It’s time for a holiday break. We’ve all earned it.
I’m thankful for so many things: My eventual good fortune in life, my family, my friends, my subscribers, my blog readers, my advertisers and, of course, Illinoize…
* And, now, I wanna thank you falettinme be mice elf agin…
Flamin’ eyes of people fear
Burnin’ into you
Many men are missin’ much
Hatin’ what they do
“Morally, [Blagojevich] was opposed to gaming three years ago when he had a press conference,” the mayor said. “Remember the press conference? It changed very quickly, in less than three years. … If you can change your moral viewpoints on casinos, you surely can change your political viewpoint or governmental viewpoint [against raising taxes] on a decision that affects public transportation in this city, in the metropolitan [area].”
* I was talking about this subject with somebody yesterday, so I thought I would share it with you.
Do you think it’s odd that not a single major news outlet appears to have covered the fact that Congressman Bobby Rush decided not to run for reelection as Democratic ward committeeman?
Also, what’s up with the total failure by any of the majors to note that the governor allowed a $48 million tax increase to take effect without actually signing it into law?
* Sen. Bill Brady, a likely Republican candidate for governor, has proposed limiting the governor’s ability to call special sessions…
For instance, a governor would have to give at least four days’ notice before the first scheduled day of a special session. A special session could be convened on shorter notice if legislative leaders and the governor agree that an emergency exists.
Also, the governor would have to be physically present in the chambers of the Senate and House on the first day of a special session, and the session must be “permanently adjourned” if, after 15 consecutive session days, the House or Senate fails to pass legislation dealing with the stated reason for the special session.
* Brady made his pitch on the same day that Blagojevich called yet another special session, this one dealing with mass transit…
“This is the 17th one. He’s made a mockery out of them and the system,” said Brady, a Bloomington Republican who ran for governor in 2006.
“I’m hoping to remove a governor’s ability to use these special-session calls from the perception of a little kid that doesn’t get his way,” he added in a phone interview Monday.
* Meanwhile, the governor has not yet proposed any actual legislation to bail out mass transit. This has been a constant complaint about every single special session the governor has commanded this year…
“If there is legislation proposed, then we’ll have something for the House and Senate to consider,” Brown said of the session, adding that he considers that prospect “a big ‘if.’”
Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said it’s the job of lawmakers to draft legislation they can vote on in special sessions.
Ottenhoff noted there is a pending piece of legislation proposed by a House Republican that would redirect sales tax revenue the state collects on gasoline purchases in Cook and the ‘’collar'’ counties to the mass transit agencies to create a steady stream of revenue for them.
That’s a concept Blagojevich said he favors, although questions still remain about how best to replace that revenue in the state budget.
‘’He can like all the concepts he wants,'’ said Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, adding that lawmakers need specifics to vote on.
BROWN: And if he doesn’t identify bills, then there’s nothing for the Senate or the House to consider, and it’s just a meaningless act.
Brown says most of the governor’s special sessions this year have been “absolute failures.” A spokesperson from Blagojevich’s office says the governor is not required to specify bills for special sessions.
Pace is nearly $50 million short of the $261 million needed to run its fixed route and paratransit services next year. To make up the difference, transit officials will cut scores of Metra shuttles as well as weekday and weekend routes. They also are planning to drop all service after 7 p.m. and raise all fixed route fares to $2. Most now are now $1.25.
* Gov. Blagojevich’s decision to forge ahead with his health insurance plan despite the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules’ veto of the proposal is drawing some ire. The SJ-R editorial…
So when the bipartisan legislative panel last week voted 9-2 against the governor’s emergency expansion request, only the uninitiated saw it as a gubernatorial stop sign. Blagojevich didn’t even see it as a speed bump. By Friday, we had learned the orders were already issued to expand the program. He says JCAR’s authority of rulemaking is only advisory.
Then why even ask? Why even pretend to play by the rules, governor? Maybe it’s time for Blagojevich to break out the crown and scepter and start ruling as the sovereign he apparently wants to be. The sad thing is Blagojevich’s disdain for working within the system may end up harming the cause to expand health-care coverage. It certainly has hindered progress in many other important areas: pension reform, infrastructure and school-funding reform, to name a few.
Consistency is generally a good thing. But it’s nothing to be proud of when you consistently screw up.
* What everyone in the “big media” has so far failed to point out is that the governor signed into law an expansion of JCAR’s powers during his first term. To now claim that JCAR’s role is purely “advisory” is ridiculously hypocritical. The governor had this to say yesterday…
“Where is it written that a handful of legislators - 12 of them - can tell the executive branch what it’s going to do when it comes to administering the executive branch?” the governor said.
Springfield is awash in speculation that Blagojevich wants to push as many people as possible into the state program and spend as much as possible, even while its legality is in question. That way, the theory goes, the program becomes so entrenched that the legislature would have no alternative but to find money to keep it going.
That would be reckless, particularly in a state that has more than $100 billion in debts and obligations, much of it for pensions and health-care costs. The state’s in a fiscal hole. And the governor is digging faster.
Not mentioned are previous reports that state revenues for the current fiscal year appear to be in decline. We’re in for a much nastier session next year (if you can imagine that) than we had this year unless a peace treaty is signed in blood, and soon.
* And Jim Duffet, who has gone out of his way to push the governor’s plan, had this to say…
“This issue isn’t about Governor Blagojevich. This isn’t about JCAR,’’ said Jim Duffett, executive director of the Campaign for Better Health Care. “The people want action, they want the General Assembly to take action on accessible, affordable health care.’’
If a governor had abused his or her authority to deny health insurance benefits despite a JCAR ruling, I’m sure Duffett would have a far different take on what the “issue” is. We’re supposed to live by our laws. Duffett’s position as an advocate is understandable, but he should remember that Blagojevich won’t be governor forever.
* Illinoize: Med-Mal ruling not a surprise, but it will have impacts
In fact, there has never been a doubt that the Illinois Supreme Court would ultimately rule on the constitutionality of the 2005 law and the fastest – maybe the only – way to get the law to the Supreme Court is through a lower court ruling of unconstitutionality.
So the process is a step closer to conclusion and, frankly, no one is surprised.
The building on the Champaign-Urbana campus will house the computer known as Blue Waters, which will be the fastest computer in the world when it is finished in 2011. The university’s bid to build the computer came with a pledge from Gov. Rod Blagojevich that the state would kick in $60 million.
* ‘Illinois Works’ needed to update automotive technology facilities at SIU campus
Watch for former Gov. Jim Edgar to formally endorse GOP presidential contender Rudy Giuliani today at the Chicago Sheraton Hotel & Towers.
“It’s a major endorsement for a state which doesn’t have a single Republican on the statewide ticket,” said a Republican source. “Gov. Edgar has a reputation for integrity and continues to remain popular with the voters.”
Three major Cook County elected officials declined Monday to endorse board President Todd Stroger’s plan to more than triple the county sales tax as they stood with him at what he hoped would be a show of support for his budget.
Stroger’s 2006 foe, Republican Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica, had filed a complaint asking that Stroger’s fund be fined the full $255,816. But the election board chose the lower fine because the fund is a first-time violator of state campaign-finance laws.
**** 10:56 am *** I’m hearing the governor has told some legislative leaders that he’s planning to call a special session next Wednesday and Thursday. Topics: Transit and capital plan.
A spokesperson for Speaker Madigan said Madigan will have to wait and see what happens “and then we’ll do whatever is appropriate.” The governor is apparently having a Chicago press conference at the moment.
I am calling the General Assembly into special session next Wednesday, November 28, to pass a long-term funding plan for the CTA and RTA. With the holidays and the next transit “doomsday” fast approaching, we cannot afford more delays. Transit riders that use the CTA, Metra and Pace to get to work and school are relying on you. […]
The transit agencies have indicated that a third, more severe “doomsday” is looming in January. The transit unions have said that if there is no funding resolution by the end of the year, their contract will be in jeopardy. We cannot let history repeat itself. There are not funds available for me to once again unilaterally avoid a “doomsday” for mass transit riders in the Chicago area. The General Assembly must take action soon. That is why I am calling you into special session after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving and the opportunity to gather with family and friends.
Sincerely,
Rod R. Blagojevich
Governor
* 11:35 am - The AP has a story up, but there isn’t much in it, so I’ll just give you the link for now. No need for excerpts.
* 12:14 pm - From a press release…
Two well-known administrators, former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar and longtime University of Illinois President Stan Ikenberry will speak on the topic of School Finance on Thursday, Nov. 29 from Noon-1 p.m. at the University of Illinois College of Law, Max L. Rowe Auditorium, 504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
**** 1:08 pm *** The second paragraph of the governor’s statement from above says this, in part…
As I have stated before, I support the concept suggested by House Minority Leader Tom Cross, reflected in legislation sponsored by Rep. Skip Saviano, that would redirect revenue from the existing sales tax on gasoline in Cook and the collar counties to the RTA… The revenue could be replaced by closing corporate loopholes that do not benefit the public.
While he doesn’t come out and say it, the guv seems to imply that Cross favors closing corporate loopholes. Asked if that was the case, Leader Cross’ spokesman said, “The answer is no.”
This has been the single biggest problem with the governor’s “plan.” There is no agreement on how to replace that revenue. Until there is a revenue stream deal, there is no plan. Simple as that.
More from Cross’ spokesman…
“We do not support the idea of corporate loopholes, but could go along with possibly some fund transfers, a mild fare increase and small cuts to overall budget.”
**** 1:38 pm *** The Tribune reports this tidbit from the governor’s press conference…
Blagojevich, without offering details, also said he was considering whether he could fund public transit without legislation.
But this is what he wrote in his letter…
There are not funds available for me to once again unilaterally avoid a “doomsday” for mass transit riders in the Chicago area. The General Assembly must take action soon.
Also from the Tribune…
[Blagojevich] poked at unnamed legislative leaders for claiming that they would offer legislation to solve the crisis, but then not acting.
Chicago Ald. Howard Brookins (21st) is making a blunt claim as he campaigns to become the next Cook County state’s attorney:
African Americans don’t trust county prosecutors, he says.
“Many [prosecutors] have forgotten that they were put in that job to do justice,” Brookins told 30 people at a town hall-style meeting in Markham over the weekend. They’ve “created a culture that has caused a distrust among the entire [African-American] community. . . . People are apprehensive to cooperate with the state’s attorney’s office.”
Brookins’ comments came as he discussed confessions from tortured black suspects two decades ago by former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge’s crew. Though the Burge abuses date back to when Mayor Daley was state’s attorney, distrust of prosecutors has continued under outgoing State’s Attorney Richard Devine, Brookins said.
Brookins added this tidbit…
But the office chooses to prosecute too many small cases as felonies, giving the predominantly African-American offenders felony records that make them unemployable, Brookins said.
“Things that used to be childhood pranks have now become felonies,” Brookins said. “Outside the schools, there used to be a fire and police call box. You pull the thing, and the Fire Department came. Once a year, we pulled it. That is a felony now. Once you have that first felony, you can’t get a job.”
The question: Is Brookins on-point or out of bounds? Explain.
Warning: Racist comments will be deleted and those who post racist comments will be immediately and permanently banned. Also, I have always had a hair-trigger when it comes to racism, both in my public and my private life. So if you think there’s the slightest chance that I might delete and ban you, you’re probably right. Think before you write. If you don’t like this rule, go somewhere else. It’s not debatable.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is moving ahead with a broad expansion of state-subsidized health care even though a legislative oversight panel told him “no” last week.
The governor’s administration has told state social service agencies that health coverage under the FamilyCare program is being expanded, an increase that could reach an estimated 147,000 people. Those state agencies already have begun signing up new participants despite the panel’s rejection of the plan.
Blagojevich’s move is only the latest in testing the extent of his executive authority against a legislature that has shot down his plans to expand health care, citing questions about its affordability.
On Tuesday, the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules turned down the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services’ request for an emergency expansion of the Family Care program. The bipartisan panel of lawmakers was established in 1977 to oversee rules proposed for state programs. Its decisions generally are followed.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich contended Friday, however, that the committee does not have the ability to stop the Family Care expansion.
“JCAR’s role is merely advisory - it does not have the constitutional authority to suspend the regulation,” Abby Ottenhoff said in an e-mail.
She pointed to Gov. Jim Thompson’s amendatory veto of legislation that expanded JCAR’s authority in 1980. Giving the legislative committee the power to determine rules for agencies under the executive branch, Thompson wrote, “would violate the separation and delegation of power provisions of the Illinois Constitution.”
Although the legislature overrode Thompson’s veto, those constitutional concerns still exist, Ottenhoff said.
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that there is a legitimate question as to the authority of the Administration to take this path of action, and a legitimate question as to the authority of JCAR to block it. Common sense and decency (both increasingly dwindling commodities in our state capitol) would dictate that a binding legal determination be had BEFORE any attempts to enroll any new FamilyCare participants.
Failure to do so creates a situation in which patients may seek medical care believing that they have coverage only to later learn that they were mistaken (misled?). Health care providers are similarly jeopardized since they have no way of knowing whether a FamilyCare patient is a legitimate one, or one whose status is uncertain. Ironically, this could well lead to providers refusing to treat qualifying patients due to eligibility questions.
In light of this, for the Administration to proceed without clear authority in this critical arena is a reckless and irresponsible course of action. […]
What next? I can’t say for sure. But I would surmise that there exist at least two questions that are ripe for review. First, does JCAR have the authority to suspend the administrative rule at issue? Second, and tangentially related, does the Administration, through HFS, have the authority to undertake this action or does the expansion amount to an unauthorized attempt to expend unappropriated funds.
Controversy has been raging for several weeks over a proposal promulgated by the Illinois State Police that would set the minimum age of issuance for Illinois Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) cards at 10 years of age. […]
Approval or denial of the proposed regulation is the responsibility of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR). As of the issuance of this press release, only a few days remain in the period during which the public may submit comments to JCAR regarding the proposal. Once the comment period expires, JCAR will consider all comments and will issue a ruling on the proposed age limit some time in the next several months.
Although adoption of such regulations is strictly within the purview of JCAR, an investigation conducted by the ISRA has revealed that Illinois State Police Director Larry Trent unilaterally established a minimum age for FOID applicants and began denying FOID cards to citizens less than 10 years of age as early as May 2007. […]
“Director Trent has taken it upon himself to nullify the authority of JCAR,” commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson. “Last May, he issued a declaration to the FOID division staff that directed the denial of FOID cards to applicants less than 10 years of age. Since that time, the State Police have used this bogus age limit as justification to deny over 200 applications. Of course, Trent’s edict has not stopped the State Police from cashing application fee checks.”
* The Tribune’s restaurant critic has a new piece that makes Detroit’s newest casino look pretty sweet…
Could this be the face of Chicago’s future?
Perhaps. The Illinois General Assembly has yet to grant Chicago a casino license, but the issue is on the front burner. And the MGM Grand Detroit, which opened Oct. 2 to oohs and aahs and a steady stream of gaming-hungry visitors, is precisely the sort of palace that casino advocates envision for Block 37, or any of a handful of other suggested Chicago sites.
Because the MGM Grand Detroit—note the absence of the word “casino” in the official name—is one impressive, $800 million piece of eye candy, loaded with appealing features. A 100,000-square-foot casino floor. An attached 400-room luxury hotel with a 20,000-square-foot spa. Five lounges and bars with tricked-out visual features. And, of course, acres of meeting space.
Most intriguing, at least from my perspective, the complex includes three high-end restaurants by Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina, two critically acclaimed West Coast chefs who have made a lot of money by opening restaurants in casino resorts. (Puck has five restaurants in Las Vegas and one in Atlantic City; Mina four and one, respectively.)
And running Mina’s two MGM Detroit restaurants is executive chef Don Yamauchi, who has spent most of his career cooking in Chicago (Carlos’, Gordon, Le Francais).
When people think of putting a new casino in Chicago, they tend to think of those smallish riverboats that already dot the landscape here. But Detroit shows that a casino can be much more than a dingy gambling hall. It can be a centerpiece.
We reiterate our approval of [House Speaker Michael Madigan’s] insistence that the integrity of Illinois gambling needs to be protected more aggressively. That’s a demand rarely voiced by most of a Springfield crowd that primarily sees gambling as a way for the state to print dollars by the bazillions.
The pluses or minuses of Madigan’s specific agenda will emerge in the final wording. But Illinois gambling thus far has avoided an industry-killing scandal only because of excellent vigilance by understaffed state regulators — and because of some very lucky breaks in uncovering the scandals that already are part of the public record.
Any expansion of Illinois gambling has to mean much more stringent oversight — and much less influence from this state’s pols.
* So who were those “knowledgeable people” whom state Rep. Aaron Schock consulted with on his now abandoned proposal to sell (nonexistent) nuclear missiles to Taiwan to pressure China over Iran? Bernie Schoenburg tried to find out…
“I have listened to knowledgeable people on this issue and they have said I am on the right track with a proposal that has a great chance to diffuse the crisis without military conflict but that I was wrong to include the possibility of selling nuclear arms to Taiwan as a bargaining chip with China,” [Schock claimed in his press release backing down from his proposal].
So I called Schock, a state representative and Peoria Republican, to ask who those advisers were.
There are, he said, “a number of people, both locally, as well as friends I have in Washington, D.C., that have chimed in on it.”
I asked if he was talking to any particular professor or military person.
“Well, they’re not wanting to get involved in the campaign,” he said.
OK, so what about his campaign manager, Steven Shearer, who worked for retiring Congressman Jerry Weller?
“Certainly, as the campaign manager, he has input, as well as other people on my campaign staff,” Schock said.
He said the unnamed “knowledgeable people” also had a part in his announcement speech, presumably including the Taiwan nukes idea.
Here in Peoria — the largest city in the 18th District and the city in which Schock lives — the Journal Star’s coverage of the issue is meager. The PJS’s lead reporter in the 18th District race is Karen McDonald. To date, her byline has appeared above one single article dealing with the controversy, the one in which Schock admitted to a mistake. McDonald attended the announcement in which he detailed Schock’s Taiwan proposal, but her article didn’t even mention it. She did no reporting on the uproar that followed Schoenberg’s column about it and has done no follow up reporting on what has been the single biggest story coming out of the 18th District race so far. She attended a candidate’s forum at which Schock and his two primary foes appeared, and her only mention of the controversy is that no one brought it up.
* And that brings me to my latest syndicated newspaper column, which talks about the influence that political blogs are having on the process here in Illinois…
Political blogs have been getting a bad rap in newspapers for years, but they’re rapidly coming of age and making an impact in campaigns throughout Illinois this year.
* The column goes through the now familiar story of how blogs participated in forcing Schock to back off his wacky idea…
While Schock refused to back down, bloggers kept digging. They found Schock had voted against a bill in the state Legislature to put economic pressure on Iran’s energy business - the driving force behind Iran’s nuclear ambitions - through state pension fund divestment, even though Schock voted for a similar divestment bill for Sudan.
Larry Handlin at ArchPundit.com pointed out Schock’s nuke idea would violate international law. A commenter at my blog noted Schock’s proposal was scarily similar to the Soviet Union’s attempt to put nukes in Cuba (which very nearly triggered a nuclear holocaust).
Billy Dennis, who led the charge on Schock at his Peoria Pundit blog, discovered the Chinese government had helped Schock pay for a trip to that country a few years ago.
It wasn’t until Schock abandoned his goofy proposal that the Peoria paper finally acknowledged almost all of the concerns raised by the bloggers.
* The column then moves on to other races….
Blogs are having a different impact in Congressman Dan Lipinski’s district. Lipinski is a conservative Democrat whose father, former Congressman Bill Lipinski, engineered an unconscionable free ride to Washington, D.C., for his kid, who hadn’t lived in Illinois for years.
Lipinski has strong opposition from Mark Pera in the upcoming Democratic primary. Pera’s cause is being championed by liberal Democratic blogs all over the country, so every local story that trashes Lipinski is put in front of hundreds of thousands of eyeballs that otherwise wouldn’t see them.
As a result, Daily Southtown columnist Kristen McQueary now has a whole lot more fans than she did before the campaign season began. That coverage, in turn, has raised big campaign bucks for Pera when highlighted by the national blogs.
* And more…
Bloggers in Illinois and nationally are expressing interest in Daniel Biss’ campaign for the Illinois House. Biss faces an uphill race in a district represented by popular Republican incumbent state Rep. Beth Coulson, but he’s raising a ton of cash because he has paid so much attention to online media.
Quite a few Chicago bloggers have been aggressively advocating for a financial bailout of the Chicago Transit Authority. Much of their reporting and analysis has been far superior to anything produced by the mainstream Chicago media.
I promised readers of the column a bunch of links to various political blogs mentioned in the story. I’ll post those later this morning, but loyal readers can help out by putting links to their favorite local political blogs in comments.
*** UPDATE *** As promised in my column, here are a few state and local blogs to keep an eye on. My apologies in advance for all those I missed. If yours isn’t here, or your favorite one isn’t listed, do so in comments…
“Certain state job applications, which appeared to be sponsored by individuals on the basis of the applicants’ political affiliation, received special treatment,” begins a passage on the computerized ethics exam, which was taken by a reporter last week with the consent of the state office that administers the program.
The passage is presented as an example of real-life unethical behavior. It doesn’t name names, but it gives extensive details that match previous allegations against Dawn DeFraties and Michael Casey, the Springfield-based state employees whose highly publicized firings later boomeranged on the Blagojevich administration.
* Malpractice caps ruling may send state back to 2005
It’s not that the individual elements of the CNN extravaganza were inherently wrong. For example, debates should take place before a live audience, but one that mostly listens rather than cheers or hoots. I sometimes wondered Thursday night whether there was an applause light cuing the crowd like the audience for a Jay Leno “Tonight Show.” A candidate who commits an egregious faux pas perhaps deserves to be jeered, but surely neither Barack Obama nor John Edwards crossed any red lines in their attacks on Hillary Clinton to warrant the boos they got from what seemed to be a Clinton-admiring audience.
That is revealing of the weakness of these debates as tools for helping voters decide which candidate to support. The TV impresarios are so eager for headlines they rarely pause to ask the candidates for evidence to support their opinions or assertions. It is bang-bang, but rarely because-and-here’s-proof.
Rush, who started working as an assistant supervisor in May 2003, was placed on paid administrative leave June 22 while authorities conducted an internal investigation, according to IDOC spokesman Derek Schnapp.
“He was put on leave promptly when the department got information about potential problems,” Schnapp said. “The findings were referred to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.” […]
Bobby Rush, a Democratic congressman representing Chicago’s South Side and southwest suburbs, recommended state officials hire his son in 2003, Abby Ottenhoff, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich, has said.
* McQueary: Can’t make house payments? March with Jackson
“There is a lot of misinformation about the bill, and it’s always about the interests of the mortgage brokers. No one raises the issue of people going into bankruptcy,” Collins said. “I got a lot of push-back.”
Through four months of arduous negotiations, she heard nothing from Jackson.
“Not once has he mentioned the legislation,” she said. “He’s had these programs at PUSH, and not once has he given me credit or mentioned Senate Bill 1167. I wasn’t even invited to the big rally on Wall Street.”
And yet Collins has been the chief negotiator on legislation Jackson took a significant interest in revamping. She could have used his muscle when faced with the slick mortgage industry’s lobbying tactics in Springfield. Instead, he is organizing a march in New York. That’s good for the cameras, but what about actual policy?
