* First, Gov. Pat Quinn refused to allow reporters into even minimum security prisons to examine conditions. Now, the governor won’t even tell reporters who’s been allowed in for tours…

Carefully controlled prison walk-throughs were commonplace for lawmakers, journalists and others in years past as a way to illustrate conditions for prisoners and the state employees who keep them in line. But after barring the gate to reporters last month, Quinn’s administration has deemed it too burdensome to reveal who has been allowed to enter in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press.

Despite the governor’s declaration that allowing reporters inside is a “security risk,” prison officials said only individual wardens have information about tours by outside groups, and that top Department of Corrections brass don’t keep track of who’s coming and going, although some evidence contradicts that. […]

But other evidence suggests top Corrections officials do know about separate tour groups, and are involved in approving them. When a reporter called Illinois River Correctional Center in Canton, a staff member in the warden’s office said a tour request must be submitted in writing to the warden, but a deputy director of the department has final say.

In addition, prison wardens submit weekly activity reports to one of the three deputy directors who supervise them, routinely listing approved tours.

What the heck is Quinn hiding here? What is he so afraid of?

C’mon, man!

* Um, Joe?…

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) this week mocked Democratic opponent Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran and double amputee, for speaking at the Democratic National Convention, charging that the only issue Duckworth cares about is her outfit.

“Ms. Duckworth has continued to show more interest in rubbing elbows with big name party insiders, then [SIC] staying home and tackling the tough issues facing voters in the district,” he said in a statement on his website. “It has become abundantly clear that at this point the only debate Ms. Duckworth is actually interested in having is which outfit she’ll be wearing for her big speech.”

Duckworth told The Huffington Post that she has already debated Walsh twice and has three more debates scheduled with him, but she is not surprised by his degrading insult.

“It’s not the first time Mr. Walsh has been sexist, but frankly I have more important things to do than listen to a man whose whole purpose in Congress is to shout from the mountaintops and not to serve his constituents,” she said. “My whole point of being here was to bring the perspective of my constituents to leadership and to make sure we do talk about jobs, the economy, and our country’s military policies, and I think I’ve done a great job of that.”

C’mon, man!

* The Tribune editorializes…

Three years later, video gambling terminals have produced not one miserable dime for Illinois, although that’s about to change. The Illinois Gaming Board is set to begin testing its computer system for monitoring the terminals, and could authorize the start of legalized video gambling within a month. Why the delay? Lawmakers vastly underestimated the complexity of background checks on individuals and businesses who have applied for licenses to work in video gambling. The list of applicants runs to 173 pages on the Gaming Board’s website.

Actually, the big delay came when the Gaming Board massively screwed up the contract bid. From the Tribune’s new page…

Gaming officials signed a contract in June 2010 for a central computer system capable of monitoring up to 60,000 video poker games in the state, but had to void that deal because of errors in the bidding process.

After rebidding the work, officials signed a contract [in February of 2012] with Alpharetta, Ga.-based Scientific Games International

So, almost a two-year delay and the Tribsters ignore it.

C’mon, man!

* Pantagraph…

Electronic democracy is the way to go for Illinois to solve its pension crisis, according to Gov. Pat Quinn.

The governor shed some light on his so-called grassroots campaign to reform the state’s pension system at a Saturday morning stop in Decatur that was unrelated to his visit to unveil “The Portrait of a Soldier” exhibit at the Decatur Public Library.

While details remain vague, Quinn said he hopes to use the Internet and social media to inform people on the issue and to rally people to contact their lawmakers.

“Having the power of the Internet … is a good way to get the message across on what we have to do for the public,” he said.

He’s sure building this thing up. I hope for his sake that it’s more than a Facebook page, because if it isn’t, you know what I’ll say?

“C’mon, man!”

* Your turn.