Question of the day
Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Late decision to sleep in - made sometime after belatedly realizing that I forgot to set the alarm.
Chew on this whilst I get myself together…
Illinois doesn’t have a state budget yet, but at least it has an official state fruit.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a law Tuesday naming the GoldRush apple the state’s official fruit.
The idea flew through the state Legislature earlier this year after being proposed by a fourth-grade class from Woodlawn in southern Illinois.
Question: Propose other state symbols.
- Anon - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:25 am:
thats some impressive sleeping in
- Guy Fawkes - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:26 am:
Gold Rush is a great keeping, rich flavored, firm, greenish yellow apple with a balanced flavor (keeps as well as Fuji). At least that’s the story from an online vendor selling them. So there ya go.
- Miranda - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:29 am:
fried cheese on a stick as the official “fried on a stick”
- This Guy - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:32 am:
Official State Sign:
“FOR SALE”
- bored now - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:32 am:
maybe if we have fourth graders write our laws from now on, we’ll have less conflict. it’s worth a try. now the california has a budget, i believe illinois is alone now…
- Muskrat - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:32 am:
The official state subatomic particle: The Higgs Boson. Believed to exist by theoreticians but never proven, possibly sighted in the outer suburbs (at Fermilab), of tremendous importance to the workings og the universe, incomprehensibe to the layman…. and, now that I look back at this post, an apt metaphor for good governance.
- Ghost - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:34 am:
Symbol for the gov: fish out of water flipp flopping on the shore.
- Officially Disgusted - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:34 am:
I’m so thankful that the Governor is hard at work signing this important legislation. So much is at stake over the state’s official fruit.
We also need an official state legal document. I nominate the subpoena.
- babs - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:35 am:
Bored now: same thoughts - official state leaders and legislators - 4th grade class of Woodlawn.
- Left Leaner - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:36 am:
A three headed monster with each head biting another and people being crushed underfoot.
- UGA - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:36 am:
we should change the state song to Nightrain by Guns n’ Roses.
- Ghost - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:37 am:
Symbol: the got to jail square from monopoly, do not collect your state pension
- curious george - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:39 am:
Official Village Idiot: “insert your favorite state elected officer here”
- Siyotanka - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:40 am:
Another State symbol could be the rasberry…?
- ZC - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:40 am:
What about “Welcome to the Jungle”?
Welcome to the jungle
It gets worse here everyday
Ya learn ta live like an animal
In the jungle where we play
If you got a hunger for what you see
You’ll take it eventually
You can have anything you want
But you better not take it from me
- s - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:41 am:
Official State Beverage - Pepsi? (booo!)
Official State House - Bungalow
Official State Chorus - The Legislative Whine
Official State Science Project - Rich Miller’s Beard
Official State Boogeyman - George Ryan
Official State Electronic Device - Wire
- OneMan - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:41 am:
Official State Sandwich — Horseshoe
Official State Aircraft — Air Rod
Official State Electronic Device — I-Pass
- Super Mega - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:42 am:
Official State Song - Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
- anonymiss - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:44 am:
Rep. Fortner, i mean, “Muskrat” -
Hope you’re doing well. Nice to see you here!
- sleeeep - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:46 am:
We have to recognize the mushroom since there are so many of them in the capitol on regular session days.
- Warren - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:50 am:
After selling all of the states assets with that “For Sale” sign that was suggested in an earlier post; you can hang that same sign on the senate presidents office.
- A Citizen - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:52 am:
Official State Nut - The Rod B
- Huh? - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:54 am:
State Jewelry - Stainless steel bracelets (hand cuffs)
- irishpirate - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:01 am:
I’m thinking of an official State of Illinois “sex toy” but I will get banned. Discretion being the better part of valor………
- curious george - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:15 am:
Official Illinois State Fruit Patent Holder:
“Purdue (Indiana) Research Insitute”
US Plant Patent #PP9392
- Wumpus - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:18 am:
The picture on the state seal should be an overhead shot of the Chicago area interstate system on a snowy Christmas eve Friday
- train111 - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:22 am:
State Fossil: 2/3 of Illinois’ elected officials
- Hugh - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:23 am:
> i believe illinois is alone now…
bored: Wisconsin, sister state to the north, land of cheese & dairy products, is still struggling …
- Palatine - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:24 am:
Official shoe the FLIP FLOP named after our State Representative who voted against our property tax cap, then voted for it (political cover), and most recently voted against it again!
- driver - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:30 am:
I think Illinois should have a state “fruitcake”….I nominate Rod Blagojevich.
- Little Egypt - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:31 am:
Official shoe - flip flop
- True Comparison - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:32 am:
Official State Gubernatorial Inmate.
Could be updated by resolution of the General Assembly.
First, Otto Kerner
Second, Dan Walker
Third (maybe), George Ryan
Fourth (???), Rod Blagojevich
May have been others, but this is for the modern era.
- Little Egypt - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:32 am:
Official bird - Do-do, appropriately extinct.
- JJ - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:33 am:
Official Illinois Governor’s mansion: NOT Springfield
- Just My Opinion - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:33 am:
Official retirement home for Illinois Governors - Club Fed.
- Near&Far - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:34 am:
The state bird could be the the “jail bird” or the “stool pigeon” or perhaps both.
- If It Walks Like a Duck... - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:35 am:
$tate of Illinio$ - where everything begins and ends with $$$!
- PONG-o - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:35 am:
Official State Ping Pong Player could be Emil Jones because he was on one side of the table, then the other side…
- Boone Logan Square - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:36 am:
Official state fuel: ethanol
Official state protein: tofu
Official state dead fish: alewives
- Jake from Elwood - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 11:59 am:
In a twist of irony, an anagram for “gold rush apples” is “he drags polls up”.
The official state emotion is ennui.
- one of the 35 - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 12:06 pm:
I suggest we amend the official state fruit as “rotten Gold Rush apple” to more accurately reflect our governmental processes.
- Lula May - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 12:12 pm:
Too bad it wasn’t lemons. That seems to be the only thing the people of Illinois ever get.
- FLIPOUT - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 12:19 pm:
The following picture on every ‘Welcome To Illinois” sign: A forked tongued serpent with a well groomed head of dark hair.
- Chambananon - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 12:21 pm:
Official state Vegetable: “Supersweet” Sweetcorn, first discovered (and later mass-produced through) at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
- Squideshi - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 12:23 pm:
So we’ve now got an official State fruit, artificially developed, and patented?
As far as other symbols, how about some kind of recognition that the so-called sovereign “State” of Illinois is actually a legal creation of the federal government?
On a completely UNRELATED note, if you actually read the law to which I linked above, you will find such interesting provisions as the following:
All “salt springs” and the land reserved for them were granted to the State of Illinois for its use, and the “legislature shall never sell nor lease the same for a longer period than ten years, at any one time.”
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 12:26 pm:
Quick aside, those salt springs provided a huge percentage of Illinois’ state budget in the early years. More importantly, the state used slaves to do all the work.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 12:27 pm:
I should note that “early years” means “decades”
- Papa Legba - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 12:28 pm:
Official state currency. A wooden nickle, passed under the table of course.
- Huh? - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 1:53 pm:
Official line of clothes - Orange jump suit with “DOC” on the back.
- ahoy! - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 1:55 pm:
Official Hotel - The Springfield Hilton
- Mr. W.T. Rush - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 2:07 pm:
Official State Quartet:
Good Golly Mr. Ali
Stu The Goo
Dandy Donny
Tony Tuna
Official State Ballad:
Bye Bye Blaggo
- George Ryan - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 2:55 pm:
Official state transportation: the railroad.
- Squideshi - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 3:01 pm:
So where are the salt springs, and the land reserved for them, now? I wonder if the state has sold or leased them. Interesting.
I didn’t know that the State used slaves to do the work; but it doesn’t surprise me. As our national platform says, “People of color in this country have legitimate claims to reparations in the form of monetary compensation for centuries of discrimination.”
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 3:20 pm:
Ever hear of Saline County?
- Johnny Carson - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 4:04 pm:
How salty is it? I hear the pretzels come with a warning from the Surgeon General. Hi-O!
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 4:19 pm:
Salt… Saline… do I see a connection here?
Better get Rod on that Surgeon General thingy.
- MIDSTATE - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 4:29 pm:
I thought “GOLD RUSH” was the name of this Adiminstration. Keep those contributions coming.
- Hazardman - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 5:31 pm:
Saline Co., home also to the largest KFC in America!!
- NimROD - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 7:18 pm:
“As our national platform says, “BLAH BLAH BLAH”"
My god Squid, do you EVER comment on ANYTHING without a campaign commercial for the Greens?
- It's Broken - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 8:45 pm:
Official State Governor in Waiting: Lisa Madigan
Okay, so it only passed the House….
ps. Squid rocks!
- Squideshi - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 9:50 pm:
“My god Squid, do you EVER comment on ANYTHING without a campaign commercial for the Greens?”
Rarely. We don’t accept the corporate money that the Democrats and Republicans do, so we’re much more reliant on grassroots organizing and word of mouth. On the plus side, it’s not likely that you’ll have to sit through one of commercials during your favorite show or game, either.
- Squideshi - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 9:51 pm:
that should say “one of OUR commercials”
P.S. Thanks Broken.
- Disgusted - Wednesday, Aug 22, 07 @ 10:33 pm:
State fruit - the lemon
State bird - the loon
State tree - weeping willow
State sign - $tate for $ale
State food - Bullsh-t (as in “keep us in the dark”)
State money - Confederate scrip
State animal - the sloth
State song - “Money Makes the World Go Round”
State sport - Subpoena Dodge Ball
State hero - Patrick Fitzgerald
State house - Ravenswood bunker
State car - paddy wagon