City Budget Highlights.

I found this on the Chicago Sun Times web site. I found it interesting. My thoughts are italicized.

Highlights from Chicago's 2009 city budget

November 20, 2008

• 635 city employees laid off — possibly dozens less, depending on how many take cash incentives to retire.
• More than 1,600 vacant jobs eliminated.
  
• Six partial shutdown days around the holidays.
• Slow police hiring to 200 in 2009, saving $10 million.
• Because we definitely don't need more cops. We like being the Murder Capitol of the nation.
  
• Raise amusement tax to 5 percent on live theatrical, musical and cultural performances in venues seating more than 750 seats and 9 percent for sporting events, concerts and movies.
• Extend amusement tax to include 135,000 Chicagoans who get their cable TV by installing a satellite dish.
  
• Obviously Chicago owns the air and space that is directly above us. This is ridiculous.
  
• Increase parking tax — from $2.25 per car to $3 — on motorists who pay more than $12 to park.
• Lower Denver boot threshold from three unpaid tickets to two older than one year.
• Six-week amnesty for 3.5 million overdue parking and red-light tickets Dec. 1 to Feb.14.
• Basically only good for any tickets before Jan 1st, 2007. If you got it in 2008 you don't get any type of help.
  
• Blues and Jazz fests reduced from four days to three with fewer stages at each.
• Must not be making much money off the show.
  
• Double daily library fines from 10 to 20 cents.
• Raise ambulance fees from $325 and $8 a mile to $600 and $13 a mile for basic life support and from $400 and $8 a mile to $700 and $13 a mile for advanced life support. Nonresidents will pay $100 on top of that.
• Nonresidents should know better than to get injured or sick while visiting this city. Because your less of a person than those that live here.
  
• Raise residential permit parking guest passes from $10 to $16 for a book of 30.
• This makes sense to me.. strange.
  
• Increase the public vehicle license fee paid by limosuines and charter buses from $100 to $200 to $500 for everybody.
• Raise $9 million by requiring businesses and residential high-rises to purchase annual licenses for their garbage containers at a cost of $80 to $780.
• Cut $1.7 million city subsidy for free trolley rides.
• There's free trolley rides here? Wow.. I don't get out much.
  
• Privatize 35,000 parking meters by year’s end and apply $150 million to shortfalls this year and next. If it doesn’t work, more layoffs and tax hikes needed.
• Yes!! Privatize them so the company that gets the contract can make even more money than the city did! Brilliant!!
  
• Establish five-year, $100 million annuity with discretionary proceeds from the Midway Airport lease and spend $20 million a year through 2012.
• Save $5 million by consolidating city departments that handle consumer issues, human services, economic development and business affairs.
• Install red-light cameras at 50 more intersections.
• 50? Why not every 6 corner intersection and every intersection crossing a highway. Might as well make the most out of them. Will they catch bicyclists that don't stop as well?
  
• Raise $2 million by seeking sponsorships for city assets and events, beginning with a new agreement to provide beverage and vending services and city-owned facilities.
• Eliminate Fire Department Segway patrols in the Loop.
• There was a need for this to begin with?
  
• Raise daily and annual fees for merchants at Maxwell Street market to save popular Jumping Jack program for neighborhood festivals.
• Uh.. the Jumping Jack program is idiotic. What service does it really serve that the neighborhood organizers couldn't find in some other form?
  

Bailout.

I've always said that nothing really effects me in the overall scheme of things. To be more precise, I'd say they don't effect me directly. Which has been my way of thinking for a long time. If something gets bad then you become better. You don't sit and complain and let things continue.

I've always been proactive for the individual. Each person is in charge of themselves. If you choose to buy a home, then you choose to pay the taxes on that home. If you choose to drive a car, then you choose to pay for gas. If you choose to have children, then you choose to raise them to be respectful and diligent. By choosing these things you earn the right to complain about these things. By choosing not to do these things, you can still complain but your complaints are useless.

At some point or another we're all effected by government. No matter what, every single person in the nation has had to use or be brought upon the government. Either in the big view (federal) or the smaller view (local). This includes all services that are ran by these governments.

The recent Bailout by the government is ridiculous. I know that Special Interest parties have constantly been supporters of whoever takes their money. They give them money and sooner or later they get some kind of tax break or favor. Ever wonder why celebrities endorse certain parties? Maybe it has to do with the fact that people who make multi-million dollar salaries get taxed as much as you and I do. Maybe I'm completely wrong. Maybe it's because the tax brackets haven't been thought of as a new way to make more capital for the nation. Or perhaps, every person is treated equally even though some of us can't pay the bills or are living on the street and others can afford their 5th vacation home.

Since when does the government propose to pay off these companies debts? Does the government, as a whole, receive money from these companies to help with the many costly national proposals? If it did, wouldn't that make it a government institution? I can see why the government would want to bail out a government institution. I can not see why it would want to bail out a private business. Perhaps it has to do with stock options that are owned by many politicians. Why would they want to lose their money when they can save it. All ideas that I know nothing about.

That's right. I don't know any true facts to what I just said. It's all things that are in my head and I'm just 'vocalizing' here. I don't need to spend countless hours looking up facts because this is all my opinion that I've obtained from reading articles. Then again, where would I get the facts needed to know what politician owns how ever many stock options in certain companies and whether these companies are the ones being bailed out.

I do know that politics have a lot to do with washing hands. You do this for me and I'll donate this much money to your campaign. Every donation is given in hope by the common person. You donate in hopes that this person will win the election and they'll do the things they've promised. You believe in their ideals. How many corporations have you ever heard of that have any type of hopes or ideals that didn't have anything to do with their bottom line? Corporations don't wonder what will happen to their employees when they shut down factories and move them overseas. They just look at the bottom line. It's cheaper to do these things overseas and that will make them more profit.

Is the government trying to bail out these corporations to save the American people or are they trying to save themselves from the mistakes they've made over time. Was NAFTA a good idea? It sounded like it at the time to some. But where is the return investment? We give away jobs and we get nothing back other than more people out of work and having to settle for jobs that pay less. Or even worse, jobs that have turned over to temporary job services.

Ah yes, temp jobs. Aren't they great? You go to work and the company you work for charges $15 an hour for you. After their cut you might get $10 an hour. No benefits because your a temp. You don't amount to anything until they decide to hire you on after how ever many months of a probation period. Even then they'll probably find a reason to let you go so they don't have to give you benefits.

So basically, next Tuesday is the cut off date for registering to vote for this November. I suggest you do. I won't sit here and endorse a certain politician but I'd definitely suggest not voting for a captured soldier who's Vice President select thinks she can see Russia from her house. It's like the blind leading the blind. One has memory lapses and can't remember saying the exact opposite things a week before. The other thinks that she can run a country because she's a hockey mom. We don't need more idiots in office. George W was enough to make all Americans look a lot more stupid to the rest of the world. New-cue-lear.

If you want more information on voting in Chicago and Illinois check out these sites.

Chicago Board of Elections.

Illinois State Board of Elections.

If you don't know if your registered then check this site out.

Vote for Change.

Yes, it's paid for by Obama. Does that matter if your going there to see if you can vote? If you said yes, then please don't register to vote. It would be useless.

Again. Tuesday, October 7th is the last day you can register to vote for the elections in November.

If you don't vote then don't complain.

Monkeys make for Cute Politicians.

If you haven't heard about it yet, you will now. Emobile, one of Japan's largest cell phone service providers, took a commercial off the air recently. Due to a small party of complainants in Japan.



In the commercial a monkey is dressed up in a suit and stands behind a podium. The crowd around the monkey holds up signs with just the word "Change" on them. It's an obvious play on Obama's popularity in Japan.



Here's the kicker. Even though it is the year 2008 and racism is supposed to be close to gone. Which, let's be real, it's not in some parts of the world. This ad was deemed racist by a group in Japan that consisted mainly of African-Americans.

As I've heard it said before, "If your mind is open to racism then don't you think your a little racist yourself?" Every person that is alive is a little racist but that's an entirely different subject all together.

As one of the complainants said, "People's minds should be more open as global citizens." So... everyone in the world should know about everything bad that has ever happened anywhere at anytime within this global world. Stupid. Listen buddy, you live in their world. Your the visitor so deal with it.

Granted, if this ad pisses you off then it pisses you off. There's nothing that can be done about that. But I don't see why. Perhaps I'm cold or not in touch with any particular "breed" of humans.

Part of me really thinks this is all just getting blown up as most things like this do. The monkey is the company's mascot. It's been used in numerous situations and I will guarantee you 100% that if that same monkey was portraying a white politician no one would give a shit. But white men and monkeys haven't been correlated together throughout history. Ok... What if it was a white man dressed in Colonial garb carrying a whip? Would it get as much attention from CNN? Or perhaps a monkey dressed in a sleeveless red flannel, a trucker hat, cigarette hanging from it's lip and speaking horribly broken redneck jargon? Would that be racist or would that be funny? After all, not all white people are rednecks or were slave owners.

Every politician that has ever ran for the Presidential Office has promised change. So how do these people that are complaining even know who the monkey is supposed to be imitating? Well, it is kind of obvious. After all, Obama is running now and "Change" is a big platform in his ploys. The monkey portrays a politician, Obama is a popular politician.

Damn good thing they didn't give the monkey fake glasses and a cigar. George Burns family might be really pissed off about that.

So is it really a bad thing that a company decided to use their mascot - which has been in many other commercials and represents them - to represent a human (not just a black man) that they believe is powerful and well liked? What if the mascot was a giraffe or a hyena? Would it then be a problem because a giraffe represents thinking in the clouds? A hyena would be bad because hyenas are known for their bark that sounds like a laugh and scavenging dead bodies for nourishment. However, monkeys in the Japanese culture are a very high ranking and honorable animal.


Did anyone else notice how this article faded away from the racism based complaints and became more focused on the monkey and the politician?

You did? Good. Maybe you also noticed how a simple commercial that was trying to project a powerful and respectful image got turned around into being racist just due to a small handful of people's thoughts.

Life doesn't change until people's thoughts start to change. If your constantly looking for any excuse to turn something good into something bad then life will never change.

Employees Expose FOX NEWS Distortions

Henry H Perrit Jr.'s View on the Proposed Chicago Event Promoter License

An incredible supporter of the independent artist community Henry Perritt has asked everyone to help distribute his White Paper, "Why the Event Promoters Ordinance should be rejected".

Please read it, repost it and repost it again. ANY and ALL feedback welcome.

Why the Event Promoters Ordinance should be rejected
[27 May 2008]

• The proposed ordinance does not address any public need



• Often justified as a response to the 17 February 2003 stampede in the E2 nightclub, which killed 21 people, the proposed ordinance does not address the problems that led to that tragedy:



• Too many people (1100) were in a venue that could safely accommodate only 300



• The City of Chicago had not determined the safe capacity of the venue



• The City had not acted on known building and fire code violations



• The venue’s security staff did not respond appropriately



• The proposed ordinance does not strengthen the City’s inspection and enforcement resources, powers, and will to act; instead it indemnifies the City from liability



• The ordinances regulating places where food is offered for sale require periodic city inspections; neither the proposed ordinance nor the existing PPA requires inspections



• The proposed ordinance targets event promoters rather than venue owners, although circumstances leading to the E2 tragedy were within control of the venue manager and not third-party promoters



• Venue owners, not third-party promoters, are in a position to control everything that might jeopardize the health or safety of fans



• The proposed ordinance does not fit the realities of how some of Chicago’s best music is made and promoted



• The 2007 Chicago Music City report prepared by a group at the University of Chicago for the Chicago Music Commission concluded that music in Chicago generates a payroll in excess of $1 billion annually and fuels the overall economy in Chicagoland.
• Significantly, it concluded that Chicago offers more kinds of music regularly than anywhere else except Los Angeles and New York, mostly in small clubs



• Most of the small clubs are operated informally and present bands and other performers that operate on a financial shoestring, rarely earning more than a few hundred dollars for a performance, and rarely netting more than a few thousand dollars per year for their music



• These bands and performers and the venues in which they perform scramble to attract an audience, relying on the band’s circle of friends and an occasional part-time amateur street team to distribute flyers and generate word of mouth



• The proposed ordinance contains several provisions that would burden small venues and less-known bands disproportionately



• It defines the regulated activity ( § 1-157-010, definition of “Event Promoter”) to include advertising so broadly that it would include:
• Word of mouth generated by a band or its supporters
• Distribution of flyers or posters publicizing a performance
• Free notices of performances on websites such as MySpace music pages, while exempting paid newspaper advertising


• It imposes unnecessary insurance requirements on promoters who have no control over safety in venues and thus are unlikely to be liable for injuries



• It prohibits fans under the age of 21 from engaging in promotion activities, although younger fans other play a crucial role in encouraging turnout for performances



• It would intimidate fans and band members from promoting a performance by requiring them to be fingerprinted and to fill out burdensome forms and keep burdensome records



• Paradoxically, it would regulate promoters for events at small venues while leaving intact the existing exemption for the venues themselves (PPA § 4-156-305(c))



• It exempts instrumental performances by groups with fewer than eight pieces (§ 4-156-305(f)) while providing no such exemption for small groups performing other kinds of music



• It exempts large venues, where any risk to public health and safety is greatest



• The proposed ordinance is unconstitutional
• It violates the First Amendment by regulating speech in the form of advertising over-broadly


• It violates due process by excluding ex-felons who have paid their debt to society and persons convicted of petty theft; federal court cases require a rational relationship between regulation of entertainment and risks to public health and safety; there is no such relationship here



• It violates equal protection of minority groups by disproportionately burdening promoters from such groups



• The City of Chicago should be supporting and promoting its smaller venues and lesser-known bands, but the ordinance imposes burdens instead



• The City should publish and distribute to hotels and airports a directory of smaller venues and lesser-known bands



• - It should provide links on its websites to private websites that offer current information about scheduled performances



• - It should provide financial support to smaller venues and lesser-known bands

Henry H. Perritt, Jr.
Professor of Law
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Member of the Illinois Bar
hperritt@kentlaw.edu
(312) 906-5098

West Virginia. The Rascist State?

No need to pay attention to the issues at hand or the candidates stand on them.

West Virginians go with their feelings.

Save Internet Radio

Dear SaveNetRadio supporter,

It has been a year since an increase in royalty fees for webcasters put the future of Internet radio at risk. Since then, more than 2 million people have called on Congress to save Internet radio, the Internet Radio Equality Act has been cosponsored by 150 Members of Congress, and a hearing was held in the House Small Business Committee. In spite of all this - nothing has changed. We need your help.

On Thursday May 15, Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas will introduce the Internet Radio Equality Act (IREA) as an amendment to the Orphan Works Bill (S. 2913) while it is being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee . As you know, the IREA would level the playing field for Internet radio webcasters and promote greater parity within the radio industry, while doing away with the discrimination that now forces webcasters to pay fees more than twice as high as their closest competition, cable and satellite radio.

You can help. At least one of your Senators is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and we need their support. Call them today and ask them to support independent artists, small businesses, and the future of Internet radio. You can find their phone number and talking points here: http://www.capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/alert_9738601.html.

Ask your Senator to support the Brownback Amendment to S. 2913.

We need your help to remind Congress that though Internet radio is still on the air and artists are still being paid for their work by webcasters, nothing has been resolved and we need them to act.

On behalf of webcasters, artists and fellow Internet radio listeners everywhere, thank you. Let's finish what we started a year ago.

Jim DeRogatis - Ordinance tabled (for now)

UPDATE: Promoter's ordinance tabled (for now)

Following a nearly unprecedented outpouring of concern from the Chicago music community and a meeting with activists and some of the top concert promoters and venue owners in Chicago, Ald. Eugene Schulter, chairman of the City Council License Committee, decided on Tuesday that he will not present the so-called "event promoter's ordinance" to the full council for a vote on Wednesday -- and that the committee will go back to work on fine-tuning the law.

Schulter and representatives of the city Department of Business Affairs & Licensing met with members of the Chicago Music Commission, Metro owner Joe Shanahan, Jam Productions talent booker Nick Miller and Double Door co-owner Sean Mulroney Tuesday morning, a day before the law was expected to be passed by the City Council.

Made aware of concerns in many corners of Chicago's arts communities, Schulter asked DBA for more facts and figures about the alleged "problem venues" and "underground promoters" that the ordinance was designed to curtail. Some of those who attended the meeting said DBA had to admit that it had no hard information and that it has not formally studied the extent of the alleged problem that the law was crafted to address; they had only the anecdotal evidence of the single tragic incident at the E2 Nightclub five years ago.

The law will return to committee for more work and public input before a council vote is considered again. Schulter told the meeting he expects that process will take at least a month.

"We are not sure when it will come out of committee for a vote, but we hope that Chairman Schulter will wait until he and the city have engaged the music community publicly and meaningfully so their concerns can be heard and hopefully incorporated into the eventual law," said Chicago Music Commission board member Bruce Iglauer.

"We are pleased that Chairman Schulter has responded to community concerns here, and we look forward to working with him, members of the Committee, DBA staff and other music community stakeholders to come up with a workable version of the ordinance."

Posted by Jim DeRogatis on May 13, 2008 01:00 PM

Email to my Alderman

Dear Alderman Levar,

My name is Reverend Derek Dennison. I've been living in your district now for close to a year. I've been living in Chicago for close to 8 years now. Before that I lived in a very small town near the town of Dixon Illinois, Ronald Reagan's boyhood town. I used to go to Lowell Park where President Reagan was a lifeguard and he even saved my Mother's life once. It was a very simple place to grow up, the laws and rules are all very simple and very enforced.

I came to this city for many reasons. I wanted to know what it would be like to live in one of the greatest cities in America. I wanted to explore possibilities and see what I could accomplish on my own. I wanted to live in a city where I was encouraged to express myself and not feel like I was being looked down on. Small towns have that ability of looking down on people for expressing themselves openly.

Before I came to Chicago, I used to organize and promote concerts and bands. These bands were of a wide variety. I did well there and because these events were popular people came to them and they enjoyed themselves. Seeing this was a reward all in it's own. I came to Chicago, in this aspect, because I wanted to have the ability to reach out to more people and more bands.

However, upon moving to a new city all the normal "new guy" inconveniences began again. It took me six years to finally be able to start doing little shows again. The city is much different than the smaller towns. Bands here want more money and a lot of venues here charge a room rental fee. Which means I have to pay any where between $300 up to $3,500 in order to do a concert where the three bands involved could cost anywhere between $300 and far beyond $5,000.

I now only do concerts as a hobby. I don't make the kind of money needed to survive in this business. I currently do a once a month dj night at the Double Door in Wicker Park and I have a free concert to be held this coming Wednesday at the Cobra Lounge on Ashland Ave. After these events I am putting together a benefit event in the name of a friend that died last year. All proceeds will go to a local music school that he attended in his name. The venue has said they would donate the space for the event.

If for some reason this license goes through this event won't be able to happen. In fact, I'll never be able to do another event inside the city limits. With the license fee being different for each size of venue I would have to get different licenses. Perfect example is that I've recently had an event that was originally slated for a venue with a 550 "non-fixed seat" capacity that had to be changed to a venue that had a 300 "non-fixed seat" capacity. This would be too costly for me to have to obtain different licenses due to different capacities.


Insurance

The insurance that is being demanded is also too high for me. If I put on an event at a venue that holds 500 people, the insurance could run me between $300 and $600 for that one night. That is also non-refundable. Which means I would have to add that cost into my ticket prices and make a $5 show now cost $10. Which in turn will stop people from coming to my event and myself becoming more poor than I already am.

I'm sure that I am not the only person that this insurance will effect in this way. All legitimate PPA licensed venues already have this insurance. The event occurs inside their property in which they provide the security and they control the capacity. So I wonder now, why do the promoters have to have this insurance? A promoter does not overrule the authority of the venue. The venue is not owned by the promoter. The venue has the final say about capacity and what actions to be done if there is a problem.

If E2 is the basis behind the insurance, may I ask this question. Why? E2 was a venue that had constant complaints and was even ordered closed by the city. They disregarded the city and stayed open. At that point they became criminals. The city should have made sure that the venue was closed and should have administered their own locks or chains to keep it closed. That is not the fault of all the promoters in Chicago, that was the fault of the City of Chicago.


Fingerprinting.

I personally do not have a problem with fingerprinting. The problem I have is if it holds someone back from receiving a license. Not everyone has a perfect record. People tend to mess up in life from time to time. It's one of the ways we learn. I'm sure every person in the world has said the wrong thing or has taken pens home from work. But if a person has had a bad record in the past should that stop them from doing what they like now? Or should this be taken away from them as well, leaving them with limited work options?


Fixed Seating Venues

Has anyone thought about how many "non-fixed seating" venues there are in this city? Metro, Double Door, Schuba's. Martyrs, Empty Bottle, Subterranean, The Blue Note, Quencher's, The Hideout, the Riviera, the Vic Theater, Congress Theater and many more. Do you think these venues are going to pay for these licenses or just give up and put in tables for customers to sit at. There won't be any Promoters left to fill these establishments with live music. There won't be any establishments that will offer dancing, live music, comedy acts or even prop theater.

Fixed seat venues like the United Center can afford these license but they are exempt because they threatened to take their business to suburban venues and other towns like Rockford and Pecatonica, Illinois. Now, if the license does pass as it stands, so will the independent Event Promoters.


Money

I've already touched on the different amounts that it may cost for a single event. Now let's look at how this could effect business.

If a "non-fixed seating" venue has to close it's doors to independent event promoters they could run the chance of losing a lot of money on a weekly basis. Most of these venues have bands or dj's on every Friday and Saturday night.

Let's say that on a busy night with a band the bar rings in a profit of $4,500. On a night without a band, that same venue that is open and serves alcohol and a limited amount of food could ring in a profit of $1,500 for the night. That's a difference of $3,000 in profit. Now, once the license is passed and the promoters can't afford the license where will all this extra profit come from? It won't be there and a lot of these smaller venues will close.

Once these venues close an average of 20 - 25 employees will be out of work. As of March the unemployment rate was 5.5.%. Where do you think it will be when an average of 20 venues with an average of 20 - 25 employees has to close their doors? That's roughly 400 to 1,300 more people in the unemployment lines. If they can even obtain unemployment help since most of these employees work for a minimal wage and survive mainly on tips.

I don't know about you but I don't want to be bothered by even more homeless people.


Culture

Independent Event Promoters bring in live music from all over the world. Personally I've brought bands in from Peoria, Michigan, New Jersey, and Boston. There are bands that come from all over to play this city because of the cultural diversity and opportunities. There are bands that move here because, "If you can't make it in Chicago, you can't make it anywhere."

Besides bands, let's think about the little prop theaters that make up Chicago's acting profession. These venues range in different sizes. They also range in different money brackets. Most of these venues charge an entrance fee in hopes that they make enough money to pay the rent for that month. They don't have the extra money to pay a license fee. Their actors rarely make money and some events sponsor benefit nights to obtain the money they need for props and costumes. These types of prop theaters will have to close down.


Let's not forget about the very basic element that should be a major part of your decision.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." - Amendment 1, U.S. Constitution, Ratified on 12/15/1791


I understand that this license is not directly trying to prohibit our right to peaceably assemble. However, it is selecting who has the right to decide where and when. If you do not have a license you can not put together the options for a group of people to peaceably assemble. Doesn't it make more sense to give everyone the option and if it becomes unruly to ticket and arrest the people involved no matter if they organized it?

In fact, if the city were more stringent on the laws and ordinances we already have would I even be spending the 2 or more hours writing this letter to you? I can say that I have witnessed a house party be raided. In fact, I even called it in to the local district. I was standing outside when the people came out and were let go without a ticket or even a smack on the wrist. This same place was raided three times in under six months. Each time the minors that were attending the event were not arrested. They were ushered out of the building and let go onto the streets.

Perhaps, if the city was more strict on the element that is giving independent Event Promoters such a bad name you wouldn't be reading this now. Maybe these people would be in the kind of trouble they should be in and I wouldn't be sitting here worrying if I can continue to plan a benefit show in the name of a friend that has passed on.

In closing, I have learned and experienced a lot of things from living in this city thus far. I've learned that taking the time to voice my opinion can possibly help to shape the future. I've learned that life can be much more tough than it appears. I've learned that if local government can't find reasons to listen to their public that the local government can change in time.

I also know that this isn't the only place to live. No matter how much I like it some where, if my options are limited due to a license or work I can always move away and take my abilities with me. Just like the thousands of other people that do what I do.

Thank you for your time. Please think strongly against the Event Promoter's License. It could be very hazardous to Chicago's culture and it's people.

-Reverend Derek Dennison

City of Chicago's Event Promoter License & Me

Ok, so what's the big deal about the Event Promoter License that the City of Chicago wants to enforce?

Here's the deal. I consider myself an Event Promoter. I might only put on 2 concerts a year and 1 dj night a month but that's considered an Event Organizer/Promoter.

So now, if this license passes I have to pay $2,000 a year in order to do what I like to do, at this point, as a hobby. Even though my events are within legitimate venues that have all the permits and licenses that are required. Even though I haven't made any money at all doing this in the past 2 years. In fact, I've given money away for these things to happen.

Technically, this effects every person that puts together any type of an event. A dj night, a concert, an art opening, any type of event that charges a cover at the door.

Well, they did change the terms of the license since last year.

Last year this license went all the way across the board. It effected every single person that ever put on a show. Here's one of the major ways it changed.

The license fee before was $2,000 for every 2 years, for everyone. For the little people like me all the way to the charity organizations and up to major organizations like, everyones friends, JAM Productions.

Here's how the license fees changed.

License fees, payable every two years, would range from $500 to $2,000, depending on the size of the venues in which the promoters operate. The city, non-profit organizations promoting their own events and promoters at "fixed-seating" venues with at least 500 seats, such as the United Center, would be exempt.

So here's a quick thought. Last year the license got shot down. You know why? Because places like the United Center, JAM Productions, the Rosemont and all the other major players said they'd take their business to the burbs. An action like that would culturally crush the city of Chicago. Not to mention the amount of money the city would lose out.

So now the city is listening to the major players and they decided that they shouldn't have to pay for this license. Even though, out of all the people that will be effected, the major players are the only ones that could afford such a ridiculous fee.

Here's another thing that I noticed from the Tribune's article. It's in regards to the E2 incident that happened almost 5 years ago.

Months after the stampede, an independent panel that reviewed the disaster and emergency response concluded that inadequate city inspection procedures and lack of city agency coordination allowed the club to stay open months after a court ordered it shut.

So wasn't it the city's fault that all this happened? Oh yea, the city doesn't do anything wrong.

If you want more information on this please follow these links.

Chicago City Council panel OKs licensing plan for event promoters
Chicago's promoter's ordinance: What the city wants, the city gets?
Jim DeRogatis' Blog
Chicago Music Commission's site
Rules inspired by E2 stampede approved


If you are an event promoter please contact your Alderman and express your concerns BEFORE Wednesday May 14th.. If you don't then don't feel bad that you have to leave the city to do the events that you like to do.

The floor at this meeting is not open to the public. It's a hearing for the Aldermen to vote on whether or not to impose the license.

This site will help you find out who your Alderman is and how to contact them.

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/alderman/find.html

Go there, find them and contact them. Let them know your concerns and let them know how it will effect you.

If you can, appear at the hearing. Maybe if enough people show up to boo down the license they'll listen.

The hearing is on Wednesday May 14, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.

The City Council meets in the Council Chamber located on the Second Floor of City Hall, 121 North La Salle Street.

Chicago Music Promoters Ordinance Round 2

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY

The Chicago City Council has fast-tracked its new version of a measure first introduced last year to greatly impede independent promoters attempting to hold events in the city. Under the proposed law, independent promoters would have to acquire a promoter's license at a cost of up to $2000 every two years, obtain liability insurance for every event thrown, even if the presenting venue already has liability insurance, be fingerprinted and background checked, and maintain extensive records of each event. The ordinance allegedly is intended to prevent disasters like the one that occurred in the E2 nightclub several years ago, but really would just put many small indies (not to mention non-profits that rely on events for fundraising, like CHIRP) out of business.


Jim DeRogatis has been following the story closely, so you can read further here:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/

FYI, the ordinance exempts non-profits from certain portions of the rules (although not the extensive record keeping), but requires a group to have been in existence for at least three years, or to "be qualified for" 501(c)3 status. CHIRP, while non-profit, has only been around since August 2007, and is still being advised on 501(c)3 issues, a process that often takes more than a year from application to approval. This means events ranging from our Record Fair to dance parties at Town Hall Pub to speaking events by media activists might be out of our reach under the new ordinance...and if we cannot throw those events to raise money, there is no way to fund our organization.


If you value live music in Chicago (and the work of the Chicago Indie Radio Project), it's important that you make your voice heard. Call your alderman and ask him or her to oppose the Promoter Ordinance. Be polite. Tell him or her you support live music in Chicago, and feel this ordinance would kill many great events. Say you want venues to be safe, but this ordinance goes too far.


Your voice makes a difference. Place a call to your alderman's office today.


This page will help you find your alderman and give you his or her phone number -- quick and easy! It only takes a couple of minutes.

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/alderman/find.html

And if you're able, come to the city council meeting on Wednesday, May 14 at 10AM in City Council chambers, and speak out against the measure.

Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007

Saying anything bad about this bill or how stupid I think it is could land me in Federal Prison if this passes and becomes law.

I'm not going to go into huge detail about it but I will leave the links for you to look at and research yourself. Basically, this bill says that if you speak your mind about politics or say that the current President is a dipshit you could go to prison. The bill states:

". . . the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."

Which suggests that if you said, "John McCain is an idiot and should be tossed off a cliff" you could be arrested for planning and threatening an occurance that might or might not happen.

It could also mean that bands that have music that suggest violence or acts against the government will be censored. Bands such as Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, Megadeth and so on.

Feel free to research this farther and make your own desicions. Here are some links that will help you.

Track the bill through it's process here: GovTrak.us

Daily Congressional

Congresspedia

Contact your Representatives and Urge them to shut down this bill.

I'd also like to thank Look What I Did for bringing this to my attention. Check them out on their Myspace Page. If you add them let them know where you heard about them and why.

Contact your Representatives and let them know where you stand. It does make a difference and it can help to shape the world.

Let's help stop our government from becoming too obtrusive and too censor happy. The world doesn't need another China.

Chicago Phone Tax Shut Down??

Dear Nophonetax Supporter:

For more than four months, the www.NoPhoneTax.org campaign has inundated the Cook County Commissioners with more than 500,000 emails and nearly 200,000 people have visited the website to find out how they can help!

We clearly told the County Board to oppose its outrageous attempt to impose a yearly $48 tax on every phone, cell phone and data line. And so far, it appears they listened.

The Cook County Board has until February 29th to pass its budget, and thanks to our incredible efforts, it looks like most of the commissioners have taken the phone tax out of consideration. The County needs to find a different way to balance the budget, and it shouldn't be on the backs of our phone lines!

Because of our outreach, the following commissioners have committed to us in writing that they oppose the phone tax:

• Peter Silvestri, 9th District
• Mike Quigley, 10th District
• Forrest Claypool, 12th District
• Larry Suffredin, 13th District
• Gregg Goslin, 14th District
• Timothy Schneider, 15th District
• Anthony Peraica, 16th District
• Elizabeth Gorman, 17th District

We thank these commissioners for their support and continue to encourage President Stroger and the remaining nine commissioners to take the same stand for the residents of Cook County.

We are almost there. But it's never over till it's over. Our battle won't be finished until the final budget is approved. Keep spreading the word – www.NoPhoneTax.org .

Tax Rebate, Oh joy.

So the good ole US of A was heading towards a recession. It happens every so many years. Especially after the greatest idea in history actually happened. You know, back when our government decided it was ok to shut down all the factories and send them off to other countries because it's cheaper.

I don't want to sound ungrateful. I mean, now there's enough bums around asking for change that every penny ever dropped and discarded has probably been found by now. Which is a huge success since just a few years ago they were trying to figure out a way to get rid of the penny. The Penny has returned!!

Part of me is glad the Tax Rebate is actually happening. I could use the extra coin. Although I don't think it's going to help anything. Well, it will help to make the deficit larger. And when you produce more money and give it away it usually makes the dollar worth less. So now it might take 3 US dollars to exchange for 1 Euro.

I remember a time when 1 US dollar went a lot farther everywhere besides here.

I'm glad to see that the changes in the bill were set in stone though. That Senior Citizens will now get a rebate as well. Even though they still had to make at least $3,000 in 2007 to get $300 back. They should. If it wasn't for them we wouldn't be sitting as pretty as we are now. Hats off to all the Seniors that made that possible. They're hard work has allowed us to not work so hard.

The extra coin in everyone's pocket will help with bills. Obviously everyone will use it for what ever they choose and more than likely it will go to vacations, new toys, and nights out on the town. I don't foresee the average blue collar person using that money to put into stocks and bonds and such things that will actually help to create stimulus and job opportunities.

I hate to say it but I think those generations of people are gone.

So many people today are worried about their $200 to $300 a month natural gas bills and the ever raising fuel prices to care about stocks. And let's face it, a $600 rebate isn't enough for people to create long term businesses and job opportunities. All it's become is a bumper. Instead of a recession now we've created a small window of time before it hits again. In my opinion, that window of time gets smaller every time more money is given away.

The approval of the economic plan happened very quickly, in just 2 weeks. Which some would say is a great sign that our delegates have finally found something they all care about. America. But I wonder how many were thinking, "Shit, if I don't approve this I won't get elected for the next term." If a delegate was to vote no for this, like some did, it would be great material to use for a mud slinging campaign. "Don't vote for ______. They opposed the Tax Rebate, denying you your money."

Other changes in the bill that I approve of. (Like my personal approval matters anyways...) They made it so Illegal Aliens and non-residents do not get any type of a rebate. They shouldn't if they're not paying into the system. Which also goes for a couple people I know that don't even do their taxes. Fuck 'em. If you don't want to pay in then don't be upset when you don't get a pay out.

So here's how it pans out.

"The legislation would deliver rebates -- $600 for individuals, $1,200 for couples -- to most taxpayers, plus an additional $300 per child. Individuals making up to $75,000 a year and couples earning up to $150,000 would get the full rebate, with those making more than that or too little to owe taxes getting smaller checks." - Chicago Tribune 2/8/08

So now, what are you going to use your money for? A new bike, a PS3, stocks, retirement funds, a night out, student loans, bills? Or maybe you'll figure out some miraculous way to use your $600 to create a business that will constantly create new job opportunities and thus making the recession disappear.

I have a great idea for the disappearance of the deficit, creation of thousands of jobs, and how to turn around the recession.

Legalize marijuana, sell it in a 10 joint pack and charge $15 per pack. Let it be a government ran organization and all profit, above and beyond business expenses, goes to the deficit.

Imagine all the free time the legal system would have, all the people that would be happy, and the power of the US dollar after the deficit disappears.

But then relations with drug cartels would fall apart and that is entirely a different subject all together.

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Now playing: Helmet - Unsung
via FoxyTunes