American Accents

It's a common misconception that since I'm from Illinois I must be from Chicago, or close enough.  Actually I'm about 400 miles south of Chicago.  I'm closer to Memphis, Nashville and Little Rock than to Chicago.  Illinois is this weird state sitting smack dab in the middle of the country, stretching from as far north as Lake Michigan all the way down to Kentucky and the Mississippi Delta.  Its southern section is farther south than 90% of Kentucky.  In the the town I grew up in we had to drive northeast to get to Kentucky.  It's just one of those odd geographic anomalies many people never realize.

People from Southern Illinois never really consider themselves from Illinois.  We always make a distinction so as not to be part of the north.  It's a fun exclusion kind of thing, in a competitive way of course.  About the only times we'll say we're from Illinois and not Southern Illinois is when we're talking about Lincoln or Michael Jordan.  Honestly, that's really about it.  The rest of the time we want nothing to do with the state.

Why I'm mentioning this is because I came across an interesting project that maps American dialects.  It's the first time I've seen something that actually shows just how culturally diverse the nation is.  The map also gives Illinois the distinction of having 4 national dialects, Inland North, Midland, Inland South and Lowland South.  I live right on the line of what appears to be Inland and Lowland South dialects.  Notice, too, the line runs east to west, dividing Southern Illinois even further.  That means both southern dialects are found in one small section of a very much northern state.

Storms

We are poised for some bad storms today where I live. If there's a stoppage in posts that's probably why. The front that devastated parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas last night are heading this way.

Southern Illinois Flooding

Image via Wikipedia

Many readers might not know where I live in Southern Illinois is experiencing the worst flooding since 1937. Countless roads and towns are almost entirely under water. Harrisburg has even closed its flood gate, which has never happened before that I know of.  Being that the southern region is part of the Mississippi Delta-- which I'm sure most people don't realize just how far south Illinois stretches-- flooding is always an issue.  Like Tennessee's epic floods last year, deep south Illinois is just barely making the news.

Today, however, CNN did mention the Army Corp decided to blow the levee at Cairo.  This is to help alleviate the flooding which will soon amass the town but will result in flooding hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in Missouri.

What we have, and this gets overlooked so much, are the two largest rivers in North America coming together right at the southern tip of Illinois, in Cairo.  When both the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers flood, that spells doom for Egypt (nee: Southern Illinois).  Though right now the rain has stopped the next few days will be critical for the region.  Luckily my home is on a hill and my town is 30 miles northeast of Cairo.  The numerous contributories, creeks and other small rivers, are backed up because of The Ohio and are flooding throughout, however.  There's just no place for the water to go.  Not to give a boring geography lesson, but things here are edgy.

Here are some pics:

confluence of Mississippi and Ohio taken before 10 extra inches of rain fell

All pictures are courtesy of the Chicago Tribune

And Then the Rains Came

I had such great plans for the blog yesterday but once again power was knocked out by the storms. I think God has a vendetta against The Fold Blog.

The Great Wisconsin Escape Doesn't Add Up

Where I'm from in Illinois we tell Kentucky jokes. My favorite being why did they build the bridge at Shawneetown?  So Kentuckians can swim over in the shade, the punchline goes. When we see slow moving cars on the roads we immediately assume they somehow escaped from Kentucky and are now lost in Southern Illinois. That's just how things are in deep south Illinois.  I assume in the northern part of the state the casual joke telling falls on Wisconsin, at least it appears that way judging by the latest media war between the Dairy State and the Land of Lincoln.

The latest swarm of competition stems from the Illinois General Assembly voting to increase tax rates.  The Assembly approved and Governor Quinn signed legislation that raises the personal income tax from 3% to 5%.  That's a two-cent on the dollar raise. The legislation also raised the corporate income tax rate from 4.8% to 7%.

The media is portraying the increases as a 66% increase in personal income taxes and a 46% increase in corporate taxes.  Be that as it may, the new Republican governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, saw this as a way to attract Illinois citizens and Illinois business to his neighboring state.  Gov. Walker released a massive media blitz onto the Chicago media market yesterday inviting people and businesses to "Escape to Wisconsin," where he claims taxes are lower.

One tiny mistake with all that.  Wisconsin has higher taxes, even after Illinois' massive increases voted in this week.

Refugees fleeing to the cheese factories of Wisconsin will be rudely slapped with a personal income tax of 6.15%, a full 1.15 points higher (or 23% higher to use media math) than Illinois'.  Those making over $20k, which I hope is a vast majority of them, will see a personal tax rate between 6.5- 7.75%!  If we use the media's formula again to calculate the increase that's-- in the very least-- a personal tax rate 30% higher than Illinois.

Even the corporate tax will still be lower in Illinois, 7% versus 7.9% in Wisconsin.

In no uncertain terms would anyone move to Wisconsin for lower taxes.  It's not possible.  Only in a make-believe fantasy world is 6.5 a lower tax rate than 5.

What the Republican governor of Wisconsin is wanting to do is use the media's 66% increase label to scare people into thinking their taxes are going to be 66 times higher than what they are now.  If we apply that same misleading math to the Wisconsin escape, Illinois citizens that move up there will see a personal income tax increase of over 100%.  Why can't the media report that?  And why can't normal, everyday people ask a couple simple questions instead of depending on flashy and inaccurate headlines?

Southern Illinoisan Wants to End Popular Vote in Illinois

Image via Wikipedia

Stuff like this is blatantly retarded. I'm not even going to reprint the words on this page because they are so fanatically out of the mainstream and written with such a partisan tone that I don't want to waste the time and effort.

Essentially, this delusional newspaper, which just so happens to be the major newspaper in Southern Illinois, wants to do away with the popular vote in Illinois and institute some sort of electoral college. The rag paper is proposing this to purportedly curb the City of Chicago's influence in Illinois politics.

There's a reason why people in the rest of the state think those of us down in Southern Illinois are not very smart.  This editorial only adds to that stereotype.

Now, just so we all know, there's also a reason why this paper is called by locals the Southern Illusion.  This is a whole new level of stupid, however.

The only reason why The Southern's editorial board is proposing such a radical change to election laws is because the guy they voted for lost.  That's it.  If Bill Brady had won, the guy Gary Metro has been gushing about for months, then they would have been fine with the outcome and not proposed changing laws.  But since they lost and the evil Democrats are still in charge we must "break" them by legislating away the popular vote.

I wonder if the geniuses at The Southern realized that if we used an electoral system based on population, then Chicago would still have more votes.  And since Cook County is 40% of the entire vote it would still dominate elections and politics. Nearly half of the entire population of Illinois lives in one county.  The only way to break that up is to use a weighted system that grants smaller populations greater electoral votes, or to start counting livestock as three-fifths a person.

In all honesty, if Gary Metro wanted Bill Brady to win the best thing he could have done was not endorse him.

Shimkus Magically Cares About Deficit

When it comes to great concern for fiscal discipline Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) doesn't come to mind. For 8 years he voted in tandem with George Bush. During this time there was not an ounce of concern about the deficit from Shimkus. He was so unconcerned, in fact, that he voted in favor of the largest contributor to our deficit and debt, the Bush tax cuts.  But he didn't stop there.  Shimkus also voted in favor of the Bush's multi-hundred billion dollar expansion of Medicare that was completely unfunded.  And Shimkus, being the good soldier that he is, also fully supported the second largest contributor to our national debt and budget deficit, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Like all Republicans, deficits were never his concern when his party was in power.  But now, magically, John Shimkus wants everyone to believe that he has some great concern for deficits and debt.

Southern Illinois' two U.S. representatives split their vote on the House bill, with U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, voting in favor and U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, opposed.

Shimkus had supported past bills to extend unemployment benefits. But he said that with the federal deficit continuing to climb - it is at more than $13 trillion - he could not support a bill that would add to that debt.

"We simply must make the very tough decisions of what we, at the federal government, fund," Shimkus said. "This particular unemployment extension was not paid for by reducing other spending, and I could not support it. I do not believe that our economy - and thus, job creation - is helped by increasing our annual deficit and total debt."

Oh I see.  So when he voted for the Bush tax cuts he wasn't worried about adding to the debt.  Or when he voted for a completely unfunded $500 billion expansion of Medicare, he wasn't worried about "reducing other spending" or "increasing our annual deficit and total debt."  But now that George Bush is gone, John Shimkus, magically, has a deep concern for fiscal responsibility.

*Update:

I think it's worth mentioning in this post that unemployment benefits have very little effect on long term debt.  It's also worth mentioning that unemployment benefits are not designed to just allow people to sit around and not find work.  Just the opposite actually.  By receiving benefits, the unemployed are also receiving services to help place them in new work.  I don't know if you have ever tried to look for a job but it costs money to find employment.  That's why such expenses can be written off on your taxes.  By cutting this off Congress is effectively cutting off a key element to finding new employment.  Not to mention helping families survive while out of work.

As evidenced by Shimkus' voting record, he isn't the slightest bit concerned with the deficit or debt.  He's more concerned with doing away with social programs than anything else.  Social programs that don't benefit him to be more precise.

Politico and Ben Smith Get This Wrong, Way Wrong

There's a famous saying that all politics is local. But when it comes to Republicans and their mentally incapacitated ability to portray everything as good news for them, sayings are the first thing thrown out the window.

Politico's political editor via Ben Smith's blog:

While Kirk’s margins were much weaker Downstate—not that surprising since he’s a North Shore congressman—he got pummeled in most of the main coal-producing counties. He lost five of the state’s 11 leading coal counties to Don Lowery, a southern Illinois-based candidate who raised only $20,000 and got almost no traction in the rest of the state. In those 11 counties, Kirk ran an average of 20 points below his statewide performance and he averaged 34 percent to 31 percent for Lowery. Lowery killed him in the top coal county in the state—Saline County—63 percent to 16 percent. Yeah, Lowery once worked in Saline County and announced his candidacy in another nearby coal county where he also trounced Kirk. But the bottom line here is that Kirk’s cap and trade vote mattered. Lowery had a section dedicated to the issue and to Kirk’s position on his website. Not good news for Coal Belt Dems such as Reps. Space, Boucher, Rahall, Mollohan, et al.

It's hard to find a sentence in there that makes any sense at all.

Despite what Republicans may be telling themselves concerning cap and trade, and despite whatever it is Rush Limbaugh and Fox News keeps feeding them, Judge Lowery won most of Southern Illinois and "coal country" simply because HE'S A LOCAL CANDIDATE!

It really is that simple. We in Southern Illinois have real problems voting in elections where every candidate is from Chicago. When we finally get a candidate from this region, we vote for them. Party affiliation has almost nothing to do with it and certainly federal legislation has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Judge Lowery is a good guy. He's well respected in this area and there is no doubt Democrats crossed over to vote for him. And all of it has to do with the belief that one of us would be the best choice to represent all of us. Lowery has a southern drawl and that's all that matters.

Tea Bagger Revolution in IL-12

This one almost isn't fair because both candidates running in the GOP primary to face Rep. Jerry Costello (D) in the IL-12 congressional district were proud tea baggers. Both Teri Newman and Theresa Kormos identified their candidacy as being inspired by tea bagger protests and the need to spread conspiracy theories. Needless to say it really didn't matter which one of them came out on top (no pun intended), tea baggers would have had a candidate in the general election either way.

Now here's the official tea bagging revolutionary freedom fighting part. Newman, who doesn't even live in the district, won the Republican nod. Newman is such a freedom loving patriot she decided to run anyway. And run she did. She says she has no plans to move into the district. Good for her.

Most notably Newman is a known"cougar." She once entered a contest to write a column for a newspaper advising older women about dating younger men. Puuurrrrrrr...

Some of her platform consists of lining people up and shooting them. No joke.

She is also a vocal opponent of what she calls "socialized medicine." She writes on her website that she opposes any form of government controlled health care. Interesting to point out that she also wrote on her website that our veterans are the least appreciated group in America and we shouldn't wait until they die before we honor them. Very true but I wonder if she understands our veteran's have government-run health care. It's a system that truly honors those who served and a system veterans overwhelmingly support. It's also interesting to note that if Newman did win she too would have the undeniable congressional perk of partaking in a very socialized health care system. One that is totally tax payer funded and very similar to the same "public option" system she claims to oppose.

This is just very simple, very contradictory stuff to point out. There's really no thought that needs to go into figuring out veterans have government-run health care and congress, the place she wants to work, has a single payer system. What makes tea baggers, even cougars who know it's better to tea bag with a younger man (seriously who wants an old nut sack?), actual tea baggers is they don't actually oppose big government, socialism, deficits or fiscal irresponsibility. They just say they do. If you question their reasoning with just simple stuff, their only reply is that you are anti-American or a liberal, it's all the same to them.

This should be one of the most comical races in a long time. I'm looking forward to it.

Illinois Primary

Casted my big blue ballot this morning in the Illinois primary. No lines, few people and we here in this state are pretty much screwed. Wrote my name in a couple different times because after 6 years of Blago it's really hard to think Democrats can figure this out at the state level. Just for the record, I voted for Blago in 2002 but not 2006. I was smart enough to realize by '06 that he was a total crook. How in the world someone could make George Ryan look good is beyond me. But he accomplished that.

I'm assuming, and I haven't looked at a single poll or paid much attention, mainly because where I live is closer to Memphis than it is to Springfield, and closer to Jackson, Mississippi than it is to Chicago. In other words, we really don't feel like part of the state. Elections in Kentucky have more impact on us than our own state. Anyway, I'm assuming Quinn takes the governor's primary and Giannoulias wins the U.S. senate nomination. For Republicans, I really have no clue. My guess is Kirk Dillard wins the governor's nod and Mark Kirk the senate. Mark Kirk is rumored to be gay so it should be a fun general election here in Illinois.

I really have no dog in this fight, yet.

Shimkus Response Disgraceful

The last time President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress, Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) stood up and walked out. This disrespectful action by Shimkus was overshadowed by Joe Wilson's rude shout down of "you lie!" to the president as he was discussing federal money and illegal immigrants. Wilson stole the show that night but no doubt Shimkus would have been the main attraction had Wilson kept his mouth shut.

Last night both Shimkus and Wilson kept to themselves and appeared to be on their best behavior. Shimkus, at least, waited until after it was over before he yet again made a fool of himself.

Shimkus is a West Point graduate. He has served his country faithfully for nearly his entire adult life. Everything he has ever done or ever striven to do has been to help make this country a better place. That's why his recent behavior is so mind numbing, especially this statement.

The best thing we can do for our nation is to get everyone back to work. It is our businesses that employ our citizens, and we need to stop scaring them with proposals to nationalize healthcare, take over the energy infrastructure, raise taxes, and expand burdensome government regulations.

It's something very telling of modern politics that someone who has devoted his entire life to this country like Shimkus has could stoop so low as to actually believe his own words. To actually believe that his country, his boss, his Commander in Chief, is actually an enemy. All because of health care, it's so ridiculous and beyond time someone spoke up.

Let's make this clear. Neither the senate or house bills actually nationalized any industry much less health care. In order for there to be "nationalization" or "socialization" of health care, the federal government would have to own the means of production of the health care industry. Let's use an example Shimkus should be very familiar with.

Nationalization would mean the federal government owns the hospitals and pays all the people that work in them. Such as is the case with the VA. All the doctors, nurses, clerks, janitors, everyone employed by the VA is a federal employee. The federal government controls what goes in and comes out of every VA in the country. Supplies are purchased through the GSA and/or a government bidding process. Even the people cleaning the toilets are federal employees and receive federal benefits. It is the complete beginning and end of what a government-run health care system would look like. Now here's the kicker. Nobody, absolutely nobody, is talking about doing that to private sector health care.

The senate bill does not turn hospital ownership over to the feds. The house bill, even with a public option health insurance, does not make any doctor, nurse or janitor a federal employee. What either of the two bills would do is give people greater access to health care. Health care in the private sector. Only in the public option version would the insurance (the application of health care) be run by the government. The administration of the care, the hospital, the doctors, the nurses, the very bed you lie in would all be private sector owned and operated. There is no nationalization of health care. The federal government would own none of it. In no way shape or form does any of this have to do with nationalization. And Shimkus knows it.

The whole debate is confusing enough without the lies and right wing conspiracy theories that has hijacked this debate. Rep. Shimkus knows the difference between nationalization and reform. Instead he has chosen to forsake his life's work, his calling for which he has so purposefully fulfilled like few ever have for crackpot talking points dreamed up by drug addicted right wing psychopaths that get paid millions to breathe hot air over the radio and smile on tv.

You were a good man John. Is it really worth all this just because your political party isn't in power anymore?

SOTU Reaction

As I said yesterday, I did not watch the SOTU. What's the point? I've seen Obama give enough speeches to last me a lifetime. Heck I've been with him driving around Southern Illinois as he gave speech after speech all on the same topic. It gets rather boring. And frankly, I'm tired of the rhetoric. It seems all he wants to do is give a speech and then everyone should jump. It's a great way to campaign but not for governance.

I did read the text this morning and thought it wasn't much out of the ordinary of the last 1,000 he's given. I noticed he said very little about DADT and as I saw on GMA this morning he did get a jibe in about the Supreme Court. Yes pee off the Supremes because that's about the only group whose leash he hasn't jerked. Sounds like a great plan to me.

I'll try to get some reactions up this afternoon but as for my analysis it pretty much ends by saying blah, blah, blah.