McHenry County Blog

To its credit the Associated Press (reporter Sophia Tareen) wrote a story about the Illinois Tea Party endorsement for Congressman Don Manzullo.

But, wait a minute.

This Associated Press article by Sophia Tareen is stimulated by the Illinois Tea Party's having endorsed Congressman Don Manzullo over Congressman Adam Kinzinger. How on earth a 2010 Sarah Palin endorsement of Kingzinger is relevant is beyond understanding.

In its first paragraph reporter Tareen mentions a 2010 endorsement of opponent Adam Kinzinger by Sarah Palin.

What’s that all about?

And worse, the Chicago Tribune, in at least it’s online edition gives Palin’s old endorsement equal coverage with the Illinois Tea Party’s current endorsement.

This is an example of why readers distrust the mainstream media.

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I felt so strong about this bias, I called the Associate Press in Chicago. The Bureau Chief’s assistant sent me to an editor who knew nothing about the article.

She had to look it up using “Illinois Tea Party” as search words.

“Are you calling from Sarah Palin’s campaign?” she asked.

“No, I’m calling from this is why we distrust the mainstream media,” I replied.

She repeated “This is why we distrust the mainstream media,” pausing while it sunk it.

“Is it incorrect?”

“No, it’s out of context,” I replied.

“That’s your opinion.”

“What does a 2010 endorsement have to do with a 2012 endorsement?”

“That’s your opinion.”

“And that’s why AP is going down the tubes,” I said before thanking her for her time.

The top of McHenry County Blog's february 27, 2011, school consolidation story.

The end of February, McHenry County Blog did the math on Governor Pat Quinn’s school consolidation proposal.

The Governor’s pitch was that it would save $100 million in school administrators’ salaries.

Let’s assume he is correct in laying out the benefit side of the equation.

But he left out the increase in cost side.

He ignored the leveling up of elementary school teachers’ salaries that will occur as grade school districts are merged with high school districts.

Looking at how much it would cost to raise the salaries at grade school districts 3, 26, 46 and 47 to the level of high school teachers in Crystal Lake High School District 155, I concluded that $27,058,486 more money would be needed.

So, compare Quinn’s $100 million savings statewide on administrators’ salaries to $27 million more to pay elementary school teachers more in just this part of McHenry County and it’s easy to see that Quinn’s savings estimate is bogus.

Why would that happen?

I reasoned that it would because there would be one new collective bargaining unit in each of the newly-created districts and that union would have more elementary school teachers than high school teachers.

One does not have to be an expert in organizational theory to figure out who would dominate the teachers’ bargaining committee.

AP school consolidation story of March 11, 2011.

Associated Press, which I assume has looked at the legislation, puts it this way:

“That’s because when two districts consolidate in Illinois, teachers in the lower-paying district are allowed to switch to the higher pay offered by the other.”

I guess that means there would not even have to be collective bargaining to raise grade school teachers’ salaries.

The General Assembly would do it by just passing a bill that the Governor, wanting to reward “thems that brought him to the party,” would, of course, sign.

Reporter Zackary Colman cites a cost-benefit estimate in the Palatine area showing ‘would save $1.6 million in administrative salaries but cost at least $10 million in higher pay for elementary teachers.”

I could check the math on the cost side for Palatine, but I know the cost side of the equation for my high school district is rational.

Maybe grade school teacher salaries are not as much lower than high school teacher salaries in Palatine than they are in Crystal Lake-Cary-Fox River Grove. Locally, they are$31,066 lower, according to the latest School Report Cards (which can be seen here).

It’s pretty short as it appears in The (Alton) Telegraph, but the Associated Press story obviously was first written by Pete Gonigam on McHenry County Blog.

AP got it from the Daily Herald follow-up story.

The Northwest Herald’s web site also has posted a story.

If you have not read the original stories, they are here:

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 – Woodstock Residence Deaths Not Mercy Killings

Thursday, September 25, 2008 – Woodstock Residence Deaths Continued for Two Years

Another story will appear tomorrow.

It’s pretty short as it appears in The (Alton) Telegraph, but the Associated Press story obviously was first written by Pete Gonigam on McHenry County Blog.

AP got it from the Daily Herald follow-up story.

The Northwest Herald’s web site also has posted a story.

If you have not read the original stories, they are here:

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 – Woodstock Residence Deaths Not Mercy Killings

Thursday, September 25, 2008 – Woodstock Residence Deaths Continued for Two Years

Another story will appear tomorrow.