The World Series highlights the importance of this issue. Tomorrow night, an expected 15 million viewers, including many children, will tune in to watch the first game of the series. Unfortunately, as these young fans root for their favorite team and players, they also will watch their on-field heroes use smokeless tobacco products.

When players use smokeless tobacco, they endanger not only their own health, but also the health of millions of children who follow their example. Every year, tobacco use kills 443,000 Americans, most of whom started using tobacco as teenagers. The Surgeon General, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute have concluded that smokeless tobacco causes cancers of the stomach, larynx, and esophagus; oral cancers – which can require disfiguring surgery – and pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The use of smokeless tobacco is also linked to cardiovascular disease, gum disease, tooth decay, and mouth lesions.

The 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that the use of smokeless tobacco products has increased by 36 percent among high school boys since 2003, and the proportion of high school boys using smokeless tobacco is now an alarming 15 percent. Tobacco companies spend millions on advertisements tailored to attract young people to use tobacco products – the industry more than doubled its marketing for smokeless products between 2005 and 2008, to a record $547.9 million. Major League ballplayers who use smokeless tobacco at games are providing a celebrity endorsement for these products, encouraging many young people to try smokeless tobacco.

In 1993, Major League Baseball took the commendable step of prohibiting the use of smokeless tobacco and other products in the minor leagues. It is time for the players to take the lead and support extending this policy throughout MLB. Commissioner Bud Selig already has proposed a prohibition on smokeless tobacco use to be included in the next contract. When the Players Association and the MLB convene at the Baseball Winter Meetings this December to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, we urge you to agree to a prohibition on the use of all forms of tobacco products at games and on camera at all Major League ballparks in the final contract. Such an agreement would protect the health of players and be a great gift to your young fans.

Thank you for your consideration of this important public health issue.

Sincerely,

Signed: U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

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The Congressman is facing President Obama acolyte Alexi Giannoulias for the Senate seat that the President, who once held the seat, is desperate to keep in the hands of a Democrat who will endorse his failed policies.  As you undoubtedly know by now, Mr. Giannoulias is the young, inexperienced Treasurer of our near-bankrupt state whose personal friendship with the President seems to be his main qualification to hold this high office. By comparison, Congressman Kirk is a five term Congressman with a wealth of legislative experience and national security expertise who has served our country honorably in the United States Navy for over two decades.

Read more at the Illinois Review

This is not to say anything against job fairs, by the way.  They’re fine.  A job fair makes a little money for the hotel that hosts it, for the caterer who provides the doughnuts and cookies, and sometimes for the promoter as well.  All good, all fine.  And sometimes people who attend get hired.  Nothing wrong with it.

But a job fair doesn’t create anything new except the fair itself.  If an attendee shows up and gets hired, good for him.  That’s grand.  But the job already existed; the company had already decided to hire someone.  Absent the job fair, the cable provider or insurance company would have hired someone else who walked in the door, mailed in a resume, or was referred by a recruiter… maybe even the very same person it found through the fair!

Read more at the Illinois Review

image Baxter Swilley, Cheech Marin, Scott Lee Cohen, Tommy Chong

Governor Christie joined Brady at campaign events in Chicago, Peoria and Springfield that highlighted Brady’s plan for putting Illinois back to work, and for making a clean break from the tax and spend policies of the Quinn/Blagojevich administrations.

“Governor Christie is standing up for taxpayers of his state against the big government, tax and spending crowd, and I’m honored to have his support,” said Brady.

“He knows New Jersey can’t tax and spend its way out of its fiscal crisis, and neither can Illinois.   That’s why a Brady Administration will work with Republicans and Democrats alike to enact pro-growth policies that create jobs and force government to live within its means, just like the rest of us do every day.”

“I’m thrilled to support Bill Brady,” said Governor Christie. “I’m confident in Bill’s vision for reducing taxes, cutting state spending, and for empowering the private sector to create real jobs in Illinois.

Read more at Illinois Review

Illinois now ranks 48 of the 50 states in net migration. California and New York lost more people, more than 1.4 and 1.7 million respectively.

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“I don’t think a person’s economic status, their financial status, should be a standard for whether or not they can run for office,” Plummer said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’ve never voted for anyone because they’re rich or poor, white collar or blue collar. I vote on the person and the policies.”

Read more at Illinois Review

image Jason, Phineus, and the Harpies

The Illinois House of Representatives is considering a key vote right now. Senate Bill 2494 would save thousands of children from Chicago’s worst schools by giving them a voucher allowing them to attend the school of their choice.

This program has been successful in other states, and it won’t cost downstate or suburban schools any money. After years of your tax dollars going to failing schools, this bill will also hold Chicago Public Schools accountable for their performance.

Is your legislator standing with the kids who need help, or with the teachers unions who oppose this bill? Below is a list of undecided legislators.

Call them and tell them to support Senate Bill 2494.

The Illinois House of Representatives is considering a key vote right now. Senate Bill 2494 would save thousands of children from Chicago’s worst schools by giving them a voucher allowing them to attend the school of their choice.

This program has been successful in other states, and it won’t cost downstate or suburban schools any money. After years of your tax dollars going to failing schools, this bill will also hold Chicago Public Schools accountable for their performance.

Is your legislator standing with the kids who need help, or with the teachers unions who oppose this bill?  Below is a list of undecided legislators.

Call them and tell them to support Senate Bill 2494.

My enthusiasm for this year and its opportunity to serve the people of Illinois is growing in light of the extraordinary ticket we nominated and situation we face.

The GOP gubernatorial race appears to be on its way to amicable resolution.  Why?  Because Kirk Dillard, Bill Brady and (no relation) Pat Brady are class acts who know that first, Illinois’ election administrators owe GOP primary voters and the people of Illinois a clean and solid count.

In other words, they are declining the Democrats’ obvious invitation for us to start fighting between ourselves over the results.

This morning on WGN-TV, as an intro to my segment, tape ran of Cook County Clerk David Orr saying a GOP recount could take “months.”

To my friend David, I say, “in your dreams.”

Read more at the Illinois Review