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Morning shorts
Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller · LOL: “The Democratic Party of Illinois sent a letter recently to likely voters reminding them to support Democrats in the March 21 primary. But in rattling off the Democratic candidates running statewide, one name notably left off the targeted mailer was that of incumbent Gov. Rod Blagojevich.” · Guv’s campaign flatly denies that David Phelps said, “When [Blagojevich] is re-elected, there will be a mass exodus of Republicans from the state payroll,” but Muir isn’t buying it. Meanwhile, the Senate Repubs tried and failed to block Phelps’ confirmation. · Mickey Segal has been transferred to Oxford. · 8th CD news: “Barrington Hills investment banker David McSweeney sent out a mail piece hitting state Rep. Bob Churchill of Lake Villa for 15-year-old votes on state income tax increases. The new flier followed weeks of ads chastising Wauconda trial lawyer Kathy Salvi for her opposition to limits on pain-and-suffering awards in civil suits.” Read the whole thing. · 6th CD roundup. · Charles Box unanimously confirmed by full Senate. · All but one Springfield public school to reopen today. · Ryan jurors asked for testimony transcripts of five witnesses. “All of them testified about contracts with the secretary of state’s office.” · Potentially scary stuff. · Blagojevich “playing with fire.” · Perceptual apartheid, Chicago-style.
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- 2nd Banana Spots - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 8:05 am:
Rich, Rauschenberger is all over the radio. Can you post the spots?
- Proud RINO - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 8:09 am:
Just saw a new Gidwitz ad on the WGN morning news, very well done. Question for you all…anyone notice how good Ron looks after a year of campaigning? No bags under his eyes, no lines on his forehead…interesting.
- Backyard Conservative - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 8:11 am:
More on Gov Blago and the hate commission:
http://backyardconservative.blogspot.com/
2006/03/gutless-governor-of-illinois.html
And Brady continues to build momentum, wins key endorsement:
http://backyardconservative.blogspot.com/
2006/03/key-weller-endorsement-of-brady.html
- Darrell Democrat - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 8:27 am:
any itinerary on the EE statewide drive-around?
- YNM - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 8:35 am:
how good ron looks? to quote my favorite tennis player ever … “you can not be serious!” …
- DOWNSTATE - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 8:36 am:
RICH which state senator is finally going after Blago on the cuts at IDNR as being to much and wants to mandate certain levels of employees.Some boat titles are as far as 9 months overdue.It is state wide and the parks are hurting the worst.One campground was closed over the cuts.This flies right into the face of a press release from them that there would be no slow done or cuts in services.A lot of it is politics.Afsme contract gives bumping wih in a 30 mile area they made sure they hired in parks where it was not a 30 area and they hired the party fatefull.Some was not needed and the parks where people are needed and laid off are still with out.
- Carl Nyberg - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 11:16 am:
Rich, you’re a sucker for playing the “worry about al Qaeda” game.
If Americans want to be worried about things that make sense, here’s a list.
1. National debt & interest rates
2. Energy: where’s it going to come from?
3. Health care
4. How do we un#$%& Iraq? What are our longterm goals and strategy for the conflict with the Islamic world? What is the conflict about?
5. Civil liberties and a president that asserts the power to do things not authorized by Congress or the courts. (And a spineless Congress that won’t assert itself.)
6. Global warming
But the bedwetter set loves to fear al Qaeda because it allows them to club the “centrists” into giving the bedwetters their way on domestic issues.
Rich, you look like an easily manipulated fool when you pass along bedwetter propaganda on al Qaeda “threats”.
Rich, one of the two “suspicious” incidents was a man sketching a building. That’s it.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 11:20 am:
===They get out of the car in point formation, with two of the men appearing to serve as lookouts, and a third taking pictures of the building with either a video or still camera. When building security noticed them guards made them leave. They failed, however, to ask for identification, and if they had, it may have been phony, because authorities later learned the car was rented under a fake name.====
All I wrote was “Potentially scary stuff.” I think I’d step back a little if I were you, Carl.
- Darrell Democrat - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 11:44 am:
I’m concerned about the national debt, but it certainly is not new news. Thanks, Rich, for keeping us folks out here in the sticks updated about potential threats against attractive targets like the Sears Tower.
- Cassandra - Friday, Mar 17, 06 @ 8:55 am:
I continue to be puzzled by the uproar over Phelps’ alleged remarks.
Both hiring and layoff/discharge of the vast majority of state employees is covered by union and personnel rules and the Rutan court decision, which prohibits political hiring etc except in a few top level positions.
Is Mr. Phelps suggesting a wholesale flouting of Rutan? That would be a story. It was also be grounds for a federal investigation.
And, as I said in an earlier post, if there are
individuals in Rutan-exempt positions now, Blago put them there or allowed them to stay there. Why wouldn’t he have dumped them already. The only exception is four-year-term political hires who
were appointed or reappointed in 2002. Their terms are running out this year but nearly all will be up by the election. As their terms come due, Blago could legitimately replace them with someone else.
Frankly, I don’t have too much sympathy for “worried state employees” since the vast majority are union or civil service and have lifetime employment regardless of performance or even if there is any work of value for them to do. Perhaps they should use their free time on the job, and they have a lot of it, to read their union contract or the personnel rules.