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Question of the day
Thursday, Oct 4, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Paul Waldman has a devastating takedown of Iowa and New Hampshire in his latest piece…
[The political pundits assure us] that the wise and deliberative citizens of the early states take their responsibilities so seriously. But do they really? And if they don’t, what does that say about the way we’re choosing the next leader of the free world?
* Iowa’s caucus turnout is pathetic…
If this is a typical election, somewhere between 6 and 10 percent of voting-eligible Iowans will bother to show up to a caucus. Yes, you read that right. Those vaunted Iowa voters are so concerned about the issues, so involved in the political process, so serious about their solemn deliberative responsibilities as guardians of the first-in-the-nation contest, that nine out of ten can’t manage to haul their butts down to the junior high on caucus night. […]
…Yet around 200,000 of them, possessed of no greater wisdom or insight than the rest of us, will determine who presides over this nation of 300 million for the next four years.
* And then there’s New Hampshire…
If nothing else, unlike Iowans, they have the good grace to find their way to the polls, at least to a degree. New Hampshire turnout in the 2004 primary was under 30 percent; in 2000, when both parties had contested primaries, it hit 44 percent. (Figures on primary turnout in the last two elections can be found here.)
But only three times since the current nomination system took effect in 1972, and only once in the last 20 years, has the New Hampshire winner in either party not been the man who placed either first or second in the Iowa caucus a week before.
* And why does this matter?
But while we are not literally forced, the imperious campaign press will do all it can to coerce us into narrowing our choices. Like Roman emperors glaring contemptuously at a collection of wounded gladiators, then turning their thumbs down as the crowd roars its assent to the execution, they will pronounce candidates dead on the judgment of a few thousand Iowans. No appeals to mercy or reason will be allowed once the judgment is rendered.
Question: I know this is a state politics blog, but how would you change the presidential nominating system to make it more fair? Or is it OK with you as is?
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On the 7 percent “solution” override
Thursday, Oct 4, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As you already know, the House voted yesterday to override the governor’s amendatory veto of the Cook County assessment cap…
The Senate’s next move is still in question. President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) has pushed to the Senate floor a separate bill that reflects the governor’s higher level of relief.
Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan), Jones’ point man on the issue, predicted the Senate will have no trouble passing whatever version of the 7 percent legislation it chooses and predicted a tax-relief package soon would be approved. But the Senate must decide whether to go along with the House, pass the separate legislation now pending on the Senate floor or find a compromise with the House and pass that, Link said.
“I feel very optimistic,” Link said.
* I wouldn’t be too sure of that. House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie made this plea on the House floor yesterday…
“We believe there isn’t support in the chamber across the rotunda to accept the governor’s changes. If I’m wrong, they’ll send us something, and it will be a whole new game. But if I’m right, this is the 11th hour and the only game in town,” Currie said.
* Hendon may have tipped the Senate’s hand…
Yet Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago), another member of Jones’ leadership team… said the Senate may end up going along with the House action “just to give the people something.”
“If this goes down in flames, there’ll be hell to pay,” Hendon said.
Yep.
* Still, Link emphasized that something would get done by next week…
On Wednesday, state Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat leading talks on the issue, said suburban homeowners would not fall victim to Capitol gridlock.
“There will be something done next week,” Link said, “because there has to be some kind of tax relief.”
* The governor’s full statement…
“I’m disappointed that today the Illinois House chose to take property tax relief away from homeowners in Cook County. The House had an opportunity to extend the 7% property tax cap that we passed three years ago. Instead, they voted to take it away and continue a system that places too much of the property tax burden on homeowners while it protects commercial property owners and real estate developers.”
Harsh.
* Part of a press release from the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago…
A permanent cap would be damaging to many school districts. A district that loses tax base from the assessment cap may not be able to maintain its tax
levy.
HB 664, passed by both chambers, would implement a three-year phase-out of the program with special income-based provisions for long-time homeowners in gentrifying areas.
Thoughts?
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Budget analysis
Thursday, Oct 4, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As you may know, AFSCME and SEIU held a rally yesterday demanding that the Senate override the governor’s budget vetoes. AFSMCE claims over a thousand people signed in as participants, with several more attending and not signing. SEIU had over 200 people at the Statehouse rally and lobby day…
At least a dozen Senate Democrats attended the rally, including Sullivan, Jacobs, Dave Koehler of Peoria, and Deanna Demuzio of Carlinville.
There was reportedly a lot of pressure on some Democrats not to attend, but they went anyway, which the unions considered a victory. [The downstaters listed above weren’t pressured, but there were plenty of others at that rally.]
* Meanwhile, the AP is just one of the outlets backing off its original assertion from yesterday that Senate President Emil Jones was completely against a budget override…
The case is closed. Or is it?
All eyes are now on the Illinois Senate and President Emil Jones as they decide what happens with more than $460 million in state budget cuts made by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to restore most of the cuts, and the Senate will decide their ultimate fate.
Jones has some wiggle room.
He originally said “case closed” when Blagojevich announced the budget vetoes, vowing to block any effort to override them. But lately he’s been more coy.
“I may change my mind,” Jones said Tuesday.
* Pantagraph…
When asked again Wednesday if budget veto overrides would ever come for a Senate vote, Jones offered a cryptic response.
“Keep hope alive,” he said.
* GateHouse, which went against the press room trend yesterday that claimed Jones was still opposing an override, follows up today with this…
If Jones is rethinking his position, Watson said, it is because of pressure from Jones’ fellow Democrats.
“I think a lot of it has to do with his members, the fact that the Democrat members have gone to him . . . and said ‘look, these issues are important to constituents in my district’,” Watson said.
* And then there’s the BIMP mess…
As Gov. Rod Blagojevich and lawmakers continue the budget battle they began last spring, school districts across Illinois face receiving fewer state dollars. […]
Lawmakers might consider the matter this week. A bill that would rectify the problem by increasing the state’s foundation level, the minimum that a school must spend on each pupil, is pending before the House.
But until lawmakers approve the bill, ISBE says it will withhold $617 million in general state aid, spending authorized by the budget Gov. Rod Blagojevich approved. […]
State officials say they hope to resolve the matter by the end of October and are optimistic that schools will see their funding hikes. Lawmakers were supposed to complete the budget by May 31 so schools knew how much state funding they would get before the school year began. […]
The bill pending in the House, known as a budget implementation bill, would raise the foundation level to $5,734, an increase of $400 per pupil. Until that bill passes, the state board says it can only spend last year’s per-pupil amount, $5,334, even though the new budget authorizes the state to spend the additional money.
There are some other problems with the BIMP bills as well, including a Senate GOP addition that imposes a Medicaid managed care trial in Will County that advocates believe will, in reality, impose managed care statewide. [Clarifying note: The above story is about a different BIMP bill, but the two were sent over at the same time. I was trying to get the post done too quickly to fully explain this, I suppose.]
* More budget stuff, compiled by Paul…
* ICPR: Legislation, not personality conflict, is the reason for the sessions
* Chicago Daily Observer: Blue chip firms retained by state to defend Blago
* Blagojevich: Presidential veto ‘wiped out’ kids health care
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IMA lambastes governor in new radio ad
Thursday, Oct 4, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Illinois Manufacturers Association is running a radio ad on Chicago’s WBBM 780 and over 50 stations throughout the state which blasts Gov. Rod Blagojevich…
“In recent years, Illinois has lost thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs. Unfortunately, instead of trying to improve the economy of Illinois, Gov. Rod Blagojevich is making it worse,” Greg Baise says in the 60-second ads […]
“Enough is enough,” Baise continues.
“Governor Blagojevich has tried to raise taxes on employers by more than ten billion dollars,” the ad continues. “He promotes class warfare by calling employers derogatory names, and implying that somehow they’re breaking the law. And now, he’s trying to take the law into his own hands by spending taxpayer’s money on his own pet projects. As I said, enough is enough.”
“Ask your state legislators to continue to stand up against the self serving and destructive schemes that Governor Blagojevich is promoting.”
A second ad is expected as well.
Baise told me the ad buy will run at least through the veto session, scheduled to end next week.
* You can listen to the ad at this link or just click the thingy below…
[audio:IMAradioad.mp3]
What do you make of this?
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Morning shorts
Thursday, Oct 4, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
Paul says: Don’t worry, the Cubs will still win the series 3-2. Have no doubt.
* Worker’s embezzlement case has ties to gov’s administration
* Illinois school exams too easy report says
The Fordham report found several states, including Illinois, have lowered their testing standards since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. Illinois dramatically lowered the passing score on the 8th-grade math exam two years ago, which produced double-digit gains in the percentage of students who passed.
The study also found wide variations in the difficulty of math and reading exams among states and major changes from one grade level to the next within states. These discrepancies, the authors say, leave parents and taxpayers wondering what students actually know and whether test score gains are real or the result of “smoke and mirrors.”
* Tribune Editorial: Dumbing down the ISAT
* IMSA wants more support for math and science in schools
* IllinoisReview: Obtaining an efficient system for educational development
* State pays foster parents too little, says study
The Illinois child-welfare system reimburses foster parents at a rate that falls short of the actual costs of supporting a foster child, according to a report released Wednesday by two national organizations and the University of Maryland.
Illinois fell into the second-lowest category because it needs to raise its rates by as much as 81 percent, according to the report. Arizona and the District of Columbia already have rates that meet or exceed the costs of supporting a foster child. A handful of states where rates are closer than in Illinois to the actual costs includes Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky.
* Blagojevich signs wine bill
* Roeper: Legal drinking age is a farce
* Opinion: Politicians often attempt to abuse letters forum
* IlliniPundit: Fundraising turnover
“It turns out there’s a lot more churning in the system than the political professionals normally expect,” Malbin said. “We picture a candidate going back to the old list, going to the same old, same old again and again, but not that’s really the way it works. People are constantly coming in and then leaving the pool of donors. Today, there are a lot of old donors who haven’t given yet – and who may not give at all.”
* ChicagoReader: Ethical questions surround Daily Herald reporter with uncanny info and well placed girlfriend
* Daley pushes for higher taxes
* Daley told to hire 100 more police officers
An influential alderman demanded Wednesday that Mayor Daley hire at least 100 new police officers and bolster sanitation services to justify a $193 million tax wallop.
To soften the blow of higher taxes, Daley is planning to hire 50 more police officers at a cost of $4.1 million and spend $1 million to install 100 more surveillance cameras in high-crime areas.
* Mayor backs decision to withhold names of cops accused of excessive force
* 50 city workers must reapply at less pay
* Prosecutor payments in the clear
* Editorial: Higher speed limit for trucks imperils safety
AAA Chicago is lobbying hard against the increased speed limit for one reason — it believes more automobile drivers and passengers will die and be injured if the truck speed limit is raised. It is confident in that projection because crashes involving large trucks have indeed risen in our neighboring states of Kentucky, Wisconsin, Missouri and Minnesota since they raised their truck speed limits.
It would be a shame to do something to reverse a positive trend in Illinois — the number of traffic fatalities last year in Illinois (1,254) was the lowest since 1924. That sounds like a system that is not broken, so why “fix” it? The Senate has already unwisely overridden the veto; we urge the House members to put safety first and reject an override of Senate Bill 540.
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NOTE TO SUBSCRIBERS
Thursday, Oct 4, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
I’m having trouble with e-mail today. I’m planning another option in a few minutes if I can’t get it to work. Today’s Capitol Fax is posted below.
Sorry for the inconvenience, particularly on a day like today when there are a couple of really big stories in the Capitol Fax.
UPDATE: E-mails are finally sent.
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* 2:27 pm - The Senate has overridden a veto of the moment of silence bill…
The Illinois Senate has bucked Gov. Rod Blagojevich and approved a required moment of silence in public schools.
Senators voted 42-9 to override Blagojevich’s veto of legislation requiring students to reflect silently to start each day.
Blagojevich vetoed the measure, saying it violated the Constitution’s ban on mixing religion with public institutions.
The override motion now goes to the House.
* 2:30 pm - The House is debating a motion to override the governor’s amendatory veto of the property tax assessment cap bill. Early yesterday, Speaker Madigan was saying he was leaning towards accepting the AV, but was obviously talked out of this strategy. Stay tuned for a vote count and any more motions. Suburban Republicans have been asking for a “No” vote on the motion, so it may not succeed, but there could be Downstate GOP support, so who knows. Listen or watch here.
* 2:38 pm - The assessment cap override passed overwhelmingly with 92 “Yes” votes.
…Adding… What likely happened here is serious brinksmanship. Word was coming out of the Senate today that there weren’t enough votes in that chamber to accept the governor’s amendatory veto. That likely put the kibosh on Madigan’s initial thoughts about accepting the AV and allowing a constitutional challenge to kill off the new law. So, House members from Chicago and the suburbs were given little leeway. Vote to override or try to come up with an alternative proposal in a legislative environment that has discouraged quick compromise.
* 2:45 pm - Is another lawsuit on the horizon?
The governor’s House floor leader, Jay Hoffman, has just pointed out that some additional overrides of the governor’s budgetary vetoes are unconstitutional. The Constitution requires overrides within 15 days from the day the veto messages are entered into the Journal. The House parliamentarian just said that Hoffman’s point would be up to the courts.
* 2:52 pm - More on the assessment cap…
I talked to Sen. Terry Link yesterday about what he would do if the House overrode the assessment cap bill. Link, the Senate sponsor of the bill, said he would “probably” bring it to the floor for an override vote. We’ll have to wait and see what he says now.
* 3:22 pm - The roll call on the House’s assessment cap veto override vote can be downloaded here.
It looks to me like a structured roll call. Some suburban and Chicago Dems and Repubs were allowed off and their absence was more than made up by Downstaters and others. Then there’s the governor’s reliable “No” votes from the usual suspects.
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This just in… SCHIP vetoed by president
Wednesday, Oct 3, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a press release…
Statement from Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich On President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
SPRINGFIELD – “Government has a wide-range of responsibilities to the public; but nothing is more important than the responsibility to protect the young and most vulnerable members of our society. And nothing is more vital to protecting children than making sure they have access to the healthcare they need, when they need it. By vetoing the bill that reauthorizes SCHIP, President Bush today turned his back on millions of our nation’s children. Despite Congress’ overwhelming bi-partisan support for an expanded and flexible SCHIP, with a single stroke of his pen President Bush has wiped out healthcare for children whose families can’t afford private coverage. I urge Congress, and specifically the Illinois delegation, to override the President’s veto and make sure SCHIP continues to provide the reliable and flexible federal support that states and the children they serve have counted on for ten years.
“Earlier this week, I joined with seven other states in asking the courts to intervene on behalf of our nation’s children. We are prepared to take action and ask the Court to stop the Bush Administration’s attempt to further limit health coverage for children through restrictive new eligibility guidelines. I pledge to continue Illinois’ leadership in caring for our children and will push the federal government to contribute their fair share.”
* The Tribune looked at this topic yesterday in a story entitled: Illinois in bind on health care - State could lose funds if insurance deal isn’t reached…
The bitter battle over children’s health care in Washington is threatening to punch a hole in the state’s budget and calling into question medical coverage for 130,000 Illinois adults. […]
Illinois has a lot at stake, as 170,000 children and 130,000 adult residents currently get health insurance through SCHIP. Last year, the federal government paid more than $400 million to the state for those services. […]
In Illinois, the issue is hitting home this week: On Monday, a federal agreement allowing the state to enroll adults in SCHIP expired. Most of these adults are parents who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid — the government’s health program for the very poor — but too little to buy insurance on their own or through employers.
Illinois has been more aggressive than any other state in signing up low-income parents for SCHIP. The program has become a crucial component of Family Care, Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s initiative to extend medical care to needy families. But this arrangement, which has pulled extra federal funds into the state, doesn’t look like it will continue.
Even if everything goes according to plan, Illinois will end up getting significantly less money from the federal government than it has until now for these needy adults. That’s because the federal government pays only 50 percent of medical bills for Medicaid members, compared with 65 percent for SCHIP members. The difference will cost the state at least $75 million a year, Eagleson estimated.
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Pantagraph: Keep limit at 21
Wednesday, Oct 3, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This Pantagraph editorial is attracting some comments in Morning Shorts. I confess to not having read it this morning, but since the comments appeared I decided to take a look…
The group named Choose Responsibility should choose another cause instead of pushing to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18 nationally.
One can argue over how many lives have been saved by having a nationwide drinking age of 21. Clearly, additoinal factors, such as tougher drunken driving and seat-belt use laws have contributed to the decrease in highway deaths.
But raising the drinking age undoubtedly has prevented fatalities on the highways and in other situations where alcohol-impaired judgment can cost lives. […]
Yes, people under 21 are considered adults for such things as signing contracts, getting married, smoking cigarettes and going to war. In some states, under certain circumstances, even someone as young as 14 can get married.
But the drinking age not only protects the individual; it also protects the public.
I graduated from high school while living in Europe (the country formerly known as “West Germany”) and we always joked that the rule there was if you were tall enough to reach the bar you could drink. I returned to the US before my 21st birthday and thought it silly that I was barred here from doing the same thing that I had been doing for years over there.
I can see the logic in raising the age level, but I’m not sure if there’s any real evidence that 21 is the proper age to allow people to start drinking. It seems sorta random to me.
Thoughts?
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Oct 3, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Running for president takes up a whole lot of time, of course, but do you think Barack Obama is spending too much time away from Illinois, or is this just to be expected and no big deal?
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Don’t hold your breath just yet
Wednesday, Oct 3, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* So, will Emil Jones change his mind about the veto overrides? We have some conflicting reports in today’s papers. Here’s the Tribune…
The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to restore $424 million in spending vetoed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but the Senate president showed no sign of going along despite mounting pressure to change his mind.
“Oh, no, no, no,” said Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago).
* Sun-Times…
Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), an ally of the governor, vowed again to block a Senate vote restoring Blagojevich’s cuts.
“I’ve already stated my position,” Jones said.
* Post-Dispatch…
For Blagojevich’s budget cuts to be reversed, the state Senate would have to vote to override, and Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, a Blagojevich ally, has said he won’t call an override vote.
“It has not changed,” said Jones spokeswoman Cindy Davidsmeyer. “He does not plan to override.”
* Associated Press…
[The vetoes] now head to the Senate, where President Emil Jones reiterated Tuesday his vow to block any efforts to overturn the governor’s cuts.
* But GateHouse finds some wiggle room and boldly heds its story today: Jones wavers on cuts - Says he may change mind about barring Senate vote…
…Not as expected was the mixed-signal reaction of Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, to the House vote.
“We’ve got to look at (the House action) and see what they did,” Jones said shortly afterward. Asked if that meant he is changing his mind about allowing a Senate vote on restoring the money, he responded, “No, no, no, no.”
However, asked later Tuesday if he will still refuse to let the Senate vote on overriding the cuts, Jones said, “I don’t know. You know, things change. I might change my mind.
Blagojevich and Jones have to come up with a way to give Madigan a perceived “win” or we’ll never see an end to this session. The overrides could go a long way to accomplish that, but I doubt they’re there yet. So, while GateHouse might be correct in the long run (and I’ve been on the opposite side of conventional wisdom enough to not dismiss any reports like this), GateHouse may be reading too much into what Jones said yesterday.
* Meanwhile, from a press release…
AFSCME members who work for the state of Illinois or for community-based nonprofit agencies serving individuals with developmental disabilities will converge on the state capitol today. They will urge senators to demand a vote to override gubernatorial budget vetoes that would cut needed staff from state agencies and sharply reduce a cost-of-living pay increase for low-wage direct-care workers.
After lobbying their senators, union members will join a 2:00 p.m. rally in the capitol rotunda, where representatives of concerned organizations from across Illinois will urge senators to call for an override vote. Several senators are expected to address the rally and announce their support for an immediate override vote.
* More stuff, compiled by Paul…
* Rick Winkel: Do any Illinois state leaders deserve our respect?
* House overrides Blagojevich veto
* House vetoes Blagojevich on budget
* House overrides budget vetoes
* Members listen to people talk about impact of budget cuts
* Chicago Public Radio: Budget cut appeals
* Editorial: Capital construction bill a place to start
* Bethany Jaegar: Roundup
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Congressional stuff
Wednesday, Oct 3, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Keep an eye on GOP state Rep. Dan Brady for Jerry Weller’s seat. Yesterday, Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) confirmed widespread rumors that she wouldn’t run for the post, adding…
Radogno said she would like to see someone with elective experience run for the slot - someone like GOP state Rep. Dan Brady, who represents the Bloomington-Normal area.
“I think it would be good to have someone who has been elected in a larger area than one municipality, although that doesn’t preclude anyone from being elected. We’ve elected people to Congress with no elected experience,” she said.
* The district includes just a tiny sliver of Bloomington, but Brady, after initially being unsure about a bid, is starting to work it much harder. There are other Republicans considreing the race, but Brady could be the one. Here’s a bit more on that topic…
Brady said Tuesday he is still mulling his chances. He has spoken with GOP leaders in the counties that comprise the 11th District and is reviewing polling numbers.
He said Halvorson’s entrance in the race would have no bearing on his final decision, which could come later this week.
But, Brady said, “Certainly, she would be a formidable candidate.”
* Still, there’s a big impediment to a Brady candidacy…
Last year, Weller beat Democrat John Pavich with 55 percent of the vote. Almost half the vote was cast in Will County, leading many local Democrats and Republicans to now express a preference for a candidate from Will County
Those Will County guys are pretty provincial, and they may not work as hard for an “outsider” like Brady. We’ll see.
* Meanwhile, it looks like the primary field is being cleared for Senate Majority Leader Debby Halvorson’s bid…
Her announcement immediately halted potential runs by Democrats Jerry Weber, president of Kankakee Community College, and John Pavich, who lost to Weller two years ago.
But one-time Republican congressional candidate Bob Gorman of Frankfort, who is running as a Democrat, said he is in the race to stay despite Halvorson’s announcement.
“If she thinks everyone is going to step out so she doesn’t have to do the work, she’s wrong,” he said.
Will County Democratic Chairman Myron Brick said, “It’s a free country, but I would encourage him not to waste his time and money.”
Brick said Halvorson’s entry into the race changes the political equation for Democrats and Republicans.
“I don’t know who the Republicans will put forward, but they better think long and hard before they take on Sen. Halvorson, head to head,” he said.
* But there’s also a big impediment to her candidacy…
“Debbie Halvorson is associated with the Democratic rule in Springfield, and they’re not doing a good job,” [Will County GOP chairman Jack Partalow] said, referring to the ongoing feuding among Jones, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) that has resulted in a record overtime legislative session this year.
* In other news, Democrat Bill Foster, who wants to replace outgoing GOP Congressman Denny Hastert, has released his fundraising totals for the quarter…
Democrat Bill Foster appears to be a front-runner in the 14th Congressional fundraising race, having amassed an estimated $408,000 campaign war chest during the most recent period, he told supporters in a conference call Tuesday.
More than 80 percent of Foster’s donors are first-time donors, and nearly three-quarters are scientists like Foster, a former Fermilab physicist. Half the funds are on loan from Foster himself, a millionaire who lives in the Mill Creek development west of Geneva.
* The number of first-time donors and fellow scientists is interesting, and that last part about half coming from himself is an important number to watch…
Foster “has to be able to spend a lot more than $200,000 of his own money to win. We’re looking at $2 million,” said David Wasserman, an editor at The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter of electoral politics. “A solid week of TV commercials in the Chicago media market is expensive. He’s going to need to tap into his personal wealth to debunk voters’ perceptions of him as inexperienced.”
* But there’s also this…
[Foster’s] campaign ended with over 200 donors contributing in the last six days of the quarter.
None of the other candidates in the race, including the favored Republicans, have released their totals yet.
* More news…
Wall Street Journal: GOP Is Losing Grip
On Core Business Vote
* Mark Pera (IL-3) in Top Five ActBlue Hotlist
* Manzullo announces reelection bid
* Hastert leads Romney’s IL delegate slate
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Morning shorts
Wednesday, Oct 3, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Daley says tax hike would help libraries
* Daley says libraries deserve record property tax hike
* Sun-Times Editorial: Too many taxes would leave us in a bind
What’s most disturbing about Daley’s proposed tax hikes is his reluctance to build a stronger case for them. His administration throws out the numbers without a huge sense of urgency, baiting aldermen to rubber-stamp his plans with more police officers, surveillance cameras and recycling efforts. Daley is defiant. He will get what he wants without many questions.
As an elected leader, Daley has a responsibility to detail where the money will go. Give us the opportunity to digest why we need more taxes. Otherwise, the mayor’s ideas don’t hold any water. Bottled or otherwise.
* Kane Co. weighing sex charges for Rep Rush’s son; more here and here
* Tribune Editorial: Let the unfair ‘tax cap’ die
* Senate OKs higher speed limit for trucks
* Editorial: Don’t shortchange SCHIP
Illinois is one of a dozen states that did the latter, securing Uncle Sam’s permission to cover parents through its FamilyCare program. At the end of 2006 Illinois had 160,000 children covered by SCHIP, and nearly as many adults - some 131,000. Meanwhile, 16 other states pushed the program’s income limits far higher than SCHIP’s original goal, which was 200 percent of federal poverty level (about $41,300 for a family of four). Missouri opens its program to families earning at least three times poverty level, or $61,950. New York wants to multiply by four, to $82,000.
* Editorial: Legal drinking age should be kept at 21 nationwide
* State wants applicants for emergency grants
* CPR: Will playoff run boost Cubs price tag?
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Halvorson confirms
Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Senate Majority Leader debby Halvorson just confirmed that she’s running for Congress.
Halvorson added that the Kankakee Comm College President would drop out of the Dem primary.
Use the post below for commenting please.
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* 12:42 pm - From the Politico…
In a big recruiting coup for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Illinois Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson (D) will be announcing that she is running for the seat held by the retiring Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.).
“She sees this as a historic time in Washington and she wants to be a part of it,” said one Democratic operative familiar with her decision-making process. “She wants to bring the things she accomplished in Illinois to Washington.”
Halvorson met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this past weekend as part of her meetings with Democratic officials in Washington. She also met with EMILY’s List, which funds and supports Democratic candidates who support abortion rights.
Many operatives had speculated that she wanted to move up in the state legislative leadership, but the wooing by top Democrats helped convince her otherwise.
* 1:20 pm - The House is now debating the override motion of the governor’s vetoes. Listen here and live-blog it below if you want.
* 1:25 pm - Check out the banner ad just above this WREX story about the veto overrides. I wonder if the guv cut anything important to the Illinois Pork Producers….
* 2:03 pm - Yesterday, I told you about a hideous flier that was distributed across Illinois. Bernie Schoenburg attempted to get a response from the governor’s office about the flier, but didn’t receive or see the email before his deadline. Here is the statement from the guv’s office…
We had nothing to do with the flier you’re asking about and, in fact, hadn’t seen it until you sent it along. Our focus is on passing a $25 billion capital program to fund critical infrastructure projects around the state and launch a program to provide every single Illinois woman with access to live saving breast and cervical cancer screenings and treatment.
* 2:04 pm - A whopping 104 House members just voted to override the governor’s line-item vetoes of the budget. Just 4 voted “No.” Reduction veto overrides are next.
* 2:19 pm - The second veto override motion passed 105-4.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You’ve probably seen this quote already from Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who said it during yesterday’s Cub rally downtown…
“As the governor, I stopped asking myself first the question ‘Is it the right thing or the wrong thing?’ Now the first question I ask myself when I govern Illinois is, ‘What would Lou do?”
Question: Rod Blagojevich is to Lou Piniella as ___________ is to ___________.
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A closer look
Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* GateHouse had a good summary of some of the people who testified at yesterday’s Committee of the Whole…
- Martin Rue, superintendent of the LaSalle County Veterans Assistance Commission. He used the word “devastating” to describe budget cuts exceeding $3 million for the LaSalle Veterans Home. The money was to be used for staff members and medical equipment at the home, which has a waiting list of 450 veterans, he said.
- Howard Peters, senior vice president for the Illinois Hospital Association. He said the governor’s plan to expand health-care access is a good idea, but Peters also called on lawmakers to reverse Blagojevich’s decision to trim from the state budget $40 million in Medicaid payments to hospitals.
- Greg Chance, a board member of the Illinois Rural Health Association. He told House members that the association is concerned about several gubernatorial vetoes. One of them, for example, would eliminate $3 million for school-based health centers in rural Illinois, said Chance, who also is public health administrator for the Knox County Health Department.
- Christine Becker, president of the Illinois Chiropractic Society. She criticized Blagojevich’s explanation of his budget cuts, saying: “To expand health care for the poor by cutting health care for the poor makes no common sense.”
* And the Daily Herald managed to pin down the governor’s office on some specific questions. For a while yesterday, the guv’s office was sticking by a boilerplate response to all queries about the House hearing. That apparently changed as the day wore on…
Q:How did you decide what to cut? Did politics play a role?
Governor’s office: “Some of the projects lawmakers included in the budget did not have anything to do with the mission of state government like constructing beach volleyball courts or paying for a dance festival. And while there were some worthwhile projects, we simply can’t fund the state’s top priorities — education and health care — as well as countless member initiatives because the General Assembly did not pass enough new revenues to pay for all the things we may care about.”
Reaction: “But what was the real motivation?” asked House Democrats’ budget director John Lowder. He pointed to a Wayne Township bridge project in which the governor cut half of the funding, but oddly left the other half. “Identical projects for nearly identical purposes for nearly identical amounts. The only difference is which caucus sponsored the project.”
Q:Where’s the money going?
Governor’s office: “There is a serious health care crisis that is impacting families throughout the state leaving many struggling to afford or have access to care. This crisis was completely ignored in the budget passed by legislators.”
Reaction: “He’s actually cutting health care to provide health care of his own choosing,” said state Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat, citing cuts to several health care and community care groups.
Q:How do you define pork spending?
Governor’s office: “Member initiatives that didn’t go through the appropriations process, but instead were inserted into the budget at the last minute without any public discourse or hearings as a means for Speaker (Michael) Madigan to buy votes from his members for a budget bill that they hadn’t seen.”
Reaction: “Perhaps the governor needs to revisit the definition of pork,” said Cathy Ficker Terrill, chief executive of the Downers Grove-based Ray Graham Association, which lost a funding increase. “Pork is unnecessary and frivolous. Pork is not helping people with disabilities to live and work in the community.”
It’s kinda funny that the guv’s office is complaining about items “inserted into the budget at the last minute without any public discourse or hearings” when he’s proposing to use that money for programs that received no public hearings and no votes in either legislative chamber. But, hey, such is life with this governor.
* More…
* IL House tries to put face on governor’s budget cuts
* House hears fallout from Gov’s vetoes
* House discusses budget cuts
* Bipartisan effort likely won’t overturn Blagojevich’s veto
* Agency chiefs plead with House for funding
* House hears fallout from budget vetoes
* Bethany Jaegar: Can he do that?
* Blagojevich’s cuts called political
* Opinion: Communities expect elected officials to bring home to bacon
* Opinion: Lawmakers should override library funding veto
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Race to raise taxes
Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As expected, Todd Stroger didn’t have enough votes to pass his two-point sales tax hike yesterday…
A clearly frustrated Cook County Board President Todd Stroger failed Monday to cobble together the votes needed to hike the sales tax.
Stroger called commissioners who shot it down “part-time workers” who don’t appreciate the gravity of the situation and didn’t do the job that “should’ve been done.” He’s now headed back to the drawing board to fill a $307 million hole in the county’s $3 billion budget. […]
Rather than see the sales tax hike shot down, Commissioner Joan Murphy moved for it to be deferred until Oct. 16, allowing time for what Commissioner Forrest Claypool called “behind-the-scenes, closed-door arm-twisting.”
Stroger said he’ll engage in “the art of compromise.”
* And what will that compromise be? Perhaps a scaled-back sales tax increase, which is probably what he should’ve done all along. Stroger may have received bad advice on the whip count, which could have prompted him to go ahead with yesterday’s vote on the two-point increase.
But, the vote was 8-8, so Stroger could have cast the tiebreaking vote if he was serious about this tax increase. He didn’t, and instead said he would use that tiebreaker power if a smaller increase met the same fate.
* Mark Brown has more…
“I don’t think they’ll bring it back,” [Commissioner John Daley] said afterward when I asked what position he had taken. Stroger later explained that the rush is over now that the county missed Monday’s legal deadline that would have allowed it to begin collecting the sales tax Jan. 1, 2008.
Daley said he expects the Stroger administration will switch its focus to proposed new county utility taxes on natural gas, electricity and telecommunications, which he predicted will face court challenges.
“I told them they didn’t have the votes” on the sales tax, Daley said, which prompted me to again ask whether he was one of the votes “they” did or didn’t have. He still wouldn’t give me a direct answer.
“When it comes back, I think it’s going to be changed completely from what it is today,” he said instead.
* Meanwhile, Mayor Daley appears to be in a foot race with Stroger to get his tax hikes approved before the county does…
Mayor Daley on Monday served up a pick-your-poison menu of tax increases — including the largest property tax hike in Chicago history — and asked aldermen to choose enough of them to fill a $193 million budget gap.
The $108 million property tax increase would cost the owner of a $200,000 home roughly $57 more a year. […]
The entire menu would raise $319 million. The city needs $193 million to fill a gap now $24 million lower than initial estimates, officials said.
* More…
Options include increasing the city’s tax on a six-pack of beer by 4 cents and on wine by 2 cents a bottle; raising the city tax on gasoline by up to 10 cents a gallon; creating a 10-cent-a-bottle tax on bottled water; increasing the cost of vehicle stickers for sport-utility vehicles; quadrupling parking-meter rates in neighborhoods to $1 an hour; raising the sales tax on restaurant bills; making penalties heavier for parking-ticket scofflaws; and raising the 911 phone surcharge, according to City Hall sources.
Separately, water and sewer fee hikes also are a possibility.
* Related…
* Rampant patronage from city hall?
* City hiring cases flood court
* Tribune Editorial: If Stroger won’t lead…
* Zorn: Todd Stroger and the two percent solution
15 Comments
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Morning shorts
Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Illinois among several states suing Bush to block SCHIP growth
* Illinois in bind on health care
In Illinois, the issue is hitting home this week: On Monday, a federal agreement allowing the state to enroll adults in SCHIP expired. Most of these adults are parents who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid — the government’s health program for the very poor — but too little to buy insurance on their own or through employers.
Illinois has been more aggressive than any other state in signing up low-income parents for SCHIP. The program has become a crucial component of Family Care, Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s initiative to extend medical care to needy families. But this arrangement, which has pulled extra federal funds into the state, doesn’t look like it will continue.
* Rep. Rush’s son fired in IL prison sex scandal
Disclosure of Jeffrey Rush’s termination is prompting a call for Blagojevich to explain the circumstances behind his hiring. Federal authorities have been investigating Blagojevich’s hiring practices since 2005.
“This is unacceptable, especially in a position like this. Any time you’re dealing with a public-trust position or a more sensitive position like the Department of Corrections, you have to have people with the highest integrity,” said Sen. John Millner (R-Carol Stream). “There should be an investigation into the hiring of this individual.”
The Corrections Department vetted Jeffrey Rush the same as other hires, Schnapp said. All prison employees undergo criminal background checks.
Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff confirmed Rep. Rush persuaded the administration to hire his son, who had “both law enforcement and supervisory experience.”
Ottenhoff said the governor’s office gave Rep. Rush “a courtesy call to notify him that Jeffrey was being terminated” after an internal Corrections Department probe yielded its findings.
* Editorial: Illinois River, it’s sink or swim time
* GPS plan has some officers griping
Every Chicago police officer could have their movements electronically tracked by global positioning systems if a program being tested in the Chicago Lawn District wins approval.
The program, which requires officers to wear department-issued GPS cell phones on their belts while on duty, is intended as an officer-safety measure, bosses say, but also could be used to discipline officers.
Many officers are unhappy at what they see as an excessive intrusion upon their freedom to do their job. They say they already carry too much equipment, and they worry overzealous supervisors will use evidence from the phones to hound them.
* When and Where to watch the Cubs v. Dbacks
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