13 Comments - Jerry - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 8:56 am: surprise surprise, the exchanges give Daley $200k, and he gives them $40 million. If I didn’t know better, I would think that was a kickback. Or a bribe, either way. - Jim Mowen - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 8:58 am: I don’t understand the smoking law… If I do not like smoke, then I do not have to frequent a bar or restaurant that allows smoking. Do we not understand the concept of ‘personal responsibility’ or ‘freedom of choice’? There are a lot of people that have opened smoke-free bars and restaurants because they understand personal choice. What is it about Democrats that makes them think that the Almighty Government can make better choices than the people? - Cassandra - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 9:01 am: $200k for $40 million? Now, that’s cheap. As I’ve said, state and local government should be charging a lot more for those contracts and jobs and tax breaks.And instead of putting the money in the campaign coffers of Daley, Blago et al, it should go straight into general revenue funds. If we are going to have Government by Bribery, and we do, at least the taxpayers should benefit. - Bull McCabe - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 9:05 am: Rich: Are you going to turn the comments section on for the “Legal Fees” thread? - Smoke Free Illinois - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 9:19 am: In response to what us Democrats think about the Smoking Ban: no, I don’t think that the “Almighty Government” always makes better choices than its people. But for many people, smoking isn’t a choice anymore, it’s an addiction. Not only does it harm the smoker, it harms the people around the smoker. I’d like to have the personal choice to go in a bar without increasing my chances of lung cancer. So anything the “Almighty Government” can do to help people get rid of this nasty habit is okay by me. - Squideshi - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 10:27 am: “[Callis] and her fellow judges — all but two of them Democrats — began making changes welcomed by the business executives and not so popular with the plaintiffs’ lawyers who helped elect them.” I think that “sellout” might be the most appropriate term here. Not that I am surprised–this has been pretty much par for course with Democratic leaders at both the state and national levels. - Squideshi - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 10:29 am: “If anything, this case may be a statement on just how entrenched the culture of corruption was five years ago. Given the high-level indictments that have continued long after Ryan left office — of high-profile players like Stuart Levine and Tony Rezko — we are left to wonder whether even Operation Safe Road was enough to change that culture.” Nope. While there are many good and dedicated public servants in the rank and file of both the Democratic and Republican parties, there remains a culture of corruption at the highest levels. - Squideshi - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 10:38 am: “‘The evidence is crystal clear when you look at peer-reviewed economic studies: People don’t lose business (because of smoking bans),’ said Mike Grady, state public policy director for Illinois’ chapter of the American Cancer Society.” The tobacco industry doesn’t want to see objective, scientific, peer-reviewed economic studies–they would rather play on the fears of small business owners in an effort to recruit them as part of their effort to profit off the sale of a product that is inherently harmful to consumers. “There are a lot of people that have opened smoke-free bars and restaurants because they understand personal choice.” Really? Can you give a few examples, and exactly what do you think that the ratio might be? If this were the case, it could be argued that such owners simply understand business–there are plenty of people who would like to go to a bar to have something to drink, have something to eat, listen to music, and socialize, without the inconvenience and danger of breathing second hand smoke. Consider this an undeserved market. - Squideshi - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 10:42 am: “What is it about Democrats that makes them think that the Almighty Government can make better choices than the people?” That’s an unsubstantiated cheap shot. I can’t speak for Democrats, but I would point out that government is nothing more than an agreement between PEOPLE and it is PEOPLE that make decisions in government. In addition, even if you believe that government is ALWAYS less efficient than private enterprise, which is clearly not the case, it does not logically follow that government can’t be as efficient, if not more, than private enterprise in some cases. - Squideshi - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 10:47 am: “BP spokesman Scott Dean was quoted in a Daily Herald story Saturday as saying ‘BP has no intention of doing anything that would damage Lake Michigan. We believe we can operate well under the permitted levels.’” BP may have no intention of damaging Lake Michigan, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t. It is possible to “damage” the environment without reaching permitted levels–permitted levels may be too high and there are plenty of noncriteria, nonetheless harmful, emissions that simply aren’t regulated at all. - cermak_rd - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 12:20 pm: Regarding the SJ-R editorial, I’m not surprised that people were still allegedly taking kickbacks between 2000 and 2002. Yes, you would think they would be more careful given the indictments from Operation Safe Road. But consider that in Operation Graylord, there were tons of judges indicted for corruption, but just a few years later during Operation Gambat, there were judges still on the take. What do you want to bet there still are today? - Plutocrat03 - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 12:37 pm: I am a non-smoker and I am not a supporter of smoking bans as constituted. I simply take my business where the air is smoke free. If the owner of an estalishment believes there is more money to be made off the smokers, then God bless him/her. I will spend my money elsewhere. I guess never got comfortable demanding that others take responsibility for my comfort. If that is the case then I have some ideas that will save thousands of lives annually, but at the cost of a few measly personal freedoms…… As far as BP. The trib put ut a statistic in their paper today that calculates the currernt amount of effluent as 200 gallons per day. 20M gallons @99.997 clean. Is this the correct amount? I am always suspicious of the politicians rending their clothes in public and gnashing their teeth. Is this truly the scope of the problem? I am oddly connecting back to Chicago ORD through Springfield Friday afternoon. Anyone have predicitions on how full the flight will be and what the mood of the passengers will be? :’) - 12/12 - Monday, Jul 23, 07 @ 7:00 pm: The gentrification not only pushes out African Americans, the poor and undesirable but also a lot of middle class folk who have lived in Chicago for generations. Property Taxes are ridiculous City regulations are ridiculous Most local public schools are still not good Taxes are high mortgages are high EVICTIONS ARE UP FORECLOSURES ARE UP Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.