How Chicago keeps you safe

       Recently I was in a gun store with my father and brother.  The owner was trying to talk my dad into buying an old revolver from the case because they would be gone soon.  

       "Why, you got a buyer?" my dad says. 

       "No, Chicago's doing another gun buyback.  I get a hundred dollar gift card for each of them, no limit."

       "No limit?"

       "Yeah, you go to one of these things and all the guns have tags on 'em.  They're all from stores."

       So let's review the stupid here.  First, this costs a crap-ton of taxpayer money, in an already bankrupt city.  Sounds like a bad idea, because it is.  I can't imagine the teachers, who did not get a contracted raise, and have already voted in favor of a strike, will miss this item when the city claims it has no money for raises during the coming negotiations.

       Second, these guns are not checked against the database of stolen firearms.  Apply that logic to a car, or computer turn in.  No questions asked, they are destroyed.  The real owner will never see that expensive item again.  Sounds bad, is bad.  Especially when you consider that law enforcement has an obligation to return stolen goods to their owners.  

       Third.  If the firearm had been used in a murder, the odds of solving that murder just went down to zero.  These guns are accepted, "no questions asked", and destroyed.  I guess Chicago figures they can't afford to hire enough detectives anyway, so why have them actually solve murders.  They need to spend their time pressing felony charges against recreational pot smokers... but that is another post.  (I know they are working toward misdemeanor tickets, I just don't think it will happen there, it makes too damn much sense)

       Fourth, as the owner of the gun store pointed out, criminals don't turn in guns at these things, (unless they need evidence destroyed) but store owners with non-functioning junk pistols do.  I do think we should always help our small business owners, but this is not the way to do it.   

       But hey, if you need to plan a murder, the city of Chicago nicely posts the dates and times of all the gun turn in events.  Turn the damn thing in warm and still smoking.  They won't care, as long as they are "Keeping you safe, by keeping guns off the streets"

       Glad I can watch this mess from afar and laugh at it.  (Not far enough, but far). 

Only in Illinois.

       For those of you that missed it, on December 7th of 2011, the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, which exists (theoretically) to prevent the duplication of services, voted down two new hospitals for McHenry county.  This was a very contentious vote, as two rival organizations were asking for permission to build.
       Using the states own numbers, that show a need for more than one hundred additional beds, both sides felt certain that someone was going to get permission.  I would like eveyone to note that in any other business it is known that many businesses offering the same service, or product, results in LOWER prices.  In healthcare it is assumed that competition will result in HIGHER prices.  Supply, demand, heard of them?  You are one up on the state of Illinois.  (More than one actually as apparently you can also read.)
       Competing hospital groups Mercy Health System, and Centegra Health System were up for the vote.  Mercy Health system, of Wisconsin, was asking permission to build a hospital in Crystal Lake, Illinois.  They were voted down, for the third time, with a vote of 6-2 against.  Centegra Health System, of Illinois, was asking permission to build a hospital in Huntley, Illinois.  They were voted down 4-4.  (More on that math later.)  In either case it would have meant jobs for many contractors, who currently are sitting at home wishing someone would build something.  The requests were denied because some relatively local hospitals have available bed space.  The problem with that reasoning is that others are quite full.  Almost as if the populace were expressing a preference for one hospital over another.  How dare they exercise choice.  What do they think this is a free market economy?!
       Kiferbaum Construction was a player in a previous corruption issue involving the board.  (http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2004/09/01/corruption-allegations-shake-illinois-government-health-care-market)  The article states that the entire NINE MEMBER board was to be replaced.  This board had initially denied hospitals permission to build, until they named a particular contractor as their choice for the project.
       Yours truly had written a letter to the local paper back then.  It seems a local politician, who is also a lawyer, was representing Mercy Health System in its first attempt to get a hospital in Crystal Lake.  He quickly distanced himself.  Mercy was shaken down by the board as well, but was found innocent of wrongdoing.
       Overall I have a good opinion of this politician, since he called me personally to discuss the issue.  We disagreed, but he made an effort to reach out to a member of his constituency who was unhappy.  He normally seeks input from the people he represents before making decisions.  It seems like strange behavior, but really it should be what is expected.
       Usually politicians only ask for input when they want to be absolved of responsibility.  Usually they don't ask at all.  Usually they don't care what we think.  This person does.  I will not use their name however, just in case there is still bad blood.  (My letter was not exactly kind, and my current opinion may not be cherished.)
       Here we go again.  Politics as usual in Illinois.  The problem is that they got caught.  The bigger problem is that nothing had changed.  While there is no flagrant demand to place a particular contractor in charge of the project, there is still a suspicion of corruption.
       For you see in the event of a tie, the request is denied.  Unlike baseball, in the event of a tie the call does not go to the runner.  In fact we should examine the entire idea of a tie.
       Perhaps you noticed that the Heath Facilities Planning Board has nine members.  Did one abstain from voting due to a conflict of interest?  No.  Was someone dismissed, or arrested?  No.  One member simply did not show up.  Hundreds of jobs on the line.  Two rival groups who are deeply invested.  Every bit of local media present and liveblogging, as well as webcasting.  All of this and one member just doesn't show.
       But perhaps I am rushing to judgement.  Maybe there was a good reason why one member of a nine member board was not present.  Maybe there was a legitimate reason involved.  It had better be a darned good one.