Quotables and a roundup
Monday, Apr 8, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sen. Terry Link, speaking about trying to pass a gaming expansion bill and Gov. Pat Quinn’s demands…
“We have to figure out how (the bill) gets passed before we can do anything else,” Link said of accommodating Quinn’s demands. “At last count, I don’t remember him passing any legislation in his lifetime.”
* From the National Organization for Marriage…
“Any Republican in Illinois who betrays the cause of marriage will be casting a career-ending vote and will be held accountable to their constituents,” said Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage.
* Gov. Pat Quinn, speaking at Roger Ebert’s funeral…
“We love you, Roger, we always will. Thumbs up.”
* Joe Walsh: “How To Save Illinois in Eight Simple Steps”…
1. Eliminate the individual state income tax and the state corporate tax.
2. Give every parent in the state a school voucher to send their children to whatever school they want to send them to — public, private, religious, or home.
3. Place every government employee on a defined contribution, 401(k) style retirement plan.
4. Begin immediately tapping into our natural gas and oil reserves.
5. Eliminate township governments.
6. Give every law-abiding adult the right to carry a concealed weapon.
7. Have a federal prosecutor investigate how Michael Madigan and his legal clients have benefited financially at taxpayer expense from his role as Speaker.
8. Tell Judy Barr Topinka to retire.
* From a 2005 Kanye West song about the violence in Chicago…
“From the place where the father’s gone, the mothers is hardly home/And the Madigon’s lock us up in the Audy Home.”
The explanation…
An early reference to Chicago’s institutional dysfunction involves a double entendre. “Madigon” can double as a slur and a reference to an Illinois political power-family, the Madigans. Lisa Madigan, the Illinois attorney general known for her tough stance on gang violence, is the adopted daughter of another bigwig in state politics. Michael Madigan has been speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives for the better part of a quarter-century. The Audy Home, meanwhile, is an infamous under-18 prison in the Chicago area.
* Roundup…
* Southern Illinois counties seeing first of fracking rush: Hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees have flowed into county coffers from a stream of “land men,” often out-of-staters who converged in recent years to scour title records for prime parcels for exploration. County clerks funneled much of that windfall into digitizing bulky, age-yellowed record books that took a toll from all the frenzied searches.
* Economic development privatization plan hit - Critics say accountability would be cut
* Editorial: Illinois can’t afford to raise minimum wage
* ComEd hit with $182 million class-action lawsuit over ’smart-meter’ program delay
* Reeder: A broke Illinois votes for unknown budgets
* Quinn signs ‘Sister Lake’ deal in Mexico
* Debt piles up behind bars: An Illinois prisoner can accrue tens of thousands of dollars in child support debt while incarcerated because of Illinois child support laws.
* Logan Correctional Center: Prison inmates housed in gym: The Illinois Department of Corrections placed about 30 female prisoners into temporary dorm units at the Logan Correctional Center’s gymnasium on Wednesday, according to IDOC spokesperson Stacey Solano.
* Illinois legislators looking at $1.4 billion prison contract: A more serious concern was when the prison’s EKG machine was out of order for 9 months.
* Diplomat Killed on Afghan Mission She Coveted: “Only 25 years old, this brave young woman knew social justice was her calling, and selflessly lost her life while serving others in a war-torn country,” [Gov. Pat Quinn] said. “She was devoted to protecting America and improving the lives of others.”
- qcexaminer - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 12:51 pm:
Amazing roundup Rich; this is why I keep coming back to CapFax—well, that and the joy I get from playing my role as skunk at the picnic.
I’m happy to see Southern Illinois finally getting some $$$$ from fracking since coal is now politically incorrect—let’s hope the Gaia-worshiping liberals from Chicago don’t kill this cash cow for the poverty-stricken southern part of the state.
- in the know - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 12:55 pm:
That Joe Walsh, what a kidder, if we eliminated all income taxes, without a corresponding expansion of sales taxes, there wouldn’t BE any state employees to have a pension of any kind. Nor would we have any money for vouchers. Silly rabbit, governing is for the SANE.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 12:57 pm:
“1. Eliminate the individual state income tax and the state corporate tax.”
Texas is touted as an example of a “pro-growth” state, with no state income tax. Texas’ median household income is still less than Illinois, and last year it was the state with the most minimum wage workers. Texas also recently led the nation in having the most people without health insurance.
- Kasich Walker, Jr. - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 12:59 pm:
Regarding Brian Brown and the stand taken by some members of the GOP, I’ve read plenty of comments knocking “litmus test” voting. I support gay marriage, but understand why those who feel ignored take the litmus test approach.
Voters may not find candidates who support their positions, but there will likely be one on the ballot — or one you could write on the ballot — who either supports most of your issues or comes closer to your ideology.
Why help your opposition win?
- LincolnLounger - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 1:01 pm:
If he didn’t have to pay income taxes, he’d have more money to not pay child support.
- Chavez-respecting Obamist - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 1:11 pm:
Bituminous coal is not politically incorrect. It kills people.
- qcexaminer - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 1:19 pm:
Poor ol’ Joe needs to get a grip. Nothing he mentioned will ever happen in Illinois because:
1. Illinois is a blue social model state
2. Democrats control all levers of power in state government
3. Everything Joe mentioned would offend one of the Democrat’s powerful special interests
4. Democrats are controlled by their special interests.
In order to make inroads in Illinois state government, the GOP is going to have to play it a lot smarter than what Joe Walsh is playing. It can be done, but the GOPers will need to be more politically savvy than Walsh.
Really, I can’t believe he said that stuff—it is so off the charts stupid and inappropriate for the Illinois LIV electorate that voted for Blago twice and Quinn once, even after we had a 2 year preview of how incompetent he was.
GOPers can win in Illinois but it will take an exceptionally smart politician to pull it off.
Joe ain’t it.
- Ahoy! - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 1:20 pm:
“Any Republican in Illinois who betrays the cause of marriage will be casting a career-ending vote and will be held accountable to their constituents,”
What if their constituents want them to vote for it? Or should they just listen to some of their constituents?
- Charlatan Heston - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 1:32 pm:
“The Audy Home, meanwhile, is an infamous under-18 prison in the Chicago area.”- The Cook County juvenile detention center is the official name ….definitely infamous…pretty sure it doesn’t qualify as an under-18 prison
- Aldyth - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 1:33 pm:
Joe Walsh is living proof that you can make a living (sometimes a very good living) by flaunting your ignorance in public.
- wordslinger - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 1:33 pm:
–Really, I can’t believe he said that stuff—it is so off the charts stupid and inappropriate for the Illinois LIV electorate that voted for Blago twice and Quinn once, even after we had a 2 year preview of how incompetent he was.–
You could have just stopped at stupid and you would have been right.
But I am intrigued by this one. It’s so simple, so brilliant, so easy.
–2. Give every parent in the state a school voucher to send their children to whatever school they want to send them to — public, private, religious, or home.–
I see some business opportunities here. I’m sure I could get a loan to lease a few buses and start charging to bus kids from Simeon and Proviso East to Hinsdale Central and Lyons Township.
And I’m sure the folks at New Trier and Stevenson will welcome with open arms the kids from Waukegan and North Chicago.
And all you kids from the West Side, Oak Park and River Forest schools are open for business (some of you already know that, lol, and good for you)!
Because universal school-choice vouchers are just rock-ribbed, solid, GOP conservative values.
- Just Me - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 1:43 pm:
Yeah, supporting the gays is a career ending move for Republicans. Tell that to Kirk, Topinka and Rutherford. I don’t think any of them got that memo.
- 47th Ward - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 1:45 pm:
Note to Walsh: I think you can cross #7 off your list. IIRC, the US Attorney and the Tribune both looked deeply into this and found nothing.
It sounds good though. And that’s all that matters.
- Arthur Andersen - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 2:11 pm:
word, I know a guy with a bus company. Got you covered. These are nice, comfy ones, too. No rickety yellow ones.
Moving on, if DCEO gets privatized, our con$ulting firm should definitely take a shot at the Tourism ad contract. They just rolled out another sweet, gauzy Route 66 ad-it’s running in Central Illinois. Duh!
- Plutocrat03 - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 2:12 pm:
Ain’t wonderful. Southern pols get new money and the spend it on themselves.
I guess there are no poor people down there in cracking territory
- wordslinger - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 2:15 pm:
–They just rolled out another sweet, gauzy Route 66 ad-it’s running in Central Illinois. Duh!–
Drives me crazy.
- Kasich Walker, Jr. - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 2:15 pm:
“What if their constituents want them to vote for it? Or should they just listen to some of their constituents?”
Getting poll taking robots to run the legislature could require another constitutional convention
- Fed up - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 2:23 pm:
Lisa Madigan, known for her tough stance on gang violence. That’s got to be a joke. She may go after the check cashing places or a nursing home or two but to say she is tough on gangs is an absolute lie. What next her tough stance on political corruption. She ignores gangs and crime in general.
Joe Walsh needs to go away
I’m in favor of a casino in Chicago and video gaming at the airports, a little bit of ethics should be in the law Quinn isn’t completely wrong there.
- D P Gumby - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 2:28 pm:
I’m having some heart problems…I’m agreeing w/ Joe Walsh on an issue: “Eliminate Township Governments”. Either I’m wrong or he just pulled it from somewhere and doesn’t really know anything about it. Otherwise, how could we agree?
- Fed up - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 2:33 pm:
D P Gumby,
While agreeing with Walsh on anything is difficult I too can go along with eliminating the township layer of government.
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 2:44 pm:
==2. Give every parent in the state a school voucher to send their children to whatever school they want to send them to — public, private, religious, or home.==
First question: Will every school be required to accept any student with a voucher? (No matter their test scores, religion, special ed status, etc?)
Second question: If I keep my kids at home, I can get a government check? Hmmm…
- Chavez-respecting Obamist - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 2:59 pm:
I’ve thought that about townships too–I must have been wrong.
- Bigtwich - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 3:15 pm:
==She ignores gangs and crime in general.==
That might be because the Attorney General has almost no authority to prosecute criminal cases, but it sounds good.
- Dazed & Confused - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 3:36 pm:
#9: Turn Joe Walsh’s microphone off. His 15 minutes of fame are up.
- Verbal Kint - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 3:41 pm:
My parents used to threaten us kids that they’d send us to the Audy Home when we misbehaved. Hadn’t heard that term in a long time.
- CircularFiringSquad - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 4:00 pm:
How about we expand the 8 point plan to a 9 point plan which states 8 point plans cannot be issued by child support deadbeats or suspected deadbeats who fail to document their deadbeat days are over?
- 3rd Generation Chicago Native - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 5:06 pm:
Pot calling the kettle black
I had the same thoughts about even if the kids are at home…
My thought about Judy Baar retire…why would a GOP want a GOP to have one less in the State house?
- Amalia - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 5:46 pm:
@DPGumby and Fed Up….agree! surprised to find myself saying that Joe Walsh is right. will be a sad fiscal hoot watching some of the township elections tomorrow, those fighting to keep pensions, access to health care, besides the waste of tax dollars.
- Capitol View - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 7:14 pm:
Joe Walsh for ambassador to North Korea. He’s almost as rational as Dennis Rodman.
- Just The Way It Is One - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 8:24 pm:
Quite a service, from what I’ve seen, and quite a classy–and fitting–remark by Gov. Quinn, a dear friend to Chaz Ebert, as many already know….Oh, and Sen. Link needs to get real if the Casino bill is going to ever pass, and stop solely blaming Pat Quinn. NOM, by the way, sounds seriously like they mean business, and, finally, oh yes, that bit of insignificant tidbits inserted about Walsh, who said WHAT…??!! (Ah, no bother wasting any energy commenting about silliness).
- Raymond - Monday, Apr 8, 13 @ 9:33 pm:
=== 8. Tell Judy Barr Topinka to retire. ===
Good thinking, Joe! Get rid of one of the most popular and successful elected officials that the GOP has had in the last decade just as soon as you can! The quickest way to rebuild the party, and finally get the state back on its own two feet, is to tear your own party down just as far as you can!
- Esquire - Tuesday, Apr 9, 13 @ 9:03 am:
The most sensible thing that Walsh said (an oxymoronic expression to be certain) related to abolishing township governments.
Outside of rural areas with large areas of unincorporated territory, there seems to be no reason to maintain township government in more urban areas such as suburban Cook County. In certain cities and villages, the township boundaries are completely almost coterminous with the municipalities (think Oak Park, River Forest, Cicero, Evanston). Why should there be another layer of government in these places?
The rub is that the statutes make it difficult to disband townships. As I understand it, all of suburban Cook County would have to be in favor of eliminating township government (there are thirty townships in suburban Cook County). This approach does not make complete sense since in a few outlying townships such governments do make sense.