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* Ethics bill passes House committee
* Lawmakers want hand washing requirement
* Editorial: Washing their hands of the school scrub bill; others agree:
The most eloquent response to this well-meaning but over-reaching idea came from Rep. Joe Dunn (R-Naperville): “Every good idea doesn’t have to be a law.”
* Editorial: Crosstown back from the dead, but long haul yet ahead; one town in the crosshairs
* Bill would provide additional consent options for girls under 18: When a minor girl doesn’t talk to a parent before seeking an abortion, Fritchey said, “there’s often a very, very good reason for that.”
* High prices of college textbooks drawing concern
* Tuition heading up again say university presidents:
On Friday, the presidents said tuition for incoming freshmen at ISU, the U of I and Eastern Illinois University next fall will likely rise between 9 percent and 11 percent.
* Large crowd discusses Route 336 plan from Peoria to Macomb
* Statehouse Insider: Electric/Cable rates, Ethics, Chairs
* Regional electric cooperative legislation sails through committee
* Editorial: Don’t sell the lottery
* Obama tries to bolster legislative portfolio by introducing Iraq medical care bill
* Senate looks at Emryonic stem cell research:
But last year’s elections brought new stem cell supporters to the Senate, and some past opponents have changed their position.
“The politicians have finally caught up with the thinking of the people they work for,” Schoenberg said.
* Editorial: Stroger won battle, now wage war on patronage
* Late concern over Cook Co. budget; more fallout
* Controversial hate-crime panel hasn’t met for a year
* Circling the wagons against the gross receipts tax
* Huge gains in Chicago children’s ISAT scores
* Gianoulias encourages state workers to use debt ridden hotel and conference center:
“We’re encouraging state employees to stay at the hotel,” Giannoulias spokesman Scott Burnham said. “That will increase the hotel’s value and make the property more attractive to prospective buyers at auction.”
* Various legislative proposals on teen driving
* Editorial: Reinvent the Regional Transportation Authority
* Kristen McQueary: In defense of smokers
Surely there are exceptions, but limiting cigarette exposure is within my control. More disturbing are pollutants beyond my control, like mercury emissions, sewage discharges and incinerator waste.
* Editorial: Meeks education funding bill offers best hope; educators aren’t planning on it
* Civil justice bills could be focus of tort-reform push
* Rutherford wants 1 charity plate, says law already exists
* Governor has impressive backlog of clemency requests
* Editorial: Supports cell phone ban while driving
posted by Paul Richardson
Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 7:20 am
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This hand-washing law is a dumb idea, and just one more thing that doesn’t need to be legislated. First, over-use of anti-bacterial soaps is not good, it doesn’t address those nasty water foundations or every other filthy surface in a school, and is more appropriately addressed by school staff and parents - not legislators. I’m surprised that some idiot doesn’t introduce a bill to require kids to cover their mouths when they sneeze and vomit in a bag. I’d be more concerned about the quality of the janitorial services in those schools…
Comment by Just Wonderin' Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 8:18 am
As a life-long Republican, I am very disgusted with the election of Liz Gorman as Cook County GOP Chair. The recently passed Cook County budget serves that I was right about her not being the right person for the job. Gorman (along with two other useless commissioners passing themselves off as Republicans) voted with Todd Stroger to protect Democratic Party patronage hires who do no work and make over $100k per year. Stroger gave an additional $550k to the board of review in this budget, which is headed by Joseph Barrios, the head of the Cook County Democratic Party. Patronage won out over front liine workers because of people like Gorman. Months from now, when the effects of these budget cuts are felt, people will realize how badly Stroger has jacked up this county. Cuts should have been made to the patronage army that siphons away too much taxpayer money before front line workers were cut. Gorman is bought and paid for by Vrdolyak and the Democrats. Apparently the Gorman plan is to continue to sell out the GOP to Democrats for personal favors. Look for Gorman to formally endorse Hillary Clinton for President soon.
Comment by Rizzo Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 8:35 am
The electric cooperative bill was a good idea. That could have been straight out of the Green Party platform.
Comment by Squideshi Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 9:20 am
I just learned from a contact in the Hearing Officers Section of the Child Abuse and Neglect Division of Jevenile Court that it is now official; they were all axed out of the 2007 Cook County Budget.
Losing these fine individuals (in a move that was clearly shown during the public hearings to be based for political, not economic reasons) os bad enough. But in the meeting held earlier this morning to give them the bad news, they were told that the Circuit Court does not yet know when their last day of employment is to be. It will apparently be either this Friday, March 2, or on March 16.
I must confess to being a bit puzzled at this uncertainty in the termination date. I suppose one can argue that someone in the powers-that-be wants to make these Hearing Officers suffer as much as possible. Why? I have no idea.
There are only 14 Hearing Officers, who hear the numerous child abuse and neglect cases and make recommendations to the judges. Now the judges will have to hear the entire caseload without assistance, and from what I have heard, they are not happy about it.
Comment by fedup dem Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 10:31 am
Keep your hands clean and pure from the infamous vice of corruption, a vice so infamous that it degrades even the other vices that may accompany it. Accept no present whatever; let your character in that respect be transparent and without the least speck, for as avarice is the vilest and dirtiest vice in private, corruption is so in public life.
Author: Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl
Comment by i d Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 12:13 pm
Rizzo is right. Who are these Chicago Machine Democrats masquerading as Republicans in the County budget fight? Gorman, Silvestri, Goslin all cut deals with Todd Stroger to protect HIS patronage! They fired suburban cops and prosecutors to help out the Chicago ward bosses. And Gorman is the new head of the Cook GOP! The only question is, what did they get in return? (And do their constituents know about this?)
Comment by North by Northwest Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 12:49 pm
‘Accept no present whatever; let your character in that respect be transparent and without the least speck, for as avarice is the vilest and dirtiest vice in private, corruption is so in public life. ‘
Interesting that a man, a contemporary of such political giants as Walpole and Burke and literary titans like Johnson, should wedge up a tirade against corruption - he was a wholseale mediocrity as a statesman and worthless as a human being.
They must a gave out them garters like they was giving them away.
Comment by Pat Hickey Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 5:42 pm
Let’s see, isn’t this the old story? If you don’t want to work in a dead-end job, get a college education. But now, college grads are having trouble getting that job once they graduate. And big business is moving out of states like Illinois and most moving offshore. So now we a twofer - college-educated people who can’t find jobs and those with a basic 12-year education who can’t find jobs for the ones they lost to corporate greed. Sound about right? Soon the only people at universities will be tenured academic researchers living on their retirement funds. The unemployment insurance department will be the only ones with real jobs.
Comment by Disgusted Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 7:01 pm
Silvestri is controlled by Rosemont Mayor Stephenson. He does what he’s told by the Daley’s and Stephenson. Why should anybody be surprised that he threw in with Stroger. He got a phone call and obediently followed orders.
Comment by Northern Man Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 8:10 pm
Apparently Mr. Giannoulis is unaware that the Governor has forbidden state workers to stay at the Abraham Lincoln except as an absolute last resort if no other lodging is available in Springfield. It’s mentioned in the CMS travel regs.
And totally unrelated, how does someone with multiple social security numbers and names and a conviction get a job as chief of staff for the head of an agency like DHS? (Sun-Times story today)
Comment by cynically anonymous Monday, Feb 26, 07 @ 9:30 pm