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Morning shorts
Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning * Illinois, the Deadbeat State
* Early voting blitz — 3,990 breaks record; more here * IHSA approves steroid tests for student-athletes in postseason * Illinois AG releases MySpace sexual offender report * State warns against tax return loans * Phone spoof uses Lincoln number * Toll enforcement fix will have to wait * Iraq not big focus of many Illinois congressional campaigns * Sauerberg Aims for Durbin * Student smokers form group to roll back college smoking restrictions * Editorial: Don’t rush into cell phone ban * Some put their trust in forked tongues * Local coaches back IHSA decision to start drug testing
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- Bill Baar - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 9:29 am:
Oberweis did respond to Iraq sounding just like John McCain. He should put that on his web page.
Pera’s position on Iraq was out-of-date until I mentioned in on my blog.
Morganthaler is the candidate I’m really waiting to here from. She was there with Gen. Sanchez at the nadir. She seems Illinois’s equivalent of the Pelosi-Sanchez union. We need to hear more. Roskam should press her (as should Jagla!)
Tony Blankly wrote this column last August. The GOP candidates should read it…especially Kirk.
Foster was right last summer when he said Iraq was issue 1, 2, and 3. Few candidates seem to agree now, although I credit Oberweis for facing the issue square on at that League of Women voters event.
- Bill Baar - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 9:33 am:
Sorry, the link for the Blankly column from August.
- Wumpus - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 9:34 am:
Perhaps Lisa Madigan could come up with a database or a way to enforce Il paying it’s bills and being removed from teh ranks of deadbeat.
- Ghost - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 9:51 am:
Oberweiss is to McCain as Milk is to rocket fuel
- amy - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 10:23 am:
fun to read the trib endorsments today and note
that they picked up on the Perarrogance .
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 10:26 am:
What a weird endorsement. It looks like Lipinski, Pera and Bennett could all claim victory.
- amy - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 10:45 am:
it is disappointing that Bennett did not receive
more attention. perhaps the tribune cannot help
but give the netroots some props cause of Obama.
who is handling the endorsements for the Trib and
Sun Times, the editorial staffer? that may give
a clue to weird endorsements.
- zatoichi - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 11:33 am:
Just how many human service groups like KCCDD in Galesburg are facing financial ruin simply because the state does not have the money to pay its own bills that they agreed by contract to pay. These private non-profits are not huge power players who get lots of attention but they deal with tens of thousands of people with disabilities across the state who cannot help themselves. Guess the state feel it is perfectly acceptable to not pay their bills for 120-150 days+. Try that with Ameren or any other supplier and see how long they keep letting you use their service without payment. Great article.
- Bill S. Preston, Esq. - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 12:16 pm:
I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but what does the comptroller do other than tell us where the state is at in paying its bills and who is getting paid what? I mean that seriously. I’m uneducated in the responsibilites of a comptroller. State Comptroller = State Accountant? Does he ever help push certain legislation through, or does he have any good programs that come out of his office? I’ve always heard that Hynes doesn’t spend a lot of time in his office and I’m wondering if it’s because there’s not that much to do?
- Bookworm - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 12:48 pm:
Anyone who understands this process better than I do, feel free to jump in and correct me.
The comptroller (the “p” is silent, by the way, so it’s pronounced COM-troller) is the person who signs the state’s checks and authorizes payments to be made to employees and vendors. If you work for the state, his name is on your paycheck or pay stub. The treasurer, on the other hand, handles and manages state investments and other accounts. The functions of the comptroller and treasurer used to belong to one person — the state auditor — but I believe these functions were separated after a scandal involving a past state auditor’s misuse of funds many years ago.
- PhilCollins - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 12:56 pm:
A headline states, “Sauerberg is aiming for Durbin.” Mike Psak has been aiming for Durbin for four years. Sauerberg is slow. As a truck driver, Psak met many people, in at least 10 states, who dislike Durbin and gave Psak donations so that he can win the primary and defeat Durbin. Psak was endorsed by the Illinois Center Right Coalition, the Illinois Federation for Right to Life, and National Taxpayers United of Illinois. His petition was signed by voters who live in 96 counties. Please read his website, www.psak4ussenate.com.
- Bill S. Preston, Esq. - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 12:57 pm:
Does anyone know in what realm he exercises any executive authority or makes any executive decisions? Does he make any at all? Is he elected for his signature?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 12:58 pm:
The Comptroller’s numbers must be mistaken. The Governor has assured us that the state is in better financial condition than ever because of his leadership.
- Bookworm - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 1:40 pm:
So that Bill S. Preston, Esq. can complete his civics report on time and not get sent away to military school in Alaska (or was that Ted? — sheesh, I’m getting old), I enclose the relevant sections of the Illinois Constitution, Article V:
SECTION 17. COMPTROLLER - DUTIES
The Comptroller, in accordance with law, shall maintain the State’s central fiscal accounts, and order payments into and out of the funds held by the Treasurer.
SECTION 18. TREASURER - DUTIES
The Treasurer, in accordance with law, shall be responsible for the safekeeping and investment of monies and securities deposited with him, and for their disbursement upon order of the Comptroller.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)
- cermak_rd - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 1:45 pm:
PhilCollins,
If Psak has such a good chance of winning, then why did the IL GOP endorse Sauerberg? Isn’t one of Psak’s big concerns getting rid of toll roads across the US? I’m not sure that issue will resonate with the average Illinois resident.
- Bill S. Preston, Esq. - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 2:03 pm:
Ted was almost sent to military school in Alaska. I was the one with the hot mom.
So now I understand what his general responsibilities are under the Constitution, but what I’m really asking is what does he DO? What power does he exercise? If he didn’t order the payments, bills just wouldn’t be paid? Does he actually have the power to withhold payments? The Treasurer “safekeeps” and “invests” which imply discretionary power. What does “maintain” entail?
Minus his signature, what does a comptroller do that couldn’t be done by a bureaucratic office?
- Bookworm - Tuesday, Jan 15, 08 @ 3:28 pm:
Good question. I believe there has been some discussion of recombining the offices of comptroller and treasurer under a revised state constitution if Con Con passes this year.
Does the comptroller have the power to withhold payments? You may recall back in August when the state budget stalemate was at its height, Comptroller Hynes claimed he did not have the authority to issue paychecks and other state payments in the absence of a state budget, and would not issue such checks unless a court ordered him to do so. This left thousands of state workers on edge wondering if they were going to get paid on time. Fortunately it didn’t come to that, but apparently the answer to your questions #3 and #4 is “yes.”