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Friday, Aug 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the day

Friday, Aug 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

It’s Friday, so let’s have a caption contest instead.

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“Protect marriage” referendum hits another roadblock

Friday, Aug 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

When you don’t have the facts on your side (or in this case, signatures) , you argue the law. That didn’t work either.

From a Protect Marriage Initiative press release:

Yesterday we received word that United States District Court Judge Elaine B. Bucklo (a Clinton appointee) had ruled against our complaint that the Illinois election code for advisory referenda (such as the Protect Marriage Illinois referendum) is unconstitutionally burdensome to Illnois citizens–thus infringing on their right to petition their government.

We think Judge’ Bucklo’s decision was rushed and shallow. So, with the help of our good friends at the Alliance Defense Fund, we are appealing it. Our appeal was filed today.

Judge Bucklo disregarded our First Amendment claims and therefore did not agree with our contention that the referendum rules as applied by the State Board of Election (SBE) were unfair and unreasonable. Basically, she acquiesced to a very low standard when it comes to the state upholding citizens’ rights to petition their government. The advisory referendum rules are incredibly arcane and complicated: eight Illinois cities are their own election jurisdiction (treated separately from Illinois’ 102 counties), which led to thousands of PMI signatures being disqualified or not submitted to the SBE.

It’s not looking good for Peter LaBarbera’s people.

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I wondered how long this would take

Friday, Aug 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Whether it’s a legitimate question or irrelevant red herring, this is still an interesting development.

In attempting to keep control of a key suburban congressional seat, Republicans are trying to make Gov. Rod Blagojevichâ€™s ethics issues a factor.

This week, Republican Peter Roskam sent a letter to Democrat Tammy Duckworth asking her to publicly say if she supports Blagojevich, a Chicago Democrat whoâ€™s come under federal scrutiny for his administrationâ€™s hiring and contracting practices.

â€œThroughout this campaign, you have repeatedly brought up the issue of ethics on the campaign trail. Many times, you have issued a press release on any scandal related to the Republican Party,â€ Roskam said in the Aug. 2 letter addressed to Duckworth. â€œYet, you have been noticeably silent on corruption when it involves the Democratic Party and high-ranking leaders who have been instrumental in your campaign.â€ […]

In a letter back to Roskam, Duckworth says she supports Blagojevichâ€™s re-election.

â€œBut that does not mean that I give him, or anyone else, a pass on ethical behavior,â€ she said in the letter. â€œShould he or his administration be proven to have engaged in illegal or unethical actions, they should suffer the consequences.â€

What do you think?

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Voice of the people

Friday, Aug 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

This letter to the editor in the Kankakee Daily Journal should win an award for the most bugaboos in one document. I’ve highlighted them for your ease of use. [ALNAC, by the way is the commission that will run the Peotone area airport]

ALNAC and the foreign company that will finance and operate the airport would destroy Beecher and the surrounding area by their decision that if a passenger airport won’t fly, they are going to make it a cargo airport. This means most flights will be made at night. ALNAC has decided to extend the runway from 10,000 to 12,000 feet to accommodate the new Airbus 380.

This airplane can fly directly from China to Beecher, with more Chinese and other foreign products to undercut U.S. products. It weighs in at 1-1/4 million pounds, takes 82,000 gallons of jet fuel, has 190,000 horsepower and has no pollution devices — like all other aircraft.

The plane will take off and land on an east-west runway — right over the new houses in the Hunters Chase subdivision. I have checked with the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and found that 80 percent of the major airports have had crashes on approach and departures in the past 40 years. There is only ONE runway planned at Peotone airport.

You need to have some understanding about jet fuel. It is a hydrocarbon like auto gasoline. However, it has an additive package that is so toxic it has to be registered with the EPA. A jet engine is only 37 percent efficient — the rest is toxic waste

The case to build this airport is that it is going to create jobs. If the politicians would send the millions of illegal aliens back to where they came from, we would have plenty of jobs.

It looks to me like Jesse Jackson Jr. is like some of the rest of the politicians. They are selling or leasing our ports, roads, banks, shipyards, and businesses — even our airlines now — to foreigners. If I didn’t know better, I would think our country is bankrupt!

The national debt is accelerating past $9 trillion, our trade deficit is $60 billion and rising, the average credit card debt is $9,000, the state is stealing money from pension funds and companies are dropping pension funds altogether. Our economy is in a very precarious position.

The people who want us to have a global economy don’t tell you about the diseases that humans can get; diseases our crops are getting; other new critters that are killing our native trees, and jobs that are being lost to cheap foreign labor. Isn’t this too high a price for America to pay for globalization?

Dude, you forgot global warming and Islamofascism.

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Morning shorts

Friday, Aug 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Â· “Former Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood has just closed the books on her campaign fund, but an associate said Wednesday that does not mean the Lake Forest Republican is finished with politics or losing her second battle with breast cancer.”

Â· “Congressman Weller, being that it is an election year, he said that he would try to see if he could get us some funding for some of this stuff… No promises or anything, but it’s a start.”

Â· Topinka: Stop the bleeding at the state’s border

Â· Measure proposes veterans care at closed facility

Â· “White supremacist Matthew Hale, serving 40 years in a Colorado prison for plotting to kill a federal judge in Chicago, is suing his former attorney for malpractice.”

Â· Error causes spike in property tax bills

Â· Editorial: In a streamlining mood?

Â· Daley mocks Meeks over n-word

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Roskam slams Duckworth on taxes

Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

From a press release:

Sixth District Congressional candidate Senator Peter Roskam called on his opponent to â€œcome cleanâ€ on the issue of tax relief. Roskam stated that her position continues to be elusive and ever-changing. Roskam was joined by House Ways and Means Member Congressman Phil English (PA-3) who indicated that her reluctance to make permanent the tax relief means she â€œhasnâ€™t ruled out a tax hikeâ€ on suburban families.

â€œI support providing immediate tax relief to suburban families and businesses by eliminating the death tax, marriage penalty tax and doubling the child tax credit,â€ said Peter Roskam.

â€œTammy Duckworth hasnâ€™t signed the â€œno new taxesâ€ pledge because she wants to keep the door open to raising your taxes,â€ said Rep. English. “Campaigns are about issues, and Duckworth isn’t a real candidate if she doesn’t take positions on issues like taxes.”

Roskam campaign says that class-envy rhetoric by Duckworth doesnâ€™t add up. According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, more than 119,000 children are eligible for the child tax credit in the Sixth Congressional District. A family of four with two children making $50,000 would see a 132% increase in their tax bill if the tax relief is not made permanent.

Below are a variety of statements by Duckworth on taxes.

â€¢ â€œShe [Tammy Duckworth] said she has some problems with making the Bush tax cuts permanentâ€ (Dec. 18, 2005, Daily Herald).
â€¢ â€œBut ask Duckworth which of the Bush tax cuts sheâ€™d repeal and the answer isnâ€™t as cut-and-driedâ€ (March 16, 2006, Daily Herald).
â€¢ â€œDuckworth vows to fight tax cuts for the wealthyâ€ (March 22, 2006, Daily Herald).
â€¢ â€œDuckworth said she â€˜would seriously consider repealing partâ€™ of the Bush tax cuts, which she said, â€˜have caused our deficit to explodeâ€ (April 18, 2006, Chicago Tribune).

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Guv says no Greens in debates

Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

The guv rules out allowing Green Party candidate Rich Whitney into the debates if Whitney makes it onto the ballot.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he is primed and ready to debate Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka - just so long as there are no Greens on stage. Blagojevich said the upcoming fall debates should be left to the political professionals.

“I think the debates should be between the two major party candidates,” Blagojevich said. “I think it’s important for the major parties to focus on the issues, because the two major parties are the ones that are in a position to make the decisions for the people of Illinois.” […]

“We’re willing to debate anyone,” said John McGovern, spokesman for the Topinka campaign. “We believe it is up to the debate sponsors and organizers to determine who’s invited and who participates.”

UPDATE: Comments are now closed on this post because of suspected foul play by a Green Party supporter.

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Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the day

Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

I don’t mind that some business group wants to sue over the state’s Sudan divestment bill. It’s still a free country.

A U.S. business trade group said on Wednesday it plans to file a lawsuit on Monday challenging Illinois’ law barring state investments in companies that do business with Sudan.

The National Foreign Trade Council, a group representing more than 300 companies that trade and invest overseas, said the lawsuit will be filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago along with a motion asking the court to stop the state from implementing the ban during the course of the lawsuit. […]

The law, the first to take effect in the United States, prohibits the state from investing in Sudan government bonds and bans investments of state and pension funds in companies that do business in or with Sudan. Pension funds were given 18 months to divest about $1 billion invested in such companies. The law took effect in late January.

But I’m not all that comfortable with the state’s pension boards joining the lawsuit.

Joining the council in the lawsuit will be five boards of Illinois public employee pension funds, according to a news advisory.

Today’s question is, do you think the Sudan divestment bill was a mistake or good public policy? Bonus points for commenting on the pension boards joining the lawsuit.

Divestment proponents have a website here. The Sun-Times had a good story on the issue last month.

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Mo’ Money

Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

The governor makes a last-minute decision to give a pal’s business an extra million taxpayer bucks and the home crowd cheers wildly.

After years of planning and waiting baseball fans in Southern Illinois will finally get to sit at their own ballpark and take in a ball game.

The official announcement came during a new conference on Wednesday afternoon. And fans who’ve waited for years to hear the crack of the bat couldn’t be happier.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch story wasn’t as gushing.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich brushed aside criticism Wednesday over millions of state dollars benefiting a new minor league ballpark owned by a Metro East political patron, and made a surprise announcement of another $1 million to help the baseball stadium.

His announcement coincided with word that an independent minor league expansion team would suit up at the stadium next year.

The new state funds, like the previous $3 million, will go to the city of Marion for infrastructure improvements to aid the project and the surrounding area. The park is the brainchild of prominent Metro East lawyer John Simmons, who along with his law firm has donated more than $1 million mostly to Democratic causes in recent years.

It’s even better than that.

What follows is an e-mail I received early this morning from a reporter who was at the event. [Emphasis added]

[The governor] claimed — at least twice, because I asked the question afterwards — that he just decided to do it while sitting at the groundbreaking.

That’s all well and good, but it jogged my memory of the story last week where two Republican lawmakers filed a FOIA request to get budget details. Weren’t they worried that he would start doling out $50,000,000 on the campaign trail? And…didn’t he basically start doing that yesterday?

Not quite. But one can’t help but wonder which budget line he plans to raid to get that million dollars.

This last-minute money decision does have precedent in southern Illinois. A while back he was roundly booed when he was introduced before an SIU Carbondale basketball game.

During the game, people who were there tell me, the governor asked around to see what he could do to cheer up the fans because he was scheduled to go onto the court at halftime. When he was told that his office was sitting on a grant for the school’s marching band, he decided to release the cash. One of his top aides reportedly suggested that he run the decision by his budget director first, but the governor testily brushed off the suggestion and made the grant announcment himself at midcourt, before spinning a ball on his finger.

The man is a natural campaigner. No doubt about that.

UPDATE: Check out the comments for a funny story from the aforementioned reporter.

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I can relate

Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Almost every homeowner loved the skyrocketing real estate values in Chicago - until the new assessments started rolling in.

Not even 15 minutes into the workshop on property taxes, a man in the back of the room could contain himself no longer. â€œWe cannot continue to pay at this rate,â€ he proclaimed, his voice cracking as he interrupted a local aldermanâ€™s opening remarks.

More than 300 north-siders were crammed into the June 20 meeting sponsored by Cook County assessor James Houlihan. â€œWe need change,â€ a woman exclaimed. â€œYoo-hoo? Is anyone listening?â€

Taxpayer discontent has been brewing since April, when the assessorâ€™s office began sending out new north-side property assessments for the next threeyear period. â€œThe pitchforks are out, the peasants are restless,â€ cracked one state rep. â€œI sense a revolt.â€

How much of a revolt may depend on the sophistication of the peasantry. Assessments on the north side are up as much as 50 percent.

The north-side revulsion has not escaped Mayor Daley’s notice.

Chicago area homeowners could see their property tax bills “more than double” next year unless the Illinois General Assembly renews the 7 percent cap on annual assessment increases, Mayor Daley and Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan warned Wednesday. […]

The state Senate voted last spring to renew the 7 percent cap. But the Madigan-led House voted it down after a state study found the cap shifted the tax burden from homeowners to businesses, landlords, renters and “hundreds of thousands of homeowners who are paying as much as 10 percent more.”

Daley and Houlihan have long disputed those findings, and now they’re sounding the alarm. Unless the cap is extended, property taxes will more than double for some homeowners next year when tax bills will reflect the reassessment now under way.

I’ll be curious to see if Topinka has any property tax relief in her yet-to-be announced education funding plan. The governor skipped over the issue in his school funding proposal.

That Topinka plan, by the way, was supposed to be released last month, but is still under refinement, according to the campaign. And the governor’s lottery sales plan? It’s kinda faded into the distance, hasn’t it?

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Big box blowback

Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Some people may be confused, since everything they heard had the big box wage plan being about that bad ol’ low-brow, working class favorite WalMart and not (gasp!) the middle-brow shopping class’ beloved Target.

Chicago’s controversial big- box ordinance has produced its first casualty: Target has pulled out of a 32-acre shopping mall at 119th and Marshfield and will likely cut and run from the North Side’s Wilson Yards project as well, city officials said Wednesday.

Target’s decision to follow through on its threat to avoid Chicago comes just one week after a bitterly divided City Council defied Daley by requiring retailing giants to pay their employees a “living wage” of at least $10 an hour and $3 in benefits by 2010. […]

[Ald. Carrie[ Austin was one of only 15 aldermen to vote against the big-box ordinance. She was devastated, but not surprised, when the letter arrived from Target. “My colleagues are saying, ‘Don’t worry. They’ll come.’ Well, mine just left,” Austin said. […]

On Wednesday, Daley was still holding his veto cards close to the vest. The mayor must decide by the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting on Sept. 13 whether to sign or veto the ordinance. To avoid an override, he would have to convince two aldermen to change sides.

From what I’ve been told, the big retailers have been freaked out by this ordinance and want to use Chicago to send a warning to everyone else who might contemplate legislation like this.

In the long term the ordinance may or may not make much difference, whether or not it survives a veto or a court challenge. In the short term, it’s gonna be a very hot, well publicized fight on both sides.

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Go tell Jesse

Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Send your complaints to Jesse White.

Illinois residents are getting a new tool for fighting government corruption: www.ReportItNow.net.

The Web site was created by Secretary of State Jesse White for people to report any problems in his office. White says accusations about other parts of government will be forwarded to the appropriate authorities.

Anonymous complaints are allowed, although White says it’s best if people give their names so that investigators can follow up and ask more questions. The reports will be kept confidential. Only the office’s inspector general will see the accusation.

This is probably at least partly a response to his opponent’s criticism that the office is not sufficiently high tech and accessible. And if my own experience is any indication, 99 percent of the “corruption” reported will be worthless info.

Still, one never knows exactly what will happen whenever a pressure valve like this is opened.

19 Comments

Yeah, right

Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

The Tribune tries following up on its recent one-day story about how city services were allegedly traded for votes in the 12th Ward three years ago.

Mayor Richard Daley contended Wednesday that city service requests never have been filled at election time to curry favor with voters for candidates he has supported.

Anyone running for office can claim to have had potholes filled or street lights repaired, Daley said. But asked if service ever has been provided as a political favor, he replied, “No. None whatsoever.” […]

“I ask people every day to call 311 whether I am a candidate or not,” Daley said. “And they can mention my name tooâ€”’The mayor told me to call.’ They do that all the time.

“I don’t care,” he said. “If there is a problem, get it fixed. If candidates are running, and they are calling, so be it. If elected officials are calling, I need everyone to call 311…. If there is a hole in the street and I don’t fix it, that is called [liability] when someone injures themselves.”

The mayor is just goading the media to follow up on this. The stories are out there and they are abundant. The question is whether the reporters will answer the call.

16 Comments

Morning shorts

Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Â· UPDATE: This caption contest could get interesting.

Â· Paging Lisa Madigan: Community College allegedly donates taxpayer funds to PAC.

Â· Blagojevich veto surprises Southwest Illinois Development Authority

Â· Torture allegations stepped up - Lawyer for 2 alleged victims accuses Daley, Devine of obstructing probe

Â· Mitchell: Meeks to stop using n-word — but he’s asking for a tradeoff. Editorial: Schools concerns are legit, but Meeks’ gibes are not

Â· Brown: Chicago exporting homeless many miles from their home

Â· Stem Cell Calls Target Swing Voters - Some 6th District Homes Will Receive Recordings

Â· Online Papers Modestly Boost Newspaper Readership

Â· “Web sites like Amazon.com and MySpace.com may soon be inaccessible for many people using public terminals at American schools and libraries, thanks to the U.S. House of Representatives.” Actually, “Nearly any news site now permits these types of behaviors that the bill covers.”

Â· Transcript reveals no new detail on Evans’ health

Â· Some people really need to get over themselves, and maybe even clean up their own minds. Phallic? How about this?

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