Senator Dave Syverson

Illinois State Senate 34th District Republican

Archive for May, 2010

Syverson: Even Democrats don’t know what’s in budget they passed

May 7

Posted by bcleeland in In the News | No Comments

SPRINGFIELD, IL – In a late night maneuver, the Illinois Senate Democrats pushed through a budget even its sponsor hasn’t read, according to State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford).

State Sen. Donne Trotter (D-Chicago), the sponsor of HB 859, admitted that he hadn’t read the measure and people who examined the legislation would “find a lot of questions I don’t have answers to.”

“Other than the fact the legislation includes pay raises for state employees and skips scheduled pension payments, we have very few details about what’s in this measure,” Syverson said. “What we do know is this is most unbalanced budget in history. We have two weeks until the adjournment deadline, plenty of time to put forward a budget and give the public and media an opportunity to thoroughly examine it. The fact the Democratic leadership rammed through this measure in the dead of night, demonstrates a failure of their leadership.”

Syverson expressed concern that, when questioned, the sponsor of the bill didn’t know how much spending, and spending reductions, were in the measure.

The Senator also noted the maneuver flies in the face of a previous measure sponsored by Senate Democrats ensuring four days of sunshine before lawmakers can vote on a budget – time to give concerned parties an opportunity to review its fine print. The measure, Senate Bill 3622, is currently stalled in the Illinois House.

“When it comes to budget transparency, the Democratic leadership doesn’t live up to its own rhetoric, and that’s unfortunate,” Syverson said.

Once more information on the budget is known, the Senator will publish the details on his Web site – www.senatordavesyverson.com.

Tags: ,

Syverson: Lawmakers should stay in Springfield until budget work complete

May 5

Posted by jgreenfield in In the News | No Comments

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) on Wednesday called on Illinois lawmakers to stay in Springfield “as long as it takes” to pass a responsible state budget.

Syverson said he opposed a move by Democratic leaders to push through a budget by the end of the week – a budget that doesn’t even come close to addressing the state’s $13 billion budget deficit.

“The current plan being proposed by the Governor and Democratic leaders is even worse than anything proposed by Rod Blagojevich,” said Syverson, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “We have an obligation to the taxpayers of our state to pass a budget that addresses the irresponsible fiscal policies of the past, not compounds them, and lawmakers should stay in Springfield as long as it takes to get it right.”

The Rockford Senator said he was committed to voting against the budget in its current form.

“This plan hinges on billions of dollars of one-time revenues, including more borrowing and more pension raids, and would leave us with a $7 billion deficit and a record number of unpaid bills,” Syverson said. “It will make Illinois less competitive in the short-term, and doom the next generation to paying off tens of billions of dollars of unpaid debt and bills over the long term. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to stop kicking the problem down the road and tackle these challenges head on today.”

Tags: ,

‘History Chef’ to Return to Rockford’s Tinder Box/Vino 100 for ‘Red-Hot Challenge Cook-off’

May 5

Posted by jgreenfield in Events | No Comments

Author Andrew Caldwell, better known as the “history chef,” will return to the Tinder Box/Vino 100, 2217 S. Perryville Rd., for the Red Hot Challenge and Wine Tasting on Friday, May 7, from 1 to 8 p.m. There is no charge to attend and the public is invited.

Caldwell will serve as judge as firefighters from 11 Rockford stations and three area departments will prepare recipes from his new revised, hardcover edition of Their Last Suppers. Each team will draw a recipe from the book, have a day to gather ingredients, and then compete. Beginning at 1 p.m. and continuing each hour, two teams will have 40 minutes to prepare their dish for Caldwell to judge.

The event will also feature a wine tasting and book signing. The Red Hot Challenge will conclude with Caldwell presenting a donation to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Caldwell and Andrews McKeel Publishing are providing two new gas grills for the event. The top team and runner-up will each receive a grill for their station, and Caldwell, a trained classical chef, will cook for the winning team.

Caldwell appeared at Rockford’s Tinder Box for a book signing of his self-published edition of Their Last Suppers last November. Since then, he has revised the book, signed with Andrews McMeel Publishing Co., and finished a pilot for a TV series based on the book. Dennis Lambert, owner of Rockford’s Tinder Box/Vino 100 said he is honored that Caldwell chose his store to launch the new hardcover edition.

“Because of the support and encouragement he received from Tinder Box/Vino 100 and our customers, Andrew choose our store to begin his national tour,” said Lambert. “We’re thrilled to have him back.”

Also, Caldwell will be guest host of a special “Titanic Dinner” on Thursday, May 6, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Speakeasy, 19 N. High St., in Janesville, Wisconsin. There he will take participants through the history as they enjoy the same menu served on that fateful voyage.

Their Last Suppers combines history and food, and examines the lives of more than 60 legendary figures that died tragically before their time. The book looks at their lives, the mistakes they made (both funny and sad), the recipes for their last meal, and recipes for their favorite meals.

A trained classical chef, Caldwell won gold medals for ice and butter sculpture. He went on to manage some of the world’s largest resorts in 12 different countries, do consulting in the U.S. and abroad and own and operate his resort, Las Palomas, which was rated in ‘Americas Top 100 Little Inns’.

For more information, call Dennis Lambert at 815-226-4441, or e-mail: dennis@tinderbox-rockford.com.

Tags: ,