12 Comments - Lula May - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 8:04 am: Reading the story about the Governor having reservations on the utility relief bill. I thought maybe this guy was going to do the right thing for once. But at the end of the article the true Rod came through. This gives him leverage against Madigan and Jones. What a disappointment. In the end it always about Rod. - Wumpus - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 8:35 am: Scott Reeder aka Captain Obvious…there are porr white people too? Given the fact that blacks only make up about 11-12% of the US population, it is truly shocking that there are a lot of poor whites as well! Mary Mitchell, thanks for giving us another black leader, yay! - Captain America - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 9:05 am: Rich, I imagine I was the token Capital Fax blogger at the Daily Kos convention kick-off party at the Funky Buddah Lounge sponsored by the People for the American Way. I was a little late - so I can’t give much of a report. Kos was there. Ralph Meas (Sp?), PFAW President was there as was Kos. Other local luminaries I saw were Alderman Rick Munoz, Metropolitan Water Recalmation Distict Commissioner Deborah Shore, Alex Armour - Jan Schakowsky’s Political Director, Leo Klein from the Illinois Democratic Network, and a host of others that probably deserve mention, but I didn’t see or know. It was an eclectic group. Apparently there are 1500 bloggers in town for the anuual convention that starts today and runs through the weekend. Democratic Presidential candidates will be participating in a forum at the convention this weekend, which reflects the growing influence of the netroots movement.For background information, CF bloggers can see Steve Johnson’s article in the August 1 Chicago Tribune: “Netroots site gains political force, and foes.” Power to the people/bloggers! Maybe we should have a Capitol Fax convention sandwiched around Governors/Democrats and Republican Day next year??? - Doug Dobmeyer - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 9:08 am: I read Scott Reeder’s article on poverty and I think he was getting to the right point. Poverty is broader than just being Black, but Blacks are the tip of the iceberg and thus receive the most attention. It was evident when I directed the Public Welfare Coalition that poverty was pervasive throughout Illinois, not just the Black areas of Chicago and East St. Louis. It got so bad that one TV station called me up and “ordered” a large Black family for a story they were doing on poverty. I suggested a family I knew on the north side who was white. They said no. Needless to say I passed this story up. The issues of poverty are so interwoven with your opportunities in life, your environment, education, family and the luck of the draw. Given the system we have which almost requires people to claw their way to the top, it is not surprising we have so much poverty. Blacks have had the short end of the stick for far too long. So their poverty is often compounded and seemingly more complicated. I occasionly watch an episode of the Jerry Springer Show. OMG how horrible. Most on that show are white people who act incredibly stupid. By the discussion and appearances they are also in poverty. They are the product of poor education, a poor family life, no goals - they are poor. Poverty is pervasive and will have to transend government programs, which do help to overcome the poverty. It starts at home - take care of your own first, teach values of helping others, show the iniative by helping to set the example and be willing to be in for the long haul. Thanks Scott, Doug - Captain America - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 9:17 am: With respect to the Reilly optimism about the eventual outcome of the metropolitan Chicago mass transit funding “crisis”, Julie Hamos is my heroine. She’s intelligent, she’s beautiful, and a genuine policy dynamo. If you care about the future of mass transit in metropolitan Chicago,or affordable housing and a host of other good causes, Julie Hamos should be your heroine too. Speaking as a dying breed,a lakefornt liberal,I consider Jul;ie Hamos a political goddess! - Captain America - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 9:37 am: Al Sharpton is a colorful, entertaining speaker. Nonetheless, I’ve never been able to overcome my reservations about him, given the Twana Brawley case - which initially brought Sharpton to national attention. However, since many of the African-American political and religious leaders have been co-opted by Mayor Daley, Ill keep my eye on the Reverend Wright and especially his daughter, Jeri Wright, based upon Mary Mitchell’s column. I was favorably impressed by the laudatory CF blogger ccmments about Representative Colvin from the 8th Ward. So I’m going to check him out too. - Cassandra - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 9:40 am: The media love to talk about poverty among African Americans but they are silent on the huge disproportionality of African Americans in Illinois’ prison and child welfare/foster care populations. Unfortunately, these disproportionalities have a lot more to do with institutional racism than even the media like to admit. They are aided, of course, by the silence of African American politicians on these issues. I guess Emil is worried about losing some state patronage jobs and pricey child welfare and prison contracts among his upporters/contributors. Human misery is profitable for politicians and their cronies. It’s no doubt easier to write about cute impoverished black kids than it is to research and confront structural racim head on. And perhaps not all that helpful to a young reporter’s career. - True Observer - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 10:13 am: The indiginous African-American community has an entitlement mentality nourished and supported by liberal democrats and black “leaders” who benefit from their votes and really have no incentive to see them succeed and become self-sufficient. Fortuntely, we have an acid test. All we have to do is look at the newly arriving immigrants from Africa. They are some of the hardest working folks you can find. Do their kids have an entitlement mentality which includes criminal behavior which is glossed over or somehow rationalized by the dem/libs? NO. Truth be known, the African-American community would have been better off if all the do-gooders had never shown up. The way things are, there is no day light. Most of them are destined to live mariginal lives for the indefinite future because the dem/libs need their votes to stay in power and could care less about their future. - amy - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 10:55 am: cassandra, please plot your figures for crime and child welfare reports by geography. then find the demographics for the geography. poverty and race is a difficult intersect, but victims aren’t a myth….they are real. stop blaming racism for the prison population. the victims are people of color too. - MMMm, Butter - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 12:14 pm: Just went to the state fair press preview, they have a new surprise exhibit in the dairy building this year: a Blago made of butter. On day one of the fair they turn off the cooler, and you get to watch it melt down over ten days. - Kudos - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 2:09 pm: True Ob, The truth is not tolerated. You should learn this. I am suprised that you would so blatantly speak it. - Nearly Normal - Thursday, Aug 2, 07 @ 6:56 pm: PEORIA, IL — Jim McConoughey, 46, President and CEO of The Heartland Partnership, today announces an exploratory committee for the Illinois 18th Congressional District seat. Following the announcement of Congressman Ray LaHood that he will not seek reelection, I have been encouraged by many community leaders to consider running for this open seat. I am honored that many consider me a worthy candidate for this important position.” McComoughey stated. “As a result, I am announcing that I will form an exploratory committee to consider all options related to my possible candidacy for United States Congress.” Former Caterpillar Chairman Glen Barton and other leaders throughout Central Illinois will join the exploratory committee. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.