Illinois ranking among the States "US News and World Report"

Illinois isn't all that bad a State to live in. US News and World Report came out with the rankings for the 50 states. Here are some interesting facts about Illinois, according to the report. However, it is important to realize that nearly 40% of the population of the state lives in Cook County and Chicago. Cook County has an estimated 5,194,675 residents and the state overall is estimated to have a population of 12,837,801. Because of the influence of Cook County on the rest of the state, I decided to include a few additional statistics here.

To provide additional insights, here are a few statistics comparing Cook County and adjacent DuPage County. The data is from 2014 or 2015, unless noted:

Population:
Cook County: 5,246,456; DuPage County: 932,708

Median household income:
State: $59,588, Cook County: $56,851, DuPage County: $81,559

Estimated median house or condo value:
State: $180,300, Cook County: $230,900, DuPage County:$293,500

Percentage of Residents living in poverty:
State: 13.6%, Cook County: 16.1%, DuPage County: 7.1% .

General Health Status of Residents (rated 1 = poor to 5 = excellent):
Cook County: 3.5 , DuPage County: 3.7

Education, People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher:
Cook County: 77.7% , DuPage County: 90.0%

Education, People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher:
Cook County: 28.0%, DuPage County: 41.7%

Homicide Deaths per 1,000,000 population (1999-2006):
Firearm - Cook County: 99.3,   DuPage County: 7.9.
Other - Cook County:  34.5 ,    DuPage County:  6.1


US News and World Report
Here are a few statistics about Illinois. It's overall rating would be higher, but "government" knocks it down quite a bit. "In addition to health care and education, the metrics take into account a state’s economy, the opportunity it offers people, its roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety and the integrity and health of state government."

• Illinois is rated #29 overall of 50 states.
• Health care affordability is #17.
• Pre- K-12 it is rated #10 in education.
• 41% are College educated.
• Health care quality is #42
• Opportunity is #19
• Affordability is #21
• Equality is #21
• Business environment is #20
• Employment is #39
• Government - National Rank #47
• Fiscal Stability #50
• Government Budget Balancing #41
• Government Credit Rating #48
• Pension Fund Liability #46

For the original article at US News and World report, go to this link:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings

Why I won't be watching the Oscars

Update: "Oscar Ratings Down Double Digits In Demo(graphics) 32.9M Viewership Hits 9-Year Low" - The Hollywood Reporter February 27, 2017.

"In the key demo of adults 18-49, this year's show averaged a 9.1 rating — off a more dramatic 14 percent from the 2016 telecast, which averaged a 10.5 rating among the advertiser-favored viewers......to rank as the least-watched Oscars on record, the ceremony would have had to fall below the 2008 ceremony, hosted by Jon Stewart. That show came in just shy of 32 million viewers after a 20.8 overnight rating.......Leading into the big night, ABC's Oscars had suffered two consecutive years of dramatic dips — losing almost 10 million viewers between 2014 and 2016. But the show remains a lucrative flagship for ABC, which again reaped north of a reported $115 million in ad revenue from this year's show."   As I said, it is about selling ads and the entertainers selling themselves.

Original Post, February 26, 2017:
I won't be watching the Oscars. I do love good movies. However, the Oscars are really a private party where the Hollywood Elites show up and promote themselves to us. It is one long commercial.

Here's my opinion. Most of these actors live in a bubble, far removed from mainstream America.

Actors are paid to manipulate our emotions, and they do. Many are narrowly educated. So why would we ever believe anything they say? They need us a lot more than we need them. As a group, the Hollywood Elite is pretty deplorable. Many can't manage their personal lives, have terrible relationships and can't even manage their finances. Many burn through money like it's toilet paper. Yet, they hire professional agents, accountants, lawyers and financial advisors. Just think about that. You and I do it mostly on our own, and these pampered elites fail even with the best of help!

Some on the peak complain they aren't paid enough (Meryl Streep, for example). Some have great difficulty aging and then do darn near anything to get our attention and stay in the limelight. They really want us to watch them, read about them in the press (People Magazine, for example) and so on. Why? So they can reap the benefits, charge higher fees as actors and remain somewhat relevant.

They need adoration. Imagine getting on the stage and having people clap, scream and so on over, and over and over,and then throw $millions at you. That would warp most of us into pseudo gods.

Frankly, I don't believe a word actors say off the screen. Why should I? They are ACTORS who pride themselves on their ability to manipulate us. The best actors do this the most convincingly on the screen. I suspect they also do so off the screen.

As for talent, there are many TV shows which showcase "talent" and it is apparent millions of us can dance, sing and yes, even act. These are not unique people. They are simply the product of a media which focuses unrelentingly on them so as to sell ads. Or studios to sell movies.

Top 25 School Districts in Illinois - Wheaton District 200 made the list

Niche.com has released the 2017 Best School Districts ranking, "based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings, and more." Niche ranks the following:

• Academics
• Diversity
• Teachers
• College Readiness
• Clubs & Activities
• Health & Safety
• Administration
• Sports
• Food
• Resources & Facilities

For Illinois, Wheaton school district 200 came in at #9. Here are the rankings for other nearby school districts in the "top 25."

#6 Naperville Community Unit School District No. 203, Naperville, IL
#7 Indian Prairie Community Unit School District No. 204, Aurora, IL
#9 Community Unit School District No. 200, Wheaton, IL
#12 Geneva Community Unit School District No. 304, Geneva, IL
#13 Elmhurst School District No. 205, Elmhurst, IL
#15 Community High School District No. 99, Downers Grove, IL
#21 Lisle Community Unit School District No. 202, Lisle, IL
#23 Community Unit School District No. 201, Westmont, IL

Glen Ellyn missed the list of 25 and came in at number 26:
#26 Glenbard Township High School District No. 87, Glen Ellyn, IL

A closer look at Wheaton
Niche says it ranks "over 8,000 public school districts based on statistics and millions of opinions from students and parents. "  Of course, the opinions presented are entirely subjective and few students or parents have any knowledge of the conditions in other schools and school districts. For example, how many sports fans in Chicago love the Bears, a team which frequently ranks near or at the bottom of the NFL NFC North Division.

So how did Wheaton do for 2017?
Community Unit School District No. 200. 2017 Best School Districts in Illinois #9 of 404.Best Teachers in Illinois #7 of 287. Best School Districts for Athletes in Illinois #9 of 271.

• Overall Niche grade A+
• Academics A+
• Diversity B+ 
• Teachers A+ 
• College Readiness A+ 
• Clubs & Activities A+ 
• Health & Safety A
• Administration A+
• Sports A+
• Food B+
• Resources & Facilities A

A closer look at Glen Ellyn
Glenbard Township High School District No. 87 Glen Ellyn, IL.  2017 Most Diverse School Districts in Illinois #14 of 265.  2017 Largest School Districts in Illinois #24 of 408.  2017 Best School Districts in Illinois #26 of 404.

• Overall Niche grade A
• Academics A
• Diversity A
• Teachers A+
• College Readiness A+
• Clubs & Activities A+
• Health & Safety B
• Administration A-
• Sports A+
• Food C
•  Resources & Facilities C

Bottom Line:
Many of the best school districts in the state are nearby. The differences at the top are possibly minor. This can be seen by comparing the grade of Wheaton at #9 with Glen Ellyn at #26.


https://www.niche.com/k12/rankings/public-school-districts/best-overall/s/illinois/

Taking Care of the Ducklings

One of the issues in our association is saving the ducklings. Now, that is a real issue and it is a priority for some residents.

There is a real disconnect in our community. One of our board members is scrutinizing every bill and recently complained about a $25 bank charge. I'm attempting to find ways to reduce costs without reducing services while properly maintaining the property and build necessary reserves and keep fee increases below 3 percent each year.  Other board members are attempting to keep the peace between all of the differing viewpoints of our owners.

Now, it is true we can do anything; all it takes is time and money. Our 2017 budget is more than $1.3 million. The infrastructure is insured for about $90 million and we span about 40 acres with 15 acres of turf and 44 buildings.

A $25 charge is about 7 cents per owner per year, or about .002 percent of our annual budget.

Can we make improvements to save the duckling who come to our property, fed illeglly by owners? Of course we can. "All it takes is time and money." In fact, in the most recent association newsletter I stated that it takes "sweat equity." The sweat of the board and the equity of the owners.

I'm sure for a couple of $thousand we can deal with the ducklings. That's about $6 per owner, plus many hours of the board's time. But wait, we're sweating a cost of $0.07 per owner. So spending about 100 time more is the easy thing to do?

This, by the way, is precisely why this association ran into serious financial trouble. A lack of setting priorities, a lack of proper maintenance, a lack of reserves and pandering to owners. Back in the good old days "the squeaky wheels got the grease."

Now, if enough owners complain about "saving the ducklings" perhaps the board will make completing the deck and stream behind Thames a priority. Or maybe not. I'm not holding my breath.

In fact, we really need to begin building reserves and we have some major issues to deal with, No "Mega Projects" like that $2 million roofing project, thank God.