Methodist Encore! programs are informative, entertaining, enlightening, and designed particularly with active seniors in mind.  In their winter/spring booklet, the cover article refers to some of the inevitable changes in mind and body as years go by. “Although some of these changes may be normal, we don’t have to become passive ‘victims’ of the aging process. Instead, we can take charge of how well we age through healthy habits and positive lifestyle changes.” Encore! offers a variety of classes and activities designed to motivate and inspire people to implement those changes.

“The programs are prevention based, education based, and outcome based,” explains Anna Saxon, Coordinator of Senior Services and Encore! With some 3,200 members in five counties, Encore! aims to empower seniors so that they can live healthier and better, and be fully informed. “We want to break down barriers and help people become aware of resources already here. Encore! is a free program designed to help adults 55 and older get more out of life by focusing on the body, mind, and spirit. Methodist made a wonderful and huge commitment to the community as this is all free.”

As a member, participants can discover, maybe for the second or third time, all those things they dreamed of doing once “things slowed down” or “life got less complicated.” One of the program’s goals is to help make life’s transitions smoother. “We want people to know their options,” emphasizes Anna.

Encore! was launched in October of 2010 and Anna has been in charge since March of 2011. She brings a wealth of experience to the position. She’s been involved in pastoral care at Peoria’s Westminster Presbyterian Church for 14 years and is a chaplain at Methodist Hospital. “That helps give me an ability to be an advocate for seniors in healthcare. Sometimes all of that is overwhelming for them. We need to empower and educate seniors so they can make better choices. It’s never too late. You can always do something to improve your quality of life,” she says.

There are myriad choices of classes at Encore! From learning about wills and trusts, or exercises for gardeners, or relief for arthritis and joint problems, or understanding Medicare, to computer classes, nutrition information, hiking through the Forest Park Nature Center, or learning what to keep, give away or donate when downsizing. The quarterly newsletter lists the various activities with dates, times, and information on the instructor. Encore! partners with SeniorNet for computer classes, Collette Vacations for fully escorted travel opportunities, and the Peoria Park District for exercise and fitness classes. There are introductory classes in a variety of hobbies such as photography, sketching, woodworking, and others. “We want to broaden people’s expectations of their retirement years. Retirement looks different today. It’s very possible that people could have 40 years of retirement,” says Anna.

She also encourages people to find a passion. “People are looking for passion in what they do. Some start over in a whole new career. Begin while there’s still time.” One class planned for June 12th is work in retirement. Anna shares “out of the box” thinking about work opportunities for today’s mature adults. Four-week computer sessions held twice a week can help enlighten the uninformed about the mystery and benefits of technology. Introductory classes in some of the arts give people an opportunity to see what interests them. Once that is determined, more detailed classes are available through Illinois Central College or Lakeview. Last December the first Encore!/OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) through Bradley University Continuing Education was a huge success as over 150 people attended the Brain Fitness Seminar at Bradley.

In the spring/summer Encore! booklet, Anna includes a quote from A New Purpose by Ken Dychtwald. “Your bonus years aren’t about being old for a longer time – they are about new achievement; second, third and fourth acts; and making a difference in ways that you might never have imagined.”

Encore! gives ideas and possibilities and knowledge for achieving and making such differences.

Registration is required for the various programs and activities.  You may register for events at MyMethodist.net/encore or by calling Anna at 309-672-4926. Events are held at Methodist North at Allen Road unless otherwise noted.

Encore! began with a small core group of volunteers and now they are looking to expand that group. Encore! needs folks to answer the phone, take registrations for classes and events, help prepare mailings, provide input, and more. If you can commit to volunteering, please call Anna at 309-672-4926 or email her at asaxon@mmci.org.

In what he calls a “bold step” toward solving the problems created by the Illinois legislature, Governor Pat Quinn released a statement last month proposing changes to pension benefits for active public workers hired prior to January 1, 2011, delaying full retirement benefits for some until age 67. Public employees may choose either to accept less benefits or lose their state health benefits following retirement. In addition, the amount employees pay for their pensions would increase by 3 percent, and the proposal would mitigate annual cost-of-living increases.

“Action is Critical”

Quinn told a group of reporters in the Windy City: “I did not create the problems, but I am here to solve these problems,” adding: “Action is critical” as Illinois’ bond rating will be downgraded if the state fails to address the issue.

Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman supports the Governor’s plan and said in a statement that the plan is a step toward improving business in the state. Caterpillar spokesperson Jim Dugan read the statement, which claims the Governor’s proposals “set the right tone and provide leadership” for reforming the state and bringing about “long-term fiscal health and ultimately an improved business climate for Illinois.”

Other groups, such as the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Education Association, the American Federation of State and the Service Employees International Union, have questioned the constitutionality of the Governor’s proposal. The state constitution describes pension benefits as a contract between local and state governments and their employees that “shall not be diminished or impaired.”

Local Peoria residents are also wary of the Governor’s plan. “If you have to choose between receiving less benefits or losing your health insurance, that to me isn’t much of choice,” says Marjorie Wilkinson, 61. “I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t think it’s right.”

“I suppose something has to be done, but I know hurting our teachers and public employees is not the way to go,” says Curt Kiser, 64. “Sixty-seven years old is an awful long time to wait for benefits when you’ve been working hard for forty years or more.”

The state’s $83 billion unfunded pension liability has mitigated both Illinois’ finances and credit ratings. The Governor says his plan would save approximately $65-$85 billion out of $300 billion in past due, current and future pension payments. By 2042, the Governor estimates, Illinois systems will be fully funded. By 2045, state law mandates systems must be funded by 90 percent.

Rescuing Medicaid

The new pension plan comes on the heels of the Governor’s proposal to save the state’s Medicaid health program by cutting spending and raising revenue with a $1 per pack tax increase on cigarettes. The $2.7 billion plan would save approximately $1.3 billion per year by reducing Medicaid coverage and eliminating programs. Decreasing pay rates to providers is expected to save $675 million. The cigarette tax increase would raise a little over $330 million per year. Revenue from the tax hike would increase federal matching funds for Medicaid.

The Illinois Senate has passed the cigarette tax twice, but state Republicans have consistently voted against the measure. Tom Cross, the state’s GOP leader, believes that cuts and reforms to Medicaid will solve the issue rather than “revenue enhancements.”

Illinois’ Medicaid program, which covers 2.7 million of the state’s residents, owes just under $2 billion to service providers by June 30, the end of the fiscal year. By 2017, the government estimates the state could owe as much as $21 billion if nothing is put in place to curb spending.

In a statement, Quinn said the Illinois legislature must “act quickly to save the entire Medicaid system from collapse and protect providers and the millions of Illinois residents that depend upon Medicaid for their healthcare. The statement went on to say that the Governor’s proposal will decrease budget pressures and “ensure the program is sustainable for years to come.”

Both Medicaid and the state’s pensions currently account for nearly 40 percent of the state’s general fund spending.

The Grand Tour of Peoria’s mission is to educate people on the architectural features of homes of the Peoria area in the West Bluff has a fantastic following each year. Their greatest achievement is contributing money back into the Peoria community to help areas such as West Peoria, Moss Bradley, and others. The money helps improve these communities and maintains them through efforts as a cyclical achievement towards Peoria revitalization. Without projects like The Grand Tour, people would not be able view the quality of older architecture practices and share them for generations to come.

The ticket prices are reasonable for people of all walks of life to come and enjoy fantastic buildings with historic value.  This year’s group includes: Connie Wright, Publicity Coordinator, and Charles and LaDonna Bobbitt, who are the main creators of the project as well as owners of the Bobbitt’s Historic Quarters, along with many others have focused their efforts on these three homes and three commercial buildings.

Bobbitt states, “The beauty of it is, we give up our vacations. One day a year we put the ladders away, we put the lawnmowers away, we put the paintbrushes away, and invite people in. People don’t realize we have some outstanding smaller homes in the West Bluff. We bring people into the neighborhoods to see the houses that the average joe has redone and has done them nicely.” He also points out that these residents work exceedingly hard to make this a great tour and they enjoy all the questions that they receive from tour patrons.

Some of the other wonderful people involved in the Grand Tour committee are Mary Ruth Ginn, who creates the artwork for promotion as well as tickets, Gary Morris, Lynne Binkele, Sue Nowlan, Andy Speck, Rita Speck, and Chris Stalker. This non-for-profit group with an outstanding committee works hard each year to make each tour successful, no matter how much effort is involved.  Bobbitt mentions that they are looking for new volunteers who are willing to work hard for the Grand Tour efforts.

When speaking with Connie Wright, her positive focus for volunteering on this community home-showing project speaks volumes about the group even in first meeting her. Wright remarks, “The Grand Tour used to be called something else and some committee people split years and years ago. We stayed (as a group) and the other part stopped doing it…It’s a very spirited group of people.” She is truly intertwined with The Grand Tour, having helped with it for several years, and enjoys giving of her time to make this project a reality.

Bobbitt also mentions that this tour is the only tour unique to the West Bluff, rather than skipping around to different places in Peoria. He believes that their tour is the oldest tour in Peoria. Bobbitt states, “We’re using commercial buildings for the first time this year. We have had commercial buildings, we’ve had churches before. But, this time we are breaking from our tradition because there are so many worthy building downtown that we do not in our opinion believe get their due attention.”

In creating the Tour, the challenge for the committee is to find homes or commercial properties that have older architectural elements and people that would be willing to showcase their homes fully in the area. Wright states, “This year is a little different, we usually try to shoot for seven houses or seven physical buildings.  Sometimes we have six houses (along with) a church, or five houses, an apartment and a church. This year, we only have three houses which is unusual. In 2009, we didn’t have tour (due to not having enough houses available that year). 2010 and 2011, we did put on tours.”

These great buildings, owned by gracious property owners willing to showcase the entirety of their homes and commercial properties, allow attendees to see all aspects of great architecture in Peoria. Bobbitt mentions that there’s concern that older commercial properties won’t survive and that the biggest fear is of the wrecking ball. The promotion for the Tour is all about word of mouth and getting the community involved in seeing these buildings. The money that goes back into the community does help over time.

Bobbitt explains, “All the money we retain is seed money for next year’s tour. It files back into the community because we fill the gap between memberships in these organizations…We drive all over the West Bluff, we see things that we know we donated to this sign, to these shrubs, and to these plants…we see the results of our work and it’s well worth it.”

For more information on The Grand Tour of Homes, contact LaDonna Bobbitt (309)-672-1831 or Connie Wright (309)-674-2330. Tickets are $12.00 in advance and $15.00 the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased from the following businesses as well: Floral Expressions, Sterling Flower Shop, Marilyn’s Bow-K, Bartonville Haddad’s, The Old Hair Shoppe in West Peoria, Fred’s Shoe Repair in Peoria, Relic’s on Adams Street, and Rhythm Kitchen in downtown Peoria.

I’m happy to report that Peoria’s “Mr. Baseball,” Pete Vonachen, is on the mend. Pete fell at home recently and broke his hip resulting in surgery at OSF St. Francis. Following recovery from the operation, the 86-year old Vonachen was transferred to Proctor Hospital to begin rehabilitation. This was Pete’s second rehab visit to Proctor in recent years. He was transferred there over a year ago after doctors removed part of a leg due to diabetes. It’s interesting to note that Pete served on the St. Francis Advisory Board for many years and still attends meetings where his opinions are highly valued by everyone.

Pete continues to amaze people with his positive mental attitude. When I visited him he was sitting in a chair talking with close friend George Shadid who himself had major surgery recently. Pete proudly announced that he had just walked to the nursing station and back for the first time. He was wearing the usual infectious smile and trading funny lines and comments with everyone.

When one visits with Pete the conversations always touch on a variety of interesting stories, some humorous, some serious, and some downright fascinating. The latter could describe his story about the late Paul Cation. An attorney with strong influences in the Republican Party, Cation wound up in federal prison in Marion, Illinois. After a period of time, Vonachen related, Cation was given the job of providing orientation to new prisoners. He was surprised when he sat down face-to-face with new fellow inmate, the great Pete Rose. Yes, the Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds, “Mr. Hustle.” Rose asked Cation where he was from. When Cation said Peoria, Rose immediately asked, “Do you know Pete Vonachen?” Why is it so many people ask, when they learn you’re from Peoria, if you know Pete Vonachen? I’ll tell you, it’s because the man is loved and respected all of the country.

MORE GOOD NEWS!

As I mentioned, former state Senator George Shadid was visiting Pete when I stopped in Room 324 at Proctor. George was in St. Francis the same time Pete was just two doors away. George had surgery on his throat. Surgeons removed a growth the size of a golf ball he told us. The growth was analyzed as all such masses are. Doctors later told Shadid the growth was not cancerous. That was good news. Strangely, the mass that was removed was made up entirely of … cholesterol. Now that’s a medical revelation. Doctors said research indicated they could find only one other similar medical case on record. Meanwhile, George looks and sounds wonderful.

CONGRATULATIONS!

As president of the Woodruff High School Alumni Association, I’m proud to announce the awarding of $1,000 scholarships to eight former Woodruff students now attending other District 150 high schools. Winners of the scholarships are Tina Washington of Manual and Peoria High students Jemia Carpenter, LaCorsica Metts, Taylor Rusk, Kyle Santos, Jalisa Smith, Salina Thomas, and Shaina Vongphouthone. The students and their parents were honored guests at the alumni association’s annual spring banquet in the Commons at Woodruff.

Counselors at Manual and Peoria High are to be commended for their splendid cooperation. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for Richwoods. The lack of cooperation at that school only hurt those Woodruff students who had no opportunity, through no fault of their own, to apply for scholarships.

It was interesting to read each of the student applications. Virtually all of them made comments about the love they had for Woodruff and their former teachers. Too bad Laura Petelle, Linda Butler and Debbie Wolfmeyer could not read what the students wrote so they could learn how much emotional  damage they caused by voting to close Woodruff. On a positive note, one Central student wrote, “In this Lion beats the heart of a Warrior.”

HISTORIC PUNISHMENT

You probably read details about the confrontation between a Peoria High female student and music teacher Denise Adams. Ms. Adams’ husband, Lee Wenger, a gentle and friendly guy, came to his wife’s defense and paid a heavy penalty. We’re told Wenger has been banned for life from entering or attending any District 150 event anywhere in Peoria and perhaps the world by administration. We’re also told the student was not penalized. Some District 150 teachers say they have never heard of such a heavy penalty assessed against anyone in the history of Peoria education.

NO FOOLING!

The Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame held its 31st Annual Induction Banquet on Sunday, April 1. No fooling. Over 400 people attended the event at the Civic Center and applauded as Chuck Buescher, Al Carius, Dave Golden, Howard Nathan, and Carl Stutzman were inducted along with the 1988-89 Central boys basketball team, 1989 and 1991 Farmington girls softball teams, and the 1994 Eureka College men’s basketball team.

Al Carius was recognized as one of the most successful cross country and track and field coaches in the country. The North Central College coach, who hails from Morton, has seen his teams win 13 national titles along with 37 consecutive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Cross Country Championships. Former Peoria County Board member Bill O’Brien was present for the event. His son, Michael, was a pole vaulter for North Central from 2001 to 2005. Michael is in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, where he serves as Chief of Civil Litigation for court martials. He recently spent six months in Iraq. Many other personal stories were shared at tables throughout the room.

BUSINESS NOTES

Those beautiful apartments and condos at Cape Cod Village in Morton are for sale for a cool $17.3 million. That means the 200 units are priced at over $86,000 each.

Meanwhile, the Medicine Shop at the Oak Cliff Plaza on North Knoxville has been sold to HyVee. HyVee closed the business and reportedly hired former owner Bob Antonacci for its Sheridan Village store.

EXPENSIVE P.R.

The Obama administration sponsored a strange public relations stunt. After defunding and demolishing America’s highly successful and world leading space program, the White House sponsored a highly promoted flight of the space shuttle Enterprise to New York City. The shuttle, which never ever entered space, was carried by a 747. Despite the economy and the high cost of fuel, White House officials apparently gave approval for the plane and its “passenger” to circle New York City for almost an hour before landing. Not a single news network questioned the cost of the flight.

CHURCH CONFLICTS

WITH “THE LEFT”

“The left” is busier than ever now that they helped elect Barack Obama president. Hopefully, the country will elect a more moderate Mitt Romney as president in November. Churches have been fighting the radical left for years in the ongoing battle to retain traditional values. Bishop Daniel Jenky gave a recent homily critical of President Obama and some Catholic liberals suffered intellectual seizures over his remarks.

Liberal faculty members at Notre Dame University responded by demanding that the Bishop either apologize or resign. My two word homily to the Irish liberals in South Bend is “Butt out.”

In 1906 Evelyn Beatrice Hall wrote a biography about Voltaire saying, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Today, the liberal left’s response to those they disagree with is, “Apologize or resign.” Everyone should read Michael Connelly’s evaluation of Obama care. Unlike Obama, whom the media claims is a former professor of constitutional law, which he never was, Connelly is a constitutional attorney. If you read it in its entirety, you will agree with Bishop Jenky.

As a long-standing member of the Methodist Church, I recognize the liberal forces within my own denomination led by such leftists as Jim Winkler. Winkler and others of his ilk function within the Board of Global Ministries are making six figures from contributions made by unsuspecting Methodists. Winkler, who once came to Peoria (unfortunately), has been calling for the Methodist Church to quit investing in Caterpillar because the company does business with Israel.

Fortunately, Reverend Bob Phillips, Directing Pastor of First United Methodist Church, strongly supports Caterpillar. “Divestment as a tool to influence foreign policy is a bad idea and that is a position I have held long before coming to Peoria,” Phillips said to members of our church. Winkler and his associates have for many years represented left-wing positions against the U.S. government especially when George Bush was president.

COST CUTTING?

Peoria County board member Andrew Rand has resurrected an old idea about saving money. He’s suggested eliminating the offices of Recorder of Deeds and Auditor, both held by elected officials. We’ve heard this idea before. What Rand fails to acknowledge is the costs will remain almost the same, just better hidden. People will still have to do the work. Staff will have to be added, raises given for additional work each year, and most importantly, there’ll be a significant lack of accountability. If the Auditor or the Recorder of Deeds screws up, citizens can vote them out. What happens if you push those responsibilities to those in appointed positions? You won’t even know who to go to complain unless it’s the county clerk. This is a bad idea and should be rejected ……again!

Since Rand is looking for ways to reduce costs he might resurrect another idea. Remember when the League of Women voters led the “Nine Is Enough” campaign for the county board? He might want to try that idea on for size. It was fairly popular in its day. Here’s another suggestion for Rand to consider. Reduce the pay for board members. It’s a small part-time job with little to do other than attend committee meetings and a once a month full board meeting. Board members hardly ever receive phone calls like city council folks except when a hot zoning issue develops and those are rare. Committee chairpersons make over $10,000 a year while others “earn” close to $9,000. Not bad for one or two meetings a month. But reducing board pay will never fly for obvious reasons even if cutting salaries could save $1 million over 10 years.

BAD MONTHLY QUOTE

“I would not look to the U.S. Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012.” —Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice

(And she’s voting on Obama Care?)

BEST MONTHLY QUOTE

“Confuse a liberal with facts.”

“I chose to be a housewife and raise you boys,” she said.

She did (and she did a good job), but it helped that Dad’s made decent wages as a lineman. Some women don’t have such choices.

As much progress that has occurred – women for decades were limited by traditional cultural, educational and even legal barriers and were limited to teaching, nursing, maybe factory work and service jobs if they chose to work outside the home – U.S. wages fell, so families needed more than one income.

Some families don’t financially need both parents to work, so they choose not to. That’s maybe what Democratic activist Hilary Rosen tried to say when she blurted out that Ann Romney never worked “a day in her life.” She stayed home and presumably worked to raise kids and maintain a home – without compensation for her labor.

Despite rhetoric about “family values,” Republican and Democratic politicians alike dismiss parenting as a job, of course. In fact, Ann’s husband Mitt in January publicly proposed to a New Hampshire rally that moms who receive government aid should be compelled to get a job outside the home or lose their benefits.

“I want those individuals to have the dignity of work,” he said.

Huh.

Ann Romney said, “We need to respect choices that women make.”

Raising kids is one of the most important jobs anyone can do, but choices remain slim.

Still, Rosen apologized; First Lady Michelle Obama voiced support for Ann Romney; and the President said “There’s no tougher job than being a mom.”

But it’s better to have choices: full-time, part-time or stay-at-home work. Most mothers wish they had the choice of staying at home or going to work outside the home, but few do.

The Families and Work Institute says that in 1974, 47 percent of women with children under 18 participated in the labor force; now it’s more than 70 percent.

Participation in the workforce has resulted in greater potential conflicts between work and family roles, according to a study by the University of Minnesota and the SUNY Downstate Medical Center examining associations between work-family conflict and women’s health after childbirth. Women who reported high levels of job spillover to home had mental health scores worse than women who reported low levels of spillover. Women with medium and high levels of home spillover to job also reported worse mental health compared to those with low spillover.

The study’s findings also show that women experienced job spillover into the home more frequently than home spillover into work; no association was found between job spillover into the home and physical health; and a positive association was found between women’s mental health scores and both social support from co-workers and positive feedback from family members about the way a woman “balanced both work and family.”

Moms in poverty have it worse, according to Urban Institute researchers Austin Nichols and Pamela Loprest, who found that one in four low-income single mothers nationwide – about 1.5 million of them – are jobless and without cash aid. That’s twice the rate as the system before President Clinton pushed through “welfare reforms.”

Similarly, Luke Shaefer of the University of Michigan and Kathryn Edin of Harvard looked at the share of households with children living on less than $2 per person per day and say that’s almost doubled since 1996, to nearly 4 percent. One out of 50 children live that way.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says the percentage of the population working or looking for work for all mothers with children under 18 was 70.8 percent in 2010. From 2008 to 2018, the women’s civilian labor force is projected to grow by 9.0 percent, or 6.4 million.

Already, BLS says, on average, among women aged 25 and over, those with a bachelor’s degree or more education spent more time working than they did doing household activities. (Women with less than a high school education spent more time doing household activities than they did working.)

Something’s got to give. Plenty of stay-at-home moms are going to want to get jobs outside the home, but the cost of the child care is too high. Further, some working women would like to stay home, but they can’t without sacrificing income their households need.

We need an economy where mothers can choose what’s best for their family.

The BLS on April 17 reported that women who work full time had median weekly earnings 82.2 percent of the median men that make. That means that the working woman lost $10,784 last year to that gap, according to the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC).

“When women are struggling to regain jobs in the recovery and families are relying increasingly on women’s wages, it’s especially critical to end the pay gap for women,” NWLC co-president Marcia Greenberger told Press Associates, Inc. “Since lost wages cut deeply into a family’s budget, equal pay is not an abstract principle for women and their families. It’s key to their survival.”

U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis agrees, adding, “Women now make up nearly half of the nation’s workforce, and 60 percent of all women work full time. In almost two-thirds of families led by single mothers or two parents, mothers are either the primary or co-breadwinner.

“Pay equity is not simply a question of fairness,” she added. “It is an economic imperative with serious implications not just for women, but for their families, their communities and our nation.”

Paying for working at home seems remote at a time when raising the minimum wage isn’t even being debated. But government could ensure equal pay, provide maternity leave and child-care options, and reform labor law to let mothers and all workers unionize if they choose.

Here was the 5 star general who had led the military victory over Nazism and Fascism; the Republican president who had enhanced social security, promoted desegregation, and protected the amazingly complex and ecologically precious Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; a visionary who had established the interstate highways; a politician who could work with both his fellow Republicans and with Democrats for the good of America; a leader who truly tried to keep corporate greed from subverting the regulatory imperatives of government. My question today is, were we seeing an endangered species?

Eisenhower is considered by many among our top ten best presidents. He guided the ship of state through the turbulent waters of post World War II. Great leaders are visionary. They can think several generations out and are able to see beyond the mere short term that mires the mediocre. George Washington set the tone for America’s future by establishing the presidency as administrator more than king. Abraham Lincoln accomplished the nearly impossible task of holding the country together while ending the reprehensible and self destructive practice of slavery. He actually set aside one of the first and finest wilderness areas anywhere, Yosemite, deeding it to Californiawith the caveat that it remain pristine. It is now, of course, a National Park.

Theodore Roosevelt insured that we wouldn’t sacrifice our soul on the altar of Mammon, when he protected many millions of acres of America the Beautiful as parks and national monuments, beyond the reach of consumptive capitalists. Richard Nixon (Eisenhower’s vice president) is considered by some a failure, but is viewed by others as great… or near great, for some of his remarkable accomplishments. He established the Environmental Protection Agency, but that’s not all he did for future generations. There’s also the National Environmental Policy Act, The Clean Air Act, The Safe Drinking Water Act, The Marine Mammal Protection Act, and The Endangered Species Act.  He truly left a lasting legacy, regardless whether our current politicians or lobbyists find it convenient.

Now it’s time to select another leader. April marked the opening round for our pair of presidential pugilists. Since there are no other significant competitors both sides can focus on the fracas. SuperPAC spending is now somehow supposed to help select our next president. But only the nattering nabobs of negativism are happy with the recent judicial ruling, opening the floodgates for unlimited spending on whiney ads with twisted fibs about the bums running for office. Unfortunately some of our finest visionary presidents would have almost no chance of getting elected if they ran today. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, would all be considered too “liberal” or perhaps insufficiently religious.

Last month marked the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic.  How appropriate… you might say we are embarking on another presidential campaign voyage. Lots of issues are being tossed around… the economy and unemployment are being singled out. Candidates also talk about the need for adequate troop levels, weaponry, surveillance, and security. This is akin to messing with, dare I say it; the deck furniture on the Titanic of state. There’s a far greater and more destructive problem out there. Just one example of the impacts of global warming: sea level is acting like a slow motion tsunami… rising inexorably toward Wall Street.

But we don’t hear candidates acknowledging the looming iceberg of global warming.  Most of us know it’s out there. Once again environment is what’s missing from presidential politics. It’s consistently taken for granted. Mediocre leaders who lack vision will simply promote drilling, mining, and polluting as if there’s no problem. This despite a spate of scientific evidence to the contrary. I hate mixed metaphors, but it’s akin to throwing the smoke detector away because it’s too noisy.

Titanic was considered a technological triumph, unsinkable, a symbol of mankind’s dominance over the forces of nature. Some say they should have proceeded through the iceberg field with a bit more caution. Perhaps they were feeling invincible despite warnings. Whatever the case, the giant iceberg loomed out of the darkness and the rest, as they say, is history. We appear not to have learned that we really do not have dominance over the forces of nature.

A politician’s stance on environmental protection offers a glimpse into her/ his true commitment to America’s, indeed the world’s, future. The inappropriate but increasing influence of short sighted, self serving plutocrats doesn’t help. There are some looming icebergs. Our country has weathered many turbulent times, but none as scary as today’s issues including species loss, climate change, pollution, and population growth.

In his now famous farewell speech Dwight Eisenhower expressed his fear that too much influence from corporate power… what he called “the military industrial complex” could do real and lasting harm to the U.S. “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

President Obama was right on the mark, in a recent State of the Union Address, when he echoed Eisenhower’s fear. Regarding the Supreme Court decision on Citizens United, he pointed out that the ruling had… “reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests — including foreign corporations — to spend without limit in our elections.”

As for those who complain about too much government; remember Lincoln’s hope, that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Let us examine this statement.

Hitler wrote a book detailing his hatred for the Jewish people. Obama didn’t say anything slightly mean about the Catholics (or Jews, or Protestants, Or Muslims, or Buddhists, or even Wiccans) in his book. And why should he? There are far, far, far more voting Catholics than there are Jews in America. He’d be insane to intentionally antagonize them.

So, here’s Jenky, going to his pulpit last week to compare Obama to Hitler. In what way does Obama compare to Hitler?

There was no Kristallnacht for Jenky. No groups of Obama supporters went door to door destroying the businesses owned by American Catholics. No American Catholics were arrested. There is no censorship of American Catholics. Indeed, Jenky was quite free to link Obama with Hitler, when a truly Hitler-like president would have had Jenky arrested a long time ago.

No American Catholics’ books were burned. No works of art by American Catholics were destroyed. No American Catholics suddenly found themselves unemployable or shunned by non-Catholic society. No one is pillaging churches or the homes of American Catholics of all their paintings.

Now I might have missed this, as I do not regularly read the National Review, but I am unaware of any American Catholics being rounded up and sent off to camps. Likewise, I am unaware of any slave labor being performed by captured American Catholics. And I am equally unaware of the skin being taken off the bodies of murdered American Catholics and turned into lamp shades or book covers.

But them I don’t read WorldNetDaily. So I might have missed it. If anyone has a link to any article describing such atrocities, please send it to me.

So, exactly what did President Obama do that had Bishop Jenky comparing him to Hitler? Well, the Obama Administration proposed rules that would require all employers to cover the costs of birth control.  This wouldn’t have applied to churches, but it would have applied to businesses owned by churches, like hospitals or schools. So, if a church organist went on the pill, the church wouldn’t have to pay. But if a nurse at OSF Medical Center did, the church would have to pony up.

So, is THIS what had Jenky calling Obama Hitler?

No, because Obama caved when the religious right erupted into fury. Now the church organizations will not have to pay for the birth control. Now the insurance companies will have to pay.

And it is this — the idea that their insurer will have to pay for birth control for their possibly non-catholic employees — is what had Jenky comparing Obama to Hitler. Some people have suggested that Jenky has, well, wide-open standards for comparing presidents to Hitler. Some Jewish groups think Jenky is kinda premature with the Hitler comparison since Obama hasn’t actually started to oppress anybody yet.

And one group — Americans United for Separation of Church and State — has filed a request with the Internal Revenue Service to have the diocese’s tax exempt status yanked. It seems that there are some pesky rules in place that seemingly prevent electioneering from the pulpit.

I sympathize with Jenky. Oh, I don’t mean about Obama. I mean Peoria City Hall. They gave me a ticket for not having a parking permit. In front of my own house! It’s the first step to fascism, I’m telling you.

Yep, go with the Hitler comparison, first thing, right out of the box. Nothing silences a foe quicker than calling him Hitler.

Parking tickets? Call the cop Hitler. Cable company hiked your rates? Call the customer support guy Hitler. Electric company cutting down trees in your neighborhood? Hitler. The fast-food worker at the drive-thru give you medium fries when you clearly asked for onion rings? Hitler.

So what if church goers will suddenly lose the right to deduct donations? So what if the church suddenly had to pay taxes on its millions and millions of dollars worth of church property. So what if Catholics who like Obama (or who simply object to having him compared to Hitler) suddenly refuse to stop donating?

I’m pretty sure you can call them Hitler too.

by Ed Klein, Peoria, IL

The history of the United States is, in one sense, a history of guns … from the matchlocks of the Pilgrims to the rapid firing heavy caliber assault rifles of today. And the right to bear and use those guns has long been the subject of a long standing controversy. Gun enthusiasts maintain that buying and owning guns is one of our fundamental rights as set forth in the Second Amendment. Opponents say yes, but only in context of an organized militia. But whatever side of the controversy one is on, we must remember that rights and freedoms, no matter how precious, require some limitations and restrictions based on common sense.

Illinois will soon join the rest of the states to legalize concealed carry. And about that, I have mixed emotions. As a gun owner for most of my life I have encountered situations where having a gun handy – in my home, car, or on my person – provided a sense of safety and peace of mind, and in some cases quite likely prevented some ugly situations from developing. But then, there are those mixed emotions I can’t ignore. And I ask myself, what kind of country do we live in that necessitates an armed citizenry? Do we so mistrust our law enforcement agencies that every citizen must possess the means to act – in some cases as judge, jury and executioner?

I imagine that most gun owners fantasize about how they would whip out their piece and blow away the crazed gunman barging into a restaurant, place of business or school with murder and mayhem in mind. But how often has that happened? The American Rifle Association magazine contains a page devoted to cases where gun owners have defended themselves and their families with their weapons. But in every case that I’ve read, the action took place in their homes or on their property, and not with a concealed gun.

Contrary to what many gun enthusiasts claim, the present administration has not posed any threat to gun owners and their right to buy and possess firearms. In fact, it has said very little on the subject. I would share their concerns if I thought such a threat existed. But no one I know of has threatened to outlaw shotguns, rifles, or handguns. What can one say about high-powered, rapid firing assault rifles? Or sawed off shotguns? And especially those .50 caliber rifles used in the military by snipers … weapons that can shoot through brick walls at a distance of a mile or more, and bring down an airliner? Does anyone use these weapons for hunting or target shooting? Not likely! Is it possible that those who want that kind of firepower feel they would like to change our government by using bullets instead of ballots?

I recall watching a TV program several years ago that put policemen in virtual shoot or no shoot situations. In some cases the policeman held his fire because his quick eye caught children or other obstacles in the background that were in his line of fire. But, in other situations where the officer was too quick on the trigger, his bullets would have placed innocent people in jeopardy. What it came down to was both training and a well-developed sense of judgment. If an experienced policeman’s judgment can fail under stressful circumstances, can we trust that armed citizen’s judgment in a moment of intense excitement? That, my friends, is where the danger lies – the excitement of the moment when cool judgment, for most of us, is temporarily abandoned.

Criminals and those unstable individuals inclined to violence will carry a gun illegally and not hesitate to use it to intimidate or murder their victims. One reason advanced for concealed carry is that the criminal will hesitate to attack if he thinks his intended victim may also be packing heat. I would like to think that a legally armed citizenry really would act as a powerful deterrent to crime, but would it? Crime has fallen, we are told, in states where concealed carry is legal. And that lives have been saved by citizens carrying guns. Perhaps, but one seldom hears of instances where an armed citizen gets the drop on a criminal. So it’s fair to ask. Will the proliferation of guns make us safer? Or will it result in more deaths, unintended or not? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

“I Remember Where I was on …”

by Dolores M. Klein, Peoria, IL

We all, of my generation, recall where we were on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked; when J.F.K. was assassinated, or when Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King were shot, or George Wallace. And as May and June approach, some of us recall the days in Springfield in 1982, watching the legislature play politics with the Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Beginning that May, seven women began a 37 day religious custom, an ancient highly-regarded custom. Is it to be written somewhere in history that, at that time, it was the longest Fast since Gandhi’s for a cause, for a belief.

Those of us who went down to support Sister Maureen Fiedler, and the Mormon woman excommunicated for her public support for E.R.A. Sonis Johnson, recall the anti-E.R.A. supporters nastily strolling in front of the women fasters, chewing on apples, etc. And, now at a War on Women is being pointed out during this election, we also remember Monica Faith Stewart’s famous speech telling the politicians, recalling a saying from school days: “We’ll meet you outside after 3:15. Women represent the majority of people on this planet!” The upcoming elections will see the result of women demanding justice.

Heartline & Heart House Celebration

by Trixie Jones, Executive Director, Eureka, IL

It was thirty years ago, that a distinct group of Godly men and women began building the foundation for an organization that has served the on-going and ever-changing needs of countless individuals and families throughout Woodford County.  We have indeed faced everything from adverse economies to overwhelming challenges, but together, we have maintained our priority to protect and nurture the great commission God has laid before us. Over the past thirty years, the Heartline and Heart House staff, board of directors, volunteers and donors have remained sincere in our efforts to keep our eyes on Christ as to not miss HIS promptings and nudging to help us fulfill HIS ultimate will for our organization.

Woven throughout the great history of our organization, you will find HIS-story.  Not too long ago, I read a simple quote from an unknown author that truly captures Heartline and Heart House: “Behind every bit of good we do, there is a story of what made it possible.” In the time I have had the pleasure of serving as the Director of Heartline and Heart House, I could write a book on the amazing stories of how God’s ultimate hand has been actively at work in so many of our stories and testimonies.

The 2012 recipient of the MARVIN CHENEY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD and the HEARTLINE AND HEART HOUSE VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD was announced on April 27th..  Tickets are $15 and are available at the Heartline Administrative Office, Eureka/Roanoke/Minonk/Washburn/Spring Bay Community Banks, Metamora Commerce Bank and the El Paso Flanagan State Bank.

American Red Cross Volunteers

by Ann M. Fox, Chief Executive Officer - Central IL Chapter

Volunteers are the American Red Cross. They are a part of everything that happens here. Their power is immeasurable; their value, incalculable. Without them, the symbol of the Red Cross would be just a hollow shape. They are the heart and hands of our organization and they give the Red Cross meaning and reach.

When a disaster strikes, you see our volunteers in action. They bring comfort and hope to those who find themselves with nowhere to go and nowhere to turn. In the recent tornadoes that struck the South and Midwest, one disaster victim told us, “The Red Cross is always there when these things happen… they are always there”.

Multiply the contributions of any one of the 515 local volunteers by our half-a-million Red Cross volunteers across the country. It lifts the heart and boggles the mind to realize the strength of service the Red Cross can provide through this cadre of volunteers.

April 15 through April 21 was National Volunteers week. It is a time where the Red Cross recognizes those individuals who accomplish our mission in central Illinois. Their selflessness and dedication make us who we are and help us to reach thousands of people right here at home with lifesaving and life changing services.

To all of our volunteers, I say thank you… Thank you for your sacrifice, your passion and your drive to reach out a hand of compassion to those who need the Red Cross. You are my inspiration, and make me proud to be part of the American Red Cross.

I remember watching Daddy assemble the wood and stain it at his workbench in our basement. He took the cloth with Mom’s embroidering on it and stretched it across the frame, securing it with his staple gun. Somehow he connected the thin black metal filigree hands of the clock through the cloth and into the battery-operated mechanism in the back. He drove one screw into each side of the back of the frame and then strapped a thick wire he had wound with black electrical tape to the screws and voila! A clock was born. I was so intrigued.

Daddy brought his ladder in from the garage to hang the clock in our dining room and I watched him from the living room floor. We had what was called a split-level house, so when he climbed the ladder and started measuring, I dashed up the stairs and lay down on my stomach on the living room floor so I could be eye-level with the clock’s new home.

He knocked on the wall horizontally for a few minutes and I giggled. What was that all about? Then he measured, and measured and then measured again. Finally he marked the spot where the clock should go with one of the automatic pencils he kept in his pocket protector (those of you related to engineers will know what those are). Once the clock was hanging on the wall, Daddy pulled out this orange bar thingy with a florescent yellow bubble inside a vertical tube. He set it on top of the clock frame and moved the clock ever-so-slightly at the bottom until that bubble was smack-dab in the middle. Such fuss over hanging a clock! I was no longer intrigued.

The numbers on the clock were Roman numerals stitched in black thread, which I’m sure was what the pattern called for, since Mom followed patterns precisely without deviation. A lovely design of what I think is ivy or some type of foliage surrounds the face of the clock and then a few inches below is an embroidered basket of red flowers. A wood-framed door protects Mom’s handiwork. It has a large square glass pane around the face and a smaller rectangular pane over the basket of flowers.

My place at the dining room table faced that clock. For decades I stared at it, never quite sure what time it was. Not because I didn’t comprehend the relationship of the hands to the numbers, but that the hands and the numbers were both black and, being near-sighted, couldn’t tell the time without my glasses (which I always “forgot” to wear).

Still, it didn’t matter to me what time it was. What that clock meant to me reached beyond a simple device for measuring my minutes and hours; it was a piece of art that my Mom and my Daddy made together with their own hands.

Now it hangs in my office, ticking away while Chopin plays softly through my laptop speakers and I type these stories to you about my wonderful parents. The tick seems more pronounced hanging on my wall than it did on their wall. Maybe it’s because my childhood drama is gone. Maybe it’s because Daddy is gone and Mom is no longer able to follow a pattern. Whatever the reason, time seems to be like those stitches behind the glass-paned door of that clock, each carefully pulled through the cloth of my heart; each combining into a number that gets larger than the one before it.

Oh, the big hand still rushes around in a circle, dragging the smaller, reluctant hand along with it, but I still ignore them both; and yes, the ticking is louder. Nonetheless, the hands that crafted it are what I see and its tick, tick, ticktells me that only minutes separate me from those who no longer need a clock.