* Gov. Blagojevich was on MSNBC today. He appeared to need a little help at the 1:06 and the 2:28 marks because he was prompted by someone in the room with him…
Carbon deforestation? Not quite sure what he meant.
…Adding… As pointed out by a commenter, and confirmed by my own ears, there seems to be the sound of a toilet flushing at the 2:19 mark. Hilarious.
…Adding More… From the governor’s press office…
The governor was in the car, en route to the airport during the interview with msnbc.
Citing the impact of the national economic crisis on Illinois’ revenues, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today announced a four-part plan to manage the state’s $2 billion fiscal year 2009 budget deficit.
The Governor’s proposed plan includes passage of the Emergency Budget Act, which would give the Governor and other constitutional officers added authority to help them make additional cuts, a request to Congress for increased federal stimulus aid, and further administrative reductions in the agencies. In addition to these budget solutions, the Governor is also proposing short-term borrowing which will help manage the state’s cash flow and pay providers in a more timely matter. […]
The Governor’s plan includes the following components:
Continued Belt Tightening – The Governor has already taken fiscally responsible steps by reducing the FY09 budget passed by the General Assembly by $1.4 billion, ordering all agencies to reduce spending by 3%, reducing the cost of core services, and decreasing headcount. The state will continue to find efficiencies and savings in the agencies through further reserves and spending freezes while still providing Illinoisans with core services.
Emergency Budget Act – The Governor will propose legislation to give him the authority to hold back in contingency reserve as much as 8 percent of total appropriation and distributions for all General Funds spending […]
Increased Federal Stimulus – Today Governor Blagojevich will send a letter to the congressional leadership detailing the effects that the poor economic condition has had on Illinois. The letter focuses on the areas that the State has identified with the greatest impact and requests more than $1 billion annually over the next three years. […]
Short-Term Borrowing – While short-term borrowing will not solve the budget deficit, the state needs to pay vendors on time and manage the state’s uneven cash flow. The Governor, the Comptroller and the Treasurer are currently working together on the borrowing plan. […]
This isn’t normal short-term borrowing. The comptroller wants to borrow money under an obscure constitutional provision that allows repayment within a calendar year, instead of during the same fiscal year. The Senate Republicans and Speaker Madigan aren’t thrilled with the idea, to say the least.
Sometimes you come upon something so ridiculous, so on-its-face laughably stupid, you just want to stop everything and enjoy. That’s what we did when we first saw this investors-demo video of SpeedFit, a new concept in exercise technology:The Mobile Treadmill…a treadmill designed specially to move/walk down the street while you’re treading.
Because, let’s see, walking down the street without a treadmill is too tough?
* The Question: Come up with a fitting Illinois analogy for this new invention.
Late last week, the state asked Illinois universities to have a project or two in mind in case the federal government sends money to states in an effort to stimulate the economy. […]
“Everyone has projects ready to go,” said Southern Illinois University spokesman Dave Gross.
When a 10th casino opens in the Chicago area in the next few years, its competitors in the local horse racing industry could hit the trifecta.
The horse racing industry, by state law, must be given 15 percent of whatever money the new casino rakes in — a windfall of as much as $70 million a year.
We might not care except for this: That money, according to a story by Sun-Times reporters Chris Fusco and Dave McKinney, will come out of the pockets of Illinois taxpayers. The state, not the new casino’s owners, will have to pay the horse tracks the 15 percent.
The track owners are backed to the hilt by the farmer lobby, which sees quite a bit of economic benefits from the facilities. Going up against those two lobbies ain’t easy, which is why the tracks keep getting the subsidies, even though they’re supposed to be revenue generators.
* And the Daily Herald frets about the impact of the 10th casino on neighboring riverboats…
Is it advisable to authorize a new gambling casino when revenue from the nine already in Illinois dropped nearly $164 million in October compared to the same single month in 2007?
The Grand Victoria in Elgin, just down the Jane Addams Tollway from Rosemont and Des Plaines, had the biggest revenue drop among Chicago-area casino sites, down 27 percent from the previous October.
Call it selfish, but we find it hard to believe that the needs here aren’t greater than those in Waukegan. And call it cynical, but it’s hard not to believe the snub comes from folks who wouldn’t be caught dead on the wrong side of Interstate 55, regardless of whether gambling dollars are going right down the road into Indiana.
So as usual, we are left angry, frustrated and suspicious about the Gaming Board’s motives. Perhaps before members make their final choice, they will read their own Web site for a reminder of why we have gambling in this state in the first place.
Here’s a hint: It’s not so the rich can get richer.
* And the Daily Herald points the way to more revenues: Sin Taxes…
State records show that cigarette and liquor tax receipts, as well as sales figures for the Illinois Lottery, have either remained steady or gone up a bit since the new budget year began July 1, compared to the same period last year.
* There are those who say no taxes should be increased during bad economic times. But the state, unlike the federal government, can’t just print money or easily borrow long-term to pay operating expenses. We’re looking at a huge state budget deficit right now and revenues are tanking. This means gigantic, scary cuts are likely on the way.
I’m not sure how we’re going to deal with this, considering that our governor is not exactly the most unifying figure in Illinois history.
Past and present government officials will join together today to announce a new statewide initiative aimed at promoting and improving Illinois’ public education system.
Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, former Commerce Secretary William M. Daley, former Gov. Jim Edgar, Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle and Joyce Foundation President Ellen Alberding will make the announcement during a Chicago press conference and through interviews with statewide media.
The group will announce the launch of Advance Illinois, “an independent, objective voice to promote a public education system in Illinois that prepares all students to be ready for work, college and democratic citizenship,” according to a press release.
Let’s see… Hastert led the unsuccessful push for a capital bill. Edgar just helped kill the constitutional convention referendum and campaigned hard against Dawn Clark Netsch’s education funding idea in 1994, which led to the failure of his “me too” plan a year later. William Daley has touted himself as a potential gubernatorial candidate, but has been busy lately with Obama transition duties. The Joyce Foundation funds most of the “goo-goo” activities here, which naturally irks some legislators. And Miguel del Valle, while still greatly repsected in the General Assembly, has not been around much.
But, I’m sure they’ll succeed beyond their wildest dreams.
*** UPDATE *** The group’s new website is up and running. From the “Policy Solutions” page…
A quality education improves the odds of success for all young people and anchors a state’s civic and economic well-being.
DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom is hinting at a possible run for statewide office in two years.
“I’m interested in doing what I can to turn things around (in Springfield), and I’m not exactly sure what that may be at this point,” he said. “It may be to continue doing exactly what I’m doing right now, it may to be very involved in the selection of the next slate and it may be to potentially be a candidate. Time will tell on those issues.” […]
Schillerstrom has hinted at running for attorney general and governor in the past, but he wouldn’t single out a specific office he might seek in two years
I was interviewed the other day by National Public Radio about the “campaign” to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat. Most of what I said was left on the cutting-room floor, but my message to the NPR reporter was crystal clear: Ignore all the punditry and prognostication.
Admittedly, it’s been enormous fun to watch all the hopefuls scramble for Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s favor. The governor, by law, fills the vacancy, which was created when Obama resigned Sunday. Blagojevich hasn’t been this popular with this many politicians since he first took office and was handing out plum jobs and contracts.
Times have changed, and pretty much everybody has treated him like a radioactive monster for the past couple of years, so I’m sure he’s enjoying all the recent attention.
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has gone so far as to line up newspaper endorsements and at one point convinced several Washington, D.C., reporters that he was the front-runner to replace Obama. He even commissioned a statewide poll that he claims shows he’d be the best candidate of the bunch.
The Politico’s Roger Simon recently pointed to Obama’s choice of Illinois Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth to accompany him to a Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony as a significant clue. Duckworth is on just about everyone’s short list. But some Chicago media outlets have reported that U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s advocacy of Duckworth’s appointment might be hurting her. Durbin and Blagojevich don’t have the best relationship, goes the logic. Then again, almost everybody has a lousy relationship with this governor.
The potential appointment list is almost endless. Congressmen like Luis Gutierrez and Jan Schakowsky have their hands out. Former statewide officials like Roland Burris have said they’re ready, willing and able to serve.
Pretty much every story published about the vacancy also has mentioned retiring Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, partly because Jones is allied so closely with Blagojevich.
Jones’ downsides are many. He specializes in crony politics. His family has benefitted mightily from state jobs and contracts. He has almost no respect in the media. And his antics have lost him most of the respect he once had in political circles.
Logic would seem to dictate the governor would use this appointment to finally start turning around his absolutely awful reputation with voters. I mean, you’d think a guy with a 13 percent approval rating would want to nudge that upward a little.
But when has reason or or logic ever entered into Blagojevich’s playbook? Was the Statehouse war he waged about the past two years reasonable or logical? It tanked his poll numbers, but he kept on fighting. We’re talking about a Democratic governor of one of the most Democratic states in the union who has lower job approval ratings than lame duck Republican President George W. Bush. Reason and logic? Please.
The point is that while the scramble for Obama’s seat may be fun to watch, particularly Jackson’s over-the-top circus, none of the “clues” pointed to in the media probably mean anything.
Reporters, pundits and the professional prognosticators all are looking at this in a logical, traditional way. As mentioned above, this is not usually how Blagojevich tends to operate.
The entire spectacle finally became so bizarre that I started to push my own replacement candidate last week. I decided a longtime commenter on my blog who goes by the name of “Bill” and defends Blagojevich through thick and thin deserved the Senate seat as much as everyone else.
Within 24 hours of starting a FaceBook group for “Bill,” more than 160 people had signed up for the cause. That’s almost as many “followers” as two sitting congressmen attracted to their own FaceBook groups which were designed to bolster their Senate dreams.
Bill’s “candidacy” now has its own blog and three YouTube “campaign” videos, all created by a volunteer.
It’s almost a movement.
Yeah, OK, that’s a little over the top. But I figure Bill has just as much of a shot as anyone, considering who’s doing the appointment.
At the time of that meeting with the Obamas in 2006, Axelrod had been “so disgusted with the state of politics, so disillusioned—we were about to elect a governor [Rod Blagojevich], he was an old client of mine and a friend, but he was disappointing—I wanted to be involved in something that reminded me of why I got into this work in the first place,” he recalled.
* You may have noticed that I deleted the blog’s Obama news feed. He resigned his Senate seat, so he’s no longer our Senator, hence the deletion.
Ald. Bernard Stone (50th) struck out Monday in his attempt to write Inspector General David Hoffman out of the city budget in retaliation for an absentee ballot fraud investigation that targeted Stone’s ward superintendent.
At Monday’s Budget Committee meeting, Stone tried to convince his colleagues to eliminate the inspector general’s $5.8 million-a-year budget.
“He’s come after me, so I’m going after him. That’s the way the game is played,” Stone said.
“That’s when I knew — a light bulb went on in my head,” she says. “They don’t want anyone to know about this.”
Today, Thomas is exposing MRSA’s staggering toll as one of the nation’s most influential patient advocates. Because of her persistence, Illinois hospitals now must disclose MRSA infection rates and screen for the germ. She’s also pushing for federal legislation that could enhance patient safety in Washington and every other state.
A transplant patient at the University of Chicago Medical Center filed suit Monday against the hospital and one of its surgeons, saying she contracted HIV and hepatitis C after receiving a kidney from an infected donor.
Pontiac Mayor Scot McCoy is trying to make the case that the slayings of three members of Jennifer Hudson’s family can be connected to Governor Blagojevich.
Multimedia
McCoy – who’s announced he’s not running for re–election –says he’s got documentation that the Governor is putting dangerous prisoners on the streets.
A lawsuit filed by AFSCME Council 31 relating to the closure of Pontiac Correctional Center will be heard at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 18) in Johnson County circuit court in Vienna. Judge James Williamson will preside.
The union argues that an imminent risk to the health and safety of its members is posed by the transfer of inmates from Pontiac and other prisons to facilities that are already dangerously overcrowded, and/or lack sufficient security infrastructure to safely house the inmates.
The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to bar further such transfers.
With grins and a familiar nod, a dozen teenagers came together this weekend for what has become a standing date since nearly 1,000 Chicago students skipped classes and tried to enroll in two North Shore schools to protest the financial disparity in Illinois public education.
Students from New Trier High School and several South Side schools have met weekly in a quiet corner of a Chicago library to chip away at the funding predicament that has stymied Illinois lawmakers for years.
They dubbed themselves the Illinois Council of Students, recruited peers to the cause and created an online presence to drum up interest.
If you don’t make a practice of fastening your safety belt, now’s a good time to start. Illinois State Police and local law-enforcement agencies will be stopping cars through Nov. 30 to ensure drivers and passengers are buckling up.
* Bob Greenlee, who took over as deputy governor when Sheila Nix resigned last summer, kinda sorta hints at some near-term budget action on issues like drug and alcohol treatment programs…
* Illinois isn’t the only state that’s closing historical sites…
In all, 14 of Ohio’s 58 historic sites will be closed the week of March 28. […]
The Arizona Historical Society has closed the research library at its museum in Tempe and sharply reduced hours at the research library in Tucson.
In most states, budget directors and legislators have said that tax increases are not likely. A notable exception is California, where Mr. Schwarzenegger is seeking a 1.5-point increase to the state’s 6.25-percent sales tax, although he is unlikely to get the necessary approval of Republican legislators.
In Oregon, moreover, Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a Democrat, has proposed a $1 billion economic stimulus plan centered on infrastructure improvements, which he envisions would be paid for by raising the state’s gas tax by 2 cents per gallon and increasing a host of vehicle fees.
Mayor Daley and organized labor have reached an agreement that could dramatically reduce the 929 layoffs needed to solve Chicago’s worst budget crisis in a generation, City Hall sources said Monday.
Union leaders have agreed to work-rule changes to reduce the city’s overtime costs, the soures said. They have also agreed to drop their opposition to a partial shutdown of city government around the holidays.
In exchange, Daley has agreed to offer cash incentives — at least $5,000 and as high as $15,000 — for members of Laborers Local 1001 to induce retirements by eligible union members.
“We have 433 eligible people in the Laborers pension fund. We’re hoping around 60 will take advantage of it,” Lou Phillips, business manager of Laborers Local 1001, said Monday.
* The governor’s (and many others’) preferred Chicago Cubs owner has been hit with insider trading allegations…
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed insider trading charges against Mark Cuban, the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks, for allegedly dumping shares in Mamma.com upon learning it was raising money in a private offering (full text of complaint).
* The “Rahm Emanuel doesn’t pay property taxes” Internet hoax has jumped the ocean and landed in Switzerland. Oy. Translated text is here.
* Lots of news companies (including myself) use Twitter to promote their stories, but I found this one from WGN to be unbelievably tasteless…
WGN is on CNN.com: 3 students drown in Fox River (scroll down under the “Midwest” section)
A state law passed after five Oswego teenagers died in an alcohol-related car crash last year has led to driver’s-license suspensions for more than 3,000 underage drinkers this year, but experts give it mixed reviews because of disparities in enforcement. […]
Lake County leads the state in license suspensions with 370 from Jan. 1 through Oct. 15, followed by DuPage County at 358 and McHenry County with 230. Will County had 76. Only 60 license suspensions were reported in Cook County, according to the state. […]
The law says people under age 21 will lose their driving privileges if they are found guilty or granted court supervision for violating laws regarding consumption, possession or purchase of alcohol “regardless of whether a vehicle was involved.” The suspension is three months for first offenders.
* Larry’s nightmare pick for US Senate: Blair Hull.
* Scott Reeder’s latest column includes an item about which pets would be most compatible with some Illinois politicos…
– Dick Durbin: A golden retriever because they are friendly, loyal and smart.
– George Ryan: An English bulldog, they look grumpy but are sweethearts and they are loyal — sometimes to those undeserving of it.
– Rod Blagojevich: A Rottweiler because a rotte digs in its heels and refuses to let go of whatever is in its teeth, no matter how senseless or worthless such action may be.
* The Question: Which pets should Illinois politicians choose for themselves? Explain fully.
Proponents of an Illinois constitutional amendment to restrict marriage to heterosexuals, buoyed by voter approval in three states on Nov. 4, say they’re gearing up to try again in 2010.
A group called Protect Marriage Illinois fell short of collecting the needed 270,000 signatures, which is 8 percent of the number of people who voted for governor during the last election, in time to get an advisory measure on Illinois’ fall ballot. The proposal called for amending the state’s constitution to declare “the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose.”
Unlike California’s Proposition 8, this would only be an advisory referendum, which isn’t made very clear in the article. The groups failed to get enough signatures in 2006 and 2008, but they’re apparently not giving up.
There has been chatter online about using the issue as a wedge to drive African-Americans away from Democrats, since the majority of blacks voted for the gay marriage ban in California. But with a black man from Illinois in the White House, I doubt very much that idea will work all that well here.
Thousands of gay-marriage advocates took to the streets of downtown Chicago on Saturday, hoping to galvanize support and pressure the courts to overturn the passage of a same-sex marriage ban in California.
Organized on the Internet by the group Join the Impact, the rally was one of at least 150 protests planned nationwide after the vote on Proposition 8 in California, which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.
In Chicago, protesters gathered at Federal Plaza, carrying rainbow-colored flags and signs saying “Fix Marriage, Not Gays” and “Repeal Proposition 8.” Organizers said they hoped to achieve “full marriage equality” in Illinois.
* With President-Elect Barack Obama’s resignation from the US Senate yesterday, the elbowing to be chosen as his replacement has kicked up a few notches. Our guy Bill may not be the frontrunner to replace Obama in the US Senate, but he has no skeletons in his closet, unlike some of the other hopefuls…
Congressman Danny Davis says he wants to replace Barack Obama as the junior senator from Illinois. The Democrat’s declaration came at a news conference in Chicago on Sunday. That’s the same day President-elect Obama stepped down from the position with two years left in his term. A coalition of black Illinois politicians endorsed the 67-year-old Davis at the event. Davis is also black.
In 2004, Davis was met with national controversy when he crowned the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in a religious ceremony at the Dirksen Senate Office Building honoring the controversial spiritual leader. Moon declared himself the Messiah at the crowning ceremony, in which Davis appeared on the invitation as a sponsoring co-chair. Davis wore white gloves and carried the crown on a pillow to crown Moon and his wife “the King and Queen of Peace.”
* The interesting thing about a governor with horrificly bad poll numbers is that people have begun asking why he has so much power. Roeper…
Giving the governor of Illinois the absolute authority to select the next U.S. senator from our state is only slightly more logical than granting the mayor of Chicago the power to make the first-round draft selection for the Bears.
In both scenarios, it’s a case of “Why does THAT guy get to make THAT pick?”
* Carol Marin makes a point that I’ve made time and time again…
Whoever gets this job will only serve two years before the next election. Who, in their right mind, thinks bearing the label of Blagojevich’s designated hitter will help them win then?
* Ryan Keith has a pretty good roundup of the budget problems faced by the state..
State senators didn’t take any budget action last week. Lawmakers don’t predict major breakthroughs when both the House and Senate return Wednesday for the second week of the fall veto session. They’re working on other priorities, such as electing new leaders and handling bills left unresolved this summer.
But while they dither, the budget appears to be collapsing, and the Governor Who Cried Wolf far too many times is finding it harder to convince people that the situation is as bad as it may be…
Some even question whether the governor is exaggerating cuts now to turn the tables on legislators.
“I think there’s a lot of people who have been suspicious of that since day one,” said Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville.
Part of the problem is the guv closed a bunch of state parks to save just $2 million. That’s essentially a rounding error on a rounding error. None of the governor’s own pet projects were cut. The really big stuff, like Medicaid expansion, was untouched. Others must feel pain. Not him.
* And more bad budget news could be coming if Attorney General Lisa Madigan sticks her nose into the 10th casino auction…
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has concerns about a new casino proposal in Rosemont. Several years ago, Madigan linked the village’s bid for a casino with organized crime.
The infamous Emerald Casino in Rosemont never was built. But now, its license is up for grabs. And once again, Rosemont is one of three towns where it could land. Robyn Ziegler is a spokesperson for the attorney general.
Ziegler: The attorney general has raised extensive concerns about Rosemont in the past, and as the Illinois Gaming Board scrutinizes the bids, the attorney general expects that they will, in the most transparent way possible, fully explain to the public how they’re addressing those concerns.
Internal Gaming Board documents at the time showed that investigators were almost as worried about a casino in neighboring Des Plains, because the Rosemont guys could almost walk over to the other site and get their fingers in the pie. But AG Madigan has never uttered a peep about that site. Her detractors say Madigan worked hard against Rosemont and stayed silent about Des Plaines because Neil Bluhm, the Des Plaines boat developer wannabe, is also a big campaign contributor.
If the Gaming Board chooses the Rosemont site (the developers are willing to pay far more money than anyone else) and AG Madigan intervenes, that $435 million being offered up for the site will probably not make it into the budget in time for the end of this fiscal year, causing even more pain.
It’s something that hasn’t been felt in the local steel industry since the 1980s: layoffs. U.S. Steel is laying off 675 union workers in the United States and Canada, or about 3-percent of its North America workforce. Fifty-eight of those employees worked in Gary.
The financial crisis is forcing many Chicago-area hospitals to delay expansions or pay more for them, putting the brakes on a decade-long building boom.
Diabetes and the illnesses related to it are killing more people in the Third World than AIDS.
If the numbers continue on their current pace, no health system in the world will be able to handle the consequences, according to experts in the field. Not even health systems in the wealthiest nations, no matter how efficient or advanced.
Last spring, the Lead Poisoning Prevention Act—requiring manufacturers to attach a label to any product used by children that has more than a trace amount of lead—passed the Illinois House with near unanimity, 105-1. The Senate? That chamber never got around to bringing the bill to a vote. It remained stuck in the Rules Committee.
Until Wednesday. On the first day of the November veto session, the bill was voted out of both the Senate’s Rules Committee and its Public Health Committee. It’s expected to come to a floor vote before the veto session concludes this week.
The prize is who gets to provide public transportation for suburban residents to O’Hare International Airport, and some of that needed public transport north and south between suburbs.
Thirty dollars is the median price for daily parking in downtown Chicago — up 20 percent, from $25, since 2005, according to the authoritative Colliers International parking-rate survey.
Monthly and “early-bird” rates also have gone up — with the monthly unreserved rate climbing from a median of $289 in 2005 to $310 this year.
Prices will get even higher in 2009, if the City Council passes a proposed 75-cent increase in the city parking tax for fees of more than $12.
