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The bad news just keeps coming.
· Sen. Dick Durbin didn’t have anything positive to say about the governor’s plan to sell or lease the lottery.
“I am skeptical of selling off major assets of the state,” Durbin said. “I think we have spent generations, decades, building up these assets, and selling them off for a short-term gain may be short-sighted.”
· The Rockford Register Star edtorialized against it today.
The Illinois lottery’s slogan is “have a ball.†Sometimes we wonder whether Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s slogan is “sell it all; Illinois doesn’t need its assets.â€
· Dennis Byrne was acidic.
What Gov. Rod Blagojevich is trying to do to the state and its taxpayers used to be called “living out of the attic.”That’s selling your assets in order to pay your everyday expenses, such as eating. Because you irresponsibly have been living beyond your paycheck, you must sell your car, furniture and first-born. Soon, your attic will be empty, and then how will you eat? Having sold off your house, where will you eat?
It’s a recipe for disaster, as it is for the State of Illinois.
· Finke was his usual self.
OK, maybe Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s big lottery/education plan isn’t ready for life support yet, but the early returns aren’t promising.
· And some SIU professors aren’t keen on the plan.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposal of leasing the lottery to fund education is an election-year ploy depending on a legalized gambling system the state shouldn’t be involved in to begin with, say two Southern Illinois University Carbondale professors who have authored papers studying state lotteries.Donald Gribbin, a professor of accountancy, and Jonathan Bean, a professor of history, said politicians historically have used lottery money in place of state money to fund education, leaving schools with a zero net gain. While Blagojevich has promised the $10 billion expected from leasing the lottery would be used to expand education services, both Gribbin and Bean indicate it may be too tempting for legislators to fall into old habits with the lottery in the future.
Besides, they added, the money isn’t unlimited and it’s coming from state-supported gambling feeding off the notion one can strike it rich for basically doing nothing.
The professors authored a brief history of the Illinois lottery system in the winter 2005 edition of The Independent Review, “Adoption of State Lotteries in the United States, with a Closer Look at Illinois.” More recently, the two collaborated on a popular paper addressing Blagojevich’s lottery plan, “The State Lottery: ‘Go for the Greed!’”
UPDATE: Bert Doctor’s column in the Star is an entertaining read.
32 years ago, our General Assembly snookered the citizens of Illinois into believing that the lottery was going to be the answer to fund education. Well, you all know that it didn’t work!Now you, governor, come up with this new master gambling plan to sell/lease (you still don’t know) the Illinois lottery system. You don’t go to Springfield to announce this master plan for education salvation. You call state Sen. James Meeks, D-Chicago, who threatened to run against you for governor to come to Chicago where the television cameras will capture this great announcement (or should I say snookerment). Can you believe that Gov. Blagojevich is telling Rev. Meeks, a fundamental Baptist minister, that gambling will save our kids!
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 8:22 am
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The only person he needed to approve this plan was Meeks. Approval from Durbin, Madigan, downstate Dem legislators, SIU professors, editorial boards? - not essential.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 8:38 am
Is it a good press strategy to do editorial board meetings when you have a bad plan that was already roundly critisized in the press? It’s like kicking an angry dog. All they did was create more negative columns/articles. It always helps to sit in front of someone, look them in the eye and try to sell them when they don’t believe a word you’re saying. So much for credibility. Is this the way they do it in New York?
I understand they had to get rid of Meeks and that was a necessary move. I don’t understand the continued full court press for a cobbled together press release “plan.” Example: In the SJR today there were 2 negative columns for Rod’s 1.
Paid media better win it for Rod because the earned media certainly won’t.
Comment by press Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 10:41 am
It seems that Toto pulled the curtain too soon, exposing the Wizard as the fraud he hoped wouldn’t be exposed until after November.
Take a look at all the promises this governor has made after he is re-elected. Take a look at what the experts are saying about how his policies and programs are long term disasters. Is it any wonder how a governor who so willingly sells Illinois’ assets claim to be for children?
Blagojevich must not think that children grow up to inherit the messes he created. Some guy.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 11:17 am
This is a great plan, it got Meeks out of the running, so now Blago has an easier run at retaining his seat. I’m sure Blago could give a rat’s rear if it passes. It passed Meeks as Anon said, it’s job is done. Maybe he should go on the Colbert Report to talk it up?!?
I know Meeks is “independent”, but he sure looks like a jack— as this plan unravels.
Comment by Wumpus Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 11:50 am
AHHHH and once again the press and us bloggers have fallen for the old Blago headline scam.Look how much political press coverage they got knowing that this plan was going nowhere.Don’t worry there is people out there that will want this just to keep him in office.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 11:54 am