2009 Farm Progress Show
Beautiful weather, a huge crowd and just about anything related to agriculture at your fingertips made for a great 2009 Farm Progress Show. Progress City USA was at capacity last week as parking lots were filled with interested residents eager to see what’s new in the world of agriculture. Judging by the atmosphere and the smiles on the thousands of attendee’s faces, they certainly were not disappointed.
From new technology and equipment to advancements in fertilizer and seed, anything and everything you want to learn about world wide agriculture was available. An opportunity to speak with experts on issues such as higher yields and even those who actually invent the working parts of specific machines is just not something you get to do very often.
Oh, and you can not forget about the food. A wide variety of locally raised items that only add to the great experience by bringing everything full circle. You just can’t get any better than eating something that taste so great at the very same time you are learning about the techniques and equipment actually used to put it on your plate.
Hopefully this event stays in the local area for years to come. I just can’t see any better way to spend a couple of days in central Illinois.
Only in Chicago
How would you feel if suddenly you woke up one morning and out of thin air were awarded $40 million to complete a project you did not even know existed? If you’re the president of a major university I’m sure you’d be pretty happy, but of course there is always a flip-side to every story like this. The opposing view would read like this, how do you feel knowing that your tax dollars are funding a $40 million university expansion that was never even requested by the very university receiving the project?
Normally one would think the university president would be contacted in advance of such a major undertaking as building a new campus for Chicago State University. Frank Pogue, CSU President, said that he first heard of the new west side campus when he was reading the newspaper. When asked about the new endeavor Pogue said, “Quite frankly, I was not informed.” So how does a university get such a large project without even requesting it? Well, State Senator Ricky Hendon sponsored the project with capital funds stating the need for additional higher education opportunities. Of course additional higher education opportunities are always welcome here in Illinois, but shouldn’t the first step be contacting the university that is going to be granting these opportunities to see if this is the best use of funds?
I also found the Senator’s comment about how the newly opened campus would be run quite interesting. Sen. Hendon was quoted as saying, “I appropriate the money. I don’t tell the campus what they’re going to do.” That’s all well and good, but I’m pretty sure he just told them that they are now building a new Westside campus.
Quinn Unilaterally Changes State Retiree Dental Policy
Governor Quinn made a pretty significant policy change a couple of weeks ago that went relatively unnoticed, but those who it affects are certainly well aware. Quinn unilaterally made the decision that retirees who qualify for dental insurance under the State Employee’s Group Insurance Program will now have to pay monthly premiums beginning October 1st. The new monthly premium is $11 for member only coverage, $17 for a member plus one dependent coverage, or $19.50 for the member plus two or more dependents. One of the biggest concerns with the change is the fact that it was announced without a public comment period or a formal notice to the organizations representing state retirees. No public input on such major changes is a precedent that Illinoisans should not take lightly.
