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I’m doing a breakfast panel discussion at the Union League Club this morning, so the blog will have to wait a bit.
This is an Illinois politics open thread.
Try to be nice to each other, and, for Heaven’s sake, don’t do any real estate deals with Tony Rezko while I’m gone.
Kevin is in charge of monitoring comments whilst I’m away. Have fun.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 7:19 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s Capitol Fax
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Let those without sin cast the first stone.
I was glad to see someone finally cover the fact that Allen Mayer was suspended for two weeks by Hynes for politicking on state time. 2 weeks is a significant suspension.
Im gonna try not to bash him, but the way he has been attacking Gordon and leaking stuff to the press has been desipicable. All this after Mayer made Gordon tell her any skeletons in her closet before he would support her. How long did he REALLY have his betrayal planned?
How can he support ethics reform when he has been busted for the same stuff he talks about? Actions speak louder than words.
Comment by EL SALSA Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 7:41 am
Contested state legislature races:
My state rep and senate seats are uncontested. Just curious to know how many are uncontested and what this says about the state of democracy in Illinois. Is it as broken as Washington?
Does this make the incumbents more or less responsive to our needs? What does this mean for the role and power of the two parties?
Comment by Vole Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 7:47 am
Donations to the Tony Rezko get out of jail bond fund can be made at www.friendsofthegovernor.com.
Comment by Lefty Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 8:01 am
Is there a Chicago Monopoly Game with lots of Rezko properties and Chance Cards? Airport that gets bulldozed? CTA that stops running?
Comment by North of I-80 Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 8:11 am
Your requested host “www.friendsofthegovernor.com.” could not be resolved by DNS.
For assistance, contact your network support team.
Lefty, can I just send a hacksaw?
Comment by Vole Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 8:15 am
I covet a sliver of land on the property next to mine.
Someone told me that I should contact a fellow named Tony(?) to help with that. The phone number I got is no longer being answered. Anyone have his new number?
Comment by plutocrat03 Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 8:41 am
Word is the Gov will pardon Tony today based on the avaialability of recent assets for campaign purposes.
Comment by Lefty Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 8:43 am
HOCKEY ANYONE?
I normally believe that retribution gets nothing good accomplishd, but as I read the news shorts mentioning the upcoming State of the State speach I could not help but wonder what the news would show if every legislator walked out of the House chamber before the Governor arrived for his State of the State Speech?
It would be interesting to see his reaction to such a turn around.
Comment by Political Observer Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 8:44 am
North of I-80 has a great idea.
The Railroads can be the CTA, RTA, Metra and South Shore.
Jail can be the federal pen.
The real creativity can be in the Chance and Community Chest cards…… e.g. You have just won an election. A sealed envelope has been placed in your briefcase. Advance two squares and roll again.
Who should contact the copyright holder and begin negotiations?
Comment by plutocrat03 Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 8:47 am
Community Chest: You have won second place in a beauty contest, win $10! The fine print says: “You would have won first place, but the Outfit had already picked the winner.”
Hannah Montana’s picture graces the card.
Comment by jwscott72 Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 9:06 am
The Southern Illinoisan had a very interesting article yesterday about Blago (unsuccessfully at times) trying to get rid of Rezko’s money. Go here:
http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2008/01/28/breaking_news/doc479e66d09ac8b585050449.txt
Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 9:07 am
The ongoing battle over free rides has entered a new twist. new bill expands the program fofr the disabled, which is good, but limits the free senior rides to low income seniors. The Gov, being the bastion of leadershio he is, of course opposes taking free bus rides away from wealthy seniors. So he will veto a bill helping the disabled in order to gurantee free mass transit for the wealthy. Sorry disabled folks, many of whom are looking at passes about to double in price, the Gov would rather secure publicity and donation from wealthy seniors then help you out. Tough luck, your voting base is not big enough to make the Gov interested in your plight.
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 9:08 am
Sort of Politico…
As we begin the celebration of Mr. Lincoln’s 200th birthday our wondefful governor has decided to lop off a cuople of million $$ and reduce the 2008 grants level to only $300,000. Illinois is in a sad state as Indiana and Kentucky are starting thier respective celebrations and Illinois is NOT promoting its activities. On February the 9th, Illinois will kick off its celebration at the Executive mansion with a gala ball set in 1860’s style, and NOT one public offical or dignitary has agreed to come and celebrate. Where did we go wrong with the “Land of Lincoln” mind set. WE need to be proud of our heritage and promote our great State… Soory for the soap box…
Comment by Siyotanka Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 9:22 am
En Salsa is correct when he/she mentions…”Actions speak louder than words.”
According to the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Champaign County, Ms. Gordon’s theft charge from June 29, 2000, Case #00CM00657, was paid last Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008, via credit card. The fines totaled almost $400. All those court costs have been outstanding for over seven years, including time she was running a campaign for the 92nd district seat.
Ms. Gordon was also cited for operating an uninsured motor vehicle in Champaign County (Case #04TR11478) on May 12, 2004. She didn’t appear at her court date on June 24, 2004, and was fined $200. Those fines were paid just two months ago, on November 26, 2007. That was more than three years after the incident and after she entered the race.
Incidentally, she also shows up in the McLean County Circuit Court system for a traffic violation (Case #2007TR025410) from Sep. 20, 2007, that they describe as simply “UNLICENSED” (all caps in original). Not sure what that means — driving without a license, perhaps? Her last court appearance was Dec. 17, 2007, and the case is now listed as “closed.”
I love seeing people pay their debt to society years and years later and only when they decide to run for office. If this were not brought to light the taxpayers would still be waiting for Gordon to pay her debt!
What else…oh yea…Lied on paper and radio ads about having a collage degree.
I wonder what her application for her current collage job called for, did she state she has a degree?
I wonder what else she is hiding or not paying?
Comment by Lost Salsa Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 9:34 am
What Blagojevich, whatever his flaws, seems to get,unlike most state legislators and leading politicians (most of them wealthy, some very wealthy), is that increasingly the middle class is in need of the same freebies our blue state has
given the so-called poor for decades. We need this
in order to make ends meet and to save for our
retirements (most of us don’t have government
pensions) and our kids’ education. The so-called poor in this state, the ones who can’t be bothered to work, get free food via food stamps, totally free medical care for life via Medicaid, housing vouchers, free state university education for their kid, and free cash via TANF as long as they keep pumping out kids, as well as free day care
if they decide to go to school to while away
all those empty hours.
These Illinois perks, including free CTA senior rides and other perks not named above, should be extended to the middle class as well. We pay for them, after all. But we get nothing back. If the
poor get to ride free in this state, by choice,
the working middle class (and I’m talking upper and well as lower middle) should at least partake
of this extensive array of government goodies enjoyed by the poor.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 10:09 am
Anonymous, good luck with that…
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 10:27 am
Actually, there are admittedly vague glimmers of
hope that the dire situation of the American middle class can be addressed.
Yale and some other elite universities have said they will begin treating the middle class like the poor with respect to financial aid. Few will be affected, of course, as few get into Yale and the other institutions mentioned in press accounts.
But what Yale does will be imitated…and their
new approach recognizes that the middle class
can no longer afford to pay for important things
like a decent education, in present day America.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 10:37 am
And if you land on a property that is Next to a Rezko property, you can buy a portion of the Rezko property for below-market cost. The picture on the Community Chest cards should be Sam Zell, but if they are give-away $$ cards, it’ll be Rod’s face.
Comment by North of I-80 Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 10:44 am
Ouch, Annonymous! Lately, the “well-thought-out” answers people are being provided to all of our economic problems seems to be “education”. Sounds like help is on the way, huh?
Comment by Annonymous Tuesday, Jan 29, 08 @ 8:03 pm