely outcome .
The proverbial can gets kicked down to the November session where it will get lost in a file cabinet, never to be vigorously debated or spoken of again.
Everybody’s asses are covered. We tried, they’ll say.
Because in Illinois, we know what comes first.
Let’s proceed with Six.
1. New Speaker Has No Ties To Biden.
The Drama on the Hill finally crested earlier this week when congressmen elected Rep. Mike Johnson as the new House Speaker. Aside from never having to worry about his name being misspelled or mispronounced, Johnson must have thick skin as the vultures are out (the young earth creationist stuff is a bit much but who wouldn’t at least want dinosaurs and kids to mingle together as brothers and sisters on Noah’s Ark?) and will be combing every nook and cranny of his life. Johnson has little history with President Biden and the two “have never worked closely on any significant legislation. They have little in common personally and even less connection politically,” according to this piece from Politico. Sounds like the state of Washington in 2023.
2. Trustee: University Donors, Close Your Checkbooks.
Hamas attacks on Israel has dominated the news cycle in the month of October. Whenever there is an event of great global consequence, collateral damage follows. Wealthy businessmen who donate millions to Ivy League schools are halting donations for what they see as affirming antisemitism in the wake of the attacks. This essay via The Free Press specifically targets the University of Pennsylvania and writes, “leaders have for too long allowed this kind of anti-Jewish hate, which sanitizes Hamas’s atrocities, to infect their campuses. There must be consequences.” Bravo to these individuals for taking a stand and using their checkbooks to protest policies, but aren’t they a bit late to the grift?
3. Behind The Scenes: Life As A Movie Extra.
What is it really like to be an extra in major motion pictures? This first person account via Chicago Mag attempts to answer that question. Think jury duty only with longer hours but the same minimum wage pay. Days can start at 3 a.m. and end after dark. Being selected to hold a prop or sit next to a star actor is entirely a matter of chance (a humorous anecdote in the article is about George Clooney). And in the end, the shots that feature you may well end up on the cutting room floor, something you won’t know until years later. Probably something we all should try once in our lives (if you’ve ever seen the bad Keanu Reeves film “Chain Reaction,” there’s a scene with a scrum of media members. My hand is holding one of the microphones. A peak professional moment).
This is a review of a book via Plough about mathematicians and their chalkboards. But it’s also an argument for having analog, lower-tech tools in the classroom. According to the author, “the act of writing with chalk forces the mind to slow down and thus to encounter new concepts at a pace conducive to understanding. It makes collaboration easier than with a computer screen.” No glitches or errors that can prevent the ideas flowing out and it forces a cerebral discipline into the physical realm. More from the review: “Doing this dance at the blackboard with someone is an intense, frustrating, energizing, and sometimes moving experience. It’s the kind of connection with the mind of another human being that is rare in everyday life.”
5. The Wild Business of Desert Island Tourism.
Forget the desire to throw your phone in the ocean. Why not just abandon all of your cares on the mainland? Would you pay thousands to be left alone on a remote island? There is a clientele who will and a subset of the adventure tourism industry that caters to them. For a price, those seeking total disconnection and the chance to test their survival skills can do so. What you’re also paying for are for organizers to bribe local police to prevent piracy and looting and to clean up debris to give your island get-away "an untouched appearance." Think “Castaway” only they do give you food and shelter and guaranteed recovery.
6. Man Vs. Kangaroo.
People will go to great lengths to protect their pets. But what if the attacker is a yoked out kangaroo and the pet owner an ex-cop/martial arts enthusiast? You get a viral video. Just seeing the kangaroo is worth it. Creepy and cool.
Thanks for reading everybody and have a great rest of your weekend.
Have a suggestion for The Sunday Six? Send email to jonjkerr@gmail.com.