Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will be joining us via Google Hangout from the National Democratic Governors Conference. He will be discussing the state of the economy, his take on the 2012 election, and his latest jobs initiative for U.S. veterans.
We will also be asking tough questions on his criticism of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, his stance on corporate tax breaks, and his austerity plan for the state of Illinois.
Most importantly, we want to hear from you — no matter where you live, inside or outside of Illinois! Visit the HuffPost Live 3,2,1 page and click “Join The Conversation” to record your video questions for the Governor.
The live interview is planned for this afternoon.
* The Question: What would you ask Gov. Quinn today?
* The state lost a court case after it attempted to shut off the supply of tobacco tax stamps to prevent retailers and consumers from stockpiling cigarettes ahead of the June 24th tax hike of 98 cents per pack. As a result, a buying spree ensued, according to a recent Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability report…
In June 2011, a typical $56.4 million was collected from the cigarette tax. In June 2012, with the anticipation of the tax increase, the monthly revenue total was $95.8 million, a 70% increase.
Because of that buying spree, tobacco tax revenues are likely to fall off for a while. This is not a new thing, according to COGFA…
Despite a 40-cent increase in the cigarette tax in July of 2002, cigarette tax revenues in August and September (reflecting July and August sales) were disappointing (annual changes of 4.7% and -30.6%, respectively). It was not until October that the expected effects of the tax increase were seen in revenues.
Taking into account the lawsuit and the history, it could be “several months” before tax revenues begin to reflect the tax hike, says COGFA, and that could mean the state won’t meet its $350 million projection…
If tobacco sales drop off as expected, it may be difficult for the State to generate the original projection of $350 million in new revenues for FY 2013, which in turn, would limit the amount of funds available to be matched by the Federal Government.
That $350 million is supposed to be used to leverage federal money for the state’s broke Medicaid program.
* Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by the Chicago Tribune to unseal University of Illinois student records could be impacted by a US Supreme Court decision…
The Iowa Supreme Court says the University of Iowa can conceal hundreds of pages of records related to its investigation into an alleged 2007 sexual assault involving football players.
The court ruled 4-3 that the university can withhold records requested by the Iowa City Press-Citizen newspaper.
The court says releasing them could violate a federal law that prohibits the release of personally identifiable information about students. The court says the records can’t be released in redacted form either, because the newspaper knows the identities of students involved in the case.
The Tribune sued to unseal student records relating to its series of stories about the university’s admissions process for students whose parents had asked legislators for help. A lower court ruled in the newspaper’s favor, but an appellate court ruled that the suit belonged in state court. State law allows Freedom of Information Act requests to be denied if the federal government prohibits disclosure. Federal law strips universities of all their funding if they release student info without parental consent. The appellate court ruled that the matter belonged in state court. Today’s ruling, however, would seem to block the Trib’s case.
* The US Attorney’s office wants Bill Cellini sentenced to a prison term of up to eight years…
A federal jury convicted Cellini in November of conspiring to shake down the Oscar-winning producer of “Million Dollar Baby” for a contribution to imprisoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s campaign. Cellini is scheduled to be sentenced July 23.
Prosecutors have filed a sentencing memorandum in Cellini’s case that argues for a “meaningful” prison sentence and contends giving him probation would “send exactly the wrong signal.”
The prosecutors, however, note they’d understand if U.S. District Judge James Zagel gives Cellini less than eight years due to his age and health problems.
* Prosecutors did stipulate that Cellini’s health could be a factor in reducing his sentence…
“The government agrees that the combination of Cellini’s health and age makes this one of the relatively rare situations where it may well be appropriate to impose a sentence below” the 61/2 to eight years in prison called for under federal guidelines, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court.
Cellini was admitted twice last month to a hospital in Springfield after first suffering a heart attack and then after his doctors discovered a blood clot, according to his lawyers.
Cellini is scheduled to be sentenced July 23 in federal court in Chicago.
In the 29-page court filing, prosecutors argued that any break given to Cellini “should be relatively modest” and rejected calls by the defense for probation.
“Cellini’s medical condition, however, is not a basis to excuse him from a meaningful sentence of incarceration,” the prosecution filing said.
The Bureau of Prisons has significant experience treating inmates with conditions like Cellini’s. More specifically, Dr. Paul Harvey, the Regional Medical Director for the BOP’s North Central Region since 2009, has reviewed the letters submitted by Cellini’s various medical providers, as well as the more recent statements that Cellini has released to the media about his medical condition, and has concluded that “there is no reason that Mr. Cellini’s medical needs cannot be met within the Bureau of Prisons.”
Also according to the memo, Cellini’s net worth in 2005 was approximately $153 million.
* And check out how the prosecution started off its case for a harsh sentence…
The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, by and through GARY SHAPIRO, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, respectfully submits its Sentencing Memorandum with respect to defendant William Cellini, stating as follows:
I. INTRODUCTION
LEVINE: If Tom feels that he’d rather walk away from the money than deal with Tony then there it is (laughs).
CELLINI: (Laughs)
May 7, 2004 Transcript at 6.
Defendant William Cellini’s laugh upon hearing that Thomas Rosenberg, whom he claims was his good friend, was going to lose $220 million in state funds because Rosenberg would not make a political contribution was telling. There was no hint of concern or alarm— instead, Cellini was amused by the very idea that Rosenberg would take a stand against the corruption of the Blagojevich administration. Further, the laugh also demonstrated Cellini’s profound indifference to the harm that the extortion was going to cause—not just to Rosenberg and his company, but to the Teacher’s Retirement System of Illinois, the teachers it served, and the public. Cellini’s amusement and indifference were the product of Cellini’s own long-standing actions at TRS, where he himself had used his political clout to enrich himself and his allies without concern for the damage that corruption would inflict upon TRS, the teachers, or the public. This excerpt was just a small part of the evidence establishing that Cellini, despite his immense wealth and power, intentionally joined the conspiracy to extort Rosenberg. These facts, together with the other factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)—in particular, the need to reflect the value our society places on the integrity of government officials, and the harm that is caused when that integrity is lost—demand a meaningful sentence of incarceration.
In the grand scheme of things, the disappearance of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. hardly matters at all.
A minority party congressman drops out of sight, checks himself into some sort of treatment facility and won’t say where he is or for what, exactly, he’s being treated.
Watergate this is not.
But everybody loves a good summertime mystery. “Embattled congressman takes it on the lam!” Oh, such fun.
And there is a veritable smorgasbord of salacious details for reporters assigned to write about Jackson’s disappearance. They’re all in need of lots of padding for their stories because, frankly, there isn’t much news to report. He’s gone. Nobody is clearly answering where, why or what. That’s about it. Rehashing the nasty bits also increases the pressure on Jackson and his staff to come clean. So, rehash it is.
Jackson’s infidelity issue, splashed all over the front page of this newspaper after Jackson taunted the U.S. attorney to “bring it on,” has become a necessary story component in almost every rehash of this sad tale. Businessman Raghuveer Nayak allegedly paid to fly what Jackson called a “social acquaintance” from Washington to Chicago when his wife was away.
The uncertainty about more “bimbo eruptions” has fueled the fire of the disappearance story, despite the lack of any evidence that something else is about to come out.
And then there’s the corruption stuff that surfaced when the U.S. attorney was investigating Rod Blagojevich. Nayak allegedly set up a bribery scam to get Jackson appointed to President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat. Nayak was arrested on an unrelated charge not long before Jackson disappeared from sight, fueling much theorizing that the arrest and disappearance were somehow related.
They probably aren’t related, but there’s no convincing out-of-town reporters of that. Nayak spilled his guts to the FBI long ago and nothing came of it. Now, this month, the U.S. attorney who headed up the Blagojevich probe retired, which strongly suggested no big busts were imminent.
Jackson also is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, and that final report may not be pretty. The committee conducts its investigations in secret, so the informational black hole has prompted tons of conjecture that this could’ve triggered Jackson’s disappearance. But short of a rare expulsion vote by the House, it doesn’t appear likely that Jackson is in any real danger of losing his seat.
Jackson has been criticized for missing votes while away. But what, exactly, is he missing? The House this week voted to repeal ObamaCare — for the 33rd time. Not exactly earth-shattering stuff. Not a single bill of importance has been affected by Jackson’s absence.
Being absent from Congress this month is like skipping the first day of a college semester. You probably should go, but it’s really no big deal if you don’t.
Look, the congressman has brought much of this on himself because he won’t clearly say what’s going on. And, yes, it’s summertime and the rest of the news is mostly boring.
But that doesn’t qualify Jackson for national villain status.
* Rep. Jesse Jackson’s political future in question: But after a week in which Jackson’s staff has been forced to try to dispel an array of rumors, including one that he is in an Arizona facility being treated for alcohol and drug problems, his friends in the Congressional Black Caucus are whispering that they expect him to resign.
* Tribune Editorial: The redrawn district stretches far past the south suburbs, into parts of Will and Kankakee counties. Many of those voters aren’t familiar with Jackson and vice versa. If he can’t campaign actively for their votes, he at least owes them an explanation.
* Colleagues to Jackson: Get well: “It’s incumbent upon us to be transparent,” said Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., from McHenry. “The reason there’s a storm now, all these questions, is because he hasn’t been transparent. My thoughts and prayers are with him — whatever issues he has — but my God, we have to let our constituents know.”
