A number of subjects in the news were discussed. The first was a consideration of the Steve Chapman column of the preceding Sunday’s Chicago Tribune. Chapman focused on whether the legal drop-out age should be increased to 18, as proposed by President Obama and Governor Quinn. Chapman targeted the negative consequences of forcing children who would otherwise drop out to stay in school. Negatives include that these young people won’t learn anyway, because they are poor or disinterested students. Additionally, their presence in the classroom is disruptive; unmotivated kids are a drag on teachers, a distraction to other students, and a daily obstacle to learning.
No member supported the age increase. One described the idea as being worse than the No Child Left Behind Act. A couple of members suggested it might be possible to retain potential dropouts by putting them into Special Ed classes or training them for vocations.
The Affordable Health Care Act was discussed once again. The Dept. of Health and Human Services has recently ruled that the Act will require all insurance plans to provide for free all FDA-approved forms of contraception, including sterilization. Thus, schools and hospitals and charitable institutions run by religious organizations which believe contraception is wrong would have to violate their beliefs or drop insurance for their employees. A Lutheran and a Catholic school have already sued, saying this violates their freedom of religion rights protected under the Constitution. Members were of mixed opinions on this issue. This story will heat up more in the future.
The STOCK Act (Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge) will be debated in the Senate, following a 93 to two vote. The legislation specifically prohibits federal lawmakers from trading stocks based on nonpublic information obtained in the course of their congressional work. In the past, members of Congress have used mental gymnastics to claim the current prohibitions against insider trading do not apply to them.
Also discussed were:
– will the “temporary” increase in the Illinois income tax be removed after 2014, as promised by Quinn, Cullerton, and Madigan? No one thought so.
– what’s with these people soliciting us to sign up for an electric power provider other than Com Ed? They are hustling because they want to lock you into a contract before Huntley votes on electricity aggregation.
– is it good policy to have our military risk their lives (e.g., Navy SEALS rescuing two prisoners in Somalia) to save people who have chosen to go to high risk areas? Most members thought the military should not.
– consequences of the large toll way increases.
– the National Labor Relations Board proposal to require employers to give employees’ names to union organizers. (This before any vote.) Is this an invasion of employees’ privacy?
– difficulty of obtaining return to the USA of illegal immigrants who allegedly committed crimes but who escaped to Mexico.
– the legality and morality of using drones in Pakistan to spy and to kill. Answer: America believes might makes right.
– McHenry County being asked to reimburse legal fees resulting from the Bianchi prosecutions.
– should they have stopped looking for missing people on the capsized cruise ship?
– a method by which the cost of college textbooks might be reduced.
– an ongoing national movement to eliminate state income taxes and shift the burden to local taxing districts. (Read increased real estate taxes.)
-signs of Spring in January.
You have to attend if you wish to get all the details.
