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*** UPDATED x2 - There could be a placard *** Caption contest!
Thursday, May 15, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller * Remember this Tribune story?…
* I went to the Conference of Women Legislators’ big annual event last night. It was raining, and almost everybody got wet before the show. But I passed a red Cadillac parked right in front of the hotel in a handicapped parking spot. The Cadillac had no discernible handicapped sticker or placard, but it did have Senate license plates…  House license plate numbers are based on seniority. Senate license plates are based on district numbers. Wanna guess who represents Senate District 25? He also had a “Dump Durbin 2014″ bumper sticker on the back of the car. *** UPDATE *** From Dan Curry…
Again, neither I nor the three people I was talking to about this last night while we were hanging out front of the hotel saw any sort of placard. *** UPDATE 2 *** I went back and looked at the photo more closely. Keep in mind that I looked into his car and didn’t see a placard. Others with me went over and said they didn’t see a placard. But the Oberweis people seemed so sincere that I took another look at the photo and made it much larger. If you look at the driver’s side front dash you’ll see what could very well be one of those handicapped placards which are supposed to hang from your rearview mirror…  So, I could’ve just missed it in the rain. I dunno.
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- heet101 - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:48 am:
For a record 365 straight days, today’s “Worst Person in the World” award goes to…
- SURS Member - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:49 am:
Got Milk?
- Sunshine - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:50 am:
Cure for stupid yet to be found. Waiting list gets longer!
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:53 am:
“You try and valet a black helicopter!”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:53 am:
“I care about the handicapped. I keep their parking spaces dry during the rain.”
- Union Man - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:54 am:
I don’t know what I was thinking!! It must have been somrthing I drank!
- South of I-80 - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:54 am:
I feel another bill being introduced!
Synopses: Red Cadillac’s parked facing out of designated Handicapped Parking places on rainy days during May, exempt from parking citations.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:54 am:
“Someone already was parked in my ‘For Slytherins Only’ parking spot”
- I B Strapped - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:55 am:
Officer, I swear I thought it did say ‘Reserved Senate’ just like at the Big House, but I admit I was running very late!
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:55 am:
I am not opposed to Handicapped parking spots. If they go away, where would I park?”
- Mighty M. Mouse - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:55 am:
When finding a legal parking place gets tough, the tough grab a handicapped spot.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:56 am:
“My Florida living wife has my Handicapped placard.”
- Tony Strupac - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:56 am:
In his defense, they give placards out to mentally challenged as well as physically challenged individuals.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:58 am:
“I care about the handicapped. I want them to feel they are like everyone else. Parking far away is a right everyone enjoys!”
- Tony Strupac - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:58 am:
“I am not opposed to handicapped parking spaces, but why do they have to be so close to the building?”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:59 am:
“Woo Hoo! Rock Head parking!”
- Nonplussed - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:59 am:
He just wants people who would park in those spots to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get to work!
- Wensicia - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:00 am:
“I don’t understand, officer. All I said to the guy was I supported minimum wage for valet parking attendants.”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:00 am:
“Now it makes sense, I saw a person in a wheel chair who left early, and yelled in my face, ‘I would stay but an insensitive Dope took parking away from those who need it!’…makes total sense now.”
- Rufus - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:01 am:
Viral!
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:01 am:
Ignorance is still Stupid.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:03 am:
“Oberweis just loves to help his opponent. We just follow him around, wave, and he just does the most irrational things all by himself…”
- Gary Kasparov - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:03 am:
You fools! Clearly this is the work of a grandmaster chess player at work! He’s playing you! You only THINK this looks bad!
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:04 am:
All that is missing is the fake cell phone call Oberweis will be making to pretend he can’t answer the reporters
- Norseman - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:04 am:
“Handicap sticker, handicap sticker, I don’t need no stinking handicap sticker.”
- Mouthy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:04 am:
I didn’t see the sign, it was behind me..
- PublicServant - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:05 am:
There’s enough room for wheelchairs on either side! Sheesh!
- I B Strapped - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:05 am:
In a way I am very handicapped, have you seen the polls for US Senator in Illinois, I mean come on!
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:06 am:
“Look, where my wife lives in Florida, they call this type of parking, “early bird special”
- Bluefish - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:08 am:
“They must have put that sign up after I parked here.”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:08 am:
“I care about the disabled. I disabled this spot from being used correctly. You’re welcome.”
- Walker - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:09 am:
“I told him not to be careful with my car.”
- VanillaMan - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:10 am:
My campaign is designated as handicapped.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:10 am:
“I am not an elitist buffoon. I think I am better than everyone, INCLUDING the handicapped. Everyone is equally is a serf to me, no matter their limitations…”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:11 am:
“I’m important. Ask me!”
- VanillaMan - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:12 am:
OberUnwise
- VanillaMan - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:12 am:
OberAndOut
- the Other Anonymous - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:14 am:
He’s doing it wrong. If you back into the disabled parking space, no one can see the Dump Durbin sticker.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:14 am:
“What is great about a buffoon like Jim Oberweis; you never need to do fancy photoshop gags to make a point about him. Like this for example. Normally, you need to think about a picture to show how they see themselves as self-serving, elite, caring little about people. With Oberweis, just aim and shoot…”
- Old Shepherd - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:15 am:
What do you mean there’s no such thing as “lactose tolerance”?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:16 am:
- VanillaMan -
OberIgnorant?
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:17 am:
Politically tone-deaf is a handicap?
Seriously, you couldn’t make up a story like this. Who would believe you?
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:17 am:
Bruce Rauner has to be happy about this
- OVERSIGHT - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:17 am:
I’d say that the handicapped sign and the Senate license plate combination pretty well sums it up for everyone….handicapped legislature!
If you still have doubt, take another look at the name on bumpers sticker. I am not a fan of that guy by any means, but “25″ need to check his arrogance.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:18 am:
“Oh Darn! And I was being so good lately!”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:19 am:
“Look! It’s not like the space was being used at the moment…”
- x ace - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:20 am:
Where was da Cops ? No OT Grant Money detail ?
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:21 am:
To quote Joe Piscopo’s bad guy character Danny Vermin from the 80’s comedy “Johnny Dangerously,”:
“I AM handicapped. I’m psychotic.”
- train111 - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:23 am:
Handicapped parking is totally appropriate here
Obie needs a handicap of about 15% to even come close to Durbin in November
train111
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:23 am:
Sen. Oberweis craves attention in the worst way. Once again, he acts to get it, in the worst way.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:24 am:
“I want to be judged on the decisions I make. I want people to understand, I think before I do things. I am careful. I don’t just do things to do them. I am thoughtful. I care. I want to serve the people, be their advocate. See how I live my life, then ask yourself, ‘is this a man who cares about people?’ I think my decisions speak for themselves…”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:25 am:
“Look! I backed in for an easy exit!”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:27 am:
When asked about what was wrong here, Jim Oberweis paused and said softly, “no backing in, my bad…”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:28 am:
“Number 25 on his plates, number one buffoon in our hearts…”
- Tough Guy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:28 am:
Uh, oh the dog ate my sticker I always hang from my rear view mirror. Or, the sun was in my eyes and I couldn’t see the sign (it was raining).
- VanillaMan - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:30 am:
Senate Candidate Handicaps Himself
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:33 am:
Radogno, “we’re never getting rid of this guy…”
Cullerton, “we have to make sure he stays in the Illinois Senate.”
Rauner, “and I was worried he was going to SAY something stupid..”
Durkin, “Keep him on THAT side of the Rotunda.”
- OneMan - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:34 am:
remember this
https://capitolfax.com/wp-mobile.php?p=16348&more=1
- nicky - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:35 am:
You have to remember some individuals do vote for him. Not sure where they park.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:35 am:
Jim Oberweis has had his cell phone permanently glued to his ear to avoid press questions this morning.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:38 am:
“Look, - OneMan -, I only park in handicapped parking spaces at the Country Club when I’m late, early, or on time…”
- Walker - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:38 am:
“I told my staffer to be careful with my car.”
- siriusly - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:41 am:
I swear it was about 24 hours ago I read that the Dems was waiting for Obie Whoops Keno bi to say something stupid. Voilà
- Anonymous - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:44 am:
i have durbin on my car, vote for the other guy, thats me
- Capo - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:47 am:
Do as I say not as I do! All too often those in positions of power believe the rules only apply to the little people. Quite shameful. He lost at least one vote.
- Cheryl44 - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 9:47 am:
Of course he’s eligible for a placard–if morally bankrupt counts as a disability.
- Dave Dahl - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:02 am:
As the parent of someone who uses one of those placards, there’s a special place for those who take those spaces.
That said, does the person who parked there deserve the benefit of the doubt that a) they have an unseen disability qualifying for that space; b) they were unaware they were parking in a reserved space?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:03 am:
You want to know how people are, see how they do things when they think no one is watching.
Speaks volumes to this continued narrative that being smug, is part of Oberweis in everyday life.
“Caption?”
“They need a new handicapped parking sign, that one looks more beat up then the last handicapped spot I parked in.”
- Ghost - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:04 am:
I was just thinking of my litter bearers, my gold and jewled palanquin is quit heavy, and this way they dont have to carry me as far.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:09 am:
Who the hell let Durbin park my damn car?
- CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:12 am:
The funnier pix was ChopperJim leaving the whirlybird idling at the other end of the parking lot
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:13 am:
“Look, it’s tough being a Genetics Lottery Winner. You try to tell yourself you’re not entitled and not special every day when you know it’s false. It’s a burden I carry every day!”
- sal-says - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:15 am:
How many times…….
Rules and laws apply to us average schmucks; not the 1%’ers and above.
- lake county democrat - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:17 am:
Mark Kirk: “Finally an excuse to support Durbin’s reelection openly!”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:17 am:
“Handicapped people tell me every day they want to be treated equally. I’m obliging them. Everyone should be hailing me for not showing any special treatment to people needing those spots. It’s like no one sees what I am doing. We’re all equal. I should be …thanked… for seeing the handicapped as equal…”
(Whispers to Aide), “How was that?”
- lake county democrat - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:18 am:
Hey, I’m not Alan Keyes - what more do you bloodsuckers want from me?
- Original Rambler - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:20 am:
LOL - Saw this car fly by me heading north on Dirksen about 8:10 a.m. today and I wondered who that may be. What a timely topic!
- Anon - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:21 am:
It wasnt me, I was in Florida
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:23 am:
Cue the Kass column and radio interview where he explains that he has a placard, didn’t have it with him, blah, blah, bhah.
Like I said, the guy craves attention in the worst way. Always the self-inflicted drama.
- Upon Further Review - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:28 am:
“See, I do have something in common with Rahm Emanuel! Too bad, I cannot pass the blame on to my drivers.”
- A. Nonymous - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:42 am:
Honest Injun I thought there was a big “O” in the blue square. You know, “O” for Oberweis.
That’s why I park in these Reserved for “O” spots ALL. THE. TIME.
(@Dave Dahl - this isn’t the first time, nor the second, that Oberweis has done this. It’s a disturbing pattern.)
- PolPal56 - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:48 am:
“I take candy from babies, too.”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:49 am:
@FakeJimOberweis - I passed, I passed! The Litmus Test for callow elitist! #EarnedReputation
- PolPal56 - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:50 am:
“I’m gravely wounded by the bashing I took on CapFax and NEED this parking spot.”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:51 am:
“I raised the speed limit to 70 miles an hour do I can get to handicapped parking spaces quicker, ahead of those who need them.”
- lake county democrat - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:57 am:
OMG - Neil Steinberg ran a column quoting someone saying he parks in the handicapped spaces all the time http://www.suntimes.com/news/steinberg/14480743-452/hes-baaaack-oberweis-tries-again.html
- lake county democrat - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 10:57 am:
“He says he has a bad back, but he golfs all the time” http://www.suntimes.com/news/steinberg/14480743-452/hes-baaaack-oberweis-tries-again.html
- Cook County Commoner - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:00 am:
And no fine. Another perk of inequality.
- Wensicia - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:00 am:
The law says you must display a handicapped placard to park in a handicapped space. Oberweis is breaking the law, whether he has legitimate issues or not.
- Nonplussed - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:02 am:
“I got a weak back”
“About how long?”
“About 5 minutes after my staff read the CapFax!”
- Mighty M. Mouse - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:07 am:
Rich, you should have taken close-up photos of the rear view mirror and the front windshield and dashboard, but only posted the one of the car. Then wait for any denial and if one is forthcoming, only then post the rest of the pictures.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:11 am:
“Senator Oberweis was parking legally in that spot. He has a handicapped placard for a disintegrated tin ear condition in his political acumen. He sometimes has difficulty understanding how Dopey he seems, or walking the walk of someone who actually cares about people not named Jim Oberweis. Because of this, he isn’t able to walk in parades, like the ‘little people”. He only parks in the handicapped spots when a space is available and his lack of understanding is intense.”
Sorry Dan, but still a fan of yours…
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:17 am:
“Enough with the questions, k? I have the placard. I shouldn’t have left it in the Black Helicopter, but when Meigs got shut down, parking that chopper in normal spots has been impossible..”
- Ken_in_Aurora - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:21 am:
Looks like there may be a blue permanent placard on the driver’s side dash. Hard to tell from the picture angle.
I’m pretty hard-core about handicap parking abuse (my wife is in a wheelchair), but I’m not willing to hang the man quite yet. And I don’t even care for him very much.
- A guy... - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:23 am:
He doesn’t walk in parades because of the reaction to parking in handicapped spaces maybe.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:23 am:
===”He says he has a bad back, but he golfs all the time”===
“Yeah, it’s true, but I gave up Polo…”
“Golf never hurts your back. Signed Tiger Woods, currently recovering from back surgery”
“I only golf with my wife to keep her OFF my back.”
- Soccermom - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:24 am:
I’m morally handicapped. Does that count?
- A guy... - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:24 am:
Oy. Fire Engine Red Caddy with Senate Plates in a Handicapped spot. And Miller attending the event. No one will notice? OY x 10!
- Anonymous - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:27 am:
“My campaign is limping along so badly I can’t even afford a staffer to drive and drop me off at the door. I thought that qualified as a handicap.”
- Norseman - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:28 am:
So we have a guy who is too lazy to hang the placard on the mirror as required. Either that or he wants to minimize the chance that voters would see it.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:30 am:
===”…He only parks in the handicapped spots when the pain is intense.”===
if it’s so intense all these times, wouldn’t ya think you would have it ready…all the time?
“I left my handicapped placard in my golf CART, …at the Club…after golfing…”
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:30 am:
AURORA Craigslist-For Sale: 2013 Cadillac XTS Sedan. Red, fully loaded, all options including automatic parking assist. Runs great! Must sell. Call Jim at 1-877-OBERWIS
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:31 am:
“My back has gotten so bad, I only play 27 holes at the Club, not 36, when I park in my handicapped spot there. That should tell you how intense the pain is..,”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:37 am:
Rule #4 running statewide;
Have a driver, park legally, have the car available, but out if sight.
Just sayin’…
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:40 am:
“How about I donate ice cream to the event next year and we all move on with our lives? Fair? No?…”
- LincolnLounger - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:40 am:
It’s funny how those degenerative discs don’t seem to hamper him on his many trips to the golf course.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:42 am:
“That Senator Oberweis, what a card, not a handicapped placard, but a card all the same…”
- can't help it - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 11:51 am:
YOu didn’t see it in his Cadillac Rich because left the placard in his Florida car.
- Gary Kasparov - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 12:04 pm:
Dan Curry: Check and mate, fools!
- 4 percent - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 12:09 pm:
All joking aside, I have a family member with a back/disc problem that can be very painful. At times, people make comments because he doesn’t always look “handicapped” but they don’t know that he’s had 6 surgeries and struggles - he has good days and bad.
While I’m not a huge fan of Oberweis, I do have empathy if he truly has a back problem.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 12:17 pm:
I saw Mark Kirk parked there earlier and thought it was for Senators only.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 12:26 pm:
===While I’m not a huge fan of Oberweis, I do have empathy if continually forgetting the placard is the only Dopey excuse Jim Oberweis can come up with to explain his elitism.===
Better.
- Anon. - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 12:32 pm:
Could the signs in the lot in the background be “parking by permit only” signs? So maybe he’s taking a principled stand by respecting private property rights more than laws passed to give preferred parking to insiders with their quarter-ton wheelchairs and the monster vans they drive around in.
- Jake From Elwood - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 12:45 pm:
Call me Doubting Thomas, but either cough up the placard immediately or I will not believe you.
Did he wrench his back on one of his infamous helicopter rides a few years ago?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 12:48 pm:
OBERWEIS LIMITS ACCESSIBILITY OF HANDICAPPED PARKING
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 1:03 pm:
The point of the placard is to have it seen?
I doubt the placards are specifically made to be …obscured from view?
Let’s be very clear; you have legislative plates, you park in a Handicapped parking spot, you have well documented history of liberally parking in Handicapped spaces to begin with…
…you display that placard do there is no question that it’s there, and you are parking legal.
Period.
If 4 people went out if their way to look for it and can’t find it, what does that tell you?
Actually, how much more of a Dope can you be, given that history, to have a possible obscured placard??
Pretty Dopey.
- Ahoy! - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 1:12 pm:
Either way, still kind of funny that a guy who gets caught speeding so much wants to raise the speed limit. I still don’t know if making roads less safe is a good campaign theme, but I guess I shouldn’t second guess a guy who has lost so many races about his campaign strategy.
- Befuddled - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 1:12 pm:
I get it. He’s an easy target. But did anybody call and ask before taking out after him?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 1:16 pm:
Dan Curry’s response was to Oberweis having a placard, not to the placard being in that car yesterday, or obscured in that car, period.
Just sayin’…
- Groundhog - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 1:21 pm:
“He only parks in handicapped spaces when he doesn’t feel like walking far…or when it’s raining”
- Mokenavince - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 1:25 pm:
Oberweis was busy trying to pass a bill to raise the cost of parking in a handicap space.
Oh yes I’m an elected official ,I have clout you don’t. I matter you don’t.
This would never happen in Florida!
- former southerner - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 1:40 pm:
Rich,
I am pretty sure what you see in your enlarged photo is just the VIN tag affixed in the car. My ATS VIN appears in the same “cutout” in the darkened area around the windshield.
- Beas - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 1:45 pm:
That yellow thing looks like the placard members use to park on the north drive. It appears as if he knows how to prioritize which placards are important.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 1:46 pm:
If Jim Oberweis continues to get all this “miscommunication” on what placard he has, and where it is, Oberweis can just get Handicap Plates .
It’s not like his wife lives in Illinois and is driving his car.
Get handicap plates, Senator Oberweis, then there is no confusion, and remembering if you back hurts that day or not is never a worry!
- Sgt Schultz - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:01 pm:
Is Oberweis short? I’m asking because today a short man from the Statehouse took my sandwich at Jimmy John’s. He walked in, waited for the next sandwich to be called and out the door he went with it!
And me without my cell phone.
- CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:03 pm:
Maybe someone has a little cam-phone video of a hobbled ChopperOne at the COWL reception at the Crowne Plaza….he was working the room pretty intently
- anonymous - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:12 pm:
Not sure how it works in Illinois, but in other states, you don’t necessarily have to have a placard in view to be legal, and that makes sense when you think about it. Lots of people own more than one vehicle and it is not impossible to forget to transfer the placard from one vehicle to the other. That’s why some states issue special ID cards as well as placards so that the bearer can prove that he/she is entitled to the spot, and that’s a better system than issuing placards for every vehicle, which invites abuse. I found this out personally when I confronted someone who had parked in a disabled spot without a placard. He had an ID card and had simply forgotten to transfer it between vehicles.
It would be interesting to know if Illinois works this way. If it does, then I daresay that the senator is owed an apology.
- i used to like his ice cream - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:15 pm:
Can’t jessie white answer this, or can someone from his office show proof, otherwise I will assume the placard he claims he has was not issued for him or is expired, and if they do not not only will i note vote for his highness, but i will also give up my oberwiess ice cream habit (which is great, but expensive)
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:17 pm:
From cyberdrive…
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/services/persons_with_disabilities/disabilities.html
“…Failure to properly display a parking placard when utilizing a designated disabled parking space may result in a fine.”
Pretty straight-forward…
- zatoichi - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:23 pm:
I have a card, but you know I AM a Senator, right? It’ll be fine.
- carl spackler - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:35 pm:
I recomend more golf, according to the CDGA he’s only played once this year, Cross has 6 rounds in already! http://www.cdga.org/peer.asp
- Judgment Day (on the road) - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:41 pm:
Having a GM auto, and having to chauffeur my mom (who has the parking disability placard) to different locations, I can tell you that the placard will just not hang from the rear view mirror (”properly displayed”). In some GM models, they have all this electronic wiring around the rear view mirror, and the card just does not fit. So you end up laying the card down on the dash - it’s the only answer.
Just saying….
Not an Obie fan at all, but he may have a legit point here.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:44 pm:
Man, six times for Cross! He needs to give me 4 a side with that indexed handicap.
- A modest proposal - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:48 pm:
Comon, obviously, obie didn’t want to get wet. He parked at the front spot, and that left him high and dry today.
- I B Strapped - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:55 pm:
Display, Mishplay! Do all you dopes realize a Senator has to have a few perks given our station in life? Of course you don’t, you’re all dopes.
Sen J Oberweis, Esq.
- Responsa - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:20 pm:
Politics is a nasty business. Politicians are fun to mock and criticize. I often participate in that with gusto regardless of the pol’s party affiliation. This whole thing really does seem open to interpretation and pretty petty, though.
- RNUG - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:22 pm:
Looking at the dash, I see what is the VIN cut-out (the silver notch in the black trim) and I see what might be a handicapped tag tucked horizontally to the windshield a bit above the VIN.
Having driven assorted vehicles while chauffeuring both my handicapped mom and a friend in the same category, it can be hard to hang the tag up in some cars. On the other hand, if you flip the tag vertical to the windshield when you place it on the dash, it can be easily identified through the windshield.
- Anon III - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:22 pm:
- Judgment Day — Volvo much the same; to much electronic junk packed in around the rear-view mirror for hang tags of any sort.
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:33 pm:
To update #2:
I also have a similar GM vehicle. The VIN tag is clearly the black line at the bottom of the windshield as noted above.
More importantly, I took a peek at a neighbor’s HC placard and there isn’t a speck of yellow to be seen. Was down at the Capitol Saturday and the reserved parking cards for several cars sitting on the North drive are yellow and blue, like the blurry image in the close up photo.
I don’t think you missed it, Rich.
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:42 pm:
Judgment Day and RNUG do have a point. This car may also have some newer safety gadgets mine doesn’t, making the tag even harder to hang. That being said, I still don’t think there is a placard visible in the picture Rich snapped.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:53 pm:
If Rich, and 3 people with Rich, had “difficulty” finding the placard, and Dan Curry’s stirring defense gave no definite indication of a placard that was there…
I am comfortable that there wasn’t one visible.
That doesn’t mean Senator Oberweis wasn’t issued one, it just means, Jim Oberweis took it upon himself to park in a handicapped parking spot, and after some inspection, no placard was readily visible to 4 people.
===Let’s be very clear; you have legislative plates, you park in a Handicapped parking spot, you have well documented history of liberally parking in Handicapped spaces to begin with…
…you display that placard do there is no question that it’s there, and you are parking legal.
Period.
If 4 people went out if their way to look for it and can’t find it, what does that tell you?===
Thus “mocking is the mocking”.
- RNUG - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:56 pm:
AA,
Are you aware that SOS started issuing the permanent handicapped hang cards in yellow this year? Part of the process to help the Chicago police identify the scoflaws improperly using the blue tags at meters.
Here’s a link to a story on it:
http://abc7chicago.com/archive/9361227/
Only reason I know about the yellow is the one friend I mentioned above qualifies under both #1 and (some days) #4.
- OVERSIGHT - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:58 pm:
I can see it now…100,000 wheelchairs parked at the Capitol tomorrow in protest. This will undoubtedly overshadow the Peoria Mayor for sure.
At least , he is still a speeder.
- back and to the right - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 4:32 pm:
I think the minivan back and to the right must have stole the Senators placard! Dan? are you able to get a verification of the senator’s handicap? He’s running for the US Senate! We should know what he put on the application right?
- A guy... - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 4:56 pm:
144 captions. 100 are from OW. There needs to be a 12 step out there for caption contests.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 5:05 pm:
You sure it’s a full 100? Thanks for taking the time to care.
- quincy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 5:58 pm:
what number is on his other car or cars their wifes drive. Art Tenhouse has two numbers one for his car and the other for his wifes and he’s retired. and we as taxes payers are paying for them.
- LifeWithPi - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:08 pm:
Oswego Willy: 1) You clearly have too much time on your hands. Work much? 2) You are snarky to those who actually run for elections, or at least one person who does. Have you ever done it? What would people say about you, dissecting every move, every word in the most adversarial way? I agree with A guy, above. Go find something constructive to do.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:18 pm:
- LifeWithPi -,
Hey, how are you?
1) I do work, thanks.
2) Have I ever done it? Hmm. That’s a good question.
I am a guest here, as are you. How about we both be good guests and if you ever have a Blog, you can decide if I can hang there.
“Caption?”
“Usually I take up two handicapped spots, so this IS me being conscientious. You are all welcome!”
- Gus - Friday, May 16, 14 @ 6:52 am:
@quincy not true. Legislators (and retired legislators) buy their vanity plates at the same price as everyone else.
- Anonymous - Friday, May 16, 14 @ 6:54 am:
another milk run
- Anonymous - Friday, May 16, 14 @ 7:06 am:
my campain plank don`t vote for durbin
- Anonymous - Friday, May 16, 14 @ 7:11 am:
you can`t see through milk glass
- Anonymous - Friday, May 16, 14 @ 7:18 am:
my other car`s a hoveround