CHRISTMAS NOTES

The radio airwaves in December were filled with Christmas music. At the risk of being accused of a degree of bias, WOAM, in my opinion, played the most and best music of the season 24/7 with commercials coming in second. Not so with other “Christmas music stations.” Bah humbug, as Stan Freeburg would say.

Interestingly, one TV channel played “The Christmas Story” over and over and over. It sure brought to mind wonderful Christmas memories as the era depicted was when I was a young boy. It was a great movie. By the way, what happened to the large leg lamp that used to be prominently displayed in the front yard of the house facing I-74 in East Peoria? I missed it this year.

One of the most emotional Christmas stories I’ve even read was written by author Norm Kelly. It was about a Christmas he experienced with his family. At Norm’s request, I read it live on “Breakfast with Royce and Roger” with Mannheim Steamroller’s arrangement of “Silent Night” as background music. A number of listeners said Norm’s account brought tears to their eyes. He’s a damn good writer, but this story was even too personal for him to narrate. I found it difficult to read as well.

One of the most enjoyable traditions of Christmas is the exchange of cards. All of the cards, especially those with notes, are warm and wonderful to read several times over a cup of hot chocolate. My favorite was the one Nancy and I received from Jonathan Winters. On the cover was a picture of Jonathan in a Santa suit with Betty Furness. It was a photo taken for a Christmas commercial for Westinghouse. Remember the company slogan? “You can be sure if it’s Westinghouse.” The inside of the Winter’s card was a more recent photo of Jonathan in a Santa suit without the customary beard. He also drew a unique tree and penned a personal note. A collector’s item for sure.

POLITICAL NEWS

What’s going on in the local Republican Party? Rumors are flying. There are all kinds of races for Republican precinct seats. In Medina 1, Linda Lehman is running against Karen Taylor and in Medina 5, W.G. Lippert will face Brady Miller in the Republican primary. In other GOP primaries Blair Gambill opposes Beverlee Hayes in precinct 48 and in the 75th, its Matt Gill opposing Michelle Quinn.

In other GOP contests, William Lopotko and Tiffany Tebben want to represent the party in the 74th while Glendon Morton and John Spangler do battle in the 86th. More surprises on the ballot include the withdrawal by long-time GOP operative Mary Alice Erickson in the 77th precinct in favor of Donald Hoerr II and over in the 89th precinct Karen Oberlander has filed petitions opposing Aaron Shock as precinct committeeperson. Wow! Wouldn’t that be something if Shock lost? It would make national news!!!! Not going to happen. In another surprise, Jody Pitcher wants to unseat Eric Turner as the precinct leader in the 72nd.

So what’s going on? In my political days, getting people to be precinct committeeman was like pulling teeth. No one wanted to go door-to-door pimping for candidates. I mean, going door-to-door distributing campaign literature. No one. It was a thankless job. I know I did it for many candidates from my Dad to Ray LaHood.

While I volunteered for Ray, my Dad volunteered me for his campaigns when I was a teenager. But, I digress. Here are two rumors floating around the political grapevine. One is Aaron Shock wants to have stronger control of the Republican Party in Peoria County. The other is many Republicans want Rudy Lewis out as chairman of the Peoria County Central Committee.

To achieve those ends, one has to have the majority of precinct committee votes. I have no idea why there are so many contests for precinct leadership. Lewis, by the way, is running against Democrat Tom O’Neill for Peoria County Board District 17.

On the other side of the political aisle, Allen Mayer, who’s run for more offices than anyone in recent county history, will have opposition for his District 6 county board seat. The on again and off again politician will face fire fighter Rich Waldron. It’ll be interesting to see if the fire union has any political clout left these days. If they do, Mayer could lose. And as predicted in this column, Republican Brad Harding will have a contest for his District 16 county board seat in the general election next November. Democrat Bill Atwood has filed his petitions.

STRAIGHT THOUGHTS

There’s been a lot of changes on the local TV scene. New weather people are on Channel 25 and a new sports guy is on Channel 31. I won’t mention their names because they could be gone next month. Folks, there’s no security in broadcasting.

I can’t leave 2011 without remembering two special people, one in entertainment and the other in sports. Don Mathews, former basketball player and coach, died suddenly, and wonderful entertainer and friend, Mike Dentino passed away after a very brief illness. I was pleased to have paid a lengthy tribute to Mike in this column several months ago when he was alive. He thanked me profusely for the column. The week before he fell ill, Mike appeared on “Breakfast with Royce and Roger” as he had done many times before. We paid tribute to Mike on our program the day after he died. The three hour tribute was recorded and will be made available to his family and friends.

I knew Don Mathews much longer than Mike and we had mutual friends. I don’t want to scare future guests on our morning program, but Don also had recently appeared on our show. As a player, teacher and coach, Don touched many lives during his life-time, as did Mike. And for the life of me, I don’t understand the lack of coverage in the local media about the two of them. With due respect, one of the TV stations spent more time praising a donut maker in Bloomington who passed away than Don or Mike. But that happens when news editors are hired from out-of-town with no connection to the community or any knowledge of community history.

Congratulations to former State Senator George Shadid. He and his wife are moving into a their newly constructed home in the Edwards area a short distance from where they lived before moving into their apartment on State Street. George apparently misses the wide open spaces and a larger area for his “green thumb.” He has a reputation for growing some of the best tomatoes in the state.

What’s all the moaning about a bill requiring people in the back seat of cars to wear seat belts? They’re at risk as much as those in front seats. Canada has had such a law for over 20 years. I know. A friend of ours received a warning citation about 10 years ago when we were stopped not far from Calgary. Obviously, the Canadian trooper was not persuaded by our argument that we didn’t know since the U.S. had no such law at the time. Bottom line is everyone in a car should wear a seat belt just like people on motorcycles should be required to wear safety helmets.

PEORIA JOURNAL:

IS IT A NEWSPAPER

OR MAGAZINE?

As I opened Christmas boxes of lights and ornaments for decorations this season, I noted one of the packing papers was a Peoria newspaper from 1951. I sat down and opened it to read for a few minutes. I was fascinated by the huge difference between that paper and one printed today. Can you believe that on page one in the 1951 edition there were 19 stories. Get that. 19! Today’s Peoria paper has a meager three and two of them are not news, but feature stories that could be located anywhere, if at all. All of the stories in 1951 were news, interesting news.

I would recommend Peoria Journal publishers revisit what was done over 60 years ago. They just might save the newspaper. In the meantime, they need to figure out whether they want to be a newspaper or a magazine printed on cheap paper.

I wish I knew what the real story is on the so-called “affiliation” between Methodist Medical Center and the Iowa Health System plus the departure of former CEO Michael Bryant. While I applaud the appointment of long-time employee and nurse Debbie Simon as permanent CEO replacing Bryant, questions continue in the medical community about the affiliation. Why was it necessary if hospital finances were so solid? In a recent news release, the connection between Methodist and Iowa was called a “senior affiliation,” but no delineation was made or defined. After OSF St. Francis announced its $400-$500 million building program, recently completed, Bryant announced plans for a new Methodist Hospital costing an estimated half-billion. Those plans were scrapped, apparently, in favor of a new Hamilton parking deck and a new Hamilton entrance with a second skywalk and the closing of the main entrance on Glen Oak. Some question that entrance and the crooked drive, especially van drivers who have to negotiate the “hair-pin” turn.

Don’t you just love to root for local and area athletes as they compete? It was exciting to watch Metamora football star and now quarterback for Purdue, Caleb TerBush, lead the Boilermakers to victory over Western Michigan in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. We cheered when Peoria Central’s D.J. Richardson and former Bradley star Sam Maniscalco helped the Illini win in two overtimes against a scrappy Minnesota Gopher team. What a game!

HEALTH ITEM

Is it possible after all of the high caloric foods we ate over the holidays to drop 11 pounds in seven days? The famous TV physician, Dr. Oz, thinks so. In a recent show he pointed to African mango as something we can eat or ingest to successfully lose weight. I won’t go into the details outlined in a magazine article about how it works, but I’ll tell you I visited Naturally Yours in the Metro Center to learn there’s been a rush on the product known as African mango seed extract. They were plum out of the supplement since there are studies that claim it will not only help you lose weight, but will reduce LDL cholesterol by 46% in four weeks.

Dr. Oz says taking 150 mg. of African mango seed extract twice a day will also reduce belly fat. My name is on the call list when it arrives at Naturally Yours.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it.” —Ben Franklin

After all, it was local workers who voted to unionize, and central Illinois donors and hospitals who are watching the rather embarrassing proceedings.

Personally, I’ve benefited from a Red Cross CPR class and donated blood and money to the Red Cross, but recent actions that some suspect did not originate with local management are troubling.

Representing the Red Cross, Wisconsin lawyer Michael Modl erroneously described planned leafleting by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) at a Dec. 21 blood drive at the Par-A-Dice casino as “picketing” and the event was cancelled. Modl asked AFSCME to refrain from its protected, concerted activities; AFSCME planned to distribute handbills thanking people for donating blood and updating them on Red Cross negotiations.

“The real reason for the Red Cross cancelling the blood drive [is] they are ashamed of their behavior towards their employees and the union, and do not want the donating public to find out about it,” said Kent Beaucamp, regional director of AFSCME Council 31.

Meanwhile, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that the Red Cross broke federal law in eight Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs) and federal Judge James Shadid issued an injunction that the Red Cross rescind changes in employees’ terms of employment and bargain in good faith. The NLRB said the Red Cross illegally changed wages, hours and working conditions following the June 1, 2007, representation election. Workers voted 112-48 in favor of unionizing, according to the certification – made on October 7, 2010, after Red Cross litigation delayed even counting ballots for more than three years.

The Red Cross nationally says that it treats all employees fairly.

“We value each of our highly trained blood services employees,” said Stephanie Millian, Red Cross director of biomedical communications.

In a statement offered when the NLRB filed suit against the Red Cross in August, the organization said it “strives to treat our unionized employees with fairness and respect.”

However, the national Red Cross has widespread problems with employees. Disputes have involved unions including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT); Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Communications Workers of America (CWA); Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU); United Auto Workers (UAW); United Steelworkers (USW); International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE); Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA); the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), and AFSCME, in St. Louis, plus Arizona, California, Connecticut, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington state and West Virginia.

Hundreds of Unfair Labor Practice complaints have been issued against the Red Cross nationally since the mid-1990s, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service has been called in to facilitate bargaining about 150 times.

Some say the problems aren’t the fault of local leaders.

“Despite contentions by the American Red Cross that negotiations are handled on the local and regional level with workers and unions most affected, [lack of progress] suggests that the Red Cross national Human Resources Department is actually coordinating and directing the efforts to de-professionalize the workforce,” said author Philip Dine, who wrote a comprehensive 2009 report, “Labor Relations at the American Red Cross and Its Impact on Employee and Donor Safety.”

“Contract negotiations that used to be handled by regional or local officials are now run by the national Red Cross, coinciding with contentious negotiations.”

Jim Nowlan, a member of the Central Illinois Chapter Board of Directors, says he has noticed a trend toward consolidating away from local control.

“I’m on the board of the disaster side, not the blood-services side, but the Red Cross overall is experiencing what I’d call a centralization of authority to Washington [headquarters],” Nowlan said. “It seems like recent reorganization has taken some of the activities that used to be controlled locally and taken them up above even the regional level, to the division level or higher.”

St. Louis Red Cross worker Duane Jablonski, a 21-year Red Cross employee and a 30-year donor, says the organization used to take “incredibly good care of employees,” but that changed in the last 10 years or so. Jablonski said he’s “not a disgruntled employee; I’m definitely a dedicated employee” – but he says he’s seen the atmosphere change from “a pride thing to work for the Red Cross” to one where “they just use you up and throw you away.”

In Peoria, the ULPs range from not furnishing information as required and refusing to bargain in good faith in more than a dozen bargaining sessions, to illegally changing pay, pension contributions and health benefits, and improperly reclassifying bargaining-unit workers as supervisors. In Administrative Law Judge Arthur J. Amchan’s decision on the NLRB charges, he said the Red Cross must “cease and desist and take certain affirmative action designed to effectuate the policies of the [National Labor Relations] Act.”

Represented in negotiations by another Wisconsin attorney, Charles Pautsch, the Red Cross could appeal the order, further delaying an agreement.

“We’d like to resolve all the issues at the bargaining table rather than have a third party impose decisions,” said AFSCME Council 31 representative Tim Lavelle.

Besides the mandatory bargaining issues of wages, hours and working conditions, unanswered questions include the ULPs, a dispute about the Red Cross changing its past practice of 3 percent annual merit pay following a yearly evaluation, and the consequence of the Red Cross stopping its contributions to workers’ 401(k) plans.

“Our position is we can settle all this in negotiations,” Lavelle added.

Millian, the national Red Cross spokeswoman, said, “Whether we have reached tentative agreement on an item, or an issue is still being disputed, each is a local matter applicable to the local bargaining unit employees.”

If that’s so, it’s time for local leaders to negotiate.

Contact Bill at: bill.knight@hotmail.com

This past summer for the very first time, a fish was photographed using a “tool.” When I was in college, humans were considered the only critters to use tools. It’s gradually become obvious that we aren’t as unique as we thought. There are a lot of animals that use “tools,” anything from sticks to stones, to obtain food. There was even a crow that used a tool to make a tool. We are only now becoming aware of the richness of the animal kingdom, the diversity of behaviors, and amazing abilities of a wide variety of animals.  Perhaps this will bestow upon us the gift of humility.

There may finally be a partial answer to one of life’s most persistent questions, which dates all the way back to the time of Noah. How many species are there in the world? Recent research at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia now provides a reasonably accurate estimate… 8.7 million species.  6.5 million of these live on land, 2.2 million live in the oceans.  This number excludes the vast world of bacteria.

We may not all be mathematicians, but we continue to multiply… On Halloween of 2011, the Earth’s human population hit 7 billion. How many people is this? If we all joined hands, we could form a line that could encircle the Earth 175 times… or reach to the moon and back nine times. Each year the planet gains about 80 million people.  This is equivalent to adding the entire population of Germany… each year! You don’t have to be a population expert to realize this is unsustainable and threatens all life (ours included).

Joplin, Missouri was hit by a monstrous EF 5 tornado this past May, which killed dozens of people and left much of the city looking like a war zone. Unfortunately it was only one of many natural disasters that occurred in 2011. There were ten major weather disasters just in the United States. Brazil was beset with landslides, Pakistan and Australia dealt with horrific floods, East Africa suffered through drought, as did China.  Greater frequency and intensity of storms as well as a lack or precipitation are attributable to global warming.

Speaking of global warming… Climatologist, Dr. Mark Serreze of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, stated, “The year 2011 is another exclamation point on the overall downward trend that we see in sea-ice extent.” According to Dr. Georg Heygster, physicist at the University of Bremen, Germany, we are witnessing the lowest coverage of sea ice since records began. This alarming rate of loss is outpacing computer projections. It’s possible the Arctic summer could be ice free by 2030. Back in the mid 70’s, satellites began recording the extent of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. At one point there were 3 million square miles of it. Last summer that number had shrunk to 1.67 million square miles… the second lowest extent on record. This trend is catastrophic to animals adapted to the Arctic environment.

Researchers at Los Alamos National Lab were able to look back as far as 550,000 years at climate in great detail (thanks to a 260 foot long sediment core).  It was discovered that the southwest undergoes periodic megadroughts lasting centuries.  The most recent one included the so-called “dust bowl.” People in the southwest could be in for a period of cooler wetter weather, unless greenhouse gasses interrupt the cycle.

Dr. Joachim Hallmayer admits there is much we don’t understand about autism. But his research suggests that environmental factors are responsible for more than half of the risk for developing the condition. A study of nature versus nurture… that’s what Stanford University School of Medicine conducted in deciphering whether autism is triggered by genetic or by environmental factors. Genetics accounts for about 40 percent. Now the challenge will be to unravel exactly what these factors are.

Mosquito transmitted disease is responsible for vast amounts of human suffering. Examples include malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis, West Nile, and dengue. An Australian team has come up with a novel approach to combat dengue fever (a deadly disease that sickens up to a hundred million people each year). Using ultra thin needles, they injected vector mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a harmless bacterium found in most insects. Scientists are uncertain why this prevents the mosquitoes from spreading dengue, but it does.

Chinese researchers discovered that genetic material known as microRNA from plants, can not only survive digestion, but can show up in the blood stream where it sometimes combines with human RNA. This can impact the body’s ability to deal with such things as cholesterol or flu viruses. Effects could be beneficial or harmful. This opens the door to a whole new area of dietary and therapeutic research.

The Yellowstone River was tainted with 40,000 gallons of crude oil in July, thanks to an Exxon Mobile pipeline that burst beneath the river in Montana. 140 residents were evacuated due to fumes, and the spill travelled some 240 miles downstream. Two factors may have contributed to the spill: debris stirred up by flood waters, or thick abrasive and acidic Canadian crude, which likely corroded the pipe from the inside. We continue to pay a heavy price for our continuing dependency on oil.

For more info, do a Google search for:  top science news 2011.

So, WMBD 31 joins WEEK/WHOI in the not-treating-their-workers-right camp. And then you have the Journal Star, which is working towards the day when not one single non-management employee and all the staff reports will come from press release or mindless story-writing robots, or something.

But don’t worry. We’ll always have public television and public radio … as long as Republicans don’t cut funding too much. But don’t worry, we’ll always have blogs and social media to keep us all informed … as long as Congress doesn’t pass the Stop Online Piracy Act, which would let the Journal Star and the TV stations the ability to demand that the Websites stop publishing on their say-so alone.

Well, we can also scribble the news on the side of empty brown garbage bags and tuck them under peoples’ car wipers. They haven’t illegalized that yet.

Koehler calls it quits in the 17th

Dave Koehler says he is NOT going to run for the 17 District seat in the House of Representatives.

That’s good news for Cheri Bustos, who has been the leading candidate for the seat, and the leading fund raiser. It’s moderately good news for three other non-name candidates in the Democratic Party because now they just have to face Bustos.

It’s bad news for Peoria County Board member Allen Mayer who was planning to seek the Democratic nomination for Koehler’s Illinois Senate seat, but has decided to drop out. Firefighter Rick Waldron was going to seek Mayer’s seat on the County Board, but who knows what he is going to do now.

It’s bad news for James Polk, the former Peoria City Council and current ICC board member. He is going to continue to seek the Democratic nomination for the Illinois Senate seat, but will have to face Koehler in the primary. It’s bad news for Pat Sullivan, who will now have to face the tough-to-beat Koehler (probably). But then Sullivan will no doubt be the toughest foe Koehler has faced.

And Koehler’s decision will have absolutely no effect on Robert Shilling, the current 17th District representative. The Republican has almost zero chances of getting re-elected, whether he faces Koehler, Bustos or a ham sandwich.

So why is Koehler dropping out? He told the Journal Star it’s because he wants to help clean up the mess in Springfield. Which is BS of course, Bustos was killing him in fundraising, and being (temporarilly) the choice of Dick Durbin didn’t mean diddly squat.

Bustos has proven herself to be a solid Democratic candidate and a good communicator. Koehler, on the other hand … well, he marched with a bunch of local Republicans in the Santa Claus Parade. I’m just saying that people who vote and pay attention to politics people notice these things.

Silence is not so golden

Why is it when I am watching local stations on Comcast recently, the sound cuts out, for minutes at a time? Are the managers at the local stations aware of these issues? Have they adopted a “good enough for horseshoes and hand grenades” strategy of product quality? Maybe it will cost more to provide viewers will reliable sound, and the thinking is, well, we’re not losing enough viewers to make it cost effective to actually fix the problem, so why bother fixing it? Or maybe the laziness is all the fault of Comcast?

Who knows.

I repacked my suitcase to accommodate the New Hampshire winter, but kept my flip-flops, shorts and suntan lotion in there just in case I could still make my once-in-a-lifetime cruise—Daddy would have wanted me to go.

Everything was right where he left it. His coveralls, gloves, boots and hat lay right inside the front door of the cozy cabin tucked into the White Mountains where my parents retired in 1988. He didn’t need them anymore. His camera sat on the floor just inside the door; the last things his eyes saw that day captured in snapshots he took of the pure white snow surrounding the place he loved.

We learned so much about our father that week. His meek life held many treasures. Organized to the tee, yet unconcerned with appearances, Daddy lived quietly and loved deeply. His Bible was so worn its spine was reinforced with duct tape. I smile each time I look at it.

The other day I opened its old pages and began reading. Daddy used pencil to mark in his Bible so I didn’t catch it right away, but there was this tiny marking next to every instance of the words eternity and forever. It was the infinity symbol (Daddy was an electrical engineer). I smile at each one knowing how much he longed to be in heaven with his Savior, Jesus Christ and that he is now experiencing his deepest longing.

2011 was a year of revelation for me. I did get to go on that cruise and beside the still Caribbean waters, God restored my soul. The lessons Daddy taught me, both verbally and through the way he lived his life, became as clear as the ink on the pages of his old Bible. Yes, I still mourn his absence, but it is a sweet sorrow; it is joyful—like celebrating someone’s graduation from long years of study; it’s how Daddy always described it would be: a heavenly promotion.

And so I want to spend 2012 sharing with you the nuggets of wisdom my Daddy shared with me. Here’s the first one:

“God can bless you every minute of every hour of every day of every month of every year of your life—and never repeat Himself.” Galen R. Courtney 1933-2011

My prayer for you in this New Year is that you will watch for God’s blessings and always take time to tremble and marvel at His infinite ability to make all things new!  (Revelation 21:5)

January, particularly in the Midwest, has a way of bringing the mayhem to a jarring, sometimes snow-covered halt. With its promise of do overs, start overs, and leave the past behind, January beckons with a new month and year. We don’t just flip over the calendar page, we begin with a fresh page on a new calendar.

An entire year stretches out before us with mystery, promises, possibilities and that difficult and elusive commitment to make this the year of improvement and changes. Wisdom calls for the healthier lifestyle to begin before a medical emergency makes it a catastrophic necessity. Some of us maintain our cars with more care and diligence than we do our bodies. Whatever our less than stellar habits, we can always do better. We may not eradicate all the negative effects of poor choices, but we can certainly improve our situation.

Mention healthy choices and the word exercise lights up in our minds followed by a grimace and feeling of guilt. Why is vigorous movement for a sustained period of time so difficult? Myriad studies emphasize the necessity of physical exercise. Still we procrastinate or simply refuse to heed the advice. Easier to pop a pill trying to compensate for our sedentary lifestyle. But no pill works magic. We’re designed to stretch, bend, move, and get going. If we refuse, we suffer the consequences.

Then there’s the issue of food, which is the nemesis for many of us. Calories, carbs, fat grams, reduced fiber, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol producing morsels distort food, originally designed to fortify and nourish, beyond recognition. We’ve fried, stacked, oversized, and added sauce and supplements so we barely remember the original item. Those once nutritious vittles are now stripped of their original nutrients and cause us to be larger than ever but often mal-nourished. A back to basics approach could lessen our girth and remedy many of our ailments. We’re adaptive by nature, although healthy eating takes some getting used to. It’s not that we can’t, but that we won’t or we don’t.

In addition to our physical well-being, there’s the emotional and spiritual tranquility we’re hoping to discover. After the heightened frenzy of the previous months, January and February offer respite and opportunities to discover and/or enhance our bodies and souls. Some folks live their lives always starting over, but failing to sustain good intentions. It’s challenging knowing what to minimize and when to maximize. We can read endless literature and latest studies, but sometimes the best approach is to simplify. Walk away from the buffet bonanza and out the door for a walk. Half-pound burgers with special sauce accompanied by fries will never be the healthy entrée, but living well will always provide the ultimate in satisfaction and contentment.

Eat less, move often, love much, pray more, and follow the path for which we were created. Invite family and friends along on the journey. We’re social creatures searching for joy, peace, and fulfillment. May this New Year overflow with all that is good.

However, Lewis did not cite Elsasser’s behavior as motivation for his desire to get into politics. “I feel I could contribute to local government,” he told me weeks ago. So he planned to circulate petitions, talk to people, and campaign. Then the phone started ringing at the Lewis household. First it was Elsasser urging him to get out of the race. “It wasn’t the most pleasant phone conversation I ever had,” he recalled. Then came a call from Rudy Lewis, no relation to Pat, but chairman of the Peoria County Republican Central Committee. No encouragement there. Then a usual clear thinking Bob Baietto called. If you get the feeling pressure was being placed on Lewis to get out, you’re right. Strange how in America and right here in Peoria one would think people interested in serving would be congratulated and encouraged especially those new “to the game.”

I learned that Lewis had decided to drop out of the race from a Democrat. A call to Pat’s house confirmed it. “At this point in my life, I want to feel comfortable,” he told me. He added that the stress of running was just too much. Harry Truman once said, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” Pat Lewis didn’t even get into the kitchen after what his own party did to him. Shameful. By the way, I was the one who recruited Bob Baietto to run for the county board.

HE’S RUNNING

In other courthouse news, former assistant state’s attorney, Frank Ireulli, is definitely running against Jerry Brady for Peoria County state’s attorney. Brady was Kevin Lyon’s choice when Lyons accepted the appointment to become a judge. In reality, both Brady and Iruelli are Democrats. However, Iruelli was under the mistaken impression Lyons was going to recommend him, say Democrat insiders. When Lyons named Brady, Iruelli reportedly decided he would run as a Republican even though he ran as a Democrat during a recent campaign for judge. To help Iruelli, Gary Stella, as vice chairman of the 2nd Ward Republican Club, invited him to a meeting to get acquainted with other Republicans. I’m told Iruelli accepted the invitation but didn’t attend the most recent gathering. Politics. Don’t you just love it!

FIRST HALL OF FAME

BASKETBALL CLASS

INCLUDES PEORIANS

The Illinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame and Museum held its first induction ceremony in Champaign, Illinois. It’s a new organization founded “to recognize the top teams, coaches, and players who have contributed to the success of high school basketball in Illinois, and to capture the nostalgia and emotion of the eras.” While there’s no museum yet, they did hold an inaugural induction ceremony for its first class of induction on the University of Illinois campus Saturday night, November 5. And Peoria was well-represented from emcee Jerry Hester, a Manual basketball player who later played at Illinois, to the athletes who were members of the first class of athletes to be honored. The two Peoria inductees were Howard Nathan of Manual and Nora Lewis of Richwoods. Lewis led the Lady Knights to the 1983 state title, then second place in 1984, settling for third in 1985. In each year she was the tournament’s leading scorer and was National Player of the Year in 1985 finishing as the number 2 scorer in state history. She was the first four-time All Stater in Illinois history.

In 1991, Nathan was named “Mr. Basketball in Illinois” and a McDonald’s All American. That year he averaged 20 points a game and was the leading scorer in the state tournament. He was the first Peorian to play in the NBA.

While he wasn’t from Peoria, Bobby Joe Mason, who played for Bradley, was a member of the first induction class for his play at Centralia High School. He was All State in basketball and football in 1954. That same year Mason was the state pole vault champion. Of course, everyone who follows Mason knows he was a member of the Harlem Globetrotters from 1962 to 1974.

PEORIA HALL OF  FAME

The Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame will hold its annual induction banquet, Sunday, April 1, at the Civic Center. No fooling. Howard Nathan is one of four to be honored at that event. The other three are Al Carius, Dave Golden, and Chuck Buescher. Carius of Morton made a name for himself as a distance runner at Morton High School and then the University of Illinois before achieving greatness as an outstanding track coach. Dave Golden of Pekin had quite a basketball record at Pekin High School and then Duke University. Chuck Buescher is well-known as coach of the Central basketball Lions for many championship years. He also served as an assistant to Coach Jim Les at Bradley.

Nominees for the next induction class are now being accepted. If readers would like to nominate someone, please submit a complete resume of the nominee to any member of the Hall of Fame board.

TAIN’T FUNNY MCGEE

I wonder how many readers of my generation remember listening, yes listening, to Fibber McGee and Molly on the radio. That program, featuring Peorians Jim Jordan and Marian Driscoll, won more awards than just about anyone in those days. Leo Jordan, a fellow Woodruff High School graduate (different class), has a very large collection of Fibber and Molly memorabilia. Leo’s father was Jim Jordan’s brother so Leo has ownership of items from actual program scripts to recordings to awards and trophies presented to the Peoria twosome. There’s even a painting of a clown done by comedian Red Skelton that was a gift to the Jordans. Skelton hand scribbled a note on the back of his painting to Jim and Marian.

As Leo explained and described the various items, I couldn’t help but recall some of the program conversations from the Great Gildersleeve to Mr. Wimple. One of the highlights of every show was when Fibber was told not to open the closet door. He always did and crash went everything.

I hope Leo will consider donating some of his keepsakes to the new museum and then give me the Red Skelton painting. I checked the Internet and at least one of Red’s paintings has an asking price of $19,000.

AN IDEA FOR MUSEUM

Every time I drive by the statue of Abraham Lincoln, the under-sized statue, at the Courthouse, I think how great it would be to have other statues of famous Peorians either outside or inside the new museum. There should be an entertainment section that would include bronze statues of Jim Jordan and Marian Driscoll as Fibber McGee and Molly along with statues of Richard Pryor, Charles Correll as “Andy” of “Amos and Andy,” and, of course, the talented singer and composer, Dan Fogelberg.

There should also be a section for sports. Jim Thome’s statue should be prominent as would a statue of the great broadcaster, Jack Brickhouse. Military heroes? We have a few like General Wayne Downing and Hal Fritz, the area’s only Medal of Honor recipient. It’s just an idea.

A SAD NOTE

The Roger Monroe family lost a dear friend in November. It was totally unexpected. He was just 50, but we remember when he was a young boy attending Sterling Grade School with our sons Dan and Zack. Later it was Peoria High School. He went on to the Colorado School of Mines where he earned a degree in geology and then a law degree from the University of Illinois. Washington D.C. and a prominent law firm beckoned him to make an important career move. A marriage presented him with three lovely daughters followed by an unfortunate divorce and then another marriage and his first son. Our dear friend loved to laugh and make others laugh. He enjoyed my Royce Elliott jokes, eager to share later with his law partners. And then his world ended for some unknown and some known reasons. He took his own life. How tragic for his grief stricken children, for his sister Pat, for us, for his friends. We’ll remember Lewis T. Putman, Jr. forever. He was a joy in our lives.

SANTA PARADE

They did it again! It was another successful Santa Claus Parade in downtown Peoria. Congratulations to Sue Stockman, chairman, and all the volunteers and participants for job well-done.

I remember with fondness past parades as a child and then as father of two sons. The parade did as much to capture the spirit of the season as shopping and wrapping presents. How much fun it was to see the large downtown crowds and all the stores from Bergners to Block and Kuhl’s to Kresge’s to Newberrys to Grants. It was a joy to stand and watch with our sons the mechanical holiday displays in the windows of Bergners and Block and Kuhl; always the best.

CHRISTMAS IS……

The carols proclaim it, the stores show it, the Christmas cards exclaim it. This is “a wonderful time of the year.” Andy Williams says so in song and we believe it. The smiles are everywhere except when people push and shove during Black Friday or when three shoppers are trying to buy the last two of something.

The realization of what Christmas is finally settles in on Christmas Eve when the shopping is over, the presents wrapped and peace, at last, wraps around us.  We’ll turn the lights down and gaze at the tree with its colored lights and cheerful ornaments and decorations. Then we recall the words found in Chapter 2 of Luke:

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them; and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

GOD BLESS YOU & YOURS

The Peoria area has a higher percentage of its population receiving retirement and survivor benefits from Social Security than Illinois or the United States, according to data from the Bureau for Economic Analysis and the Social Security Administration analyzed by the Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University.

That’s typical of counties with small cities and rural areas, which depend more on Social Security than urban areas, researchers found. In large cities, about 5 percent of total personal income comes from Social Security. In rural counties, an average of 9.3 percent of personal income arrives in the form of a Social Security check.

In Washington, Congress is considering ways to limit government programs such as Social Security. Some suggest raising the retirement age beyond 62 or changing Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment to slow the rate that monthly checks increase with inflation – making them smaller than forecast.

If such limits are enacted, economists say the effects will be felt most strongly in small cities and rural America.

“In many rural places, Social Security is a very critical element of the local economic base,” said Peter Nelson, a geographer at Middlebury College in Vermont. “It’s less important to a place like Los Angeles because there is so much additional economic activity going on there.

“Cuts would have a bigger negative impact on rural places, absolutely,” he continued. “They are more dependent on Social Security.”

Social Security payments come in three forms: an “old-age” pension to help retirement, a survivor benefit, or a disability check. Nationally, 16.7 percent of the population received some form of monthly Social Security payments in 2009, the most recent year for which complete data are available.

The percentage of all Americans who receive some Social Security benefit, then, is 16.7; in Illinois, it’s 15.4; in Peoria it’s 18.5; in Tazewell it’s 20.1; in Woodford it’s 17.8.

The percentage of all American recipients who receive old-age benefits is 69.4; in Illinois, it’s 70.9; in Peoria 71.5; in Tazewell 74.5; in Woodford 76.0.

The percentage of all American recipients who receive survivor benefits is 12.1; in Illinois, it’s 12.7; in Peoria 13.1; in Tazewell 12.8; in Woodford 12.9.

Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties all have less of a percentage receiving Social Security disability benefits than either Illinois or the nation as a whole. The percentage of all American recipients who receive disability benefits is 18.5; in Illinois, it’s 16.4; in Peoria 15.3; in Tazewell 12.7; in Woodford 11.2.

In large U.S. cities, Social Security income per resident in 2009 was $2,055. In Peoria County, Social Security income per resident was $2,547; in Tazewell it was $2,823; in Woodford $2.528.

Social Security is vital to entire communities as well as individuals – particularly to small cities and rural areas, because the money is mostly spent in those communities.

“The seniors who get these payments are primarily going to spend their money locally,” said Mark Partridge, an Ohio State University economist. “And they are a key reason why some communities are still viable. If this money dried up, there wouldn’t be a lot of these small towns.”

Another economist links Social Security payments to the viability of small businesses, too.

“We find that Social Security income can be the difference between success and failure for some local businesses,” said Judith Stallmann of the University of Missouri. “If you took away, say, 10 percent of the demand, would that local business be able to remain open? Often it’s that 10 percent that keeps them going. Social Security is providing that margin.”

Politicians too often tie the national debt or budget deficits to Social Security, which confuses the facts. Social Security is not part of the federal budget. It’s separately funded by a dedicated wage tax, the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). Workers are supposed to pay 6.2 percent of all wages up to $106,800 and employers an equal amount, for a total contribution of 12.4 percent. (This year, however, this payroll tax was cut by the Tax Relief Act of 2010 to 4.2 percent, reducing contributions to 8.4 percent.) Social Security funds are invested in government securities and backed by the full faith of the U.S. government.

The total amount of Social Security coming in to the Tri-County area is substantial. In 2009, Peoria County received $473 million – 6.1 percent of all personal income; Tazewell $373 million – 7.3 percent of all personal income; Woodford $98 million – 6.3 percent of all personal income.

A reduction due to decreasing the number of people eligible or cutting the cost-of-living adjustment in monthly checks could be devastating to communities, small businesses and the eligible beneficiaries who count on the checks they were promised.

So progressive groups – from AARP and the AFL-CIO to the NAACP and the National Christian Leadership Conference – are organizing resistance to another Right-wing attack on Social Security. Such progressive actions could include rallies, leafleting, phone banking and lobbying elected officials, but also could extend through next year’s election, according to AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka.

“It would be very difficult for us to support, or mobilize for, any candidate at any level” who supported cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, Trumka told Press Associates Inc.

Contact Bill at: bill.knight@hotmail.com

I’d heard her name, but had never read any of her books or heard her speak. Maybe it’s the growing chasm separating the ‘have lots’ from the ‘have nots’ that has preoccupied our political palaver of late, or maybe it’s just that Christmas is right around the corner, but as she responded to interviewer, Mike Wallace, her answers put me in mind of someone with whom I’ve been very familiar for a very long time.

Ebenezer Scrooge was the archetypical anti-social capitalist. In this, the darkest time of the year, he was famously forced to re-examine his self absorbed lifestyle and his narrowly focused values and consequently chose to reinvent himself. Christmas formed the backdrop for his moral and ethical epiphany. He transformed his previous devotion to self enrichment into a commitment to the well being of others. Charles Dickens, in his classic tale, “A Christmas Carol,” arguably did more to capture and crystallize the ideal of this, our most eclectic holiday, than anyone before or since.

When I got back home, I Googled Rand and it sounded as if her name could have been Ebenezer. Her words echo a point of view which has become all too popular these days. For example: “If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of altruism that men have to reject” (think EPA, or universal health care). She appears to hold cash in rather high regard. “Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue.” She devalued self sacrifice.  “I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” Doesn’t sound like she’s into volunteer firemen, or military service or organ donors etc. In her view, each person is an island… “Civilization is the process of setting man free from men.” She adamantly stated that any regulation by government diminishes freedom.

En route to Bartonville, a light turned red and I had to stop… or risk a ticket. When it turned green, I accelerated but a sign placed a limit on my maximum speed. These government imposed regulations don’t diminish freedom, they define it. Unlike licentiousness, freedom is defined by responsibility. Obeying the stop sign or speed limit doesn’t make you less free. It makes you more so. And so it is with environmental protections… “stop signs” for polluters of air and water.

Had John Muir not been able to get government to call a halt to the assault on our giant trees, there would undoubtedly be none left. How many of us would visit “Sequoia Stumps National Forest,” or “Redwood Ruins National Park.” Muir gained absolutely nothing from his tireless efforts. His dedication was to others, including other species. Capitalism is in the business of growth and profits. If allowed to continue unhindered by government regulation, the result is ecological devastation. Wealth is gained at the expense of the environment.

Imagine if Ayn Rand and/or her followers were visited by a Ghost of Christmas past which showed how the most highly regarded among ancestral human hunters and gatherers tended to be the most helpful and generous contributors to the overall well being of the tribe. Perhaps she could have been made to understand that “survival of the fittest” doesn’t necessarily mean the toughest or fasted, or best able to hoard, but rather it refers to a population concept of reproductive success over millennia.

The Ghost of Christmas Present could point out the problem with hoarders. The erosive force of runaway growth is currently causing many hundreds of thousands of extinctions. Ocean fisheries have been heavily depleted, forests are disappearing, factory farms are poisoning surface and ground water, and the atmosphere is warming. The tapestry of life is beginning to unravel.

And then the Ghost of Christmas yet to be could show the end result of unlimited growth and consumption…  a lifeless and toxic Twilight Zone landscape. As Scrooge would say… “Are these the shadows of things that must be, or are they the shadows of things that MIGHT be?”

At this point, Ayn Rand might have had an epiphany and changed her assertion, that “The only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off.” It’s actually the only entity potentially powerful enough to protect us from the impacts of our own too much.

Instead of “A government is the most dangerous threat to man’s rights,” she may well have come to realize that lack of effective government is at least as dangerous a threat. Without effective oversight, where is our right to healthy food, clean air and water, safe and effective drugs, etc.?

Finally her sense that a thing is either right or wrong and that ambiguity is evil… might morph to a distrust of certainty and greater awareness of and sensitivity to diverse points of view… so fundamental to freedom for everyone.

At Emiquon we found thousands of birds, representing dozens of species, resting and feeding at the newly restored lake. Fortunately for these birds and for us birders, and for the fishermen, photographers, and artists… the folks who made this incredible project happen were altruists. We have all benefited.

Changing from denying to solving the monumental threat of global warming is an act of pure altruism. The main beneficiaries are yet to be born. We have nothing to gain financially… only the knowledge we are helping future generations. My father would have called this “leaving the campsite better than you found it.”

Last months close to 400 people joined in an “OccupyPeoria” protest at the corner of Main and University. Last week, I drove past less than a dozen protestors outside the U.S. Federal Courthouse downtown. So, I guess you could say the Occupy movement in Peoria has run its course: A lot of excitement and energy at first, then people stay home to watch college football.

So, a university did a study and found that regular watchers of Fox News knew less about world affairs than people who got their news from other sources. They were 18 percentage points less likely to know that Egyptians overthrew their government, and 8 percentage points less likely to know that the Syrians were unsuccessful in overthrowing their government. I have no problem believing this. What do events in Egypt or Syria have to do with proving that President Barrack Hussein Obama is a foreign born commie plant, anyway?

Speaking of conservative talking heads, how long will WMBD 1470 continue to air Rush Limnbaugh?

So, I’m watching “Live with Regis and Kelly” on Friday. Regis Philbin, this old Irishman, is pretty sentimental. But as I’m watching this show, I’m thinking “Boy, this guy cannot wait to get out of here.” I’m thinking he’s sitting back, weighing offers and is not missing chatting with the perky Kelly Rippa one darn bit.

Speaking of Regis, I’m watching clips from past shows, and BOY was this guy all over his female co-hosts. The perv.

I’ve been doing a lot of blogging from the counter at Starbucks at Campustown. And by “Starbucks at Campustown,” I mean Bradley University’s unofficial off-campus study center. I’m pretty sure that BU gives students free wifi, so WHY are all the tables at Starbucks taken up by laptop wielding Bradley students? One customer, I swear to GOD, brings in his desktop computer and monitor and sets it up on a table. Slumming, I guess. I wish they would all leave and give me room to blog. Which is as it should be.

Andy Rooney died a month after retiring as commentator at CBS’s “60 Minutes.”’ Is retirement fatal? Or do people just tend to retire when they are close to death? As people are living longer and longer, people are going to have to learn to find something to do with themselves for years. Or they die. My advice? Quite your job and retire while you are young.

Speaking of “60 Minutes,” anyone else remember “Point/Counter Point” where conservative and liberal took opposite points of view about the issue of the day? Frankly, I remember the spoof “Saturday Night Live” did of the segment more than I do the original. “Jane, you ignorant slut.” Indeed.

After months and months of debate and public discussion, the City of Peoria decided to keep its cumulative voting system for electing at-large council members. This is because they wanted to give members of minorities a chance to win election.  Because it’s done so WELL over since the city settled the lawsuit. My two cents: White or black, the cumulative voting system does a pretty damn good job of electing people from the Fifth District. Which is why they kept it.