Race to the bottom
Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller I’ve seen plenty of arguments pro and con about the impact of a single state increasing its minimum wage (as Illinois did). It’s not clear from the evidence that it has a huge impact. But new technologies appear to be allowing corporations to change the dynamic. The McDonald’s restaurant in Hermiston, Oregon is outsourcing customers drive-thru meals to North Dakota. I wonder when McDonald’s finally outsources this task overseas at a buck an hour.
|
Statewide sites
Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller I’m going to add a new link category on the right side of the page for statewide candidate websites and their non-blogger tormentors. The NoLaHood.com link shouldn’t be under “blogs,” for instance, and I’m going to change that. If you know of any STATEWIDE candidate-related sites, please post them in comments. Thanks. The latest one I’ve found is Rod Gidwitz’s site. Kinda lame, but he does have a “Road Diary”.
|
New IRMA chair
Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller From Crain’s online: The Illinois Retail Merchants Association named Western Springs True Value Hardware owner Linda Johnson as chair to replace Jewel-Osco executive Pete Van Helden, who was promoted to the head of the grocery store chain’s California division.
|
Hynes says no
Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Comptroller Hynes says “No” to paying the governor’s bill. Illinois’ chief financial officer said Monday his office would refuse to pay for the millions of dollars in flu vaccine that Gov. Rod Blagojevich ordered from Europe but never got federal approval to import, even though the state signed a contract. Stay tuned for more.
|
Recommended reading
Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller The Rockford Register-Star’s Aaron Chambers sits down with the governor’s commerce director, Jack Lavin. The interview is transcribed online, Q&A style, a practice that has been used by more and more of this state’s newspapers in the past year or so. It began when House Speaker Madigan decreed last year that he would only allow himself to be interviewed if it was reprinted verbatum, and then everyone else asked for the same treatment. Imagine that. Mike Madigan, of all people, helping to reshape news coverage for the better. Kinda weirds me out.
|
Pulitzer sold
Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Bloomington Pantagraph are being absorbed by Lee. All of Lee’s Statehouse reporters operate out of one office right now, but it’s getting kinda crowded in there, so I wonder if they’ll make Erickson and McDermott (both very good reporters) move. Pulitzer Inc. has agreed to a $1.46 billion acquisition by Lee Enterprises Inc., that will create the seventh-largest U.S. newspaper chain in terms of circulation. One question not answered by the above Pantagraph article was how the SP-D’s very strong employees’ unions will be impacted.
|
Survey says…
Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Despite some of the bad press resulting from the state’s “C-minus” in the Government Performance Project’s latest management survey of all state governments, Illinois appeared to be praised more often than it was criticized. You can see the complete Illinois study here, or you can just peruse the press release here.
And some basic facts: The state takes longer than average to hire new employees and terminates an above average number of new workers before the end of their probationary period. Despite recent high retirement turnover, the state boasts comparatively low voluntary turnover. Illinois spends an average amount of money on benefits per salary dollar for employees, including a 19 percent contribution of employee salary to retirement and payment of 90 percent of an employee’s health insurance costs. There’s more, and I’m sure other reporters and bloggers will dig it up. I’ll keep looking as well.
|
Turn me on, dead man
Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Remember when the “White Album” came out and we were worried that Paul might be dead? Go here and scroll down. (Via growabrain.) Frankly, it doesn’t sound like anything.
|
What’s a sweetheart like you… Oh, forget it, I’m in enough trouble already
Sunday, Jan 30, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller
I offered to post a photo of Charlie with his significant other in order to help patch things up and get myself out of the doghouse. So, here it is. By the way, her name is Amy Rider. Enjoy.
|
Truth Girl shuts it down
Sunday, Jan 30, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller What started as a blog about Alan Keyes eventually transformed into a liberal, evangelical take on the regligious right. But, no more. From tonight’s blog: I can’t do it–that is work and keep up with the religious right, or religious left for that matter.
|
LaHood hater
Sunday, Jan 30, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Somebody doesn’t like Ray LaHood much: Welcome to NoLaHood.com! This website is dedicated to providing the people of Illinois and especially the people our state’s 18th Congressional District with better leadership. For too long, We The People have been misled by a “Republican†congressman who does not stand for our values and cannot be held accountable for his actions because he faces only token opposition. This website will expose the truth about his record and the history of his district, and serve as a grassroots focal point to push for new leadership in 2006. Really awful MIDI music, but the visceral hate is not to be missed.
|
High-tax suburbia
Sunday, Jan 30, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Tax-raising suburban Republicans? Bigtime. Better call these guys and tell them that lots of locals aren’t following the script (not trying to pick on the CrossBloggers, but they take so many shots at the city that a little turnabout should occasionally be in order). Suburbanites face an outpouring of new tax and bond referendums in the April 5 election from government agencies grappling with everything from overcrowded schools to understaffed libraries. And even with those extraordinarily high taxes, they’re still a long, long commute from stuff like this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and, well, you get the idea.
|
PREVIOUS POSTS » |