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Bustos: Schilling views out of sync
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Democrat Cheri Bustos says U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling, R-Colona, remains wedded to the Tea Party, and holds views that are out of sync with the people of the 17th District. At an editorial board meeting Thursday with The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus, Ms. Bustos cast Rep. Schilling as a partisan with extreme positions. "He ran on a Tea Party platform. He votes with his party 92 percent of the time," she said of Rep. Schilling. "He goes to Tea Party rallies, he talks about repealing the 16th Amendment, he talks about a flat tax, those are not centrist positions and they are out of sync with the people of this region." The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows Congress to levy an income tax. But Rep. Schilling's office said he does not support repealing the 16th Amendment and does not support a flat tax. Rep. Schilling is supported by Tea Party groups, said his spokesman Jon Schweppe, but also recently received a "Problem-Solvers Seal of Approval" by the bipartisan No Labels group. In a tough election battle, Ms. Bustos and Rep. Schilling, are both pursuing independent voters and moderates by attempting to show they can compromise and aren't scared of bucking the party line. Rep. Schilling does vote with his party 92 percent of the time, according to Open Congress, a non-partisan organization that analyzes Congress. The average Republican lawmaker in the U.S. House votes with his party 93.2 percent of the time in the 112th Congress. Rep. Schilling points out that he votes with U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Mount Vernon, 34 percent of the time. Despite the popular image of Congress as being gridlocked, Democrat and Republican representatives have an average voting similarity of 44 percent, according to Open Congress. Ms. Bustos, a former East Moline alderwoman wants to keep the Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year, for those earning up to $1 million and not $250,000, as President Barack Obama has proposed. The Bustos campaign repeatedly has criticized Rep. Schilling for supporting tax breaks for millionaires. But Ms. Bustos said many family farms in the 17th District fall into the income category between $250,000 and $1 million and believes their incomes should be protected from higher taxes. "This is just another example of alderwoman Bustos attempting to have it both ways on an issue," said Mr. Schweppe. Ms. Bustos also opposes the establishment of the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which from 2013 will develop recommendations to reduce the cost of care for Medicare recipients. The unelected board is a key component of the Affordable Care Act but a big target for Republicans like Rep. Schilling. They view the board as part of government encroachment on health care, even though it would only make recommendations for Medicare, the government program for seniors. "What's the oversight on this board? That worries me," Ms. Bustos said. IPAB would not be allowed to make any recommendation to ration health care, increase Medicare premiums and must exclusively focus on proposals for achieving savings in the delivery of health care services, according to the left-leaning Center for Budget Policies and Priorities. 
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Today is Thursday, June 20, the 171st day of 2013. There are 194 days left in the year.
1863 -- 150 years ago: The latest interpretation of the conscription law is said to be that $800 can be paid for an exemption, in which case the person will be eligible for call ina subsequent draft; or a substitute can be furnished. In the latter case, if the substitute isaccepted, the person he represents is exempted for that draft period.
1888 -- 125 years ago: A floral concert presented by Central Presbyterian Church womenattracted a large crowd yesterday.
1913 -- 100 years ago: Milton Reed, infielder on the Davenport baseball club, has beensold to the Philadelphia National league team.
1938 -- 75 years ago: The State Bank of Rock Island has doubled its capital structure,raising it to $1 million, according to Lewis B. Wilson, president of the bank.
1963 -- 50 years ago: The American Wind Symphony Orchestra will present two concertsin the Quad-Cities on Aug. 6, performing from its specially equipped stage-barge. Thebarge, which is traveling the Mississippi River route, will be moored just off the shore forthe concerts.
1988 -- 25 years ago: Fines for overdue items at the Rock Island Public Library are beingincreased to 10 cents per day per item effective July 1. Fines will not be prorated onbooks returned after that date.
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