Bump Stocks Survive in Springfield

Today the Illinois House voted on a ban of firearm bump stocks. The devices used in Las Vegas to increase the rate of fire to nearly fully automatic speed, contributing to the death of 58 people and injury of 546 more. Today, Illinois rejected the ban.

Photos are not a close approximation, but you get my point?

Tim Butler (R-87), Sarah Wojcicki Jimenez (R-99) and Sue Scherer (D-96) all whose districts overlap Springfield, voted against the bill. so this isn't a partisan issue apparently. Jimenez isn't running for reelection, Tim Butler ran unopposed in the last election. Scherer was unopposed in the last general election but did have opponents in the primary. Source: Ballotpedia.org

The Sangamon County Project

The Illinois State Journal-Register published what I think is its most important article, ever.

It was just a few lines of copy. You probably skimmed through it and didn't think much of it. Who can blame you. It was about another study on economic development in Sangamon County.

I downloaded and read the report, and highlighted some parts so you could skim through it faster. It paints a grim picture of the general malaise of Central Illinois.

Generations ago, one organization started in the beginning, but then egos clash and schisms within the larger organization cause fragmentation and formation of competing organizations. Then every five or ten years, one of the organizations hires an outside consulting firm to do an economic development study, and nobody likes what they have to say, so they ignore it.