Creepy California Republican Weirdo, Eric Hovde let old people die in his nursing homes now wants to be a Senator for Wisconsin

Creepy Flag Desecration

 One tactic Republicans adopted to overcome they unpopular and creepy candidates and policies is to change voting and maps once they are in power in any state legislature.

This is what Scott Walker, Robin Los, Scott Fitzgerald, Michael Gableman and numerous other Republican judges have done in Wisconsin where Democrats receive the majority of votes while Republicans are gifted the majority of elected offices.

Robin's famously stated (in a chilling voter suppression way) that if you take out Milwaukee and Madison, then Republicans are the majority in Wisconsin.  Although, admittedly I don't know what explains Russian Ron Burgundy Johnson and his 3 statewide wins for the US Senate.

Despite living year-round in California, Eric Hovde is running for the US Senate in Wisconsin.

Like billionaire Bruce Rauner in Illinois, Hovde is cosplaying trying to be normal by wearing regular clothing.  But, while Rauner managed to pull of wearing Carhartt jackets, Hovde's creepy Flag desecration shirt is as off-putting as his creepy mustache.  But, also like Bruce Ruiner, Eric Hovde has made a lot of money by giving sub-standard care to the elderly via nursing homes he owns.

The reason creepy Republicans Hovde, or Bruce Rauner or Rick Scott in Florida, get involved with nursing homes is the guaranteed monies that come in via Medicare.  Actually caring for the old people is a burden Hovde doesn't see worth spending on.  Even worse Hovde doesn't even see the people living in his facilities as human beings.  Hovde is the subject of wrongful death lawsuits and has been investigated and fined by the Department of Social Services in his home state of California. But, Hovde like other creepy MAGA Republicans also believes in the Trump Lie about losing the 2020 election and does not think the people in his nursing homes should be allowed to vote,

“Well, if you’re in a nursing home, you only have five, six months life expectancy. Almost nobody in a nursing home is at a point to vote,” Hovde said. 

MAGA callous disregard for human life is as evident as it is frightening.  Hovde doesn't see the elderly people in his "care" facilities as people but as dollar signs.  Republicans don't believe certain people count.  Traitor Trump, who is panicked about his chances now facing soon-to-be President Kamala Harris, just openly and blatantly admitted this to his "beautiful christians".  Weirdo Republicans across the country have, for a long time, believed that only they are True Americans and it is their god given right and duty to return this Nation to it's original founding; which MAGA Fascists will accomplish by rounding-up and murdering millions of people.

Traitor Trump is running (or more accurately shambling) around promising his constituents that when Republicans steal the 2024 election that'll be it, he'll be in power for life, and the American experiment will be destroyed, and the United States fundamentally changed into a Theocratic Fascist Dictatorship.

ETA:

Also Traitor Trump called for the immediate jailing of anyone who "disrespects" the Flag I look forward to MAGA Chuds arresting Hovde.

Well known thief Bruce Rauner tries to steal a $400 million from Teacher's Pensions

Governor Bruce Rauner made an attempt to swindle a $400 million from the TRS pension system. Currently, the TRS is funded by member contributions, investment dividends, and state controbutions. If investment returns don't perform up to expecrations the State of Illinois has to make up the difference by law. Accutarial scientists have advised revising the rate of return downward from 7.5% to 7%. The TRS board was set to accept the accutarial change, which according to the Chicago Tribune would mean;

If the board voted for the 7 percent figure, state government would be on the hook to make up the difference, estimated to cost an extra $400 million to $500 million a year, an expense that would come due starting in July. The governor and lawmakers would have to find that extra money, worsening a state budget that's already in free fall amid a budget impasse that's lasted more than a year. 

If the board voted for the 7.5 percent figure, the state would not have had to pay all of that extra money right away. But if investments failed to hit the benchmark, the shortfall would have been tacked on to the pension fund's $65 billion debt. Taxpayers would be hit either way; the question was whether it would be in the short term or long term.

So, Rauner's "solution" was to request the TRS board delay. Just like every other Illinois Governor,  Rauner wanted to kick the can down the road. Because delay long enough and when the bill comes due, Rauner knows he won't be in office and it'll be someone else's problem.

It's ironic and sick to see Rauner mess around with the TRS pensions. Rauner's fortune, he once I'm refered to himself as the 1% of the 1%, came from clipping money from the TRS pension system. Rauner's hedge fund GTCR "managed" the TRS pension for two decades. Consequently, he managed to amass billions of dollars by taking some of the pension money for himself, while the pension itself has been "nickeled and dimed" and has been pushed into debt.

Of course, Bruce Rauner doesn't care. Rauner got rich off of other people's labor. Rauner is a Rentier, he doesn't make money from producing anything, or from refining an existing product, or from inventing a new device, or from discovering something. No, Rauner's money comes from charging rent, extracting fees, and siphoning off of other people's money. 

Governor Bruce Rauner's Turn Around and Screw Working Class Illinois Residents Agenda

Illinois is now facing the prospect of having gone an entire year without a proper state budget as Bruce Rauner (Ruiner) continues his efforts to subjugate and enslave Illinois workers.

For the last week, vehicle emissions test facilities have had lines backed up for miles. Well, I can tell you anyone going to an emissions test station today is going to wait hours and some of the overworked stations are closing because of mechanical problems. When was the last time Ruiner had to go and get his own vehicle registration? When was the last time Ruiner put on his carhartt jacket and drove his truck for a vehicle emissions test?

My job is never "off". I've worked New Year's Eve, St. Patrick's Day, multiple Christmases, and every other holiday you can think of. I don't regularly get normal holidays off. I've had to work overnight shifts and then work parades a couple hours later. I've gone to court at 26th and California on my off days. I don't have luxury time that a man of leisure like Bruce Ruiner does.

Of course, Ruiner doesn't care. He's on a mission to balance the Illinois budget on the backs of the working class. He's on a mission to sabotage the Illinois Government and then proclaim Government doesn't work. He's on a mission to swindle more pension funds from those people he's already stolen so much from. Like all Plutocrats he's on a mission to turn the government into an unresponsive body which only caters to the whims of other Plutocrats.

So, if this screws over working class people, makes them irritated, causes them to miss work, or incur fines from the State, Bruce Rauner chalks that up as a win. Because the more government is hamstrung, the more the Illinois residents believe "government" doesn't work, the more the Chicago Tribune covers for Rauner, the more leverage he has to push through his agenda of turning the Illinois Worker into a Wage Slave.

Cameras in Nursing Homes might have cost Bruce Rauner the Governor's Race

Much of Bruce Rauner's fortune was made from stealing from public employee pensions and from swindling older people.

But, his worst instance of Vulture Capitalism was purchasing nursing homes and setting them up as elder abuse warehouses. Rauner and his Hedge Fund Firm GTCR swooped in and purchased Nursing Homes because a Balanced Budget Law, passed by Congressional Republicans, changed the way Medicare funds were dispersed. The tragedy, misery and tales of criminal actions enabled by Rauner ad his minions were heartbreaking, unless you're a Conseravtive, because right-wingers revel in hurting sick and old people.

Rauner, like all Vulture Capitalists, makes nothing. What the Vultures do is set upon some industry or sector and pick it clean. In Florida Nursing Homes, Rauner slashed budgets, eliminated nurses and healthcare staff and left the elderly inside to die slowly so he could extract maximum profit with a minimum of expense.

Now, as Governor of Illinois Bruce Rauner has just signed a Cameras inside Nursing Homes Law. Of course, Rauner didn't originate this law, Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan sponsored this bill which would allow residents and family members of those in nursing homes install (at their expense) cameras inside the rooms.

If Governor Rauner had found a way to veto this bill as too burdensome on businesses I'm certain he would have exercised that option.

Illinois has a Measles Epidemic but Governor Rauner only cares about giving Big Government Salaries to his Cronies

Another Measles case has been confirmed at the Palatine Kindercare. This is the 14th case in Illinois since the outbreak began less than a month ago.

But, don't worry Illinois, Governor Bruce Rauner is making sure Illinois Tax Payer Dollars are going to the Right People these days!

In between being "liberated" to impoverish Illinois Workers, Bruce Rauner has been steadily rewarding his Cronies and their families with lucrative, high paying Government Jobs;

• Rauner gave 25 year old Emily Clamp a $70,000 job at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency just days after declaring a State Employee Spending Freeze. Clamp just happens to be the sister of his Senior Campaign Political Advisor Sarah Clamp who helped with Rauner's campaign "Tactics" of attacking Governor Pat Quinn for Patronage hires.
• Now, Rauner has hired through a no-bid contract process a Piss-Down-Your-Back and Tell-You-It's Raining Reaganomics Superstar Donna Arduin to help him with the Budget Process of screwing over the Working Class. Arduin will take in a cool $120,000 USC for her "work" of shifting the burden of the Illinois Budget onto the backs of the Working Class while helping the Land of Lincoln become a 1%er's Paradise.
• Multiple members of Rauner's Staff have been given salaries far higher than those under Governor Quinn's Office. A longtime friend and business associate of Rauner's was installed with a salary twice that off his predecessor.
• And to top it off, Rauner hired a $100,000-a-year Chief of Staff Sara Wojcicki Jimenez for his Wife Diana Rauner in her Official First Lady Duties of Nothing.

But, Illinois Conservatives you can rest comfortable that those people are going to have the minisule aid slashed by Pharaoh Rauner. So, just remember to thank your Pharaoh when your kid contracts Measles because you had to put your child into cheap daycare to work an extra job to make up for the money Rauner took from your paycheck to pay for his Wife's Chief of Staff.

Governor Bruce Rauner's continuing Quest to Impoverish Illinois, Crush Unions, Raise Taxes on the Poor, and Lower Taxes on the Rich

Well I've got a little somethin'
Guaranteed to ease your mind
It's called Snake Oil y'all
It's been around for a long, long time - Snake Oil, Copperhead Road Steve Earle (1988)

Illinois Governor Pharaoh Bruce Rauner was handed an Executive set-back last Friday the 13th when his hand-picked Comptroller Leslie Munger, based on advice from Attorney General Lisa Madigan's Office, ruled Pharaoh Rauner's Imperial Order on Union Dues was not legal.

So, Pharaoh Rauner, in his goal to Impoverish Illinois, simply ignored the ruling of Comptroller Munger and ordered State Agencies to withhold "Fair Share" fees from Unions in escrow accounts. The escrow accounts, in and of themselves are also illegal under Illinois Law but, who cares we've got an Plutocrat here who wants to screw workers and Unions over!

Rauner is constrained by the 1947 Taft-Hartley act which allowed for the creation of Right-to-Work For Less Laws but, specifically enumerated only in States or Territories. Bruce Rauner will never get Right-to-Work For Less passed in the Illinois Legislature so he's trying to set up a Supreme Court fight going by allowing local municipalities break their local Unions themselves.

Rauner is a despicable thief and Vandal Capitalist, therefore he will never be dissuaded from his Quest to crush the power of workers and impoverish regular Illinois citizens.

What's clear is Bruce Rauner wants to impose Austerity on Illinois and make Illinois "favorable" for Business. The details of Rauner's New Budget are still shrouded in secrecy but will be revealed in his Budget Speech on 02/18/15. He gave a closed-door preview to House Speaker Mike Madigan today.

Madigan didn't pull any punches on the so-called "tough medicine" Rauner is peddling,

"I said 10 days ago, I don’t think you can cut your way out of the problem. I think you need some additional revenue, and that’ll be my position tomorrow."

Rauner isn't peddling "tough medicine" but the typical Republican Brew; Snake Oil. 

It's indisputable Rauner's New Illinois Budget will include; Higher Taxes on the Poor, Lower Taxes on the Rich, Taxes on Pensions, new taxes on services, food and medications and dramatic reductions to Social Services for those most in need.

So... Get Ready for Republican Governance, Illinois. Get Ready for Economic Zones in which Corporations pay less than 1/100th of 1% in Taxes while your taxes go up.  Get Ready for Austerity. Get Ready for Pharaoh Rauner's Right-Wing Snake Oil.

Governor Bruce Rauner says it's time to Break Illinois

In his State of the State Address, Bruce Rauner laid out his vision for Illinois Workers; Wage Slavery and Corporate Bondage.

"It is make or break time for the Land of Lincoln," Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.

As always Rauner was short on specifics, he nonetheless let the Public Employee and Private Sector workers in Illinois know that he'll not stand for them making so much money.

Rauner declared his intent to destroy Unions (both Public and Private) and Public Sector Bargaining and he'll do so by whatever means available. Bruce Rauner issued an Executive Order declaring "Fair Share" employees Union dues should be held in a Trust until he can get his "Employee Empowerment Zones" established.

Rauner's Employee Empowerment Zones are the newest attempt to undercut Unions by allowing local muncipalities to create Right-to-Work Zones without the State of Illinois passing the necessary legislation.

Right-to-Work laws are best known as Right-to-Work for Less. Once passed these laws transfer all bargaining power to Business, which immediately enact cuts to pay and benefits.

Rauner claims these Orwellian-titled Empowerment Zones are needed because of the broken economic situation in Illinois. Of course, it was Bruce Rauner and his Hedge Fund Wealth Manager buddies who broke Illinois Public employees pensions.

By Rauner's own estimate 2/3rds of the funds for his Hedge Fund Firm GTCR were supplied by Public Pensions. In Illinois, GTCR "mismanaged" money for the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) and the Illinois State Board of Investment, the state's largest and third-largest, respectively. Additionally, GTCR had access to state and municipal pension plans from the San Francisco City and County Employees' Retirement System to the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board.

For this "work" GTCR, takes 20% or more plus consultation and management fees. Rauner got his compensation no matter what the funds he "managed" did.

So, it's not surprising that Illinois and other Public Pensions began to go into insolvency once Rauner and other Vandal Capitalists got their hands on the funds. In fiscal year 2009, TRS lost $4.4 Billion (22% of its' value) in 2008 TRS lost 5% of it's value because of the Management of their Portfolios by Rauner-types.

Rauner made his fortune through "coin-clipping" he and his Vandal Capitalists clipped points off of Worker's Pensions to make their fortunes. Additionally, in keeping with his Transfer of Wealth Upwards, Rauner wants to lower taxes on the Rich and Corporations and expand sales taxes because those taxes hit the Working Class the hardest.

Rauner and his aides know exactly what Employee Empowerment Zones, his Reverse Robin Hood Tax Rates and Theft of Pensions will do to Illinois during interviews with the Chicago Tribune; how to improve the state's business climate as companies move out of state in search of a cheaper workforce.

So yes, Rauner wants to bring jobs here, the kind of jobs where you work 40 hours a week for wages which barely get you over the poverty line, with no prospects of being able to retire and no pension, working until the day you die.

Finanical Criminals only get punished when they Steal from the Rich

"There is only one crime among Vampires; Kill your Own Kind." - Stephen Rea, Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Eric Bloom, the former head of the Northbrook, Illinois based Hedge Fund Sentinel Management Group, was sentenced last week for convictions on18 counts of wire fraud and 1 count of investment adviser fraud.

During the 2007 Republican Recession, Bloom's thievery cause Sentinel to implode and go bankrupt in a Billion Dollar vanishing of investors assets. But, as far back as 2003 Bloom began secretly using his clients funds to make high-risk investments and as collateral for multi-million dollars loans for his, his fathers' and his associates benefit.

Bloom was sentenced to 14 years for defrauding his clients of at least $665 Million. Bloom has been free on bond since the trial began last year has until April 30th to turn himself in. Bloom begged for leniency and declared, "I am not a thief". He reportedly also wrote a letter expressing his fear about his prison sentence and its' effect on his wife and daughter.

Awwww...

Charles Mosley, the head trader for Sentinel and a long-time friend of Bloom, plead guilty in October 2013 to Investor Fraud but, wasn't sentenced till last month. Mosely got 8 years.

It sure pays to be a rich white criminal.

For some reason neither Bloom nor Mosley received a death sentence, of course they didn't steal a $50 pack of Swisher Sweets. But, as with Bernie Madoff we see criminals like Eric Bloom only get jail time when they swindle Rich People.

Thieves like Bruce Rauner and Mitt Romney, who steal from poor people and "make" their fortunes robbing Working Class Pensions, get elected Governor.

Mark Kirk and Bruce Rauner are against Medicaid Expansion because Poor People deserve to Die not get Better

While the Republicans in the US House continue to remain demonstrably evil, on April Fools Day Paul Ryan released the latest Republican Path to Poverty, I've nonetheless, retained hope that at other levels Republicans would at least not actively embrace evil. Unfortunately, I continue to be disappointed.

With the enrollment end for the Affordable Care Act Illinois Senator Mark Kirk and Republican Nominee for Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner took to their plush armchairs to decry medicaid. Because as Rich Privileged White Men they understand that Healthcare Coverage is not to be wasted on Poor People.

Of course, I expect such viewpoints from the likes of Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor and Darrel Issa. They are in office to ensure that Poor People are ground down and crushed under the heel of Corporate Hegemony.

But, Mark Kirk?

Senator Mark Kirk, suffered a catastrophic stroke, which left him paralyzed and unable to walk for over a year and whose entire medical care, millions of dollars worth including intensive physical therapy, was covered by the American Taxpayer.

Then Congressman Kirk ran on this slogan in 2010, "I’m Mark Kirk and I can’t wait to vote against the health care bill next week." Senator Kirk wouldn't be alive, let alone in Office, if it wasn't for taxpayer supported Government run Healthcare Coverage.

Bruce Rauner is a Billionaire, so of course he doesn't have to worry about medical care. Of course, part of Rauner's immense wealth was stolen from sick and elderly Americans, who were subjected to Nursing Home Abuse at Rauner's negligent behest. Rauner's Wealth Management firms routinely purchased Nursing Homes, then slashed their budgets, reduced staff, loaded them with debt and underfunded the Homes in order to extract maximum wealth with a minimum outlay of expense. The Elderly residents who suffered and died as a result? Well, they were just collateral damage of Rauner's Vulture Capitalism.

Vulture Rauner is among the 300 Richest people in the United States. He claims, anecdotally of course, Medicaid is replete with fraudulent sign ups and questioned the timing of expanding eligibility at a time of financial instability in state government.

For a Vulture like Rauner government, when it is helping the Poor and Downtrodden is always in a time financial instability.

The Republican Healthcare Alternative remains; Don't Get Sick but, If You Do Die Quickly and If You Were Wealthy, You'd Be Healthy. But If You're Poor, There's the Door.

Bruce Rauner like all Plutocrats is a Vandal. Illlinois Public Pension insolvency is his and other Capitalists fault

Bruce Rauner is running for Governor of Illinois. He'll have to win the Republican Primary for a chance to square off against Governor Quinn in the general election. Rauner's sole remaining competition for the Republican Primary is Kirk Dillard after Rauner's Squad eliminated Dan Rutherford's chances with allegations of Sexual Harassment and a homosexual relationship with an intern.

Billionaire Bruce Rauner is an implacable foe of Working people in Illinois. Besides vowing to reduce Illinois' Minimum Wage to make Illinois workers more appealing to Corporate Wage Slavers, once he wins, a Governor Bruce Rauner will do to the State and citizens of Illinois what he and other Capitalists have done to Illinois Public Pensions, they will cart off all the assets in a legislative orgy of Vandalism.

Because that is what Bruce Rauner is; A Vandal, in the most ancient sense of the term. Rauner's entire fortune has been made from identifying previously existing wealth charging in and looting it.

Bruce Rauner worked for 30 years at "Wealth Management" Firm GTCR, the R for Rauner was added during his tenure. Rauner's firm "managed" Public Pensions for nearly two decades. Now, after Rauner and other Vandal Capitalists have had access to Pensions, surprise Illinois is facing a massive Pension Crisis.

By Rauner's own estimate 2/3rds of GTCR funds were supplied by Public Pensions. Here in Illinois

GTCR has "managed" money for the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) and the Illinois State Board of Investment, the state's largest and third-largest, respectively. Additionally, GTCR had access to state and municipal pension plans from the San Francisco City and County Employees' Retirement System to the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board. 

For this "work" GTCR, takes a 20% or more slice plus consultation and management fees. Rauner got paid no matter what the funds he "managed" did.

So, it's not surprising that Illinois and other Public Pensions began to go into insolvency once Vandal Capitalists got their hands on the funds. In fiscal year 2009, TRS lost $4.4 Billion (22% of its' value) in 2008 TRS lost 5% of it's value because of the Management of their Portfolios by Rauner-types.

The Wall Street-Hedge Fund-Wealth Management Implosion of 2007 and on-going Republican Recession was the end result of unchaining Capitalism and opening up the gates to the Vandal Capitalists like Rauner. The Vandals took the secure Public backed funds from dozens of states, hundreds of municipalities and Unions and stole them.

Bruce Rauner's not alone in the Vandal Capitalist method. It's the method de rigueur of the 1%.

"The problem is that the world and this country should not talk about envy of the 1 percent. It should talk about emulating the 1 percent. The 1 percent work harder. The 1 percent are much bigger factors in all forms of our society." Sam Zell, in defense of Tom Perkins who compared the Working Class to Nazis.

The 1% do work hard. It takes a lot of gall for the Vandals to raid, loot and plunder and call themselves Job Creators.

Chris Hayes summed up Zell's "business" model,

Let me tell you something about Sam Zell. He bought The Tribune Company in 2008 for $8.2 billion, an extremely highly leveraged deal. It was widely regarded. I reported on it at the time as an unsustainable debt structure that would implode in on itself.  

Well, guess what? Less than a year, the company went bankrupt, listing $7.6 billion in assets and $13 billion in debt. More than 4,200 people lost their jobs. But despite the company`s troubles, executives received tens of millions of dollars in bonuses. 

Sam Zell is like the action movie hero who throws the lighter behind him not bothering to look back at the explosion. That`s Sam Zell.

Zell bought the Tribune Company and loaded them up with debt ($13 billion) as he drained the companies assets then had them claim bankruptcy and sold off the Chicago Cubs to the semi-odious Billionaire Rickets Family.

Loading debt onto companies in highly leveraged deals is a classic technique Zell and Mitt Romney have profited from immensely. This is the Hard Work that Zell, Rauner, Romney, Steven Cohen, Paul E. Singer, Stephen Schwarzman, Clifford S. Asness, the Koch Brothers, and Tom Perkins demand to be lauded for, deferred to and praised.

The Vandals have already sacked the Public Pensions. With the help of Republican Governors, like Koch Brothers controlled Scott Walker in Wisconsin, several states have fallen to the rapacious hunger of the Vandal Capitalists.

If Bruce Rauner makes his way into Springfield as the Governor of Illinois, another gate will be thrown open to his Looting brethren and Illinois will be Sacked, just as the Vandals have done to other States.

Bruce Rauner's crimes make him a Quintessential Republican, as the Illinois Governor's Race heats up

Republicans Dan Rutherford and Kirk Dillard have alleged that the latest revelations about GTCR Nursing Home negligence make the Billionaire Bruce Rauner unfit to be the Republican Candidate for Governor in Illinois.

Quite the contrary, Bruce Rauner's willingness to kick old people to the curb and swipe their savings are in direct accordance with established Republican Orthodoxy.

Conservatives and Republicans love criminals; especially as their Governors. Chris Christie, Bob McDonnell are just the latest caught abusing their office for personal gain or vendetta.

Now, Bruce Rauner is a special case. Here in Illinois, the Plutocracy sees a chance to install one of their henchmen in the Governor's Mansion in Springfield.

His career reads much like Mitt Romney's in that he used accounting gimmicks and vulture capitalism to make money. Rauner's firm has been managing the largest Illinois Public Pensions since the 1990's consequently we now have unfunded pension crisis as Rauner has been steadily swindling the Pensions.

When the Nursing Home Industry came within sights of Vulture Capitalists in the late 1990's and early 00's, Bruce Rauner's GTCR firm saw another spigot of taxpayer funds they could pilfer. Which, just like with public pensions, is exactly what Bruce Rauner and his Wealth Management Fund did. They stole millions of Medicaid Dollars marked for Nursing Home Care and provided worse services.

From 1999 to 2003, GTCR and THI began acquiring nursing homes with funding from GECC, Ventas and other lenders. THI became one of the nation’s largest health care operators with more than 220 facilities and more than a billion in revenue at that time. 

When Medicare money for residents’ rent flowed into the THI account, GECC and Ventas took their share before monies were available to cover payroll, supplies, utilities, etc. for the hundreds of nursing homes, according to evidence presented at trial. Insider operators and former employees began suing GTCR/THI over poor management, as did nursing home residents and their families because of what was described as abysmal care.

Rauner's firm then engaged in active negligence, in order to run their 200+ facilities into insolvency because who cares what happens to the senile old people families can't afford to look after because they were working two jobs each to try and stay afloat during the Ultra-Reactionary Piss Down Your Back Reaganomics era?

Republicans are not in Government to help people, unless you mean Romney People (i.e. Corporations) they are in Government to ensure that wealth is transferred upwards and regular Americans are shackled into Corporate Bondage.

There's nothing fresh, innovative or helpful for Illinois residents coming from Republicans. Illinois has seen their Republicans on the federal level defend taxpayer welfare going to Oil Companies while they also vote to eliminate the Clean Air and Water Act, so those self-same Companies can then dump petcoke or other toxic byproducts into Lake Michigan or where ever they please.

Now, after these latest despicable revelations about the thieving Bruce Rauner came back to the forefront of the Illinois Governor's Race, Dan Rutherford has suddenly found himself in trouble from allegations made by a former attorney who worked for Bruce Rauner.

Rutherford announced — during a hastily called news conference — that a treasurer's office employee who has made "allegations of misconduct" against him was being represented by an attorney who had been on Rauner's payroll. Rutherford said the attorney demanded $300,000 on the employee's behalf to "walk away and keep it under wraps."

Dan Rutherford has also said the issue involves "allegations of personal misconduct" which was looked into by an internal Illinois Treasury Department investigation. The general counsel for the treasurer's office Neil Olson, said outside counsel and a consultant firm had been retained for an independent probe because the treasurer is the accused.

I haven't and won't speculate about what the allegations against Dan Rutherford are because going through people's underwear drawers looking for smut and sniffing crotches is a Republican tradition.

As for Kirk Dillard, I've had personal contact with the man during a fundraising dinner for a State Representative Sandy Pihos. I suppose I could set the scene but the gist is when a person with juice,a DuPage County Judge, walked nearby Dillard pivoted his big belly away and turned a cold shoulder towards myself and someone else who had been asking him difficult questions regarding the Pension crisis.

No matter what Republican wins the nomination for Governor in Illinois we are going to be faced with the prospect of a rapacious servant of the Rich who will be an implacable foe to the Working Man and will use the Awesome Power of Government to transfer as much wealth as possible into the coffers of the Vulture Capitalist Class.

Governor Quinn just angered the Koch Brothers because of their Petcoke dumping

Governor Pat Quinn has stepped up and issued an emergency orders for the management of petroleum coke (petcoke), a toxic, choking, foul, hazardous byproduct of oil refining which Petroleum Pigs like the Koch Brothers have been dumping upon the residents of Detroit and Chicago in massive open air piles.

Progress Illinois reports,

"We want to make sure that every neighborhood in the state of Illinois is protected from the hazard of petroleum coke," Governor Quinn said at a press conference Monday afternoon. 

Quinn delivered the announcement from the outskirts of KCBX Terminals’ 90-acre property, at 3259 E. 100th St., on the Southeast Side of Chicago. The company, controlled by the conservative billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, temporarily stores petcoke along the Calumet River for a nearby BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana. 

The rules will be submitted to the Illinois Secretary of State before the end of the week, Quinn said. The rules are expected to take effect before the end of the month, after a review by the Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB), which has the option to host a 14-day public comment period on the issue. 

Back in October, BP Whiting was producing 6000 tons of Petcoke a day. Detroit’s Marathon refinery wasn’t producing petcoke before its expansion, but produced 1,720 tons per day throughout 2013, while the Phillips 66 refinery in Wood River, Illinois, increased its petcoke output from 1,300 to 5,700 tons per day.

In December, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan successfully won a lawsuit against Hammond, Indiana-based Beemsterboer Slag Corp., which operates a facility along the Calumet River. Beemsterboer Slag was accepting out-of-state petcoke residue and illegally storing it in and around the Calumet River.

Plutocratic Candidate Bruce Rauner has probably already called the Koch Brothers to tell them that when he is elected he'll undo Quinn's Emergency Orders and defund the Illinois EPA and allow the Petroleum Pigs the power to dump hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic Petcoke wherever they wish in Illinois. After all it's not being dumped inside the palatial estates of Bruce Rauner or the Koch Brothers.

Rauner's best buddy Mayor 1% (Rahm Emmanuel) quietly stopped Chicago Alderman attempts at outright banning the accumulation of petcoke inside Chicago.

You know who isn't mentioned in the Progress Illinois Report? Republicans. No comments about this from State Senator Jim Oberweis or Congressman Peter Roskam or US Senator Mark Kirk. And why is that? Because Republicans don't care where Corporations dump their pollution and toxic waste because it isn't being dumped in their backyards.

For far too long Republicans have been allowed to get away with the blanket assertion that 'Regulations are bad' and when a West, Texas Fertilizer Plant explodes because of Rick Perry's hatred for the EPA or Freedom Industries poisons the entire drinking supply of 300,000 people in West Virginia well who could have predicted that?!?

Governor Candidate Bruce Rauner has a message for Illinois, I Plan to Crush Workers and give Taxpayer welfare to Corporations

Bruce Rauner has reported incomes of $27 million in 2010, $28 million in 2011 and $53 million in 2012 has concluded that the minimum wage in Illinois is too high.

"Capitalism is the greatest poverty-fighting machine in the history of mankind, and I’m proud of the role I’ve played in it," Bruce Rauner.  

Rauner "worked" for 30 years at GTCR which has "managed money" for decades for the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) and the Illinois State Board of Investment, the largest and third-largest state pension funds, respectively, in Illinois.

Of course, like all modern "wealth managment" millionaires, Rauner made his money by accounting gimmicks and legerdemain. He's charged extorbinant consultation fees and clipped money from Pensioners, while mismanaging public pension funds.

Just like Mitt Romney and other so-called Capitalists, Rauner made his money the old-fashioned way... He Stole It. Now that he's skimmed off millions he's quick to lambast Illinois' underfunded pension liability.

"When those excess benefits are being paid out to government employees, taxpayers lose." Bruce Rauner

Yeah, lazy Teachers! Working for 30 years and then expecting a pension, whereas Rauner's Role as a Rentier, extracting $100 million from the Pensions over the last 3 years alone, is beautiful capitalism at work of which he's "proud".

GTCR has raised the largest percentage portion of its money from public pension funds. Pensions supplied half to two-thirds of the firms funds according to Rauner's own estimate. His former partners decline to comment, citing a state prohibition on asset managers who receive public money from trying to influence elections.

A month ago, Bruce Rauner pledged at a Downstate candidates’ forum that if elected governor he would reduce the state’s minimum wage by $1 to make it equal to the federal rate in an effort to make Illinois more economically competitive.

"I made a mistake. I was flippant and I was quick. I should have said, 'Tie the Illinois minimum wage to the national wage and, in that context, with other changes in being pro-business, I support raising the national minimum wage.' I’m OK with that," said the Republican from Winnetka.

Key words to remember are to make Illinois "Pro-Business", that means crushing labor. Modern day Capitalists view labor as an unnecessary expense. One of the long sought after goals of the 1%, in pursuit of a Wage Slave State, has been the total defeat of Labor. 

Here in Illinois we've seen many times business try and strong-arm the Governor and Legislature (Sears Inc., CME Group and Office Max) in Pay-to-Play and the Race-to-the-Bottom schemes.

In fact, Illinois Residents overwhelmingly want Fair Tax Legislation passed in which Corporations and Millionaires, like Rauner, pay their fair share of taxes instead of receiving Illinois taxpayer welfare so we can be privileged by their scores of minimum wage jobs. A Better Illinois points out that over 75% of Illinois residents want a Fair Progressive Tax.

Billionaires and Corporate Thieves are so opposed to shouldering their burden of the Taxes that spearheaded by the Koch Brothers, conservative think tanks are planning a non stop propaganda blitz to poison this effort.

Bruce Rauner has unequivocally stated he intends to use the Awesome Power of Government to crush labor, reduce wages, impoverish workers, eliminate Unions, and place further unfair burdens on the over-taxed working class and shrinking middle class. Like all Republicans, a Rauner Governorship would be an implacable foe of the Working Class and would he align himself with the Koch Brothers.