* 11:00 am - The House just posted the first of its two hearings on the Senate-approved gaming bill. It’ll be held on Oct. 17th at 10:00 o’clock in the Thompson Center. [Hat tip to a subscriber in comments.]
* 11:03 am - You may have noticed that Bernie mentioned this site in his Sunday column…
Then there’s a flier, recently posted on www.thecapitolfaxblog.com, that accuses Madigan and President Bush of being “weapons of mass destruction” and says both are guilty of “failed leadership.”
“Madigan is an old style plantation political boss,” that flier says.
Brown said he believes the flier was distributed during budget battles this year at some South Side churches in Chicago and one in Decatur, where churchgoers are primarily black. Brown believes Blagojevich is behind the distribution. He called it “typical low-class crap you see from Blagojevich and his camp.”
REBECCA RAUSCH, spokeswoman for Blagojevich, didn’t immediately respond.
Here’s the flier, which was originally posted in the subscriber-only section. Click either pic for the full copy in pdf format…
* 11:40 am - The governor took some big whacks at Speaker Madigan on WBBM’s At Issue program over the weekend. Head to 780’s site to listen or just do so below…
[audio:blagoatissue9_30_08.mp3]
*** 11:48 am *** The House is scheduled to convene at noon today and then after the preliminaries they’ll open the Committee of the Whole to discuss the governor’s vetoes. I’ll be at the Statehouse and likely won’t blog much about it unless something big happens (and I’m paying attention - there’s more news I need to gather), so I’m asking readers to please live-blog the hearing in comments.
* First, the setup, from a guest column in the SJ-R…
President Bush should pardon Ryan not because he is innocent, but because he became ensnared in the same archaic “cigar smoke” politics that pervaded the first 200 years of our nation’s history. And Judge Michael Kanne of the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld his conviction wrote in his Aug. 21 opinion that, “The basis for my dissent lies not in the exceedingly drawn out evidentiary phase of this trial, but in the dysfunctional jury deliberations,” suggesting that he is as concerned about justice being served as the underlying evidence.
Kanne said, “My colleagues in the majority concede that the trial of this case may not have been picture perfect — a whopping understatement by any measure.” Have we been too hasty to imprison a former governor whose day in court was as corrupt as he is? Perhaps we should take a more crucial look at Kanne’s dissent. How would we feel if a jury deciding our fate consisted of people who were not sequestered from the media, where the public’s outcry of “Hang the bum!” appeared on every television screen and newspaper?
Would we not demand a mistrial if jurors were under investigation for lying to the court, hiring their own lawyers to keep from being prosecuted, and who were granted immunity by the U.S. attorney to prevent the case from being thrown out altogether? How in the name of jurisprudence can we ignore a situation where a juror took information into the jury room that they found on the Internet to use against a defendant that was not part of the trial testimony?
Some people believe that Ryan’s prosecution was little more than a vindictive reprisal by the U.S. government and Illinois officials for his January 2003 executive clemency order that spared the lives of 167 death row inmates just before he left office. While this may be a stretch, it is something to consider when weighing the principles of criminal law against the application of its intent.
Given the bizarre culture of Illinois politics, the improprieties that plagued Ryan’s trial, his advancing age and unlikelihood for recidivism, a presidential pardon would be in the interest of the federal justice system and the people of Illinois.
* Question: Do you agree that President Bush ought to pardon George Ryan? Why or why not?
Fans will be celebrating the National League Central champion Chicago Cubs at a noontime rally in downtown Daley Center Plaza today. […]
The Cubs’ first playoff series begins Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.
* The Cubs would be in third place in every other division except the NL West, where they’d be in fourth place. Yet, Mayor Daley is cynically jumping on the bandwagon…
Like the sun setting over the lake or ketchup garnishing a hot dog, there are some things you just don’t expect to see in Chicago.
But there was Mayor Daley on Saturday, wearing a Cubs hat.
* From an e-mail I received the other day…
Where’s the Cubs coverage? I remember back in 2005 you had Friday blogs for months about the Sox. I want equal time. I want the Cubs up front and center. Get on it.
“I don’t want to abolish” government, he once said. “I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”
* There’s no beating around the bush with this guy. He’ll tell you exactly what he intends to do. Norquist was in Springfield recently for a reception…
Norquist says conservatives must starve liberals of tax revenue, thereby turning them into “competing parasites” that will cannibalize each other — and, ultimately, the government.
* I’m not sure that message resonates very well in Illinois. After all, the Senate Republican leader just signed off on a multi-billion dollar gaming expansion plan that will pay for massive infrastructure redevelopment as well as provide at least a half billion dollars for schools and transit.
Senate Republicans could have plenty of road, airport and college construction projects to bring home to their districts this fall - all backed by written promises from the governor.
Republicans last week provided the crucial support needed to pass a $13 billion state construction plan out of the Senate only after getting signed agreements from Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s office.
There apparently are enough House votes to approve the override motion.
* Quite a few state facilities are in Republican districts - the result of decades of GOP rule. As a result, Republicans often find themselves in the position of fighting for more state spending.
Illinois likes its social programs and its pork, so Norquististas are few and far between in the General Assembly in either party.
* Plus, the Democratic governor is against tax hikes “on people.” Instead, he is always on the lookout for other revenue sources and ways to game the system to produce more dollars for his government expansion…
[The budget director for Republican governor Jim Edgar and George Ryan, Steve Schnorf] said he had to give the Blagojevich administration credit. During the transition, he said, “I said to him (Blagojevich) and to (then-budget chief) JOHN FILAN … ‘You guys can’t get through four years without a tax increase, it just can’t be done.’ And he said, ‘We think it can.’ And he absolutely proved that it could be. They’ve gotten through five years now without any increase in our two significant statewide taxes.”
* More stories…
* Editorial: House has a place to start - “Among the more than $400 million in cuts Blagojevich made to the state budget in order to find funding for his own health-care initiatives was a $100,000 cut to the HeartSavers AED Trust Fund. That trust fund was set up to provide 50 percent matches to units of local governments in order to purchase lifesaving automated external defibrillators.”
* Sun-Times Editorial: State leaders need to lose egos and work together to solve problems
* Cook County politics appears to be as dysfunctional as its statewide cousin…
A Latino commissioner angrily charged Friday that Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s office and allies are threatening to crack down on illegal immigrants unless the commissioner votes for a 2 percent sales tax increase.
Commissioner Roberto Maldonado says the not-so-thinly veiled threats came to a head during a Friday breakfast meeting with Stroger chief of staff Lance Tyson.
Just three months after the County Board voted to declare the county a “sanctuary” for immigrants, Stroger ally Commissioner William Beavers is introducing a measure Tuesday to temporarily revoke that status and allow the county to study its “fiscal impact.”
* Maldonado is the crucial swing vote who will make or break Stroger’s tax hike, so the county board president is now trying to distance himself from his political godfather’s idea…
In a Sun-Times story Sunday, Maldonado said he would not back any Stroger tax plans unless Commissioner William Beavers withdraws a proposal to revoke temporarily Cook County’s status as a sanctuary for illegal immigrants while a financial impact study is conducted. Stroger distanced himself from Beavers’ proposal Sunday, saying he did not support it.
* Meanwhile, Gov. Blagojevich couldn’t stop himself from jumping into the fray. Stroger has said the tax hike could help him save the county’s health care system…
But in an appearance Sunday on WMAQ-Channel 5’s “City Desk,” Gov. Blagojevich came out swinging against a sales tax hike, saying “it’s wrong” and “disproportionally hurts low-income and working-class families.”
“We are trying to pass access to health care for everybody that would ease the Cook County health care budget by $300 million,” the governor said.
* The insanity continues. Not all county commissioners cut their budget as required…
While most made sacrifices by cutting thousands of dollars from their office budgets, laying off employees or taking furlough days, Commissioner Earlean Collins hardly cut anything at all from her budget.
“No, I didn’t cut 17 percent,” she said. “I had my reasons. But I’m not getting into that with you.”
Collins recently said it’s necessary for her to retain her own attorney, providing legal advice, because she doesn’t always trust advice from the state’s attorney, who is the board’s attorney.
* Prepare for clout drought with departures in Congress
Organized lobbying efforts that bring together elected officials and business leaders - such as the “One Voice” project coordinated by the Economic Development Council of the Bloomington-Normal area - will take on added importance when the seniority of those congressmen is lost.
Johnson, LaHood and Weller have done a fairly good job of funneling money to this area for its roads, universities, airport and projects such as the planned transportation center in uptown Normal.
But even with its clout, Illinois generally has sent more money to Washington, D.C., than it has received.
* John Hilkevitch: State to hold talks on expanding roadway to O’Hare
I don’t know if you remember me telling you this or not, but the Daily Southtown has been running excerpts from the comments here in the paper. Lately, they’ve been putting those excerpts online. Go check it out. You’re famous.
It was a short, but productive week. Had a couple of good scoops in the subscriber-only Capitol Fax and we had a lot of interesting comments here. Have a great weekend, and don’t forget about Illinoize. It’s a great place to visit…
And for your video enjoyment, Hesitation Blues by Hot Tuna…
This could be a fun debate here. Let’s consider it our second question of the day. From a press release…
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich’s top transportation officials were joined today by traffic safety and law enforcement advocates in urging legislators to sustain the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 540, which would have raised the speed limit for trucks in Illinois to 65 miles per hour. The Governor has fought to keep the 55 mph speed limit in place for trucks on Illinois highways for the safety of everyone who travels our roads. During Gov. Blagojevich’s administration fatalities on state roads have dropped by 200 a year, the lowest levels since 1924.
“Raising the speed limit for trucks means more people will die in accidents. It takes a large truck traveling 65 miles per hour 40 percent longer to stop than a truck traveling 55 miles per hour. And that same truck traveling 65 miles per hour has an impact that is 40 percent more destructive than a truck at 55 miles per hour. That’s why I urge the Legislature to sustain my veto of SB 540.” […]
According to AAA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), when tractor-trailer trucks travel at speed rates of 55 mph or higher, it significantly increases the likelihood the truck will either jackknife or rollover. The vast majority of persons killed in crashes involving trucks are occupants of passenger vehicles, not trucks. […]
In 1996, the year after Missouri increased the speed limit for trucks, it recorded 70 more fatalities caused by large trucks, increasing from 97 to 167. If Illinois had a corresponding 72 percent increase as Missouri did, that could translate to 114 more fatalities in one year.
How do you feel about this one?
* Also, as an aside, that line about how traffic fatalities are at their lowest levels since 1924 is something that’s always fascinated me. Check this out from 1999…
Six times as many people drive today as in 1925, and the number of motor vehicles in the country has increased 11-fold since then to approximately 215 million. The number of miles traveled in motor vehicles is 10 times higher than in the mid-1920s. Despite this steep increase in motor-vehicle travel, the annual death rate has declined from 18 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 1925 to 1.7 per 100 million VMT in 1997 - a 90% decrease.
Amazing, eh?
* Here are some more Illinois stats, taken from the guv’s press release…
There were 1,454 total fatalities in 2003 and by 2006 the number of fatalities in Illinois was down to 1,254, the lowest number of fatalities since 1924, when there were 1,065.
* It appears that Gov. Blagojevich has found a new way to spin his budget vetoes. If you oppose him then you’re against breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment for hundreds of thousands of women. But, in the end, as you’ll see, it’s a bunch of empty rhetoric based on a hugely inflated promise.
Gov. Blagojevich on Thursday announced plans to provide free mammograms and breast cancer treatments to all uninsured women over age 40. The state also will offer free pelvic exams and Pap tests to uninsured women over age 35, and pay for cervical cancer treatments.
“I dare the state Legislature to take this one away,” Blagojevich said.
“…I still have the spending authority as the governor and whether they’re there or not, I simply choose to spend the money on mammograms for women instead of pork barrel projects for legislators.”
“If they’re not going to give us a budget that provides enough money for the important priorities, then you have to make decisions on what’s more important, and I defy any of the men and women of the general assembly to tell me that there’s a more important priority in providing women a chance to get mammograms,” the governor said.
The governor told a reporter the women of Illinois should thank state Rep. Tom Holbrook, D-Belleville, and state Rep. Dan Beiser, D-Alton, for indirectly providing the funds to expand the cancer screening program.
“I vetoed their pork barrel projects to pay for this,” Blagojevich said.
Blagojevich said expanding the women’s cancer screening program could cost about $50 million. His spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said that would be the total cost of the program if all eligible women get screened and treated.
* And even that’s misleading, as the Tribune points out…
…Blagojevich said up to 260,000 more women will be covered by expanding the existing Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. But spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said the state expects about 5,000 of those 260,000 women to get screenings in the next year, with about 50 needing treatment.
* So, once again we have a huge splash, but little benefit. And there’s more…
It was unclear Thursday how the program, which at full capacity would cost about $50 million a year, will be funded. Blagojevich said it would be paid for by his recent cuts of so-called “pork” from the state budget, while Ottenhoff said the program would be supported primarily through an additional $1.75 million set aside in the budget for public health.
Incredibly enough, the spin appears to be completely false. Imagine that.
* Recently, a couple of Tribune reporters have wondered aloud about Mayor Daley’s almost complete silence on the mass transit issue and the property tax assessment caps debate.
My column in today’s Sun-Times attempts to answer those questions and more. The bottom line for Daley, his raison d’être, if you will, is his quest for the Olympic games…
Politicians love it when a fellow politician wants something really big. They’re called ‘’pigeons'’ because they’re ripe for the plucking.
Mayor Daley is now a pigeon.
Daley’s overriding lust to land the Olympic Games has put him at an extreme disadvantage in dealing with Gov. Blagojevich, who is playing the mayor for all he’s worth.
Several months ago, Daley used both barrels to blast Blagojevich’s proposed gross receipts tax on business, saying if the tax were enacted we could all wave goodbye to businesses as they moved out of state. The two men went out to dinner not long afterward, and Daley subsequently toned his comments way down.
What happened?
I’m told on high authority that Blagojevich laid it out for Daley. The mayor needs strong support from the state to convince the Olympics committee that Chicago is a viable siting option. The governor knows the same thing and told him so. The implication was clear: ‘’Mess with me and I mess with you.'’
Anyone who has watched this governor for any length of time understands that Blagojevich is just crazy enough to go all populist on the Olympics and announce that the cost is not worth the benefits.
So, despite the occasional mumbles and grumbles about the lack of comity in Springfield, Daley has done his best to stay mum.
* Part of my analysis has to do with Daley’s weakened political organization. There are a couple of articles today that provide more info on that…
* Sun-Times: Shakman monitor objects to Daley-run hiring office -Federal Watchdog cites ‘history of noncompliance’
* Tribune: Nobody in Mayor Richard Daley’s administration can be trusted to keep city hiring free from politics except the inspector general, a court-appointed official has concluded.
Retiring Republican Jerry Weller’s seat is listed as “No Clear Favorite,” which seems to be a growing consensus these days. Perennial targeted Democrat Melissa Bean’s district is listed as “Leans Democratic.”
CQ has Mark Kirk’s seat and retiring GOP Congressman Denny Hastert’s district as “Leans Republican.” Two districts are ranked as “Republican Favored,” including freshman Peter Roskam and retiring Congressman Ray LaHood’s seat.
* Bob Novak, who has claimed that Weller’s district leans toward a Democratic takeover, has a different take on LaHood’s seat. While Novak eventually concludes that the outlook leans towards a Republican retention, he also says it’s nearly a tossup because of a celebrity Democratic candidate…
Illinois-18: The entrance of former basketball coach Dick Versace (D) brings to a near tossup the race for the Peoria-based seat left open by the retirement Rep. Ray LaHood (R).
Versace was the head basketball coach in the 1980s at Bradley University in Peoria, the golden era of the program. He later coached the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, worked as an on-air commentator and served as the head coach of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. The other Democrat in the rate is retired Navy Captain Chuck Giger (D).
The Republican field features 26-year-old State Rep. Aaron Schock (R), Peoria businessman Jim McConoughey (R) and former Peoria City Councilman John Morris (R). Rep. LaHood’s son, Darin LaHood (R), took a pass and is instead challenging the incumbent state’s attorney.
Versace’s wide name recognition combines with a likely strong Democratic year in Illinois to wipe out the generic advantage a Republican has in this district, which Bush won by 5.5 points in 2004 and which has been in Republican hands for 70 years (including former Minority Leader Bob Michel). Versace has media experience, but as a political rookie, possibly facing more seasoned (although much younger) opponents, he faces many likely pitfalls. This one could swing the other way if Versace proves to be a strong candidate, but right now it is still tilting towards the Republicans. Leaning Republican Retention.
Burke gets a lot of legislative ideas from New York City, and the crackdown he introduced at Thursday’s City Council meeting was no exception. The Big Apple has launched its own crackdown against “illegal hotel conversions” after residents complained.
Burke’s ordinance would require short-term renters to buy $400-a-year city licenses and secure $300,000 worth of general liability insurance. Violators would face fines as high as $100 a day.
Conservative commentator Robert Novak said Thursday that his Washington colleagues were stunned to learn that a University of Illinois alumni group was setting up an organization to encourage and finance conservative studies on campus.
They asked, “Capitalism and limited government at a public university? How can that be?” Novak, an Illinois graduate, told about 250 people gathered for the launch of the Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government Fund.
Some U of I faculty members fear that the group’s plans to raise money to pay for classes and research on free-market capitalism and limited government would create an undue conservative political influence on campus. They also complain that the new group was formed without faculty input.
Mayor Daley is now a pigeon.
I’m told on high authority that Blagojevich laid it out for Daley. The mayor needs strong support from the state to convince the Olympics committee that Chicago is a viable siting option. The governor knows the same thing and told him so. The implication was clear: ‘’Mess with me and I mess with you.'’
