Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 4

1 HeraldlReview UFJJN 1UJN Thursday, December 5, 2013 www.herald-review.com A State House ADM legislation future action on the proposal. "It's consideration," Madigan told follows its regular schedule, it in session until late January after ADM officials had wanted company is not commenting on are under consideration for the headquarters, but it has been Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis have been pursuing ADM. Mayor Mike McElroy said he optimistic the company will wait for decision. "We're halfway there good news today, and that's what think about during the holidays," Tuesday.

said the legislation is headed in direction. "I appreciate ADM's willingness listen and work with both myself elected officials that led to this creation legislation," he said. proposal approved by the Senate celebrate. This is important legislation, would assist in retaining jobs in would also create jobs in Decatur, highest unemployment rate in and other House members should the urgency involved with this legislation either arrange for a special session with the issue, or assure ADM that considered quickly next year. The move to retain the world headquarters of Archer Daniels Midland Co.

in Illinois and to hand jobs in Decatur is in limbo. That's not necessarily bad news. The Illinois Senate approved proposed tax incentives for the company on Tuesday. But it was not addressed by the Illinois House, leaving many to wonder about the bill's future and its impact on the state and Decatur. The best scenario would be for the House to come back in special session sometime soon and approve the bill sponsored by Sen.

Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill. The proposal would give ADM a package of tax incentives from the state if the company agrees to locate ics world headquarters in the Chicago area. ADM announced previously that it will move about 100 jobs from the Decatur plant to establish the new world headquarters and would add another 100 jobs as part of a technology center that will be attached to the new headquarters. Also as part of the proposal, ADM would add about 500 jobs over the next five years to the Decatur operation. On the same day that the General Assembly approved pension reform, the Illinois Senate agreed to the bill putting those proposals on the table.

But House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, allowed his chamber to adjourn before the bill was addressed. Madigan did not say why he left the measure unfinished but did JONAB eOlESERS liberals on offense in culture war Maybe someone can explain to me how, exactly, conservatives are the aggressors in the culture war? In the conventional narrative of American politics, conservatives are obsessed with social issues. They want to impose their values on everyone else. They want the government involved in your bedroom. Those mean right-wingers want to make "health care choices" for women.

Now consider last week's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to consider two cases stemming from Obamacare-Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Sebelius and Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores. Democratic politicians and their fans on social media went ballistic almost instantly.

That's hardly unusual these days. But what's revealing is that the talking points are all wrong. Suddenly, the government is the hero for getting deeply involved in the reproductive choices of nearly every American, whether you want the government involved or not. The bad guy is now your boss who, according to an outraged Sen. Patty Murray, would be free to keep you from everything from HIV treatment to vaccinating your children if Hobby Lobby has its way.

Murray and the White House insist that every business should be compelled by law to protect its employees' "right" to "contraception" that is "free." I PUT ALL THREE words in quotation marks because these are deeply contentious claims. For starters, the right to free birth control or health care generally is not one you'll find in the Constitution. And even if you think it should be a right, that is hardly a settled issue in American life. The right to own a gun is a far more settled issue constitutionally, politically and legally in this country, but not even the National Rifle Association would dream to argue that we have a right to free guns, provided by our employers. If your boss were-required to give you a gun, your new employer-provided Glock still wouldn't be free because noncash compensa tion is still compensation.

Last, birth control pills really aren't the issue Both companies suing the govern- ment under Obamacare have no objection to providing insurance plans that cover the cost of birth control pills and other forms of contraception. What both the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties object to is paying for abortifacients drugs that terminate a pregnancy rather than prevent one (Hobby Lobby also opposes paying for IUDs, which prevent implantation of a fertilized egg. The distinction is simple: Contracep- tion prevents fertilization and pregnancy. Drugs such as "Plan terminate a preg- i nancy. THE PLAINTIFFS in these cases aren't saying the gov-j ernment should ban abortifa-I cients or make it impossible for their employees to buy them.

All they are asking is that the people using such drugs pay for them themselves rather than force employers and co-workers to share the cost. But leavine the rest of us out of it is exactly the opposite intent of the afuthors of Obamacare The law forces not only arts and crafts shops but also Catholic charities and other religiously inspired groups to choose between fulfilling their mission or violating their values. They could have allowed for plans that exclude controversial forms of birth control -or even uncontroversial ones which would have lowered premium costs and expanded health care coverage to more poor people But Democrats wanted a wedge issue to drum up a new battle in the culture wai, a war in which liberals have always been the aggressors. goldbergcolumngmail.com OUR VIEWS needs to move on such as a 3.8 Dercent tax on capital gains, dividends and interest that are unrelated to health care The effect of these additional taxes is to stifle investments and savings, which would seem to be a priority for our Congress. If this isn't punitive toward those trying to create wealth, what is it? Or do we even care anymore? It is also fact that the rocky rollout has created uncertainty and a lack of faith among businesses and consumers.

The computer system, now entering a new phase of glitchitude, has put impatient Americans on prolonged "hold." How long before they simply hang up? Then what? What alternative solutions are Republicans hiding behind their backs? FRANK MACCHIAR0LA, former Republican staff director of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (and my patient guide through the ACA) proposes in an op-ed for CNBC, co-written with Republican former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, that the GOP lead with solutions rather than piling on criticism. The authors agree with Democrats' goal to expand access to care, including to those with pre-existing conditions. But the cure, they suggest, is in targeted policy solutions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The same aspirational attitude could work for Republicans, too, if they can stop shaking their heads long enough.

"No" gets you nothing but nothing and gloating floats no boats. kathleenparkerwashpost.com EMAIL ddawson not dismiss still under reporters. If the House won't be back about a month an answer. The which cities new world reported that and Atlanta Decatur remains the House's now. We got I'm going to McElroy said Manar also the right to and local important job Getting the is reason to which Illinois and which has the the state.

Madigan understand and to deal it will be (217) HerakMReview EDITORIAL BOARD Todd Nelson Publisher David Dawson Gary Sawyer Managing Editor Editor The First Amendment "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Unsigned editorials are opinions reached by consensus of the Herald Review Editorial board. All other articles on this page are the opinions solely of the authors. We encourage readers to offer opinions on information provided by the Herald Review. Republicans As the government health care website chugs along, the Obama administration has initiated a counter-initiative to combat Republican naysaying and its weapons are of superior grade The bunker buster is positive messaging and 1 1 a return to hope and change For it's whatever the opposite is. Despair and stagnation? Gloating and KATHLEEN PARKER gloom? "Obamacare" may be fraught with potentially lethal problems, including the bungling of information as people sign up without any guarantee of privacy, but nothing is more toxic than "this is going to be a disaster." Every time Republicans slam on the brakes, Obama tosses coins and candy into the crowds.

EVEN IF THE PRESIDENT at times resembles Baghdad Bob, the Iraqi spokesman who said everything's fine here as American bombs exploded in the background, Republicans are the shock-and-awe gang with no plan for the day after. Democrats have targeted the GOP's soft spot, which is a hard line on social services. Thus, when Republicans want to drastically cut food stamps, it is a piece of cake to designate conservatives as cruel and heartless. When Republicans say the health OPINIONS? CONTACT US: I Hi NUT 1 1 til LETTERS Free speech endangered How much trouble are we in today because we're compelled to speak what is politically correct instead of what we may believe to actually be true? An obvious "terrorist attack" is called workplace violence. Self-defense by a white person is racist if the aggressor was black.

Chief Illiniwek was abandoned so as not to offend American Indians. The issue of political correctness was described by Voltaire 300 years ago when he said, "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize" The U.S. was established as a constitutional republic, not a democracy, by design of our forefathers to be ruled by the people But today the folks no longer call the shots, as evidenced in Washington where politicians, the biggest abusers of political correctness, rule instead of represent. The politically correct decisions they make daily are little by little taking away our free thought. Today, the tail is wagging the dog as minorities spurred on by political correctness are running the sanitarium.

Abandoning traditional manwoman marriage for same-sex; blackboards changed to white boards so as not to offend blacks; being a bigot if you simply criticize the actions of a black president; the secular movement fighting organized religion, except Islam; glob-alism and international everything versus U.S. sovereignty; and how about those Washington Redskins? Many agree this is insanity. Being politically correct is a serious threat to our nation by creating a nebulous brand of censorship. We're encouraged to present a popular form of facts and give a distortion of reality instead of what we know to be true One way to describe being politically correct was stated by Charlton Heston when he said "Political correctness is tyranny with manners." Bob Kimmons Warrensburg need answers beyond Abolish park district I feel that the Decatur Park District should be done away with and run by the city of Decatur. We could get rid of all top management and board members.

These people will not listen to the people who pay their wages. We need a question on the next election to see if this sounds good to the people who pay the bills. Delbert Ceariock Decatur care plan is doomed, a train wreck, a disaster, they appear to be rooting only for failure This approach is a blessing for Democrats, who have responded by shining a light on success stories: the 25-year-old who gets to stay on his parents' insurance plan another year, the child or elderly parent with a pre-existing condition who now can get insurance, the family who never could afford insurance and now can, thanks to well, all those people who are now mandated to buy insurance of a certain type or else WHAT DEMOCRATS know keenly and Republicans seem never to learn is that positive beats negative every time Thus, we see MSNBC's clever montage of Republican negativity: A series of unfriendly faces decrying the Affordable Care Act with apocalyptic language Which would any everyday American prefer? The healer or the doomsayer? The elves or the ores' This is not precisely reality, but perception drives policy as much as reality does. The key for Republicans is to drop the negative attacks and refocus energies on the positives of their own alternate plans. They do have some, right? It's fine to note the objective fact that the employer mandatefin1 has restrained hiring and forced businesses to drop insurance for their employees.

It's also true that many Americans navigating the exchanges are finding much-higher premiums and less-satisfactory policies. Other longer-term consequences include inevitable cuts to Medicare benefits and tax increases, WRITE Herald Review Letter to the editor 601 E. William St, Decatur, IL 62523-1142 piiiminir tk The Herald Review welcomes letters to the editor from readers on topics of general interest and public policy. Letters must be signed with the writer's full name and contain a current mailing address and telephone number (daytime and evening) for verification purposes. Letters must contain 300 words or less.

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