$12.3 Million in Illinois Medicaid Payments to the Dead!

In May 30th, 2014, Re-Boot Illinois Reported:

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services paid $12.3 million in Illinois Medicaid payments for 2,850 enrollees who were dead, a state audit reveals.

Auditor General William Holland’s report, released Thursday, says the department had 8,232 deceased people still listed as Medicaid eligible on its books. The payments went to 2,850 people from that list. The vast majority of the $12.3 million in payments for enrollees who had been dead more than 60 days when payments were issued.

“…$11.4 million was paid on behalf of 993 individuals whose date of death was more than 60 days prior to the payment date. In our review of the eligibility for the 993 individuals, we determined that 94 percent were aged, blind, or disabled,” the report states. (The full report is posted below along with a summary.)

The $11.4 million was in “capitation” payments — fixed-rate sums paid to providers on a per-patient basis. The report says the auditor general’s office turned over its findings to DHFS for possible referral to the Inspector General’s Office, which could pursue investigations related to the payments.

Highlights from the report:

We identified four individuals who had a large amount of fee-for-service expenditures after their date of 
death. The following summarizes these four instances:

An individual died on January 21, 1989; however, $29,860 in payments were made for 816 
services (dental, lab, hospital, etc) beginning December 5, 2005 and continued through 
October 2013, which was the last month of data used in this testing; 

An individual died on November 1, 2010; however, $8,604 in payments for homemaker 
services and emergency response fees were made through January 2013. Additionally, the 
individual was enrolled in managed care in September 2011, which continued through 
October 2013, the last month of data used in this testing; 

An individual died on March 19, 2008; however, $14,109 in payments, for medical supplies, 
were made through March 2013. Subsequently, the individual was enrolled in managed care, 
which continued through October 2013, the last month of data used in this testing; 

An individual died on May 27, 2006; however, $22,233 in payments, primarily for 
pharmacy, general clinic, outpatient, physician, and dental services, were made through May 
7, 2013. Subsequently, the individual was enrolled in managed care, which continued 
through October 2013, the last month of data used in this testing. 
We provided recipient names, provider names, and additional supporting documentation for these four 
examples to the Department for its review and possible referral to the Inspector General’s Office.

Holland also notes that payments to deceased enrollees began a sharp increase in July 2011:

The payments for capitation arrangements occurring more than 60 days after death began to increase on 
July 1, 2011, and have continued to steadily increase through the last data we received in connection with 
this testing, which was October 2013 (see Exhibit below). As of October 1, 2013, the Department 
continued to make capitation payments for 861 of the 993 individuals (87%) identified.

Illinois Auditor General William Holland found payment to 2,850 deceased Illinois Medicaid enrollees in his March 29, 2014, audit. (Click to enlarge)

Allegations of rampant Medicaid fraud in Illinois has been a frequent theme of Republican members of the Illinois General Assembly. They believe that the $2.7 billion in savings from a massive Medicaid overhaul in 2012 largely has been negated by the state’s failure to properly clear its Medicaid rolls of ineligible patients.

Holland’s findings are sure to stoke that debate.

Here is a summary of the audit:

Summary report: STATE OF ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHCARE AND FAMILY SERVICES COMPLIANCE EXAMINATION

Here is Holland’s full report:

STATE OF ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHCARE AND FAMILY SERVICES COMPLIANCE EXAMINATION (Full report)

Wisconsin Cuts Taxes While Illinois Struggles And Goes Deeper Into Debt

How has Larry Walsh Jr. and Pat McGuire helped Will County?  Over 2 years of service and Illinois is no better off! In April 2014 Illinois still 3rd worst in the nation for Unemployment! See the BLS website: http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm ... And Larry Walsh Jr. and Pat McGuire are helping the unemployed in Will County how (and lets not forget teen unemployment in Illinois as well)?

The Maclver Institute Reports (May 28, 2014):

"The states share a common border, but Wisconsin and Illinois are going in opposite directions when it comes to managing taxpayers' money.

Illinois is coming up on its deadline this week to pass a state budget. Unlike Wisconsin's two-year "biennium" budget process, Illinois has a one-year annual budget that must be approved by the end of May.

A report released in March from the Illinois State Comptroller has revealed some ugly numbers. For the 12th straight time, Illinois finished its fiscal year with a general fund deficit. That means that Illinois' cash flow has seen more money go out of its coffers than has come in for 12 years running. In fiscal year 2013, that shortage was over $7 billion, a burden of $1,745.86 for every Illinois taxpayer. The inability to balance the books comes even when lawmakers have the ability to delay some payments such as Medicaid until the following year. That law, Section 25 of the State Finance Act, is allowing Illinois to defer $2.3 billion to next year's bills.

Another eye-popping figure from the Comptroller's report is the overall "net position" of the state. Illinois has accrued $47 billion dollars of debt if you count all government activities against all government assets. $29 billion of that deficit has been built up in the last eight years.

The general fund and net deficits add to the pain of Illinois' nation-leading $100 billion dollar unfunded pension liability. That astronomical number works out to $7,812.50 for every man, woman, and child in the state. The pension problem was finally addressed by the state legislature last December with a reform bill signed by Gov. Pat Quinn (D-Illinois). Critics, however, believe the changes made will do little for the solvency of the state.

The pension bill will make a number of adjustments to the state's retiree system. Most notably, it will limit cost of living adjustments (COLA), cap benefits at a certain salary level, raise the retirement age for workers under 45, and require the state to contribute more funding as a guarantee that current retirees will receive benefits.

The legislation has received criticism for not doing enough to curb liabilities and is facing aggressive legal opposition from unions who question its constitutionality. The latest estimate shows that $137.4 billion will be saved over 30 years, but that is over $20 billion less than originally predicted and has very little short-term impact. Overall, savings will only reduce the $100 billion shortfall to anywhere from $75 billion to $80 billion.

A coalition of public sector unions have filed suit against the law because they believe it violates the state's constitutional ban on reducing pension benefits for public pension system members. The courts are unlikely to decide the matter before the law kicks in on June 1st, adding further confusion to reform prospects.

On taxes, Illinois recently escaped a push by Democrats to implement a progressive income tax system that would replace the existing flat tax. In April, after months of debate, Democrats and proposal figurehead state Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) failed to receive enough support for the effort and dropped the proposal.

The final plan introduced by Harmon would have amended the state constitution to allow for a progressive system and would have set tax rates at 2.9 percent for the first $12,500 of income, 4.9 percent for the next $167,500, and 6.9 percent for income over $180,000. Illinois currently has a flat income tax rate of five percent, which is meant to be a temporary increase from three percent.

Ben VanMetre, Senior Budget and Tax Policy Analyst at the non-partisan Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), told the MacIver Institute that the progressive tax plan would have been just another tax increase for Illinois residents.

"It was a long, arduous fight, and proponents of a progressive income tax structure changed their tune numerous times, especially when it came to how rates would look under a new plan," VanMetre said. "In March 2014, Harmon endorsed a rate structure that would have increased the tax bill for anyone with a taxable income of more than $22,000 per year. That's a tax hike on working and middle class Illinoisans."

A second push by Gov. Quinn to increase taxes in Illinois involves making the "temporary" income tax hikes passed in 2010 permanent. The 2010 move saw personal income taxes increase by 67 percent and corporate income taxes by 46 percent. Quinn would like the increased revenue brought in by higher taxes to help pass his proposed 2015 budget.

Additionally, IPI found that in 2012, 80 cents of every dollar from the tax increase went to pensions. Just 20 cents were left over for government services such as education, transportation, and health care.

Taxpayers will see the hikes expire in 2015 if they are not extended. According to VanMetre, keeping the tax hikes permanent would be a breach of taxpayer trust.

"Quinn is asking Illinois families to sacrifice so they can fork over even more of their hard-earned money to a dysfunctional state government. Meanwhile, he's refusing to do the same," VanMetrewrote for IPI. "Quinn would much rather prop up the status quo, waste taxpayer money and maintain sweetheart deals for special interests."

With the deadline to pass a budget coming this Saturday, it looks like Quinn will not get the taxes or budget he wants. The Illinois News Network reported on Monday that House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) looks to have dropped plans to make the new budget consistent with permanent tax increases. Madigan reported that there was simply not enough support for either the permanent tax hike or the accompanying budget in the Democrat caucus meeting last week.

Illinois Democrats are now hammering out a "middle of the road budget" that will try to compromise Quinn's aspirational spending goals with a so-called "doomsday" budget that was rejected by the House last Friday.

Compare the Illinois crisis with Wisconsin's situation, a state that has seen a dramatic financial turnaround since starting 2011 with a budget deficit of $3.6 billion.

Responsible fiscal management in Wisconsin has led to budget surpluses and significant tax relief. After realizing three separate surpluses in 2013 and 2014, Wisconsin cut taxes three separate times and will still finish fiscal year 2015 with a $100 million surplus. The first quarterly general fund cash flow report of 2014 also demonstrates the state's ability to stay in the black on a month to month basis, unlike its neighbors to the south.

Wisconsin will reduce taxes by $1.9 billion by July 2015 according to the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. That figure includes cutting income taxes by $746 million, property taxes by $535 million, and an overall business tax decrease of $443 million.

Businesses in both states are noticing the difference, according to responses from the 2014 U.S. Bank Small Business Survey. In the survey, Wisconsin businesses where asked for the main reason they feel better about business conditions in their state. They cited better government planning and lower taxes as their top reasons. In the same report, Illinois small businesses said that higher taxes and poor government planning were the top reasons why they feel worse about their state's economic prospects.

Looking forward, Illinois state lawmakers will be returning to the drawing board to find solutions for their widening budget and pension gaps. Meanwhile, Wisconsin taxpayers will have the comfort of fiscal sustainability going into next year's budget debate."

NSA's Spying on Americans Must Stop

NSA’s Spying On Americans Must Stop

Under laws that have been held to be both unconstitutional and constitutional by two different courts, the NSA can obtain surveillance orders with no articulated suspicion about those to be spied upon, even though the Fourth Amendment requires probable cause, a high level of individualized suspicion.

Basically, as an example, the NSA can tell a FISA judge that two thugs in area code 708 are chatting with five jerks in area code 312, and they are all texting six malcontents in area code 630.

The NSA knows who they are and where they are, but instead of going to Chicago (and/or one if its suburbs) and following them and investigating them, instead of asking for a search warrant to spy just on them, the NSA wants a warrant to spy on everyone in those area codes.

In September [of 2013], The Guardian newspaper reported that the NSA shares raw, unfiltered information it has gathered with some foreign nations, including England and Israel. It also reported that the NSA shares this raw data with its boss:  President Obama.

January 13, 2014 – Bloomberg News Reports:

“The nonprofit New America Foundation, based in Washington, analyzed cases involving 225 people recruited by al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups and charged in the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The majority of cases started with traditional techniques, such as use of “informants, tips from local communities, and targeted intelligence operations,” according to a report today from the group, which has been critical of the NSA spy programs.  “Our investigation found that bulk collection of American phone metadata has had no discernible impact on preventing acts of terrorism and only the most marginal of impacts on preventing terrorist-related activity, such as fundraising for a terrorist group,” Peter Bergen, director of the foundation’s national security program, said in a statement.”

January 23, 2014 - National News Agencies Reported:

“The White House disputed the findings of an independent review board that said the National Security Agency's mass data collection program is illegal and should be ended, indicating the administration.  The White House was responding to a scathing report from The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), which said the program ran afoul of the law on several fronts:

"The ... bulk telephone records program lacks a viable legal foundation," the board's report said, adding that it raises "serious threats to privacy and civil liberties" and has "only limited value." The report, further, said the NSA should "purge" the files.

The report concluded that the NSA collection raises "constitutional concerns" with regard to U.S. citizens' rights of speech, association and privacy.

"The connections revealed by the extensive database of telephone records gathered under the program will necessarily include relationships established among individuals and groups for political, religious, and other expressive purposes," it said. "Compelled disclosure to the government of information revealing these associations can have a chilling effect on the exercise of First Amendment rights."”

If You’re Wondering, Like ObamaCare, If Congress Is Excluded From The NSA’s Spying… Well They’re Not!

As Reported January 9, 2014:

“Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.), wrote to Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Administration (NSA), and asked plainly whether the NSA has been or is now spying on members of Congress or other public officials.  Well, it wasn’t exactly silence, but rather a refusal to answer a simple question. The NSA did reply to Sanders by stating -- in an absurd oxymoron – ‘that members of Congress receive the same constitutional protections as other Americans: that is to say, none from the NSA.’”

WCFN: As a voice for the people, our U.S. Congressmen should be listening to constituents and fighting the President on this controversial and unconstitutional program.  
As CNN reported:  ‘What has been remarkable is how Democrats have expressed little opposition to the surveillance program.  Many Democrats have simply remained silent as these revelations have emerged while others, like California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, have openly defended the program.  President Barack Obama, while initially acknowledging the need for a proper balance between civil liberties and national security, has increasingly focused on defending the government. Equally notable has been how silent many liberals, who once railed against Bush for similar activities, have become in recent years. Where is the outrage? Where has the Democratic opposition gone? Part of the story simply has to do with political hypocrisy.'”

Merry Christmas

Citizens of Crest Hill, Lockport, Romeoville, Mokena and Homer-Glen - Meet Candidate Sharon Brannigan

Citizens of Joliet (Precincts 1,2,3) Crest Hill, Lockport, Romeoville, Mokena, Homer-Glen - Meet Candidate Sharon Brannigan for U.S. Congress, District 3:

This Candidate is running against Dan Lipinski (D-IL Dist.3), a Congressman who was first elected in 2004 and has been an incumbent ever since.  Lipinski, recently in September 2013, voted 3 times to keep ObamaCare and not repeal and/or delay any portion of ObamaCare (including all its taxes).

Candidate Brannigan recently sent out her first E-mail Blast, which over 500 citizens opened, viewed and responded to various information she posted on the blast. Here's a copy of some of her content from the blast:

Link to her e-mail blast >>> http://us3.campaign-archive1.com/?u=155b1f98e3d5b3d139cbf3ca2&id=e639040a87&e

===

My name is Sharon Brannigan, Candidate for U.S. Congress:

For the last 6 years I have been a small business owner, but together with my husband, we have been small business owners for about 30 years.  We currently own and operate a flower shop in Orland Park, Illinois (Sherry's Flower Shoppe), I am a current Palos Township Trustee and a mother to three great children.

My family and I are no strangers to hard economic times.  We struggle like any family in Illinois.  In the early 2000's, my husband's job was fading into history.  He was a trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.  As luck and hard work would have it, soon after my husband's job was eliminated, I graduated Governors State University in 2004 summa cum laude while volunteering in our School District 118 and raising our three children (now 26, 24 and 22 years old). As a volunteer I chaired some of the largest events for the three schools (Palos East, West and South).  I care deeply about education in our communities.

After college, I was a substitute teacher within the Blue Island, Illinois School District.  I taught elementary and middle school children.  Although teaching was an incredibly rewarding experience, I later landed a position as a Marketing Assistant at Ford City Mall. That too was a great experience because having grown up on the south side of Chicago in Mount Greenwood, it was very nostalgic for me to be working in the Mall I used to frequent as an adolescent.

It was shortly after that, I took a part time job at a local flower shop ("Wildflowers" in Palos Heights).  At that little flower shop, I learned everything I could about small business ownership (customer service, design, management and purchasing), and in 2008, my husband and I took a great financial risk and purchased an existing flower shop.  We set out for the American dream of small business ownership!  Today, we still operate this business and are proud of our contributions to the community.

Running a business with this economy has been quite a challenge.  I became more and more concerned about local, state and federal taxes, government spending and debt.  I knew that I could no longer sit on the sidelines and watch the political process unfold and our freedoms erode.  So I ran and was elected as Palos Township Trustee.  As a trustee, of a township that boasts a population of over 54,000 (and 1 of 30 townships within Cook County), I've watched-over our township's budget and have voted NO to additional taxes on the citizens of Illinois - a trend which I hope to continue in Congress.

While I have never been one to shrink from a challenge, ObamaCare has been the main issue that has vaulted me into running for congress.  I want to do whatever I can do diminish the harmful effects of this federal legislation.  In addition, we are being crushed with taxes by this administration's continued attack on businesses and hard-working Americans and it seems that congress is just not hearing what "we the people" are saying - something I hope to change if elected to Congress in 2014!

Please join our campaign as we seek to restore the Congressional 3rd District of Illinois, which represents you in Washington D.C.  Let's work together towards a more fiscally responsible future, an economy with greater access to JOBS, with a government that stays within the confines of the Constitution and focuses on a brighter future for our children and grandchildren - instead of loading them with debt!

Thank you for your time, I hope to earn your support.

===

Brannigan keeps up with the news of the day and posts various information, views, opinions and plans on her website, visit www.branniganforcongress.com ...

Here's a few of her recent news posts:

December 5, 2013: Website: Download this FREE PDF Report on a list of ObamaCare Taxes which are levied upon YOU, approved by Dan Lipinski
December 3, 2013: Tumblr: Lipinski Votes To Keep A Hidden ObamaCare Slush Fund
November 27, 2013: Tumblr: Honoring Our Forefathers And The Constitution This Holiday Season
November 25, 2013: Illinois Review: Brannigan Signs Americans for Tax Reform Pledge
November 24, 2013: Candidate Sharon Brannigan E-Mail Blast: Along With You In The Fight Against Taxes!
November 23, 2013: Tumblr: Illinois Citizens Healthcare Plans Are Being Cancelled
November 22, 2013: Tumblr: The New European Tax Plan Coming Our Way!
November 21, 2013: Tumblr: Candidate Brannigan: ‘I Signed & Submitted My Taxpayer Protection Pledge’
November 21, 2013: Tumblr: Candidate Branningan Discusses ‘Honoring Our Service Men & Women’
November 19, 2013: Tumblr: Candidate Brannigan Discusses The Local Illinois Earthquake
November 17, 2013: Tumblr: Brannigan Discusses: Lipinski Says ‘NO’ You Can’t Keep Your Plan!
November 17, 2013: Tumblr: Candidate Brannigan Discusses: Holding The Line On Taxes: Her ‘NO VOTE’ To Increase Taxes On The Citizens of Illinois


Why not give Candidate Sharon Brannigan a second look this 2014 elections season!

Your Property Taxes in Will County Just Went Up!

Your Property Taxes Just Went Up Over Night! Thanks to Larry Walsh Sr. (This e-mail blast was sent to over 1500 citizens across Will County and Illinois on the morning of October 18, 2013.) GOOD MORNING! HERE'S YOUR MORNING BELL REPORT: Larry Walsh Sr. (D-IL Will Co.), Will County Executive, votes tie-breaking YES to  raise your property taxes in Will County!  Citizens, if you live in Will County Illinois, you were  already paying the 6th largest property taxes in the State of Illinois (in terms of county property taxes  levied), and now, overnight, it just increased due to Larry Walsh Sr. Read a portion of the Joliet Herald News report on this issue: "JOLIET — In a showdown between Democrats and Republicans, the Will County Board voted Thursday to  increase the property tax levy by $900,000. The increase will cost the owner of a home with a $200,000 market value about $3 more a year for the  Will County government portion of the tax bill. The additional money will be used for capital projects. The vote was 12 to 12 along party lines, with Democrats favoring the higher levy and Republicans opposed.  Members Tom Weigel (R-New Lenox) passed on voting and Ken Harris (D-Bolingbrook) was absent. By passing his vote Weigel forced County Executive Larry Walsh, a Democrat, to cast a rare tie-breaking  vote in favor of the higher levy, which is the amount the county expects to raise via the property tax." HERE'S A VIDEO OF THE TAX INCREASE: (Fast forward to minute 35:10 ...You'll see that this tax increase (proposal/resolution #13266) was proposed by Will  County Board Member, Steve Wilhelmi, and Board Members properly explained that Will County is currently experiencing  10% unemployment and approximately 44,000 homes are in pre-foreclosure and the tax amount will be between  $3-to-$10. Is this the right time for a property tax increase.  This is approximately $900,000 tax on the citizens  of Illinois.) NEW CONSTRUCTION?  WILL THERE BE ENOUGH "NEW CONSTRUCTION" TO OFFSET THE COSTS OF THIS NEW PROPERTY TAX? THIS NATIONALLY RESPECTED WEBSITE STATES THAT THE POPULATION  WILL ONLY EXPAND BY 5% WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR? OK, so its just an extra $3 per year (approximately), you think, that's not that bad.  Well did you know you  were already the 6th HIGHEST taxed county in Illinois? . So when are you taxed enough?  Until Will County has the highest property taxes in Illinois?  Will County  is still fluctuating between 9-to-10% in unemployment, was this the right time to tax citizens? Has the economy improved enough to warrant an increase in property taxes? You decide: Here (below) are the unemployment statistics provided by the Will County Workforce Board, you  decided if these are the most correct statistics, and then still ask yourself, "Did I vote in 2012 for  Walsh Sr. to raise my taxes?"  "Wasn't the duty of the County Executive to improve the economy and  have reasonable taxes? So why is the unemployment rate going up and taxes going up?" "Was this  the best time to raise taxes?"  "Am I on a fixed income and can I afford this one more increase on  my wallet?"  "When will the Walsh's stop taxing us?" March 2013, Rockford Register Star Newspaper Reports: ""Illinois lost more than a half-million residents between 2000 and 2009. Data from the 2011 U.S. Census puts the state's net migration at 79,459 people - the second biggest population loss in the country. Between 1995 and 2009, one taxpayer moved out of Illinois every 10 minutes.Why are population numbers so important? Population is central to commerce, employment and revenue generation for both the private sector and governments." "According to a November 2012 Brookings Institute study, Illinois must add 500,978 new jobs to fill its "jobs gap" - the number of jobs Illinois needs to create to return to pre-recession employment levels. "Other experts say the job gap is actually 641,000, which would be the number of jobs the state needs to recover to its peak employment level reached in November 2000, according to the Illinois Economic Review report published by the University of Illinois in January 2013."" "

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Is the Illiana Good for Illinois? You Decide!

Illiana Expressway

Is It Good

For Illinois?

You Decide!

The Illiana, a project strongly pushed by Gov. Pat Quinn, would be a 47-mile toll road cutting across southern Will County and linking Interstates 55, 57 and 65 in Indiana.

In a September 10, 2013, Joliet Herald News Article, entitled "Opposition Continues To Mount Against Illiana Expressway," they report: "Will County and Illinois Department of Transportation officials may be facing an uphill battle to get the Illiana Expressway added to a federal funding list. “This is a tough go,” John Greuling, president and CEO of the Will County Center for Economic Development, said Tuesday during a Will County Board Legislative and Policy Committee meeting. During a 30-day period that ended Sept. 3, 965 comments were received. Of those, 169 were in support and 796 were against, according to IDOT officials. Also, the comments included two petitions with a total of 3,798 signatures from people opposing the project.  Last week, a different agency, the Chicago-based Metropolitan Planning Council, came out against the Illiana, saying IDOT’s $1.3 billion cost estimate for the road was “dubious” and it could cost up to $2.9 billion. The higher estimate is “an enormous amount of money for one project, particularly in a severely cash-strapped state,” Metropolitan Planning Council President MarySue Barrett wrote in a letter to The Herald-News and SouthtownStar. One complicating Catch-22 for the Illiana is the fact that IDOT can’t tell CMAP and the MPO how much money a private entity would chip in for the road through a public-private partnership because the project hasn’t been bid yet, Greuling said. As a result, the planning agencies have to assume the state would need to come up with all of the money, and that could hurt the Illiana’s chances of getting on the federal funding list."

In a September 27, 2013, article by the Chicago Tribune, entitled "Planners Give Thumbs Down To Illiana," they report: "The staff of the agency charged with overseeing land use and transportation planning for northeastern Illinois is recommending against the construction of a new toll road connecting interstates in Illinois and Indiana. The proposal for the Illiana Corridor is “broadly incompatible with the overall goals and recommendations” of the region’s long-range master plan, the staff at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning said in a report issued this morning.  Building the Illiana would “expose the State of Illinois to extensive financial risk”  due to the proposed toll road’s estimated cost and potential financing structure, the report found. The Illinois Department of Transportation estimates that the Illiana would cost $1.25 billion. No state or federal money has been earmarked for the Illiana’s construction, and experts say none is likely.  According to a report, citing four specific issues that should be considered by the CMAP Board and MPO Policy Committee, shows:
1) Financial Risk.  The proposed facility’s estimated cost and potential financing structure expose the State of Illinois to extensive financial risk.  The information provided to justify the project’s financial viability has been incomplete and largely anecdotal.;
2) Contradictory Growth Assumptions.  To estimate performance of the facility, IDOT has used growth projections that are not consistent with GO TO 2040 forecasts, which are based on the need to direct investment toward existing communities.  The IDOT forecasts essentially show what is likely to result if GO TO 2040 is not implemented, with negative impacts on livability, mobility, and natural resources.;
3) Unsubstantiated Economic Development Potential.  The proposed facility’s ability to spur or support economic growth remains unclear because existing nearby development is minimal.  The selected corridor alignment is not located near the existing residential and commercial centers to the north that are necessary for sustained job creation and economic development.;
4) Limited Benefits to Regional Mobility.  The proposed Illiana Corridor achieves negligible impacts on regional transportation performance, making it a lower priority than the planned GO TO 2040 investments that do address the region’s congestion challenges."

FreePressNewspapers.Com Cites The "Advocate Courant Journal Shopper" As It Reports (9/17/13):
"Will County Board Member, Judy Ogalla - District One, said the Illiana will be detrimental and disruptive to agribusiness, change the quality of life in the communities through which it passes and jeopardize emergency response due to road closures.  In addition, the Village of Elwood is so opposed to the Illiana tollway project that it engaged the services of two of the most renowned intermodal experts in the country; Dr. Martin Lipinski, PE, director emeritus of the Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute (IFTI) at the University of Memphis, and Dr. Mihalis Golias, an assistant professor in the civil engineering department at the University of Memphis.  In July, reports village President Bill Offerman, the consultants and IDOT representatives discussed several alarming issues:
• Based on IDOT's exhibits, truck traffic will increase by 40 percent if a Route 53 connection is created. This is in addition to the approximately 20,000 vehicles that already travel through town along the highway each day, Offerman said.
• IDOT's study doesn't take into account the more than 6,000 acres of industrial land shown in the village of Manhattan's comprehensive plan, which will generate more truck traffic.
• The village's consultants said the software used by IDOT's consultants does not accurately model the traffic entering and exiting the proposed Illiana. It is designed to model traffic conditions at a macroscopic level, when software that can model on smaller microscopic levels is more appropriate.
• IDOT figures assume that 30 percent of the traffic generated by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe intermodal is passenger vehicle traffic while 70 percent is truck traffic. According to the railroad, the assumption is off by at least 20 percent. Passenger vehicles make up only 5 percent to 10 percent of the intermodal traffic.
• Traffic figures included truck trips made within the Deer Run Industrial Park, skewing IDOT's study numbers and misrepresenting current traffic flows. Elwood officials have been here before; they accepted the developer's estimates of 700 truck trips per day when the park was being built, and now count over 10 times the number of trucks using the facility daily."

ChiStreetsBlog Reported on 9/5/13:
"To jumpstart construction, taxpayers “will likely need to provide more than two-thirds of Illinois’ share of the capital costs of the Illiana,” according to CMAP’s analysis. If the Illiana gobbles up those public funds, it could jeopardize funding for six other projects in the GO TO 2040 plan, MPC warns. Those six projects are: extending the CTA Red Line to 130th Street; extending IL-53 as a boulevard; constructing the West Loop Transportation Center; building the I-294/I-57 Interchange; taking Elgin-O’Hare Expressway to O’Hare and building West O’Hare Bypass; and now building the Circle Interchange." The ChiStreets article then continued to report on other failed similar construction projects across the nation:


You decide. Will the Illiana be more profitable and more utilized than other similar projects across the nation?  Should we build the Illiana?