Morning Shorts
Thursday, Apr 19, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* NEW Compilation of GRT stories:
* Governor’s tax plan gets hearing, sort of
* Tax plan is setting off a storm
* Businesses object loudly to governor’s tax plan
* Springfield is battleground in fight over Governor’s tax plan
* Businesses protest plan to raise taxes
* Opponents of GRT rally at statehouse
* Blagojevich ducks question on state plane usage
* State senators wary of immigration driving bill
* Illinois lawmakers say state could benefit from new coal industry
* State set to name new Superintendent
* Michael Sneed: Stroger fires CIO… Springfield Celebrity
* State steps in to address flood of water company complaints
The Illinois Commerce Commission on Wednesday ordered the utility company to review and correct several billing, metering and fire hydrant problems. The state agency also announced it would review the price Illinois American charges for water, but spokeswoman Beth Bosch would not say if prices ultimately would fall.
* McQueary: Write in candidates, Paul Vallas
* Measure to arm prosecutors/judges fails in Illinois House
* How U.S Supreme Court abortion ruling could affect Illinois
In Illinois, a similar late-term prohibition on certain abortion procedures passed and was signed into law by former Gov. Jim Edgar in 1997. But it was knocked down by a federal appeals court in 2000.
* Study: TIFs too tempting for public officials to resist
* Syverson sponsors bill to speed up new Rockford tax revenue
- schroedk - Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 9:00 am:
Regarding the guv’s aversion to reporters’ questions; it reminds me so much of when I ask my daughter a question about something that she did. If she’s been bad or knows that she did something that she’s not supposed to, she will refuse to look at me and sometimes run from me initially. Very similar to the guv! Oh, my daughter’s 3 years old, by the way.
- i d - Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:32 am:
Okay, since we LET illegals work, it is hard to not LET them drive, is how the minds of our elected officials think, we are in deep trouble. Who LETS illegals work? NOT ME! They are criminals. They are not citizens of the United States. They have no rights as we citizens. Arrest them, prosecute them and then ship them back to their home countries. I am sick of paying taxes to support illegals and I am sick of paying taxes to support those in other countries while our soldiers do without, while our poor do without, while our infrastructure continues to deteriorate. If we don’t take care of our own first, then who will?
- cermak_rd - Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 1:04 pm:
Whether we let the undocumented drive or not, they are driving now. If even 10% of them use this legislation to get driving registrations and then insurance, it will make for a safer environment for people like me that live in an area that has a high concentration of immigrants (and in any immigrant community, stats show a certain percentage are undocumented).
- Cassandra - Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 1:21 pm:
I still don’t understand why illegals can’t drive here on the drivers’ licenses they obtained in their countries of residence. In fact, I believe they can.
If I move to Mexico tomorrow, I can drive there legally without getting a driving permit. Ditto Guatemala. Ditto most countries.
If my license expires, I come back here and get it renewed. I understand that illegals might live here without papers in order to obtain work, but I see no reason why we should have to go out of our way to help them get special drivers’ licenses. I doubt that the Mexican government or provinces would do the same for me if I were living there, legally or illegally.
Americans really are clueless about the third world–most probably believe many other countries are too backward to have a drivers licensing system. This is certainly not true of Mexico and other Central and South American countries which send us most of our illegal immigrants.
- Asha - Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 5:40 pm:
When’s Governor Blago’s free pass with media going to end.
Electric rates - No Answers???
State planes - No Answers???
Corruption - No Answers???
GRT - No Answers???
No snappy comebacks prepared Rod?
- GreenCutip - Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 9:59 pm:
I got a anti-GRT polling call the other day. “Ask Illinois” I believe they were called.
- Disgusted - Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:48 pm:
I, too, want to know when the press is going to get nasty with the governor. He plays them for fools by calling press conferences to promote his pie-in-the-sky plans but ignores them when it comes to the details or when he gets caught AGAIN, doing something unsavory. Seems to me with his attitude and refusal to explain his actions, he is fair game. Where’s Helen Thomas when we need her?