The sales tax holiday on school supplies and clothing — signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Pat Quinn and set for 10 days starting Aug. 6 — should be a welcome boon for Skip Kanosky, owner of one of the area’s two education supplies stores.
But it’s not.
Despite the governor’s hope that waiving the state’s 5 percent portion of sales tax will boost consumer shopping, Kanosky — who owns The Learning Tree in Bradley — reacted to the news Thursday with a little more than a yawn.
“In Illinois?” he asked. “We can afford that?”
Yikes, man.
* If you’d like to place a small wager on your general election predictions, then by all means click here. You don’t have to plunk anything down to participate, but you can’t win any cash that way, either.
* Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. has been dodging reporters all week about revelations about how he may have participated in a discussion about funneling a million dollars to Rod Blagojevich’s campaign fund in exchange for a US Senate seat appointment. He has finally put out a press release…
“My office has received many requests for comment in response to bits of evidence offered and proffered during the ongoing Blagojevich trial. As much as I would like to clear up the misstatements made by some, and clarify my role (really my non-role) in this affair, obviously it would be inappropriate for me to do so until the trial is over. It is appropriate, however, to emphasize what has long been in the public record: I have cooperated and will continue to cooperate with all government entities investigating this matter, and I have never been advised that I am a target of this investigation. Most important, I was never part of any improper scheme with Blagojevich or anyone else related to securing the vacant Illinois senate seat.”
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Senate candidate Mark Kirk says he is done answering questions about exaggerating his military accomplishments.
Several times this week, Kirk has refused to answer questions about specific incidents during his 21 years in the Navy Reserve. He said Friday that he’ll let his official fitness reports speak for him from now on.
Those reports include glowing evaluations but offer no details on specific incidents — such as whether he came under fire while serving in Afghanistan, as he once claimed.
*** UPDATE *** I forgot to mention Sen. Dan Rutherford’s quite solid fundraising during the first six months of the year. Check it out. The GOP treasurer nominee raised almost half a million dollars, loaned himself another $200K and had more than a million dollars cash on hand. Very strong numbers for a down-ballot statewide candidate. If you forced me to make a “Pick to Click” for November, it’d probably be Rutherford.
* Other stuff…
* Carl Officer: Racism behind challenges to his campaign, other black Senate candidates
* Kirk stands by vote against unemployment benefits
Good luck Mark. But they are going to ask you at every stop around the State.
And if everything is in those fitness reports, and those facts aren’t in them, then the press will dutifully report that you lied to them about Afghanistan, too.
The media should look at how many of his Lt. Gov staff are now working on agency payrolls. In addition Quinn has brought in many new hires from his Chicago base into agency slots. So pull the new hire list starting in Feb 2009. Like his DOC fiasco, Quinn just keeps digin deeper and deeper.
- Small Town Liberal - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:41 pm:
I’m sure Skip can elect to not participate in the sales tax holiday at his store if he feels so strongly about it.
PQ filibusters all the time and it has really gotten tiresome–he’s the Filibuster King.
During the debates any upcoming debate I seriously hope the moderators/hosts will institute a policy that will enable microphones to be shut off when PQ or anyone else starts filibustering or avoiding the questions with a non-answer answers.
The people of Illinois deserve honest and straight answers during the debates, not grandstanding and continued foolishness!
It appears having folk on agency roles while still doing work for the gov office is one way to make it seem like the payroll is smaller. I think I learned that here, smatteroffact.
Much of the expenses for the Governors staff, travel and other support is being covered by agency budgets. Either Quinn is unaware of this or he is lying.
Re: Carl Officer. Umm, shouldn’t these guys have tried to run in the Dem primary back in Feb? At least he’s just bothering the Dem party and not society as a whole.
After listening to the droning of PQ I realize that I don’t have tinnitus - it’s actually PQ buzzing in my ears. What a relief. Now all I need is a white noise machine to counteract him and I’m all set. Unless, of course, PQ loses in Nov. A definite cure is within our grasp
Is Pat Quinn capable of answering a question, or does he do this all the time? Everytime I’m stuck listening to him, the Governor talks and talks and bores me to death. Worse was that State of the State, remember?
How much longer are we going to hear Democrats harp over Kirk’s war stories? It is as boring as listening to Quinn speak. Wanting him to verify every single pompous war story he has spouted out over the past decade has completely turned into a bigger farce than the ones he self-perpetuated.
=Could they ever consider that what the voters want many times is for them to answer a reporter’s question, clearly, concisely, and honestly?=
Prunella - diet pepsi came out my nose I laughed so hard reading this. Vole, you must be very young - have you ever voted before? Or does naivete run in your family.
Playing Quinn’s pathetic droning clip over and over — over loud speakers 24/7– to psychologically demoralize enemy prisoners of war would work well, I think.
- George - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:22 pm:
He is done answering questions. I like that.
Good luck Mark. But they are going to ask you at every stop around the State.
And if everything is in those fitness reports, and those facts aren’t in them, then the press will dutifully report that you lied to them about Afghanistan, too.
- lakeview - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:30 pm:
I’m starting to think that Quinn wants to lose.
- Vole - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:33 pm:
“The man certainly likes to filibuster.”
Forever, and ever and ever … Quinn is getting to be very irritating. He is just not being honest, in sharp contrast with who he says he is.
Quinn is shrinking in the role.
- Louis Howe - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:38 pm:
The media should look at how many of his Lt. Gov staff are now working on agency payrolls. In addition Quinn has brought in many new hires from his Chicago base into agency slots. So pull the new hire list starting in Feb 2009. Like his DOC fiasco, Quinn just keeps digin deeper and deeper.
- Small Town Liberal - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:41 pm:
I’m sure Skip can elect to not participate in the sales tax holiday at his store if he feels so strongly about it.
- dupage dan - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:52 pm:
PQ refers to “cutting the overall budget” - sounds like an across the board budget cut to me.
Filibuster is right. Drone on and on and maybe the reporter will have retired and won’t have a follow up question. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:52 pm:
PQ filibusters all the time and it has really gotten tiresome–he’s the Filibuster King.
During the debates any upcoming debate I seriously hope the moderators/hosts will institute a policy that will enable microphones to be shut off when PQ or anyone else starts filibustering or avoiding the questions with a non-answer answers.
The people of Illinois deserve honest and straight answers during the debates, not grandstanding and continued foolishness!
- dupage dan - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:54 pm:
Mr Howe,
It appears having folk on agency roles while still doing work for the gov office is one way to make it seem like the payroll is smaller. I think I learned that here, smatteroffact.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:54 pm:
=== Drone on and on and maybe the reporter will have retired ===
I’ve actually walked away while Quinn was answering one of my questions during an avail. I just couldn’t take the droning any more.
- Truth monger - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:08 pm:
Much of the expenses for the Governors staff, travel and other support is being covered by agency budgets. Either Quinn is unaware of this or he is lying.
- Peggy SO-IL - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:19 pm:
Re: Carl Officer. Umm, shouldn’t these guys have tried to run in the Dem primary back in Feb? At least he’s just bothering the Dem party and not society as a whole.
- dupage dan - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:19 pm:
@Rich,
=I’ve actually walked away while Quinn was answering one of my questions during an avail. I just couldn’t take the droning any more.=
Did PQ even notice you had left?
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:21 pm:
Not sure, since I walked away. lol
- JonShibleyFan - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:22 pm:
I’m not sure it’s filibustering. Filibustering is typically done intentionally.
Great numbers from Rutherford. Very impressive.
- dupage dan - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:32 pm:
PQ, the Perry Como of Illinois Gov’t.
(I would apologize to Perry Como fans but I wouldn’t want to disturb their slumber)
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:33 pm:
Truth, I’m quite sure he’s well aware of that. He is the Quinntessential (wah, wah, wah!) micro-manager.
Kirk keeps looking like a doofus.
Rich, I remember talking to Dan Rutherford many times in 2006. He knew he was building up for something bigger, and boy, he wasn’t kidding.
- unclesam - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:33 pm:
Rich,
Did you notice that your PQ clip is partially labled “NC 17?”
Is that because PQ is not wearing a tie?
- dupage dan - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:36 pm:
After listening to the droning of PQ I realize that I don’t have tinnitus - it’s actually PQ buzzing in my ears. What a relief. Now all I need is a white noise machine to counteract him and I’m all set. Unless, of course, PQ loses in Nov. A definite cure is within our grasp
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:37 pm:
Is Pat Quinn capable of answering a question, or does he do this all the time? Everytime I’m stuck listening to him, the Governor talks and talks and bores me to death. Worse was that State of the State, remember?
How much longer are we going to hear Democrats harp over Kirk’s war stories? It is as boring as listening to Quinn speak. Wanting him to verify every single pompous war story he has spouted out over the past decade has completely turned into a bigger farce than the ones he self-perpetuated.
- Vole - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:38 pm:
Paraphrase from Quinn: The bottom line is what the voters want.
Isn’t “that is what the voters want” getting to be a very tired and frequently used line of defense among many politicians now days?
Could they ever consider that what the voters want many times is for them to answer a reporter’s question, clearly, concisely, and honestly?
- dupage dan - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:42 pm:
=Could they ever consider that what the voters want many times is for them to answer a reporter’s question, clearly, concisely, and honestly?=
Prunella - diet pepsi came out my nose I laughed so hard reading this. Vole, you must be very young - have you ever voted before? Or does naivete run in your family.
- DzNuts - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:46 pm:
The greatest line in the interview was “I’m an honest governor and I run an honest government.”
Keep drinking from the fountain of Rod, Governor.
- JonShibleyFan - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:53 pm:
“How much longer are we going to hear Democrats harp over Kirk’s war stories?”
How’s November 2 work for you?
- Team America - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:59 pm:
It’s the last Friday afternoon before Q2 reports are due. Time for Alexi’s lackluster Q2 numbers. Anyone heard anything?
- Obamarama - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 4:26 pm:
Carol Rutherford sure shows up a lot on Dan’s D2. Didn’t Turner get hit for paying family members during the primary?
- Rob_N - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 4:43 pm:
Team,
It’s 2010 which means Kirk’s been in Congress for a decade.
Time for Kirk to start being honest and actually answer questions about his record.
- Responsa - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 5:06 pm:
Playing Quinn’s pathetic droning clip over and over — over loud speakers 24/7– to psychologically demoralize enemy prisoners of war would work well, I think.
- Still Gettin Twisted - Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 5:32 pm:
the only way this knucklehead gets re-elected is if some goof like Bill Brady….. oops.. ummm.