Morning shorts
Tuesday, Nov 6, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Political donations targeted
The Illinois Republican Party wants Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich to return political donations from a firm that has both state contracts and business ties to the governor’s wife. Mark Wight’s firm has given nearly $100,000 to the governor’s campaign since 2002 and has collected $10 million in state contracts. Illinois GOP Chairman Andy McKenna said in a statement that Blagojevich’s claims of changing business as usual in Springfield are “clearly hollow rhetoric.” There was no immediate response from the governor.
* Former Gov. Edgar on state politics, CTA
* Chicago Public Radio: Bus riders get break, but CTA still gets heat
* Editorial: State can’t afford to coast; GOP must fill vacuum - Republicans need to demonstrate the leadership that has been lacking in the top-level Democrats.
They need to be “a voice of reason,” as Bill Brady puts it.
They need to continue insisting that the state live within its means and meet current obligations before taking on new ones.
And they need to persuade rank-and-file Democrats to join them in putting the needs of Illinoisans above petty politics.
Too much is at stake to just let Illinois drift for two years or more while other states sail ahead, leaving us in their wake.
* Ralph Martire: Lawmakers, and voters, could use a dose of reality
Hence, while government requires more revenue to meet basic public service and infrastructure needs, just increasing taxes or fees isn’t going to be either popular - because it only makes an unfair tax system worse - or effective - because the system doesn’t comport with the modern economy. What’s needed to truly fix things is tax reform. One that will enable state and local governments to raise the revenue required to invest in infrastructure and services, in a manner that responds to the modern economy, while simultaneously shifting tax burden from middle- and low-income families to affluent ones.
* Daley’s smaller tax hike may satisfy aldermen
Mayor Daley’s decision to roll back his record property tax increase by $24.6 million, cut a bottled water tax in half and soften the blow of a liquor tax increase that has neighborhood tavern owners up in arms eased a City Council rebellion on Monday.
The Finance Committee voted 19 to 5 to approve the mayor’s revised $276.8 million tax package. The $83.4 million property tax increase was advanced by a vote of 16 to 6 after several Northwest Side aldermen took a walk.
* Daley’s scaled back tax hike advances
* Zorn: Tax on bottled H2O won’t hold water
* Daley weighs ambitious plan to promote ‘green;’ waits on recycling program
Wind turbines on Sears Tower and a “green” roof on the Merchandise Mart are two high-profile concepts on the drawing board as part of a wide-ranging, environmentally friendly development plan under consideration by the city.
The Chicago plan, still being drafted and not scheduled to be announced until early next year, comes as cities such as New York and Seattle have rolled out their own agendas, said members of a civic task force convened by Mayor Richard Daley.
* Cook Co. juvy center isn’t safe for kids says administrator
* Editorial: Assure humane transport of horses
* Year round schools in Illinois win converts
* School committee decides not to finalize moment of silence policy
* Ryan’s lawyers make their case for bail
* Government wants Ryan’s bail denied
* Stella Foster: Eat and Greet
Still making an effort to get some enjoyment in their embattled lives, convicted ex-Gov. George Ryan and his sweet and devoted wife, Lura Lynn, were seen dining and relaxing with a few friends at the elegant Le Petit Paris eatery on East Chestnut last Wednesday. My source told me that the couple were there for about four hours, sipped a little wine and dined on their favorite steak tartar, salad and dessert, and were in good spirits. According to another diner, the gov went around to the tables greeting people and was very well received. Ryan is scheduled to enter a Wisconsin prison on Wednesday to serve a six-year-plus term for fraud.
* Little time to spare as Ryan’s pleas heard
* Advice to Ryan, ‘You can’t change things now’
* State unveils new lottery to benefit veterans
* Illinois student loan agency to cut 68 jobs
- Levois - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 9:56 am:
I’m glad that people are talking to Jim Edgar as if he’s an elder statesman, however, I could just as easily wished that he could have joined the fray last year. Good idea or bad idea? Who knows.
- GettingJonesed - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 10:06 am:
Wow is Jay Levine lonely or what?
Jim Edgar as a “newsmaker” what a hoot.
He forgot to ask Blinky Jim how happy he will be when YouBet’s IL operations are legalized with the new gambling bill and provision known by the coe name advance deposit wagering (ADW). Right now they hide IL customers.
With the ADW Blinky can sing happy days are here again.
Good work Jay
- Ghost - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 10:27 am:
Oh look a new lottery. This will of course magically raise new money and in no way divert any of the money from the current lottery used for education. Setting aside the wisdom of using a lottery to pay for education, if we start breaking up lottories to pay for other things, however noble, we are in essence just taking more money away from education. A new lottery for somthing other then education is a step backwards in education funding.
- Cassandra - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 10:32 am:
Earl Dunlap may be a good administrator…he hasn’t been there long enough to tell. And the hiring of a highly respected expert to cover up
the failure to deal with more basic problems is a common refuge of corrupt politicians such as those in Cook County. Their goal is to save those jobs and contracts. And one wonders how much autonomy
Dunlap really has.
But the solution to juvenile detention is not to develop even more juvenile facilities and hire more “middle managers” with, of course, good political connections and few professional qualifications. Given the history of this facility, we can be forgiven for assuming that
Dunlap plans to exchange one group of underqualified yet well connected middle managers for another. Job descripitons are fungible. Hiring Dunlap can’t compensate for everything.
The solution is to reduce the number of kids going into these facilities in the first place. Few are
hardened criminals. Most are kids with family problems; many meet criteria for mental illness and other disabilities. The solution lies in working with the families not locking up the kids in an ever-expanding number of “smaller” facilities. And let’s face it…they won’t be small for long, given the potential for money and patronage jobs.
- Ghost - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 10:43 am:
Cassandra thats just crazy talk. next you will be saying we should consider spending money to educate these kids to help them become productive memebrs of soceity. Why use a strong program like sylvan to break the cycle of poor uneducated youths when we can wharehouse them in detention facilites until they are old enought to commit adult crimes?
Didn’t we prove the best way to handle mental health problems was to lock people up in asylums…. we just need more juvenile asylums with pretty names.
- cermak_rd - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 10:47 am:
Give me a break! Good kids don’t go into juvie! Not that I don’t think it should be reformed but many of these children are completely out of control–destroying other people’s property, thieving and assaulting and murdering. They have little concern for their education at all, when in school most of these kids are more of a hindrance to the education of the students who are there to learn. Most of these kids are truant a great deal of the time anyway even when not in juvie. In many cases, their families are just as screwed up if not more so not much of a help in getting or keeping the kids on the straight and narrow.
The Cook County court system does not like to place children in juvie, but when they are dangerous or present a constant nuisance to their society, they are placed there.
Do you want a 15 year old who took a shot at another 15 year old running loose in your neighborhood? Don’t forget when it comes to “minor” crimes like petty thieving and petty destruction of property, the kids tend to get probation, they aren’t immediately thrown in juvie.
- Keep Smiling - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 11:09 am:
>
Just how does the new lottery game do that? Blago sure likes using token gestures as an avenue for grand proclamations.
- Keep Smiling - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 11:11 am:
Sorry - here’s the quote:
“Our veterans stepped up and put their lives on the line, and we owe it to them to make sure that they return home,” Blagojevich said in a statement.
- Hard Working Taxpayer - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 11:23 am:
Ronald Burkle, billionaire and democratic fundraiser, and close friends of the Clinton’s is in Springfield today. Interesting…..
- A nice laugh - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 11:24 am:
I love Andy McKenna lecturing about “clearly hollow rhetoric.”
Yes, McKenna would be the expert on clearly hollow rhetoric. Goof.
- Cassandra - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 11:46 am:
I absolutely agree. If society views you as a “nuisance” you should get locked up. Your annoying
presence is removed from the public sphere, pols get to give out contracts, and their relatives and contributors get jobs supervising the nuisances (albeit not always that humanely). A win for all.
Lock em up.
- Legal Eagle - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 11:59 am:
Justice Stevens just denied George Ryan’s motion for bail pending cert petition to the US Supreme Court.
- GettingJonesed - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 12:07 pm:
Anyone wonder why ISAC still needs 420 bodies when thy sold most of the loans? I hate to see anyone lose their spot on Easy Street, but that seems like a lot of headcount. Maybe one of the layoffees can fill us in via the ISAC high speed link. Opps its lunch time. Try later
- cermak_rd - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 1:10 pm:
Cassandra,
By nuisance I mean stealing, destroying property, tagging, etc. That is being a nuisance and society has determined that the penalty for that is being confined and therefore unable to continue in those activities. Mind you, few children are confined in juvie for a one time conviction of these crimes. They are thrown in for repeatedly doing these things and being caught and convicted.
I think juvie should be as safe of an environment for the juvenile delinquents as it can be, don’t get me wrong. But I also strongly believe our streets would be much more violent and our neighborhoods would have a much lower quality of life if these children were allowed to flout the law without consequence.
- Another Hard Working Taxpayer - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 4:58 pm:
Hard Working #1, go climb back up on your grassy knoll.
- In the Sticks - Tuesday, Nov 6, 07 @ 7:59 pm:
During previous employment, I regularly visited several IDOC juvenile facilities. I was many times impressed with the knowledge and concern for the residents that I heard from wardens, assistant wardens and other facility staff.
Perhaps the most sobering statement was that, for many youth, the juvenile facility was an improvement over their previous existence. A warm, dry place to sleep; clean sheets and towels; adequate clothes and shoes; 3 meals a day, every day; and someone who was concerned whether they went to school every day.
Certainly a juvenile facility is no replacement for a loving, caring and responsible family. Unfortunately, many children do not have that kind of family.