* He just won’t go away…

The following is a statement from Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois, on the free public transit rides for seniors program that ends at midnight.

STATEMENT FROM ROD BLAGOJEVICH:

“I’m really sad to see free public transportation being taking way from our seniors. I ruffled a lot of feathers to make this happen but I know it was the right thing to do. I wish I was in a position to do something about it.”

Please Note: Rod Blagojevich is NOT doing any interviews at this time.

“I wish I was in a position to do something about it.”

Yeah. OK. Perhaps you should’ve thought about that before deciding to become a criminal.

Sheesh.

* This might’ve been a cute idea a month or two ago, but not so much now…

Prompted by several bill signings and announcements made by Governor Pat Quinn on Fridays so that they can be buried in the news cycle, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady has announced a contest to predict the next bill signed or other controversial action taken by Quinn on a Friday.

“While most of us are getting ready to spend time with our families for the weekend, Governor Quinn has been quietly signing legislation or making other announcements on Fridays that will affect most Illinoisans.” said Brady. “The problem is that these actions get little or no press coverage, and that’s no accident on the Governor’s part.”

Actions taken by Quinn on Fridays include signing Democrat drawn redistricting maps and legislation watering down the state’s Freedom of Information Act as well as revealing his support for an 87% tollway tax increase.

“The Governor is happy to have popular bill signing announcements in front of the TV cameras during the rest of the week,” said Brady. “But on Fridays, he likes to take action on more controversial items hoping no one will notice. This weekend – Labor Day Weekend – could be especially brutal so we wanted to put some sunshine on this practice.”

Trouble is, there’s only one bill currently on Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk: The ComEd bill, which Quinn has repeatedly said that he’ll veto. Quinn has either signed or vetoed everything the General Assembly sent him. Of course, they haven’t yet sent him the gaming bill.

Quinn may have some bad news to drop this Friday afternoon/evening, but signing a lousy bill just ain’t on the agenda.

Maybe the IL GOP can try this contest again next year.

Anyway, if you’d like to enter the contest, click here…

The first contestant to successfully predict a controversial Quinn Friday bill signing or action will receive a $25 gift card to T. G. I. Friday’s Restaurant. The gift card will be paid for personally by Chairman Pat Brady. Because they may have advanced warning of Quinn’s activities, state employees and members of the news media (and their families) are not eligible to play.

Bummer. No gift card for moi.

* The mayor’s public schedule is almost always packed, so this is a rarity…

THE PUBLIC SCHEDULE FOR MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

There are no public events scheduled at this time.

* Emanuel will have a busy night, however…

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is billed as the guest of honor Thursday night at a popular Chinatown restaurant for a political fundraiser where “gold sponsors” who throw down $2,000 will be able to greet him at a private reception.

But the event isn’t a fundraiser for Emanuel or even any of the 50 aldermen in the City Council. It’s for Laura Liu, a Cook County circuit judge running for election next year.

Emanuel also has offered his support to Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis, who faces a potential Democratic primary fight in 2012. That backing also comes with the pledge of fundraising help from the new mayor, who has become one of the hottest tickets on the Democratic campaign circuit.

Liu is Mike Kasper’s wife. Subscribers already know about the Theis endorsement.

* Emanuel is also hosting a dinner tonight at Millennium Park for state legislators. All legislators have been invited. I gotta wonder if the governor will be slowly circling the park tonight trying to see who shows up to cavort with the enemy.

Just kidding.

Kinda…