As I told you Saturday, the governor issued a press release on state time chastising Judy Baar Topinka on the assault weapons ban. Here’s how the Tribune covered it.

Using taxpayer-financed resources, Gov. Rod Blagojevich issued a letter and news release Saturday asking his Republican re-election opponent, Judy Baar Topinka, to support his call for an assault weapon ban.

A campaign aide to Topinka, the state treasurer and the lone GOP statewide officeholder, criticized Blagojevich’s use of state materials for what the aide said was a blatant campaign-oriented letter.

“He’ll do everything he can to win, whether it’s raising millions of dollars for his political war chest through pay-to-play politics, to using state resources to try to win the governorship,” said Topinka spokesman Roger Germann.

But a spokeswoman for the governor said Blagojevich thinks he needs help in attracting suburban Republican votes for the weapons ban legislation. “We thought as we’re trying to get the votes we need, that we would ask one of the state’s leading Republicans,” said the governor’s spokeswoman, Rebecca Rausch.

On Sunday, Topinka was hit for a 20-year-old vote on seat belt use.

State Senator John Cullerton raised questions today about Judy Baar Topinka’s record as a lawmaker more than 20 years ago.

The Chicago Democrat says the legislation Topinka opposed in the 1980s making the use of seat belts mandatory has helped saved lives. Cullerton spoke at a press conference organized by Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s re-election campaign.

Blagojevch did not attend. But a woman whose daughter was killed in an auto accident in Ireland was there.

No offense, but Ireland?

While national GOP chairman Ken Mehlman was in town to boost Topinka, he was asked about Bob Kjellander’s role as national committeeman.

“He’s someone who is very smart. He is someone who is very committed to helping expand our party and strengthen our party and to public service,” Mehlman said of Kjellander. “I’ve worked closely with him, and I disagree with that analysis very much and believe he has been a great servant for the state, and also for the party and the president.”

And Doug Finke had some interesting thoughts.

Just a day after winning the Democratic nomination for governor, Gov. ROD BLAGOJEVICH announced he wants a $1-per-hour increase in Illinois’ minimum wage. In a news release issued with the announcement, Blagojevich said he would seek the increase “during a second term as governor,” presumably meaning sometime in the next four years.

Blagojevich made the announcement in Chicago. Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. PAT QUINN was trotted out in Springfield to make the same pitch. Quinn sounded a little more urgent.

“In this election, they (Republicans) should take a position,” Quinn said. “Are they for raising the minimum wage in Illinois from $6.50 to $7.50 an hour right now? We need to do it, not sometime in the future.”

And: “If we want to help families … there’s no excuse to say it’s not the right time. When is the right time? It’s got to be now. My view is the sooner, the better.”

Funny thing, though, Blagojevich never mentioned the minimum wage in his State of the State speech in January. The minimum wage was $6.50 an hour then, and if it is inadequate now, it was inadequate then. If Blagojevich had raised the issue in January, it might have passed by now.

But there’s still time. The General Assembly has two weeks left before its scheduled adjournment. Blagojevich’s enormously complicated All Kids health insurance plan for children passed in just three days last fall. A straightforward thing like increasing the minimum wage should have no problem getting approved in two weeks.