32 Comments - Esteban - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 9:40 am: Am I correct in my understanding that the Blago regime has never actually submitted a proposed budget to the legislature this year? - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 9:46 am: You are incorrect. - Squideshi - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 9:48 am: “While Jacobs said he’s been working with Japanese railway officials to discuss eventual high-speed rail in Illinois, first Amtrak service needs to be extended to cities including Rock Island and Rockford.” Kudos to Jacobs on this, but more than just talk is required here. Illinois needs to prove and reinforce that it is a technology leader; and that means that we need to do something REALLY advanced, like building a VacTrain from Chicago to St. Louis. Our state is already a leader in a very similar technology, serving as host to Fermilab (A VacTrain is roughly similar to a particle accelerator, with the train serving as the “particle” in an evacuated tube.) - Cassandra - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 9:50 am: Sounds like everything could be back to normal soon. That’s not good news for us taxpayers, necessarily. Schools will continue to have money poured upon them with no requirements that they use it wisely or that kids actually progress in learning. Teachers and school administrators will make out like bandits, regardless of whether the kids learn anything. Teachers unions will quiet down for a couple of months then start demanding more money and an income tax increase. State employees will get raises unconnected to performance and pegged to the power of their political sponsors. The union will negotiate huge raises, also unconnected to performance, for unionized staff. Agencies like DHS and DCFS will get more money to mismanage with and a sense of urgency will continue to be lacking in these and most state agencies. A nice sleepy place to work. A few bridges will get repaired. State contractors (especially the construction ones) will get even richer and will continue to contribute large sums to Blagojevich who will run for another term in 2010 and win. The bone thrown to the taxpayers is no income tax increase. Another year in Illinois. - Squideshi - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 9:51 am: I forgot to mention that Illinois is also a leader in another related technology–tunneling. The technology used in conjunction with the Deep Tunnel project is considered an engineering marvel and was used as the basis for building the Chunnel. - Little Egypt - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 9:52 am: Why, at this late date, would MMadigan decide to push himself away from the negotiating table? Feud or no feud, Madigan should have been there. - Stereotype - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 10:06 am: Cassandra, I grow weary of your predictable slams against all state workers. FYI, not all state workers are (a) union drones with no accountability, or (b) political hacks with no qualifications. FYI, I’m not covered by a contract and haven’t seen a significant raise since 02. I didn’t even get the $200/month bone thrown to MC employees this year. FYI, I have more college degrees than you and experience for my job. I have no political clout. FYI, I routinely work more than 37.5 hours/week. I take my job seriously. Cassandra, there are still a few professionals left in state government and your constant slams are an insult to us. - tom73 - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 10:29 am: Well, I guess if the mass transit fails to get its money, that is the push I need to move out of Chicago and the state. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 10:35 am: What a shame we did not end up with Topinka. It appears we are going to implement her budget plan anyway. This could have all been adverted if Illinois voters wised up to Blagos empty promises. - Jaded - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 10:36 am: Just curious if Cross actually attending the meeting with the Governor. Capital Fax said he sent a surrogate, but this post claimed he was there. Clarification Rich? - Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 10:38 am: Stereo, You work more than 37.5 hours per week? Oh my God, how can you cope with such hardship! Give me a break. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 10:43 am: Jaded, Cross’ spokesman said this morning that Cross was in a meeting with a candidate and sent Rep. Brent Hassert to the guv’s office. You’d have to ask the Trib why they reported he was there. - pay attention - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 10:46 am: Cassandra, where does all the bitterness towards State Workers come from? You sound so miserable that I had to comment. Where, may I ask do you work? Obviously you’re not on top of the world, but lose the chip on your shoulder. It’s not the fine State of Illinos workers’ fault. Oh yes, “Teachers making out like bandits”? You just became as credible as G-Rod. - Anonymous ZZZ - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 10:48 am: Anonymous @ 10:38 - Don’t be a jerk. Stereotype is not in any way indicating that it is a “hardship” to work more than 37.5 hours per week. He’s simply responding to Cassandra’s blanket (and unfair) statement about state employees and how they don’t do any work during the normal 37.5-hour day, let alone bother to work any overtime. Plenty state workers put in a lot of overtime because they want to produce good work and are now doing the jobs of 2 or 3 people because vacant positions aren’t getting filled. So, give US a break. And, like Stereotype, I, too, am growing weary of Cassandra’s insults - especially because once people challenge her on it and give examples of where she is wrong, she goes into hiding and doesn’t even respond to examples that contradict what she’s saying. If she can prove that ALL state employees are worthless, and that there isn’t a single one who deserves their salary and benefits, she is more than welcome to do that. But since she can’t, she should just shut up already. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 10:50 am: OK, let’s move along, please. However, Cassandra, I really would like you to explain one day where this hostility comes from. - Garp - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:00 am: I don’t think the Speaker is ready to let the Governor off the hook. He might not want to give him anything to hang his hat on including a Chicago casino. I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole thing falls apart pretty quick. - Jaded - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:04 am: Thanks for the clarification Rich. I just wonder if Madigan had sent his Majority Leader to this meeting if the Governor would have demanded Madigan’s presence, and stomped out of the meeting until Madigan showed up. - MOON - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:04 am: The IFA proposed bailout of the schools put forward by the Gov. is a complete fraud. - johnsonville - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:10 am: I heard the Speaker wasn’t invited to the meeting, not that he just didn’t show up - is that true? - Lee - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:19 am: tom73 — i agree, cuts in transit would make me seriously reconsider why i’m living in Chicago, considering good transit was the primary reason i moved here. i think a lot of people are thinking the same thing, and unfortunately, a lot of large companies will also reconsider why they should be in the Loop when it’s cheaper in the suburbs, if the Loop is going to loose its greatest advantage — good transit. - Toto - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:43 am: 30 grand is just so much money - crazy! I know I wouldn’t want to make that - even at 37-1/2 hours a week. - Concerned Employee - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:48 am: Have the legislative leaders already decided anything regarding funding the pensions or pension reform? I haven’t heard much about this lately and know that it is a huge problem for the state. Has any agreement been made about what to do? - johnsonville - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:50 am: Concerned Employee - I think the House decided not to do anything with regard to pensions when they voted down the Governor’s pension plan at the beginning of July. - Concerned Employee - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:54 am: I don’t understand why the pension situation is being pushed off the table by everyone. It is bad enough that the last two years the pension payments have been deferred (I believe) and now no one wants to tackle the issue of funding the pension or reforming the pension system. Thank you elected officials for not doing your job again. - Cassandra - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:55 am: I wouldn’t equate critical with bitter and I get my information from the newspapers like everybody else. I mentioned DHS and DCFS because of widely publicized information that one of the facilities for the disabled managed by DHS lost, or almost lost federal funding this year because they failed to correct deficiencies despite repeated warnings to do so. Sounds like poor work to me. Here in Chicago this week we are reading of a 13 year old blind, disabled child whose parents have been charged with her brutal murder. DCFS had been called in July and was supposedly investigating her care when she died in August. The medical examiner found a lot of old and new injuries, some apparently missed by DCFS It’s reasonble to be critical when we taxpayers pay DCFS over a billion a year and something like this happens. What’s interesting is how little outrage there has been. Then there are the Dan Ryan cost overruns… I could go on and on. But government care of the most vulnerable among us is a fair indicator of how well government works. Not how hard state employees think they are working or whether they think they are getting paid enough. I would also point out that even though I have clearly stated I don’t like Blagojevich and didn’t vote for him , I have consistently supported his goal of universal health insurance and I support his decision to hold up the state budget to try to bring that about. Blago, I would note, is a state employee too. - Siyotanka - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 12:17 pm: “Blago, I would note, is a state employee too.” No he is not. He is elected. Other than the constitutional requirements, one does not have to be qualified or have qualifications to run for office. - Little Egypt - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 12:23 pm: Cassandra, Dan Ryan cost overruns are no different than any other major road project. My past career with the Federal Highway Administration gives me an insight into roadwork that you cannot understand. Dan Ryan work is 90/10 money - Fed/State. Mother Nature plays a big part in roadbuilding and She always has the last word, thus making cost overruns and delays in construction inevitable. For a project that takes years to complete, factor in increased material costs that contractors do not, and should not, absorb. DCFS is another story in itself as LE spouse had a proud career there. Again, you have to work in the system to understand the legalities and hoops everyone has to adhere to/jump through. This is a very litigious society and every single “i” has to be dotted and “t” crossed. I’m sorry you have a lack of understanding and compassion for State workers. I have a deep admiration for anyone to serves the public in any form or fashion (other than a majority of politicians). - Shallow Pharnyx - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 12:37 pm: Still sounds bitter to me. I read the paper and do not come to the same conclusions as Cassandra. There is real hostility there- everyone is paid too much and is lazy. Try a professional position with the state or become a teacher and get back to me in a few years. - pay attention - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 12:41 pm: Cassandra, ALERT THE MEDIA! A brutal murder in Chicago! Wow, and you would think that the DCFS employess, outnumbered by about a million to one by the disabled, poor and just crazy people, would have been able to cut through the red tape and solve that case immediately. And you ask why “they” didn’t stop it in time? Who do you mean “they”…the legal assistant, the janitor, a secretary, the parking attendant…wait, you are blaming the entire department? Excellent work again. Keep reading those newspapers. - steve schnorf - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 5:26 pm: Cassandra, unless I am the exception that proves the rule, you’re just wrong about raises and political sponsorship. In the many years I worked for the State, I supervised thousands of employees and I could count on the fingers of my hands the times a political “sponsor” asked me to do a pay raise for someone. And, I wouldn’t have known the “political sponsors” names for 5% of those thousands of employees, if they in fact had one. As to your problems with your schools I suggest you elect people who agree with you to your school board, and if you can’t. don’t blame state government for how your schools and teachers perform. - Disgusted - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 10:10 pm: Cassandra, you are aptly named. - Lainer - Wednesday, Aug 8, 07 @ 11:49 pm: The story about IDOT changing its FOIA officer (Blago wants to change who’s in charge…) is way overblown. Many agencies have staff attorneys serving as their FOIA officers. It’s nothing new. Yikes, I have been a chatterbox today for some reason : ) Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.