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Afternoon open thread
Wednesday, Mar 21, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller The governor was on Don and Roma’s WLS show yesterday morning. You can either go here to download the audio or just click the thingies below…
[Hat tip: Zorn] I learned two things from the interview. 1) The governor’s New Year’s resolution was to show up on time; and 2) Elvis took no tax deductions and was one of the biggest taxpayers in Illinois at one time. This is an open thread, but try to keep your comments to Illinois stuff, please. Thanks.
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- John - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 2:22 pm:
Photoshopping Rod… A satirical look at the governor and his economic savvy!
- sam - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 2:27 pm:
umm….
You mentioned red-baiting, Rich?
- A Citizen - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 4:07 pm:
Don has an excellent radio voice and presence and Roma provides just the right amount of counterbalance to make their show both entertaining and informative. They are always pleasant and courteous to the guest. Rich, who was that guest they had on ?
- Wumpus - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 4:15 pm:
Did his daughters have to file a gift tax on their huge donations they received?
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 4:23 pm:
I tried to listen to the whole thing. I gave up halfway through the third section.
Blagojevich is campaigning. This means he talks and talks and talks and speaks in sound bites. He doesn’t answer questions. Instead he uses questions to bring up more great points he wanted to make before he showed up at the radio station.
That said, he wears listeners down. Perhaps this is intentional. I couldn’t imagine how he could listen to a doctor’s financial problem of not being paid by the state, being on the verge of bankrupsy due to the state, and now being expected to pay a higher tax on what he isn’t getting paid for - and answer the doctor by claiming that the GRT will fix all that.
He was asked real questions, but he did not give real answers.
If I could I would like to know who he had on board within the GA before his Address. It seems as if everyone except Jones has jumped ship.
Maybe he will need those ministers’ support, because right now he doesn’t have a prayer.
- Tea Leaves - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 4:47 pm:
Did anyone notice how revved up the Governor gets when Don or Roma posed some tough questions?
The Governor talks, talks, talks, but never answers any questions. By the way, my kid doesn’t health insurance.
Who’s he kiddin’, us I’m afraid.
- BEWARE! - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 4:57 pm:
Socialized medicine is not the answer to Illinois problems….. Some fat bureaucrat(s)and more state government is going to be telling everyone what doctors they can see, when and where.
- cermak_rd - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 5:13 pm:
I recently had surgery. It was not optional (they don’t normally schedule surgery for 10pm on a Friday night). My insurance co is on the hook for $30,000! If I had to pay that myself, I would probably have to declare bankruptcy or arrange a payment plan that would keep me paying that for years, or perhaps forego food etc. in order to pay it off more quickly. I can see why medical cases make up a big bulk of bankruptcy cases.
I’m not sure the governor’s plan is the perfect answer to this issue. Perhaps high deductibility emergency care insurance is the answer. Perhaps having county low-cost subsidized health care is the answer. Everyone says that when medicine is socialized, it has to be rationed because everyone is interested. The fact is, right now it is also rationed by ability to pay (or carrying of insurance). Additionally, because our employers are the ones expected to pay our healthcare costs and frequently pensioner’s costs, this makes our industry less competitive to nations that provide it as a government service.
I applaud the governor for thinking about this issue, but I would like to see a robust public debate about all the ways to “skin the cat” so to speak.
- A Citizen - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 5:17 pm:
My neighbor’s sister’s 9 year old daughter listened to these clips and said “I hate those Big Bad Corporations with all those highpriced Attorneys and Accountants! I understand why the guv approved of the 2nd Amendment loving middle class now.” Rod bless us everyone! And pass the ammunition.
- Gregor - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 5:49 pm:
Again, I want to point out, nobody seems to be holding the insurance companies’ fee to the fire regarding some of their tactics and practices that out these sad story-telling people in their predicaments. Why do the insurance companies get a free pass? Because they’ve paid off the governor, is my guess.
- Save a horse, Ride a Harley - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 6:01 pm:
Me hears from IDOT sources that Timmy signed contracts in December that totally contradicts the public line. Maybe the Federales are onto that but someone needs to do an FOIA on this. Something smells, imagine that…
- Old Elephant - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 7:30 pm:
Since this is an open thread, here are a couple of good stories for an enterprising reporter:
1) How about counting up all the tax loopholes that Emil Jones and his minions are going to pass out of the Senate over the next week — at least three so far, with more to come — including one today for fat cat Hollywood movie executives? Can you say hypocrite?
2. Someone might want to take a look at the procurement bulletin and see what the taxpayer’s just paid for the mailing list for the Governor’s Gross Receipts Sales Tax letter to businesses. It makes the previously disclosed cost of postage look like peanuts.
- SPEND, SPEND, SPEND - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 10:20 pm:
More opportunities for NimRod to increase state government, and he will ! Someone who barely got there GED will be dictating to YOU whether you can have an operation or not. If this pie the sky health plan goes through, NimRod will bankrupt it too.
NimRod is real good at spending everyone elses money.
- To Bad, So Sad - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 10:33 pm:
Most of the time it sounded like Rod was speaking at 78 rpm and Roma and you were speaking normally at 33 1/3 rpm.
Don Wade you had your chance, ya blew it! Must be getting soft in your old age.
Don’t worry Rod will take care of Roma and you.
- Common Sense - Wednesday, Mar 21, 07 @ 10:51 pm:
Urgent Memo To: Mike Madigan, Lisa Madigan & Patrick Fitzgerald
Time to reel this governor in and fast!
- Way Northsider - Thursday, Mar 22, 07 @ 7:55 am:
Cermak - I totally agree with you. No system is perfect but a system in which only the well off can see doctors leaves too many people in the lurch. We must address the issue of catastrophic and routine healthcare coverage.