When we read about it in the Tribune, this sounded like the ultimate nanny state bill. A bill to force kids to wash their hands! But 4 Republicans -- including our own Ed Sullivan of Mundelein -- joined the Democrats in voting for it. Here's the sad story....Reporter Eric Zorn wrote on April 2, 2009:
"It doesn't surprise me when a member of the General Assembly introduces a patently, aggressively stupid piece of legislation. And so I reacted with equanimity to House Bill 19 from Chicago Democrat Mary Flowers. It amends the school code to require all Chicago Public Schools students -- and only Chicago Public Schools students -- to wash their hands before eating lunch. Sure, it's a fine idea to wash one's hands before eating. Every student in every school ought to have access to hot water and soap conveniently close to the cafeteria.
But not every good idea needs to be a law. Particularly this one, which unreasonably singles out Chicago kids, would be a time-consuming nightmare to enforce and would likely provide minimal health or education benefits."
Why in the world did Ed Sullivan vote for this bill? (I almost typed "bull"!) Last time I checked, Sullivan claimed to be a Republican. He always says he wants to cut wasteful government programs. But he never said he was against silly unfunded mandates for our already-strapped schools.
There have been whispers for years that Mr. Sullivan is a RINO (Republican in Name Only), who runs as a Republican just to get elected. This vote would seem to prove the whisperers right.
5 comments:
Ed Sullivan is out of touch. This is the same guy who said how much should we raise taxes in order to get assessments correct-we need to hire more people because I have two jobs! Ed focus on one job and maybe you can do that correctly.
Ed Sullivan is too busy double-dipping into the state pension while trying to empathize with we common-folk and allegedly figuring out a way to solve the state's problems.
I don't like the implication that it would be typical for Democrats to vote for this bill. Republican or Democrat, this kind of legislation is nonsense. I believe Rep. Mary Flowers has also sponsored some other absurd health-related bills in the past. Surely the legislature has better things to do.
A Republican like Sullivan would be attacked for not supporting the bill just like he is now being attacked for supporting it. I can see the next mailing during the next campaign: "SULLIVAN OPPOSES CHILD HEALTH MEASURE!" Mercy!
Although I'm not in favor of such unfunded mandates, and in this instance, I am sure schools will not be forced to order more soap and water, perhaps this Democratic measure was designed to portray anyone voting against it as opposing children's health?
Are they THAT cynical in Springfield? You bet!
Louis G. Atsaves
How about the 'moment of silence' legislation in Springfield?
Are there no substantive issues for our State's and nation's legislatures to work on besides an unnecessary Constitutional amendment, mandating washing of hands, and taking more time away from cirriculum in our schools?
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