2008 Campaign, Abortion

Catholic archbishop confronts pro-choice Democrats

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My position is that I am personally opposed to abortion, but I don’t think I have a right to impose my few on the rest of society. I’ve thought a lot about it, and my position probably doesn’t please anyone. I think the government should stay out completely. I will not vote to overturn the Court’s decision. I will not vote to curtail a woman’s right to choose abortion. But I will also not vote to use federal funds to fund abortion.

–Sen. Joe Biden, Promises to Keep (2007), p. 104-105

This is Sen. Joe Biden’s official stance on abortion — a common one among Democrats, whose party platform includes a pro-choice stance as a key plank. Biden was asked to defend his fence-straddling position recently on Meet the Press, and what he said raised the ire of the Archbishop of Denver. The archbishop thinks that politicians like Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are misrepresenting the church’s beliefs on abortion to the American public, and he’s published a letter to set the record straight and expose these politicans’ “flawed moral reasoning”:

Public Servants and Moral Reasoning:A notice to the Catholic community in northern Colorado

To Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver:

When Catholics serve on the national stage, their actions and words impact the faith of Catholics around the country. As a result, they open themselves to legitimate scrutiny by local Catholics and local bishops on matters of Catholic belief.

In 2008, although NBC probably didn’t intend it, Meet the Press has become a national window on the flawed moral reasoning of some Catholic public servants. On August 24, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, describing herself as an ardent, practicing Catholic, misrepresented the overwhelming body of Catholic teaching against abortion to the show’s nationwide audience, while defending her “pro-choice” abortion views. On September 7, Sen. Joseph Biden compounded the problem to the same Meet the Press audience.

Sen. Biden is a man of distinguished public service. That doesn’t excuse poor logic or bad facts. Asked when life begins, Sen. Biden said that, “it’s a personal and private issue.” But in reality, modern biology knows exactly when human life begins: at the moment of conception. Religion has nothing to do with it. People might argue when human “personhood” begins – though that leads public policy in very dangerous directions – but no one can any longer claim that the beginning of life is a matter of religious opinion.

Sen. Biden also confused the nature of pluralism. Real pluralism thrives on healthy, non-violent disagreement; it requires an environment where people of conviction will struggle respectfully but vigorously to advance their beliefs. In his interview, the senator observed that other people with strong religious views disagree with the Catholic approach to abortion. It’s certainly true that we need to acknowledge the views of other people and compromise whenever possible – but not at the expense of a developing child’s right to life.

Abortion is a foundational issue; it is not an issue like housing policy or the price of foreign oil. It always involves the intentional killing of an innocent life, and it is always, grievously wrong. If, as Sen. Biden said, “I’m prepared as a matter of faith [emphasis added] to accept that life begins at the moment of conception,” then he is not merely wrong about the science of new life; he also fails to defend the innocent life he already knows is there.

As the senator said in his interview, he has opposed public funding for abortions. To his great credit, he also backed a successful ban on partial-birth abortions. But his strong support for the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and the false “right” to abortion it enshrines, can’t be excused by any serious Catholic. Support for Roe and the “right to choose” an abortion simply masks what abortion is, and what abortion does.

Roe is bad law. As long as it stands, it prevents returning the abortion issue to the states where it belongs, so that the American people can decide its future through fair debate and legislation. In his Meet the Press interview, Sen. Biden used a morally exhausted argument that American Catholics have been hearing for 40 years: i.e., that Catholics can’t “impose” their religiously based views on the rest of the country. But resistance to abortion is a matter of human rights, not religious opinion. And the senator knows very well as a lawmaker that all law involves the imposition of some people’s convictions on everyone else. That is the nature of the law.

American Catholics have allowed themselves to be bullied into accepting the destruction of more than a million developing unborn children a year. Other people have imposed their “pro-choice” beliefs on American society without any remorse for decades. If we claim to be Catholic, then American Catholics, including public officials who describe themselves as Catholic, need to act accordingly. We need to put an end to Roe and the industry of permissive abortion it enables. Otherwise all of us – from senators and members of Congress, to Catholic laypeople in the pews – fail not only as believers and disciples, but also as citizens.

+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Denver

+James D. Conley
Auxiliary Bishop of Denver

City Council, City of Peoria

Hy-Vee approved

24 Comments

The council gave the green light to Hy-Vee, even though they didn’t meet the city staff’s and zoning commission’s conditions/recommendations. Developers did make some improvements to the design, but the function of the west side of the store was not one of them. There will be no access from the west — in fact, Hy-Vee officials stated that even employees are not allowed to enter the rear (west side) of the store.

Officials also stated that an entrance in the rear “would not have worked from an operational standpoint of the supermarket’s business.” But I still think that, with a little creativity, they could have figured out a way to provide access from the west — even if it were just an indoor passageway from the west parking lot to the east entrance.

Construction is slated to begin in the spring, and will include demolishing an entire leg of the original strip mall. This will be the biggest change to come to Sheridan Village since it opened in the ’50s.

General News

Fogelberg to get street named after him today

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From a city press release:

The Dan Fogelburg [sic] Sign Ceremony will take place on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., on the NE corner of Prospect and Frye (top of Abington hill).

Also, here’s the Journal Star article on the event.

Fogelberg, an East Bluff native who died at age 56 last December after a battle with prostate cancer, was a 1969 Woodruff High School graduate. Some of his music was inspired by encounters and experiences in the Peoria region.

Abington will get the honorary designation “Fogelberg Parkway.” I hope his name is spelled correctly on the sign, unlike the press release.

City of Peoria, Streets, Traffic

I-74 capacity estimates severely overestimated

22 Comments

I’ve been thinking about this article from the Journal Star — specifically, this information:

Numbers released last week to the Journal Star indicate that in several cases, there is less traffic on I-74 since the Upgrade 74 project was completed in 2006.

East of Adams Street, just off the Murray Baker Bridge, the Illinois Department of Transportation counted an average 56,600 vehicles each day in 2008. Comparably, there were 62,100 vehicles daily crossing the Murray Baker Bridge in 2003, around the time the upgrade project began.

West of Adams Street’s exit, the state counted 51,000 vehicles each day in 2008, compared to 59,100 on average each day in 2003.

In East Peoria, west of the Main Street exit, the 2008 count shows 56,800 vehicles daily, down 3,000 vehicles on average each day from 2003, when the count was 59,800.

My criticism of the Upgrade 74 plan has always been that it was too much. In fact, one of the first posts I wrote (because, like all bloggers, there’s an obligatory post early in our careers complaining about something traffic-related) — on April 18, 2005 — was about the I-74 overhaul:

I’m not denying that the expressway needed some improvements. Some of those exit ramps were very dangerous and needed to be reconstructed.

But isn’t this overhaul a bit excessive? I mean, do we really need six to eight lanes of traffic through Peoria?

It’s almost like they said, “hey, what needs to be done to improve I-74 through Peoria?”

And someone answered, “well, we need to fix those short ramps — especially that dangerous one by the bridge.”

“Yeah, yeah, good! Anything else?”

“Well, it would really help traffic flow to put in a new interchange at Sterling by the mall.”

“Excellent, yes, that would be a good idea. Anything else?”

“Hmmm…. no, not really….”

“Okay, well, what do we estimate that will cost?”

“We figure about $200 million.”

[Furrowed brow] “Well, we’ve got $460 million appropriated… we’re going to have to come up with some more upgrades. What else can we do?”

“Well… uh…. we could add more lanes — and a tunnel — and, and, let’s see how many roads and ramps we can get to intersect at Knoxville — that would be fun!”

And away it went!

Indeed. The Journal Star reported on May 18, 1999, that “The new road will be able to carry up to 100,000 cars a day. Right now, from 30,000 to 65,000 cars use the road daily.” In other words, they doubled the capacity of I-74 through Peoria. Why? There’s no evidence that we needed additional capacity. And now we find out there are fewer cars on the interstate than before the upgrade! More capacity means more maintenance of more infrastructure in a state that can’t pay its bills or maintain its existing infrastructure as it is.

But I guess that’s water under the bridge now. Except I’d like to point out this: As we’re trying to decide what needs to be done with Main Street, let’s remember that traffic engineers are not always accurate in gauging capacity needs. This I-74 overhaul is a very expensive case in point.

General News

Dan Fogelberg Tribute this Saturday

12 Comments

From a press release:

Live Music Peoria presents…
Fall Music Festival at Glen Oak Park
A Tribute to Dan Fogelberg

September 13, 2008. Doors open at 2pm.
Glen Oak Amphitheater at Glen Oak Park
Children 12 & under: $7; Adults: $20 advance, $25 door

Tickets available at area Co-Op Records locations, online at livemusicpeoria.org or by calling 1-800-514-3849.

Music, food and fun for the whole family!
Celebrate Peoria’s musical heritage and pay tribute to the legacy of Dan Fogelberg with food, drinks, activities and live music. There will be plenty of great food and a beer garden, along with booths for local non-profit groups and Dan Fogelberg memorabilia on display. Proceeds will go to support the Cancer Center for Healthy Living in memory of Dan Fogelberg and his fight with prostate cancer.

Schedule

2:00 Doors open; Children’s activities provided by the Junior League of Peoria
3:00 Ralph’s World performance
4:00 Ralph’s World autograph session
4:30 Singer/songwriter Dave McDonald performs
5:00 Lollester Rocket performance; beer garden opens
6:00 The Peoria Acoustic All Stars: A Tribute to Dan Fogelberg
8:00 Headlining act John Sebastian takes the stage
Caterpillar, Museum Block

Koehler: Even museum may not be enough to keep Cat here

28 Comments

Word on the Street was especially newsy today. What I found most interesting was the response from Mayor Ardis and Senator Koehler when asked about comments that I and other bloggers interpreted as fear mongering to gain support for the proposed museum.

Ardis said he didn’t mean it that way. But Koehler upped the ante:

State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, […] said he’s concerned about the future of Caterpillar in Peoria with or without a museum, especially in today’s global corporate climate.

“If Peoria wants to turn this down, we need to be responsible for anything that happens in the future,” he said. “I’m not trying to overplay this. I’m being realistic.”

Wow. So, the future of Cat in Peoria is uncertain whether there’s a museum or not. What a comforting thought. So much for the museum driving “deep stakes” here for Cat, as Brad McMillan suggested. But here’s the best part: If we build the museum (translation: if we pass a big county-wide tax increase) and Cat decides to leave anyway, it will evidently be because of “today’s global corporate climate.” But if we don’t build the museum and Cat decides to leave, it’s all our fault for voting against a tax hike. It’s not scaremongering; it’s just “being realistic.”

It’s being realistic, but what was the other thing he said? Oh yeah: “State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, said he hasn’t had any conversations with anyone from Caterpillar about its future in Peoria if a museum isn’t built.”

I think it’s time for Caterpillar to clear the air. They didn’t return a call for comment to the paper. They should. Peorians deserve to know whether Caterpillar is giving Peoria an ultimatum or if the museum backers are just trying to use fear and misinformation to scare people into voting for a tax increase to build a museum whose current plans and cost they don’t like.

General News

Is there a better way to secure airports?

9 Comments

I found an interesting critique of airport security in an unlikely source — Parade magazine:

…critics say U.S. security strategy still focuses too much on finding bombs rather than bombers. Israel, home to many of the world’s most devastating terror attacks, has a different approach to security….Travelers in Israel are interviewed by highly trained security experts. In the U.S., billions are spent instead on scanning machines and other technology to detect weapons. “The Israelis ask questions, and they profile the situation, not the person,” explains Seth Cropsey, a former Defense Department official. “It’s often a much more thorough approach to security.”

I’d rather submit to some questioning than a virtual strip search any day. Maybe the U.S. could learn something from Israel.

Peoria Police

Drug arrestee photos to be put on police website

33 Comments

In this week’s Issues Update from the city, it was revealed that the police department will be doing for drug dealers and users what they’ve done for prostitutes and johns: publish their pictures on the web:

The Police Department is preparing to launch a new facet of the website relative to drug arrests. The Department intends to publish the names and photographs of persons arrested at drug houses during raids. Each entry will be listed by address and will identify all persons who were arrested during an operation. The Department would expect there will be two exceptions to the published photos; persons arrested for warrants only and those who do not have any new charges stemming from the raid will not be published. Additionally, persons may need to be excluded to protect the confidentiality of subsequent investigations. For example, a small-time drug dealer may choose to cooperate with investigators and assist the Department in making cases against suppliers. In such cases, it may be necessary to protect their identity and not publish their photo.

What do you think of this idea?

City of Peoria, Taxes

Coming soon: Higher taxes

16 Comments

Even without the $100+ million combined sewer overflow (CSO) project figured in, Mayor Ardis says the city is looking at a budget deficit of $2.5-3 million. That money is going to have to come from somewhere. “Common sense would dictate there won’t just be a new discussion about a new revenue stream, there is going to have to be one,” Ardis told the Journal Star.

On WCBU news this morning, Mayor Ardis stated, “The last thing the council will consider is a real estate or tax increase.” In other words, they will look for ways to save money or find other revenue streams, and will consider a tax increase a last resort. (Nevertheless, Ardis supports the proposed downtown museum which can only be completed if a tax increase is implemented county-wide.)

So let’s talk taxes. The city’s portion of your property tax bill is actually quite low, only about 9-10¢ of each property tax dollar. It’s been kept that way because the city over the years has relied more and more heavily on sales taxes and additional fees like the so-called garbage fee.

The argument for this trend is that sales taxes are spread among everyone who shops in Peoria, not just property owners. That would include people from the surrounding cities and towns who come into Peoria to shop at the malls or eat dinner or see a movie. Harder to defend is the garbage fee — a flat, regressive tax applied to everyone who gets a water bill. Property tax increases are also considered a last resort because, although the city’s portion is small, property taxes overall are high, and the city wants to attract homeowners.

Perhaps this would be a good time for the council to start looking at root causes. Why are expenses so high and why are revenues not keeping up with expenses?

Could it be our penchant for annexing more and more land and building out more and more infrastructure for those “growth areas” in a city that hasn’t seen population growth in decades? Annexation is consistently presented as the path to financial solvency, but despite nearly a half-century of annexation that has seen the city more than double in size, our taxes are higher, population growth is stagnant, older parts of the city are hollowed out, and revenues are insufficient. Methinks this strategy is not working.

2008 Campaign

Peoria Chamber hosts candidate debates

6 Comments

From a press release:

Candidates Face Off
At Peoria Area Chamber Forums

Peoria, IL (Sept. 4, 2008) – Candidates in four hotly contested races will discuss issues important to voters in the Illinois Heartland. Don’t miss your chance to hear them battle it out over local topics including crime and the area economy as well as national issues concerning trade, domestic energy production and foreign policy. Seats are limited so log on to www.peoriachamber.org and register now for the three scheduled candidate forums:

18th District Congressional Candidate Forum
Aaron Schock/Colleen Callahan/Sheldon Shafer
Date: September 10th, 2008
Time: 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Location: Hotel Pere Marquette
Live Broadcast on September 10th by 1470 WMBD

92nd and 106th District State Representative Candidate Forum
Jehan Gordon/Joan Krupa
Keith Sommer/Tom Shrier
Date: September 17th, 2008
Time: 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Location: The Heartland Partnership Board Room, 100 SW Water, Peoria

Peoria County State’s Attorney Candidate Forum
Kevin Lyons/Darin LaHood
Date: October 1st, 2008
Time: 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Location: The Heartland Partnership Board Room, 100 SW Water, Peoria

Media interviews and photo opportunities with candidates will immediately follow each forum.

For more information contact Renee Charles, PR Heartland Partnership at 309-495-5905 or 309-229-7791 or Ashley Pampel, PACC Director of Marketing at 309.495.5974.