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Question of the day
Friday, Sep 14, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The setup…
Charles Reeves’ pants fall past his hips, even with a belt. He wraps a rubber band around the cuffs so the hem of his jeans won’t scrape the ground. The 18-year-old Danville High School student layers his jeans over a pair of basketball shorts.
“It’s not as comfortable on my waist,” Reeves said of the style that he, like so many students, sports around campus.
This baggy style, however, is one that Ward 1 Alderman Tommie Reed wants to see banned under a citywide ordinance.
“I know it’s a fad … but it’s gone too far,” Reed said.
Over the past few months, Reed has repeatedly asked city council members to consider his suggestion. He called the popular style “indecent,” saying that people shouldn’t be allowed to show their underclothes.
* Apparently, this idea is all the rage in Louisiana…
Hike up those pants. Droopy drawers that bare skin or underwear might soon be forbidden fashion on the streets of several cities, and violators could be forced to part with some cash.
“I’m tired (of) looking at behinds,” Shreveport, Louisiana, Councilwoman Joyce Bowman said after Tuesday’s 4-3 vote to ban fanny-flaunting trousers.
Nobody can be arrested just for violating the ordinance, but they could be fined or required to perform community service. The maximum fine for a first offense is $100.
The city council in another Louisiana city, Alexandria, voted unanimously Tuesday to ban the baring. Its ordinance allows some sag, but 3 inches or more can bring a fine of $25 to $200 and a requirement for community service.
If the mayors of Shreveport and Alexandria sign the ordinances, they will bring Louisiana’s total to at least six, with at least two more cities considering bans.
Question: Do you think the government - any government - should have the right to tell people how to wear their pants in public?
Have a little fun with this one. It’s Friday, after all. Maybe you can suggest other ordinances for Ald. Reed.
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New spin and the bright, shiny ball
Friday, Sep 14, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* There’s new spin afoot. After an intense hearing on the governor’s budget vetoes in Pekin last night, the spokesman for the governor’s budget office, Justin Dejong, had this to say [emphasis added]…
“The gross exaggeration of those vetoes made (Thursday) only serves to distract the public from the fact that (Illinois House) Speaker (Mike) Madigan and the House didn’t include enough revenues to pay for the projects they inserted into the budget at the last minute without any public discourse or hearings.”
Justin ol’ pal, if there wasn’t enough money in the budget to pay for those projects, then why did Gov. Blagojevich promise an almost dollar-for-dollar replacement of those “pork” projects with his health care projects?
You can’t say on the one hand that there isn’t enough money while saying on the other hand that you’ll spend all that allegedly nonexistent money on something else. It’s absolutely inexcusable that the Peoria Journal-Star didn’t call him out on that point.
Also, Justin, there were, indeed, public hearings in both the House and the Senate on that budget proposal.
* Meanwhile, the bright, shiny ball of gaming expansion has once again reared its head…
State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, introduced a $24 billion program to upgrade Illinois bridges, roads and schools and expand gaming during a press conference Thursday… Hoffman said he planned to introduce the bill authorizing the capital program into the House on Monday. He said he expected Emil Jones, the Senate president, to bring the matter up when the statehouse veto session begins during the first week of October.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich supports Hoffman’s capital projects proposal, according to Rebecca Rausch, a spokeswoman for the governor.
One of the program’s top aims is to “make sure what happened in Minnesota does not become a reality here in Illinois,” Hoffman said, alluding to the Aug. 1 collapse of an interstate bridge in Minneapolis that killed 13 motorists
Two new casino licenses would be created, bringing to 12 the total number allowed under state law. Meanwhile, the number of gaming positions — most likely slot and video poker machines — authorized per casino would jump from the current 1,200 to at least 2,000.
If passed into law, Hoffman’s capital program would more than double the number of betting devices allowed in Illinois casinos — from the 9,600 housed at nine venues, to 24,000 if a 10th license is awarded; though authorized, it’s been tied up in litigation for years — plus the two new casino licenses envisioned by Hoffman.
Using the tragic bridge collapse in Minnesota to sell a casino expansion seems a bit much, if you ask me.
* More budget stories, compiled by Paul…
* Governor yanks money for death-penalty panel
* Lawmakers begin fighting budget cuts
* Area mayors concerned with budget cuts
* Legislators, agencies speak out about Gov’s cuts
* Editorial: Reveling in road repair
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* The RTA board has to formally accept the governor’s offer to help mass transit avert its “doomsday” scenario on Sunday. According to RTA Board Chairman Jim Reilly, today’s vote will be tight…
“I think the vote will be close. There will be strong arguments on both sides, but I wouldn’t presume that the board will approve [the proposal],” Reilly said.
* The Daily Herald lays out the situation…
Four “no” votes on the 12-member RTA board would be enough to reject the governor’s temporary relief offer. Norris, who represents the collar counties, and William Coulson, who represents suburban Cook County, are leaning toward opposing the plan. Judy Baar Topinka, the state’s former treasurer, says she will vote against it.
On the other side, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley supports the deal. He has three board appointees. CTA chairwoman Carole Brown is also expected to vote for it.
Pat Durante, the Addison Township GOP honcho, also sits on the RTA board. I tried calling him this morning but wasn’t able to get through.
* Both the Tribune and the Daily Herald editorialized against accepting the governor’s offer, which could influence the suburban RTA members.
Tribune…
So the governor’s offer is tempting. But the responsible answer for the RTA is to say no. Fronting next year’s money to the CTA now would be irresponsible. […]
The governor is asking the RTA to gamble that lawmakers can pass a transit bill before November. But don’t count on him to lift a finger to help. Remember, Blagojevich and the legislative leaders have known this moment was coming for 11 months but haven’t resolved it in all that time.
Daily Herald…
There’s no pleasure in recommending, as we do here, that the RTA board vote “no” today on a bailout offer from Gov. Rod Blagojevich to avoid a Chicago-area transit crisis. […]
…the governor’s offer, well-meaning though it is, fails to solve fundamental transit problems and actually could make matters worse within a few months.
* We’ve had so many discussions about mass transit lately, so let’s make this topic the center of our discussion today if we can. What do you think the RTA Board should do?
* More stories, compiled by Paul…
* Chicago CarLess: Blago blinks, Madigan shrinks, but method stinks
* Daley: CTA bailout worth the gamble
* Sun-Times Editorial: Tiny sales tax increase could make the difference
* Lawmakers prefer lasting solution to transit crisis
* Chicago Public Radio: Why my bus?
* CTA cuts could hammer temp, low income workers
* MarySue Barrett: CTA woes affect all of us
* RTA vote will mean either relief or doomsday
* Change of Subject: Gov. Wimpy will gladly pay us Tuesday for a transit bailout today
* CTA Tattler: Blago bribes RTA with immediate funding
* Chicago Public Radio: Transit vote could delay fare hikes
* Chicago transit crisis raises tricky issues for state officials
* Thousands face longer commutes, higher fares, crowded buses
* Daley: Criticism in Blue Line crash a ‘disgrace’
* Daley calls 2006 CTA accident a ‘disgrace’
*** UPDATE *** They took the cash…
During a morning meeting, the Regional Transportation Authority voted 10-2 to accept the state’s bailout plan of the mass transit system. That will postpone the Chicago Transit Authority’s plans to cut 39 bus routes and raise fares by up to $1.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The Sun-Times has the roll call…
Judy Baar Topinka and Bill Coulson voted against it.
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A disturbing pattern
Friday, Sep 14, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
I know we had a long discussion on this topic yesterday, but since I chose it as my Sun-Times column we’ll have to do it again…
What do you do with a guy after he’s arrested for slashing tires on cars owned by a bunch of Catholic nuns?
Why, you put him on your campaign payroll, of course.
And what do you do if the same guy also has a prior conviction for telephone harassment and apparently likes to get drunk early in the morning?
Well, it’s only obvious that you’d “encourage” him to call a political opponent to “urge” her to cooperate with you.
Not a good idea, you say? Pretty stupid? Downright idiotic, even?
Meet Tony Peraica.
As the Sun-Times’ Steve Patterson reported this week, Peraica brought Fred Ichniowski onto his campaign staff after his law firm represented Ichniowski in the nun tire-slashing case. Lately, Ichniowski has allegedly been making very nasty, harassing phone calls to Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman, who has been on the outs with fellow commissioner Peraica for months. Ichniowski told the coppers that Peraica had encouraged his supporters to call Gorman’s office and admitted that he was drunk when he phoned Gorman at 9 a.m. one day.
Go read the whole thing before commenting, please, because the analysis is further down.
Also, there’s a mistake on the CS-T website. The last line in the online version of the column (as of this morning), “Peraica has proved to be his own worst enemy,” is a stray that somehow migrated from the middle of the column to the end.
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Morning shorts
Friday, Sep 14, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Tribune Editorial: Orlando Jones, insider and builder
* Stroger godson wielded power behind the scenes
* Former Cook Co. official found dead in Michigan
* Suicide seen in death of Stroger’s godson
* Michael Sneed: On Orlando Jones
* Mark Pera: I’m taking on a “Bush Dog” Democrat
* Peoria businessman seeks LaHood’s seat
* McConoughey says campaigning will start early
* Kane Co. Board member to switch to the Democratic Party
* Jake Parillo: New DuPage Co. website couldn’t be worse
* Timothy McNulty: Stirring emotions, striving for reason
On Wednesday, the liberal group Media Matters for America issued a study that claims the op-ed pages of the nearly 1,430 daily English-language newspapers in the United States are dominated by conservative syndicated columnists. George Will led that group both in the number of newspapers where his column appears and their combined circulation.
Some readers, a much smaller number, tell me they think the Tribune has a liberal bent in its Commentary page. They cite weekly syndicated columnists Garrison Keillor and Leonard Pitts and Tribune columnist Clarence Page, whose column appears twice a week.
* Pat Gauen: In politics, hypocrisy stands as capital offense
Poshard, who looks like central casting’s idea of a preacher, is not in fact preachy. That may help him. He was so popular in Southern Illinois that when redistricting melded two House seats into one, he defeated his primary opponent (both were incumbents) who outspent him about 7-1.
To stay within his means, Poshard lived in his office in Washington (yes, literally). If I recall him having any brush with hypocrisy, it was in his refusal to accept PAC contributions. Detractors pointed out that he made that high-minded decision only after the first time he got elected.
* Editorial: Mulligans in academia, on Poshard situation
* Lakin family loses appeal over suit
* Chicago among 7 to officially file for 2016 Olympic bid
* Aurora abortion fight goes to court; more here
Gemini Office Development LLC applied for the permits, not revealing until recently that Planned Parenthood would operate the clinic.
“It is time to put our patients before politics,” Trombley said, noting 13 appointments already have been scheduled for Tuesday, the planned opening day of the $7.5 million, 22,000-square-foot medical facility at 3051 E. New York St. on Aurora’s east side. The clinic, one of the group’s largest in the country, will offer an array of reproductive health-care services, including abortions.
* Editorial: Can we get ‘too tough’ on sex offenders
* Future of LDC site remains in question
* State to block pushing alcopops to kids
“I think this is an important step in our struggles to reduce teen drinking,” said Sen. Carol Ronen (D-Chicago), the bill’s author. “I’m very, very concerned about the way some in the liquor industry have been promoting alcopops to young people, particularly young girls.”
The bill says there can be no cartoons or youth-oriented photos in the ads and no billboards within 500 feet of schools, public parks, amusement parks and places of worship. Violating the ban would come at a $500 cost to first-time offenders and would be doubled for a second offense.
* State must refile lawsuit alleging MRI scam
* Vote in RedEye’s ‘top party school’ tournament: Many Big Ten universities are competing
* Friday Beer Blogging: Cake edition
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