60 Comments - Lovie's Leather - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 12:51 am: Voting against mandatory seat belt use! Just another reason to vote for Topinka. These democrats are supposed to be the supporters of civil liberties? They just want to legislate even the simplest of daily functions. Now, I admit, I always wear my seatbelt, but not because it is the law. I do it because I believe it will save my life if I get into an accident. Thank God there are civil libertarians out there to defend everyday people who don’t even realize how powerful the government is becoming… (by the way, my favorite book is Freedom to Choose by Milton Freidman) - Anonymous - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 6:15 am: A lot of people was totally against the seat belt law and viewed it as an invasion of government on our privacy.As the dollar an hour Radio Shack just announced 18 stores closing in Chicago add that to how many more if this is put into law plus everyting in Illinois will have a price increase.As far as the governor using state resources for re-election whose going to call him on it?Lisa Madigan.YEA RIGHT. - DOWNSTATE - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 6:20 am: Sorry about above I did not put my name to it. - Leroy - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 6:24 am: Against seat belts?!? Are you guys for real? I’m currently lobbying for a crash helmet law. Just think of how many lives would be saved if Illinois made everyone in passenger vehicles and buses wear crash helmets. Studies show crash helmets would significantly reduce auto related injuries. Heck, if it saved just one life, it would be worth it. If you don’t like my proposal, I ask you ‘Why do you hate the children so much?’ - DOWNSTATE - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 6:47 am: Just a thought but why was this Chicago Democrat having this news conference about a vote 20 years ago.Also why was a woman whose daughter was kiiled in Ireland with no seat belt on?Does this mean that the Dems already feel that Blago’s in trouble.If that lady wanted to talk about kids she should of talked about the ones killed by bombs in Ireland. - Nearly Normal - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 6:52 am: JBT will find that her voting record from her years in the General Assembly will be examined and used against her. Get someone to check Blago’s voting record in the GA and Congress. Will people remember in November? Depends on the bill and if the person connects to it. Isn’t it too early to start this? Will this go on all spring and summer? What about voter fatigue? Of course, most people in IL and elsewhere don’t really start connecting to the election in November until Labor Day. Sheesh. Are we going to have campaign TV ads and mailers all summer a la Gidwitz? That will use some bucks. Blago has the money but not JBT. - Marta Elena - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 6:53 am: Note to Blago’s campaign - quit using state funds to spread your political message. Unless you have the money to fund these programs, it qualifies under political ploys not sound public policy. Last I heard, Topinka cannot vote in the legislature - reaching out to Tom Cross and Frank Watson should have been your best strategy if you wanted the bill to be passed. - Anonymous - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 6:57 am: As long as you bring up Losetenant Quinn, how are his veteran’s programs doing? I see in the paper that Illinois veterans are having a difficult time finding a job in Illinois. Pat, are you and the seat belt savior still giving state government jobs to polical quacks instead of obeying the law and offering all state government jobs to veterans first? Are you still allowing those illegally hired, incompetent quacks to not even report to work in the county of their “job assignment”? To paraphrase the master linquist Leroy, “Why do you hate the veterans so much?” - Marta Elena - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 6:57 am: Nearly Normal- Haven’t you noticed that Blago is still running his campaign TV ads from the primary? They are playing in central IL - not sure about the rest of the state. - Poltical Hack - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 7:30 am: Blago is running TV ads and talking about issue to increase his appeal to women voters. If he gets women and keeps the minoritites, he wins easy. Judy better find a better message than fiscal. Fiscal might play with men, but women don’t care as much. Seat beats and children=women voters. The hack wants to see this thing stay close for awhile but fiscal plus pensions=loser for Topinka. Get it together Topinka campaign, or he is going to smoke you from the gate. - the Patriot - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 8:02 am: Thank you Gov. While Judy has been pondering how to rally the GOP you have ensured all gun owners go with her, forced most small businesses in the state to get on board with her. Somebody should tell the gov how to do math. He needs +50% to win. WE already know 30% of democrats won’t vote for him, now he just lost the hunters/rank and file union employees. At this rate, JBT can just sit and let him work. By November the anybody but Rod vote will be over 50% and she won’t have to spend a dime. - anon - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 8:04 am: Sen Cullerton needs to quit worrying about Judy’s voting record from 20 years ago and start worrying about all the good bills that he is holding up in the Senate Rules Committee. Like the bill to protect the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Fund and the Let Them Rest in Peace Act. There is even one to ensure that Illinois Veterans receive equal benefits compared to those in other states. Are we to assume the Sen Cullerton is against these very important issues because he won’t let them out of Rules? Let’s see how that would play in the press. Sen Cullerton opposed to the environment and the families of fallen soldiers and Veterans! - anon - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 8:09 am: Poltical Hack - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 7:30 am: It’s quite obvious GRod doesn’t care about fiscal issues! Need we say more? - Lloyd Dobbler - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 8:10 am: I liked how Finke noted that Quinn didn’t know where the Governor was, and it turned out he was across the street at the Armory. I like Quinn, though. Too bad we can’t vote for JBT & him. - Gun Man - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 8:19 am: I thought the sponsor of the assault ban said they were not calling the bill? I quess the Gov didn’t get that memo. Perhaps instead of using and abusing these poor victims as political props in a campaign style speech, perhaps the Governor might tell the people of Illinois what the statis of his “elite unit” that was formed last year to help prevent illegal guns from coming in from other states. Or why the killer of this young girl had commited over thirty crimes before this shooting and was NEVER arrested. I think the Governor, and Mayor Daley, and the State Police should worry more about inforcing the laws already on the books instead of creating new ones that will do absolutely nothing to prevent such tragic events from happening in the future. - Cassandra - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 8:41 am: In a world in which illegal immigrants are depressing wages on the home front and outsourcing is depressing both the number of US jobs and the wages paid for the jobs that stay, the notion of a government-imposed minimum wage seems kind of quaint. Economic issues are clearly way beyond Blago’s competence and I’m not so sure about JBT yet. - DOWNSTATE - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 9:35 am: I think this dollar an hour increase is an answer to the wrong figures they give on All Kids insurance.They said 45 millon and when an independent study was done it concluded that it could go as high as 450 million a year.Now follow this. At a dollar an hour increase more businesses and factories will close or move out of state.That means more people will be unemployed and not be able to afford this insurance which will cut the cost to the taxpayers of Illinois.See he is thinking about us taxpayers. - donchicago48 - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 9:49 am: By his actions, Gov. Blagojevich confirms that he is on a mission to destroy small business in Illinois. Apparently he hasn’t noticed that surrounding states have lower minimum wages than Illinois. The governor seems driven to attract illegal aliens and welfare-state clients to illinois to grow his Democrat power base. He fails to demonstrate an understanding of how one builds a competitive business climate. If Rod really wanted to help low-income people in Illinois, he would do things that make Illinois more competitive in the global economy instead of less. - donchicago48 - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 9:57 am: Yes seat belts save lives. If one wants to reduce the likelihood of one’s own death or serious injuries in car accidents, one can VOLUNTARILY wear a seat belt. Mandating seat-belt use is an unconstitutional intrusion into individual privacy just like forcing motorcycle riders to wear helmets. I’m sure insurance companies are happy with manditory seat-belt enforcement. Will the power-hungry Democrats next ban all high-risk activities? How about sky-diving? Extreme skiing? Unprotected sex? The list could be very long indeed. Rod shows unequivocally that his statist authoritarian vision is far, far removed from the vision of liberty and freedom championed by our Founding Fathers in the US Constitution. - donchicago48 - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 10:08 am: Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) Press Conference, is ignoring reality regarding so-called assault weapons: Guns branded as “assault weapons” have never been used in more than 1%-2% of violent crimes according to police reports and felon surveys, and in only 0.25% of violent crimes reported in crime victim surveys. Congress` study found that the guns “were never used in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders.” Knives, clubs and bare hands are used in more than 20 times more murders. Guns don`t cause crime. There are more guns than ever, and the number rises by 4.5-5 million per year. Meanwhile, the nation`s violent crime rate has fallen every year since 1991–35% overall–and is now at a 27-year low. The FBI does not list guns or “gun control” as a “crime factor.” The CDC and Library of Congress report that there is no evidence that “gun control” reduces crime. Gun bans don`t reduce violent crime. After its 1989 ban, California’s murder rate increased every year for five years—26% overall. California banned more guns as of January 2000, and its murder rate has since increased 13%, while in the rest of the country murder has decreased 3%. Even the radical anti-gun group, Violence Policy Center, says, “You can’t argue with a straight face that the [federal] ban has been effective.” Gun bans can`t reduce crime. Guns are used in only one-quarter of violent crimes reported to police, and in only 7% of those reported in victim surveys. As noted, only about 1% of violent crimes involve “assault weapons.” Criminals can always get guns, and they can commit crimes with virtually any gun. If G-Rod really wanted to reduce violent crime, he would support a concealed-carry law in illinois. - WTF! - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 10:11 am: This is the best that GRod can come up with. The mandatory seat belt law!?! Will we see a news release next week claiming Judy voted “NO” on requiring headlights when wipers are in use? Give me a break! - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 10:34 am: If Treasurer Topinka can take a stand in support of the Human Rights amendment in a letter that was circulated to lobby all lawmakers, it is perfectly fair for Blagojevich to ask her to support the assault weapons ban. The Governor could have avoided criticism by asking a third party to send the letter, but the strategy is a sound legislative one. Only political pressure will get the assault weapons ban passed, but the Senate Republicans are too insulated to be squeezed directly. By putting enough pressure on Topinka, gun control advocates hope she’ll be forced to deal with the issue, and force the Senate GOP to go along. Of course, we all know she won’t, because she’s counting on the suppport of the Operating Engineers and the Illinois State Rifle Association. As for Topinka’s record, they certainly did dig deep for the seatbelt issue, but they are just trying to keep her off balance for now. Two days after the election, Planned Parenthood sent out an e-mail statewide explaining why Topinka is no moderate — she voted against choice 86% of the time as a lawmaker. They will keep poking at her week-after-week until labor day. Meanwhile, Topinka can only play defense and wonder where the next hit is coming from. - donchicago48 - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 10:46 am: Yellow Dog Democrat wrote: ” Planned Parenthood sent out an e-mail statewide explaining why Topinka is no moderate — she voted against choice 86% of the time as a lawmaker.” For those of you who prefer intellectual honesty in language, that statement translates to: “…she voted against abortion 86% of the time.” - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 10:48 am: By the way, I’ve changed my mind on the seatbelt issue, since it appears Topinka was foolish enough to take the bait. Lots of people were opposed to the mandatory seatbelt laws when they were first being proposed, but most folks agree now that the law isn’t a hassle, and there’s no question that lives have been saved. You can bet that if Blagojevich has a few extra bucks lying around, there will be a 30 second ad showing parents buckling their kids into the car and talking about how Topinka wants to eliminate a law that has saved the lives of thousands. Topinka blows it again. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 10:54 am: donchicago48 — in case you hadn’t heard, there were plenty of abortions going on when they were still illegal, so voting to make them illegal isn’t really a vote to end abortion. It’s just a vote to move abortions back out of the clinics and into the back alleys. And if it were your mother, your sister, or your daughter who was raped, or who needed an abortion before she could start her chemotherapy, I think you might feel a little differently about the law and whether that choice belongs in your family members’ hands or the hands of a politician in Springfield. - heet101 - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 11:45 am: YDD - Blago is a terribly inept governor. Don’t you feel a little bad defending his actions and his positions? The sentiment so far on this posting seems to be in direct opposition to your opinions on these issues. - grand old partisan - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 11:45 am: YDD: Topinka’s letters were sent to lobby LAWMAKERS. The ones who actually will be voting on THE LAW. What is Topink’s role in making the assault weapons ban a law. Where is the Guv’s letter to President Jones, who actually is the one holding up this bill, not Senate Republicans? Perhaps…perhaps the letter would have been more appropriate if Jones was calling the bill for a vote. Right now, he is not lobbying the people who actually can make a difference. He is trying to win cheap political points on our dime. The Planned Parenthood issue is similarly a red-herring at this point. As long as Jones and Madigan can stop legislation from ever reaching her office, who cares what Governor Judy would do about abortion laws? - Kara - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 12:11 pm: I’m gonna go with YDD’s logic…..and say we make drug use, child abuse, domestic violence and drunk driving all legal…after all, they all take place regardless of their being penalties for their actions. Thanks for helping me clear that up YDD. - DOWNSTATE - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 12:16 pm: Well it seems that the truth is coming out about the seat belt issue and as usual it has been over inflated by the Democrats for Blago.Plus the truth and slap in the face is coming from another Democrat.YYD it sounds to me if Blago is trying to conjure up a lie about JBT’s stance on seatbelts that you Blago-maniacs already feel the heat and JBT hasn’t started campagigning yet.Oh read ICE ROCKET if you want the truth. - Skeeter - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 12:51 pm: - DOWNSTATE - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 6:47 am: “Just a thought . . .If that lady wanted to talk about kids she should of talked about the ones killed by bombs in Ireland.” You are an idiot. It is NORTHERN IRELAND where they have had bombs, you troll. They are different countries. - Skeeter - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 12:55 pm: the Patriot - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 8:02 am: Thank you Gov. While Judy has been pondering how to rally the GOP you have ensured all gun owners go with her, forced most small businesses in the state to get on board with her. Somebody should tell the gov how to do math. He needs +50% to win. WE already know 30% of democrats won’t vote for him, now he just lost the hunters/rank and file union employees.” I assume that you would concede that 33% of Republicans will not vote for JBT? Also, I fully expect gun owners to support Blago. It is the right wing extremists who will climb out of their hardened bunkers and possibly skip their Klan or Militia meeting will be lining up to vote for JBT> - Skeeter - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 12:59 pm: - donchicago48 - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 9:57 am: “Yes seat belts save lives. If one wants to reduce the likelihood of one’s own death or serious injuries in car accidents, one can VOLUNTARILY wear a seat belt. Mandating seat-belt use is an unconstitutional intrusion into individual privacy just like forcing motorcycle riders to wear helmets. I’m sure insurance companies are happy with manditory seat-belt enforcement. Will the power-hungry Democrats next ban all high-risk activities? How about sky-diving? Extreme skiing? Unprotected sex? The list could be very long indeed. Rod shows unequivocally that his statist authoritarian vision is far, far removed from the vision of liberty and freedom championed by our Founding Fathers in the US Constitution. ” It is a CONSTITUTIONAL right? Sort of like the right to privacy? Where exactly in the Constitution is the right to drive an auto without a seat belt? Please tell me you are not a high school grad. When I was in high school, we had to pass a Constitution test. Did you pay somebody to take yours? - DOWNSTATE - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:14 pm: No Skeeter those bomb makers come from Ireland,Northern Ireland,Britan and we had one extremist in New York pull off a Heist involving a large amount of money which was sent back to fund this civil unrest.I won’t call you names but some of your postings on here and other sites make me wonder about you.Why on earth would you bring someone from a forgein country in hear to talk about not wearing a seat belt except out of despreation. - Tony Soprano - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:20 pm: The seatbelt issue might actually backfire on Blago downstate.. People do not like the govt. telling them what to do.. hurray for judy! - Skeeter - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:30 pm: DOWNSTATE - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:14 pm: “No Skeeter those bomb makers come from Ireland,Northern Ireland,Britan and we had one extremist in New York pull off a Heist involving a large amount of money which was sent back to fund this civil unrest.I won’t call you names but some of your postings on here and other sites make me wonder about you.Why on earth would you bring someone from a forgein country in hear to talk about not wearing a seat belt except out of despreation” Skeeter’s Response: A lot of British fighting to overthrow British rule? Of course your post is ridiculous and we both know it. That being said, I find it interesting that you would be against a country rebelling against British domination. I’m sure glad you were not in the U.S. around 1776. You would have sided with the King, wouldn’t you? - Skeeter - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:31 pm: Tony Soprano - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:20 pm: “The seatbelt issue might actually backfire on Blago downstate.. People do not like the govt. telling them what to do.. hurray for judy!” Right. Except for telling them what drugs their doctors can prescribe when undergoing cancer treatment or what they can do with their bodies after being raped. Sure. Republicans never try and contol the lives of the citizens. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:33 pm: GOP - old friend, all Blagojevich is asking Topinka to do is to adopt the exact same strategy she used to help pass the Human Rights Act. What is so hard to understand about that? DOWNSTATE - The truth is coming out about Topinka and the seatbelt laws, and it’s even worse than I thought. Not only does she oppose mandatory seatbelt laws, she opposes mandatory carseat laws. Go read the AP story linekd above if you don’t believe me. I thought Blagojevich was swinging at air, but he’s landed a solid punch. My guess is, Blagojevich was tipped off by the automobile insurance industry, which champions this issue. She is on the wrong side of this issue with voters, State Farm and Country Companies. Kara - Your faulty logic is very difficult to follow. But let me see if I can help you. A vote to make abortion illegal isn’t a vote to reduce abortion, because we know that isn’t the result. However, a vote to make birth control and sex education more available is a vote to reduce abortion, since those are measures that actually work. Whether or not a law on drug use is an effective deterrent depends on the law; increasing criminal penalties hasn’t been a very effective approach, while making drug treatment available tends to have more, although not absolute, success. But equating a drug dealer with a teenager who’s a date rape victim is twisted. - Veritas - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:36 pm: Regarding Mehlman and Bob K., is anyone surprised the moderate elites at the RNC are supporting the moderate elites of the GOP here in Illinois? - DOWNSTAE - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:40 pm: Skeeter I have seen you and YYD on so many sites with your slanted views I don’t know why I even bother to answer you.We each have our opinions only some of us don’t use name calling to get our point across.YYD that name calling does not include you. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:45 pm: From the AP: “Topinka supports the use of seat belts and child seats but opposes ‘mandatory government intrusion’ in peoples’ lives, spokesman Roger Germann said Sunday.” Maybe Topinka doesn’t watch the news or talk to her neighbors, but my guess is that once voters are given the facts, 99% support laws requiring parents to use carseats. Apparently, the other 1% either work for the Topinka campaign or blog on this site. Senate Bill 98, wich expanded the mandatory safety restraint law to include children up to 16 years of age, passed both the Senate and the House unanimously, but Topinka says she’s opposed to it. That should tell you just how far off base she is. - Gish - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:46 pm: Downstate- The sad thing is that you were called an idiot for talking about bombings in Ireland. Skeeter tried to correct you and belittle you at the same time. Too bad Skeeter didn’t do any research to find out that bombings did occur in Ireland during the Troubles. Who do you think the ‘idiot’ is now? - Skeeter - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 1:54 pm: Gish, And there were Indian raids in Illinois two hundred years ago. Your point is? - grand old partisan - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 2:02 pm: YDD – no, that’s not all he is doing. Why no letter and press release calling on Emil Jones to bring the issue to the Senate floor? The Senate Republicans are not the ones holding this bill up, so what does he expect Judy to do? Urge her party members in that chamber to support a bill that the Democratic leadership won’t even bring up for a vote. I know you don’t like Republicans. I know you want to see Rod get re-elected. That’s fine. I don’t expect to change your mind and convert your to the GOP anytime soon, or convince you to cross-over and vote for Judy. But, come one. Don’t try and dismiss Blago’s spinning of Jones’s fear of losing the majority into an attack on Judy on the state’s dime as a benign bit of gubernatorial lobbying. - DOWNSTATE - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 2:11 pm: Why are we arguing about something that happened 20 years ago.Let’s talk about today and the lost of jobs in Illinois.The cuts in veterans education,the huge defecit Illinois has and going deeper in debt so Blago can make Illinois a welfare state with all kinds of free programs to build his votes up.We have many programs and a governor who has no idea what year it is or what planet he is on. - Gish - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 2:12 pm: Skeeter- My point is you called Downstate an idiot because you state the bombs were in Northern Ireland. Well you should have done your fact-checking since Ireland also had bombings during the Troubles. Check before you try to call someone else an idiot. You were wrong, admit it. What Downstate said in your ‘quoting’ of his statement was correct. You were wrong to have tried to call him out on that without checking the facts. - the Patriot - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 2:16 pm: Skeeter, how can you saw you expect gun owners to back the gov. See Emil Jones statement that he will not call the issue because downstate democrats don’t want to address the issue. If the rank and file elected legislators are not on board, you actually think they guy with the gun is. Second, the statement that 30% of democrats do will not support the governor does not transfer to JBT. the analysis is different for an incumbent governor challenged in the primary. I assure you in 85% of the counties where EE carried 30+% not one of those voters has ever seen him, heard of him, read literature about him, or saw a campaign add about him. This means it was a vote against Rod and for anybody but Rod. Judy (not a sitting governor) lost votes to candidates actively campaigning and advertising in those counties. They were actually voting for someone, not just against judy. All judy has to do is let Rod continue to be Rod. If the Gun bill is called the split in the party will grow. AllKids will be a half billion dollar disaster by Nov. If I were Judy I would go to Alaska and watch the campaign grow. By the way, the seat belt thing is nuts, it is clearly a non issue now. Seat belts are required in every state now and I believe tied to federal Matching funds. I get the privacy issue, except for the fact when you didn’t wear your seatbelt then sue me for injuries which were preventable by taking 1.5 seconds to put it on. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 2:34 pm: GOP - I imagine the Governor and Emil have done a rollcall and realize that the measure isn’t going to pass without suburban Republican votes. When there are enough suburban Republican votes, Emil will move the bill. And I do like Republicans. I respect many that I’ve met in the General Assembly. I’ve dated plenty in the past. I work with plenty of them now. Half my grandparents are Republicans. And I of course like you. But Topinka wants us to believe that it beyond her power to weigh in on a legislative issue. I’m just saying she doesn’t hesitate to weigh in when it suits her political purposes, so for her to cry foul is pretty lame. But none of this really matters, because Blagojevich knows that there is wide public support for an assault weapons ban, even if it doesn’t extend into every legislative district in Illinois, and he’s going to keep using that to put pressure on Topinka until she pressures her suburban GOP friends to support the ban. Topinka’s choice is simple: she can be part of the solution, or she can be part of the problem. Look for letters to the editor in your suburban newspapers soon. - Skeeter - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 2:35 pm: - the Patriot - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 2:16 pm: “Skeeter, how can you saw you expect gun owners to back the gov” Because I think most gun owners are calm and rational people. Unfortunately, the NRA has been taken over by the extremists who want to allow people in Illinois to own assault weapons and cop-killer bullets. The NRA has gone off the deep end and no longer speaks for the vast majority of gun owners. With regard to the 30%: I personally voted for EE, and might have voted for Gidwitz. However, I refuse to vote for JBT and “business as usual” and I will never vote for a ticket the includes Joe “Kill the Innocent” Birkett. I’m sure a lot of Democrats agree with me. On the other hand, the far right has pretty much said they will never vote for JBT, and that may be as much as 60% of Republican voters. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 2:42 pm: Rich, how about separate threads for abortion, assault weapons, seat belt laws and the minimum wage? - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 2:45 pm: Political Hack offers some good advice to the Topinka campaign. If Topinka wants to talk about pensions and corruption while Blagojevich talks about health care, education and good paying jobs, her campaign will never get off the ground. She’ll end up at 46%. - Anonymous - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 2:55 pm: Downstate Dems are holding up the assault weapon bill. Where’s the letter to Lisa Madigan or Jesse White asking them to convince the downstaters to jump on board. OH, BECAUSE IT’S POLITICAL? Somebody ought to ask Lisa Madigan to investigate but that’s a futile act. She’s already stuffing a few investigations in the cooler for her party. - grand old partisan - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 3:30 pm: YDD – Hmmm…..seems to me that if they did a roll call, and it was ONLY Republican Senators opposing this measure, there would still be more than enough votes to pass it, right? So let’s try this again: why isn’t it being called up? Perhaps it’s because there is significant enough hesitation within the Gov’s OWN party to this measure. So, where are the letters and press releases excoriating all of those Democrats who are opposing the bill? See, it’s not so much that it’s beyond Topinka’s power to weigh in a legislative issue. It’s that she’s the only elected official negatively referenced in a press release by the Governor’s office regarding this issue - despite the fact that the Gov wouldn’t even need votes from anyone in her party to move it if everyone in his was on board. So, where’s the “pressure” on Downstate Dems to support the ban? What’s that you say? Of course the Gov is going to focus on the opponents of the bill that are not in his party, right? Sounds an awful lot like playing politics to me. Playing politics with press releases that bear the seal of the Office of the Governor, and was written by people on the state payroll. Is Blago the first Governor to do such a thing? Nope. It’s just business as usual. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 3:39 pm: Anon and GOP — When you’ve got 26 Democratic votes and 0 Republican votes, who’s turn is it to ante up? I respect the fact that both Republican and Democratic lawmakers aren’t politically able to support a ban. They are voting their constituencies. But suburban lawmakers who oppose the ban aren’t representing their district’s views — they are representing Frank Watson’s views. I know you think it’s unfair for Blagojevich to single Topinka out. Life is not fair. - grand old partisan - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 4:03 pm: Okay, soooo….. The suburban Republican Senators are not voting for the ban because Watson has them on a short leash over this issue. Wouldn’t it make more sense to write a letter to him, urging him to loosen up and allow his members to vote their constituencies? Oh, wait, I forgot. Watson isn’t running for Governor. But, you are right. Life isn’t fair. And I know that this is going to be a down and dirty, bare-knuckles, knock-down brawl of a campaign. I’m looking forward to it. But this does blur a line. The Gov can issue all the press releases he wants about this issue, if he feels it’s such a priority. But using state resources to frame it in suck a blatantly partisan, political way crosses a line. - grand old partisan - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 4:04 pm: sorry, that should have been “such a blatantly….” - Skeeter - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 4:14 pm: GOP, I assume that JBT will not issue any press releases or comment on any way on issues facing the gov.? After all, she is just the Treas. If the issue does not deal strictly with that office, we will not be hearing from her, in an official capacity. Correct? Of course, if she wanted to end “business as usual” she could resign early, like Senator Dole did. Of course if she did that, people like me might think that she would end business as usual and actually vote for her. - grand old partisan - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 4:29 pm: Sort of like how John Kerry did, too? Oh, wait. Not that I blame Kerry. He didn’t have the luxury of a fellow partisan in his state’s gov mansion posed to replace him with another fellow partisan. Who would get to appoint Topinka’s replacement? And, I am confident that if and when Judy does criticize Rod for things not relating to her duties as Treasurer, she will do so through her campaign oganization. If I am wrong about this, I would rebuke her for it (it wouldn’t change my vote, but I’m not expecting that of YDD, either). Even in the past, when she has issued press releases from the Treasurer’s office critical of the Governor’s actions….I don’t think they referenced “Democratic” Governor Rod Blagojevich….did they? - Papa Legba - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 4:57 pm: YDD - When Political Hack stated “Blago is running TV ads and talking about issue to increase his appeal to women voters. If he gets women and keeps the minoritites, he wins easy.” I believe Hack is slighlty off the mark. Blago knows he needs to KEEP the support of women and minorities. They are the only constituents he has remaining. What will happen when JBT starts to mention during the campaign that all of Blagos “Press Release” legislation has gone belly up or withered on the vine? Video game ban - so dead it won’t even make it to the courts. AllKids - big time suck up that one. When the public finds out that it is an empty shell, no funding, no legistation included in the bill regarding its operation. No plan, just a catchy name. Universal pre-school - Ha! We can’t even get enough qualified teachers to teach the classes now. Oh, thats right, that program needs to be funded too. Expanded the number of residents getting low cost health care. Whoop dee doo. He just shifted people from one program to another and raised the minimum income to qualify. Just a slight drain on state finances. Why is it that there is no money for Veterens to go to college in Illinois? It was all over the press yesterday that there is NO money for vets college tuition for this upcoming spring semester. Add to that Illinois doesn’t appear to be a very vertern friendly state right now for employment. BTW. What exactly is an “assault weapon?” Hasn’t there been a ban on fully automatic firearms in the US since, oh, about prohibition? I could go on and on. But I hope you get the point. One more thing, don’t forget about those pesky little ivestigations coutesy of the Feds. Or are those just a ploy by the Republicans to smear our wonderful gov? - Tony Soprano - Monday, Mar 27, 06 @ 7:21 pm: Blago is a dictator.. Ban video games.. Ban junk food.. what is next? - Bob - Wednesday, Mar 29, 06 @ 1:47 pm: There are so many factors that contributed to the needless death of these girls. To blame the type of weapon is merely a political stunt to put heat on an opponent and deflect criticism from far more obvious factors. Failure to control gangs. Failure to control drugs. Failure to enforce existing gun laws. Failure to control poverty in this community. Failure of this community to report criminals and gang bangers in these areas. Glorification of thug life role models. Unhealthy family values. Promulgation of gang life and indoctrination of youth by close kin. Fear of gang reprisal. Lack of enforcement of housing laws. Failure to provide rehabilitation of released criminals. Reliance on government aid programs. Unstable educational environment causing an inability to learn. To blame the type of weapon is analogous to blaming the shark’s teeth for attacking the diver. Although the teeth do the damage, there are many more important factors which caused the attack Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.