I’ve been thinking of using this story about Springfield’s weird gnat problem in a clever little Statehouse analogy…
“Gnats suspected in chicken deaths ”
Buffalo gnats, which are members of the black fly family, have become special pests this spring in central Illinois. Nearly anyone who has spent much time outside over the last week or so has been harassed by the gnats, and some people suffer painful welts because of their bites.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the gnats have a substance in their saliva that can trigger an allergic reaction in people, other mammals and birds. The gnats feed on blood and inject their saliva into host animals while feeding.
Agriculture officials do not know how the gnats are killing chickens, but they suspect the immediate problem could be an allergic reaction, blood loss or even suffocation because the gnats clog the chickens’ breathing passages.
Dr. Colleen O’Keefe, a veterinarian with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, said people with chickens or other birds should get the animals into some type of screened area.
“We did a little research, and it appears the gnats don’t do well in the dark. So, if possible, you should get them in a darkened barns and put some fans on them,” O’Keefe said.
“Buffalo gnats will land anywhere they can find skin on which to suck blood. Essentially that is all the females want; blood. They will seek this from any mammal they can find and people will often times be their prime target.â€
The Web site goes on to explain that swatting at the little pests is not all that effective. […]
But the true solution to the vampire gnat problem is - no, not garlic or teensy-weensy little wooden stakes - but warmer temperatures. As the water they grow in warms up, we are told the gnats will begin to vanish.
Help me write my next newspaper column. Best suggestion(s) wins lunch on me at a restaurant of my choice. (I promise it’ll be a decent place.)
The Tribune has a couple of stories today on Barack Obama’s time in the Illinois Senate. One of them, which required the combined efforts of four Trib reporters, breaks almost no new ground. Poker playing buddies, cautious nature, fights with Rickey Hendon and Donne Trotter, blah, blah, blah.
The other looks at pork projects that Obama doled out. Some of it is new info, some of it isn’t.
During his nearly eight years in Springfield, he tucked special earmarks into massive budget bills to shower small bequests on inner city schools, parks and youth service agencies.
But some of the larger grants Obama sponsored were tied to political allies and show how difficult it is even for politicians advocating reform to avoid the appearance of favoritism as they dole out taxpayer funds. Several non-profit directors, for instance, gave money to Obama’s campaigns soon after their allotments were awarded. […]
“It happens that there were major supporters in my district who had been supporters before they got member initiatives,” Obama said, noting that some of his contributors had been his allies for years.
One of those long-time supporters was Rev. Michael Pfleger, the politically active leader of St. Sabina Church. He gave Obama’s campaign $1,500 between 1995 and 2001, including $200 in April 2001, about three months after Obama announced $225,000 in grants to St. Sabina programs.
Also, the Tribune has set up a new web-page devoted to all things Obama. And they have another story today about the Obama campaign’s fight with a would-be disgruntled MySpace entrepreneur.
This is a Barack Obama open thread. How do you think his campaign is going so far?
Calling abstinence-only education a failed experiment, a spokesman for family planning and health groups urged the adoption of more comprehensive sex education programs in Illinois.
“Public spending for education is at a premium, and it is important that we spend every dollar wisely,” said Jonathan Stacks, campaign manager of the Illinois Campaign for Responsible Sex Education, which is backed by Planned Parenthood of Illinois and the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health. “Abstinence-only programs have no impact on student’s age at first intercourse, number of sexual partners and condom usage.”
Planned Parenthood is trying to strike from Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposed budget a $1.2 million grant that would go to an organization that produces sex education programs for Illinois schools — programs critics allege are ineffective because they teach abstinence-only.
A recent study found that students who participated in abstinence lessons were just as likely to have sex as those who did not. Mathematica Policy Research Inc. did the study. The same report said both groups started having intercourse around the same time and ended up having around the same number of sexual partners.
Each year, the federal government spends about $176 million on abstinence education. Illinois accepts some of this money and has no intention of discontinuing the state-sponsored abstinence programs, said Tom Green, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Human Services.
However…
Supporters of abstinence-only programs argue that alternatives fill students with falsehoods that won’t stand up against sexually transmitted diseases or unplanned parenthood.
“The whole idea behind safer sex is a lie. You’re teaching children that it’s OK to — wink, wink — engage in dangerous behavior,†said David Smith, director of the Illinois Family Institute. “It doesn’t make sense to remove funding for something that has shown to be promising, hopeful and works. Abstinence is 100 percent foolproof.â€
Finally, somebody else tackles the issue of the Illinois Press Association’s unusually strident opposition to the governor’s gross receipts tax and its impact on press coverage…
(T)he IPA’s position has been troubling for reporters, including myself, and potentially calls into question whether newspapers are covering the governor’s proposal fairly. […]
And then [the IPA press release] adds this: “Consequently, the IPA board is encouraging member newspapers to write news stories that focus on ‘the community or local impact of GRT.’”
That sure sounds to me, and many others, like the IPA was trying to direct news coverage.
The problem with that is that straightforward newspaper reporting that points out real problems with the governor’s proposal could be called into question if the governor or anyone else thinks a corporate agenda, not just the facts, are behind that coverage.
That’s exactly right. The IPA, in its zeal to oppose this tax increase, has seriously undermined the work of every reporter who works on the GRT story.
* Meanwhile, the State Journal-Register called for a compromise today…
Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s gross-receipts tax - he prefers calling it the tax fairness plan - has been sitting for a long time now on the legislative launching pad.
After House Speaker Michael Madigan’s announcement on Wednesday, we suspect this tax rocket is likely to fizzle. Madigan is calling for a special meeting of his chamber as a “committee of the whole†to discuss Blagojevich’s plan that seeks to tax business transactions for all firms doing $2 million or more in annual commerce. The plan would garner $7.6 billion, most of which would go to education and health care.
Blagojevich’s plan may not be dead, but its pulse is hard to find at this point. On Wednesday, 61 House members signed a resolution opposing the tax. That’s not a good legislative start to say the least. Blagojevich so far seems to have taken an “it’s my way or the highway†approach†to the GRT.
We suspect Madigan’s call for the full House meeting next week is sending a strong message that the governor needs to consider compromise. We hope he gets the message.
* The Daily Herald had some comments from Speaker Madigan in its story today…
I said that I think we’re going to need a tax increase, and that’s as far as I’m going to go,†Madigan told reporters Tuesday after speaking to a gathering of business owners.
“I don’t think that any tax increase is popular. If I walk my block in Chicago, people don’t say to me, ‘Oh, Mr. Speaker, please raise the tax.’ They don’t come out of their house and say, ‘Would you please raise the tax,’†Madigan said. “Just the idea that you are prepared to raise a tax or impose a tax is not an easy thing to do.â€
Emil Jones says he didn’t know about his stepson’s contract with ComEd’s parent company, but if his credibility on the utility rate freeze issue was already in serious question because of personal friendships with utility execs and bigtime campaign contributions, it’s now teetering on the verge of extinction…
At the same time Senate President Emil Jones went to unusual lengths to block a Commonwealth Edison rate freeze, his stepson’s computer-consulting firm was on the payroll of the utility’s corporate parent. […]
The disclosure set off questions about why Jones did not publicly disclose his familial ties to the utility, and prompted a call from Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn for Jones to “abstain” from any further negotiations or votes on rate-freeze legislation this spring.
Sen Gary Forby, whose amendment adding ComEd to his Ameren rate rollback and freeze bill was killed by Jones, voiced his suspicions to the Sun-Times…
“I think my people would probably not like this and maybe think that’s one of the reasons President Jones done this to me,” Forby said.
A companion article reports that Jones’ stepson also is doing very well with a college that has received a ton of pork money from the Senate President…
A firm headed by the stepson of Illinois Senate President Emil Jones stands to be paid up to $45 million from a no-bid tech deal it recently won from the City Colleges of Chicago.
The contract, awarded three weeks ago, comes on top of $55 million that John Sterling’s company, Synch-Solutions, already has been paid by the college system since 1999. […]
Jones in the past has controlled state grant money to City Colleges. In 2002, he steered at least $4.5 million to the colleges for computer upgrades at the same time his stepson’s information technology firm was winning no-bid contracts from City Colleges trustees. […]
“John Sterling is a successful businessman who worked for major companies doing technology before starting [Synch-Solutions],” Jones said in a statement Wednesday. “I have never interfered in his business, and he has never sought my counsel or advice in reference to securing business.”
And a sidebar reminds readers of other recent revelations about the Joneses…
Lorrie Jones: The Senate president’s wife, a psychologist, has seen her state salary increase from $116,460 to $186,000 under Gov. Blagojevich, who in 2005 promoted her to head the Department of Human Services’ mental health division. The Blagojevich administration rescinded its rule that the state’s mental health chief be a medical doctor just before Lorrie Jones got the job.
Emil Jones III: Jones’ son, hired April 3 as manager of real estate development for the Blagojevich administration’s Commerce Department. Earns $57,360 in his new post — a 7 percent increase over his previous state job, which he held from 1999 to November 2006.
* Opinion: State needs to direct funds toward mental health
Last year, a National Alliance for the Mentally Ill report graded Illinois’ health care system for serious mental illness an F. If the state is to improve its position, it needs to spend existing unspent money.
* Economist: State will lose money from smoking ban
Patrick Fleenor, chief economist at the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based educational group, said the state won’t save money and will most certainly lose it if fewer people buy cigarettes.
The best thing that happened to mass transit riders this year was an Illinois auditor general’s report that showed both sides are right: The CTA is underfunded and mismanaged. Maybe now they can stop arguing about whose fault it is and fix it.
* Lynn Sweet: Obama’s Illinois workers trained to help campaign elsewhere
* Over 400 city employees top $10,000 in overtime pay in 3 months
“It was a pretty normal winter. No huge snowstorm. No disaster natural or man-made. . . . It looks like purely political motivation to help out the mayor and his allies on the City Council,” said Ald. Joe Moore (49th), who eked out a victory over Daley’s opposition.
Just a quick note to tell you that my new web hosting service will hopefully begin operation tomorrow, but we may need to work out some bugs over the weekend. Either way, things will start to change for the better around here very soon.
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Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Speaker Madigan just announced that the House will hold a Committee of the Whole meeting next Wednesday to discuss the GRT.
Paul just got back from today’s school funding rally. He said he didn’t think that organizers met their goal of 6,000 participants. We’ll upload pics soon, and perhaps some audio.
Meanwhile, I’ve been keeping half an eye on this anti-GRT resolution, which appears to be gaining steam…
While the rally was going on outside the State Capitol, some lawmakers inside the building continued their opposition to the GRT. A majority of the Illinois House of Representatives — every Republican legislator and nine Democrats — have signed on to a GOP-sponsored resolution opposing Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s gross receipts tax proposal.
“Bipartisan support outside of this chamber and in this chamber shows that (the) gross receipts tax is DOA,” said House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, who introduced the resolution. “I think we’ve sent a strong message to the governor.”
“There is a loud and clear message now that the governor has to hear — that the GRT proposal is unacceptable,” said Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock. “He now knows that it will not pass in the House of Representatives.”
We’re coming a little late to the game, but the state’s tourism bureau held an Internet voting contest in March to determine the official “Seven Wonders of Illinois.” The bureau announced the results the other day…
* Wrigley Field, Chicago - One of baseball’s oldest and most beloved stadiums in the nation is best known for its charming ivy-covered walls and its die-hard Chicago Cubs fans.
* Baha’i House of Worship, Wilmette (Chicagoland) - One of only seven Baha’i temples in the world, the Baha’i House is an architectural marvel featuring a nine-sided dome surrounded by beautiful fountains and gardens.
* Starved Rock State Park, Utica (Northern) - Offering visitors a destination rich in history and natural beauty with lush forests, Starved Rock State Park features 18 magnificent canyons, spectacular ancient rock formations and numerous sparkling waterfalls in a breathtaking setting along the Illinois River.
* Allerton Park and Retreat Center, Monticello (Central) - This National Natural Landmark invites guests to explore a sprawling 1,500-acre estate with picturesque gardens, unique sculptures, winding trails, nature areas and a stunning mansion.
* Black Hawk State Historic Site, Rock Island (Western) - This historic site pays homage to the Sauk and Mesquakie (Fox) Indian tribes who occupied the area as far back as 12,000 years ago. The site features a tree-lined park with walking paths along the scenic Rock River.
* Rend Lake, Benton (Southern) - Rend Lake is the state’s second largest reservoir, and one of the premier vacation spots in Illinois offering travelers boating, water skiing, swimming, shopping, nature trails, golf, fishing and hunting.
* Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway, Alton (Southwest) - The 33-mile stretch of highway where the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers meet to flow to the ocean, offers onlookers majestic views, natural wildlife, river attractions and quaint villages.
Question: What do you think of this list? What, in your opinion, should be on it instead?
In yesterday’s Capitol Fax, I complained that the press was ignoring two recent court cases that may very well impact the US Attorney’s ongoing corruption investigations and appeals of past convictions.
One of the cases involved a woman named Georgia Thompson, who was in charge of finding a new travel agent for Wisconsin’s state government. The 7th Circuit (which also covers the Chicago area) ordered Thompson’s release, declared her “innocent” and issued a scathing opinion about how she had been railroaded.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but oral briefs were scheduled yesterday in the 7th Circuit appeals case of Mayor Daley’s former patronage chief Robert Sorich and three co-defendants. The Thompson case came up during arguments and the Tribune and Sun-Times both have pretty decent stories today about the back-and-forth between the two sides.
A new federal court case — decided less than two weeks ago — shows that public officials who dole out jobs based on political clout are not guilty of a crime unless they also take bribes or kickbacks, lawyers for former top aides to Mayor Richard Daley argued before an appeals court Tuesday.
Lawyers for former Daley patronage chief Robert Sorich seized on the recent case out of Wisconsin as they fought to overturn their clients’ convictions last year for rigging hiring and promotions at City Hall.
In exchange for their alleged roles in the scheme, Sorich and others may have enjoyed promotions, pay raises or added job security, said John Cline, Sorich’s attorney.
But the new case “says pretty categorically that that type of gain doesn’t count,” said Cline, arguing to a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago
Charges against Sorich shouldn’t hold up because, like Thompson, Sorich didn’t get kickbacks or gain personally through the scheme, his lawyer, John Cline, argued. “But in the Thompson case, a lot of the behavior she engaged in could be considered innocent,” Judge Ann Claire Williams said. “Here we have a situation where a patronage scheme involved lies, false entries and cover up.”
Slattery lawyer Patrick Blegen said similar allegations were lodged against Thompson, including rigging test scores and basing decisions on “political non-merit reasons.”
“That’s essentially the same allegations they made against Mr. Slattery,” Blegen said.
But [Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Miller] drew distinctions between Sorich and Thompson. He said she didn’t necessarily know the governor benefited from her actions. Meanwhile: “Here, there was overwhelming evidence that these defendants intended to commit fraud and to divert resources for political purposes and other purposes for other beneficiaries,” he said.
* Here are some quotes from the surprisingly strong Thompson appellate decision that I told subscribers about yesterday…
* “The idea that it is a federal crime for any official in state or local government to take account of political considerations when deciding how to spend public money is preposterous.”
* “An error - even a deliberate one, in which the employee winks at the rules in order to help out someone he believes deserving but barely over the eligibility threshold - is a civil rather than a criminal transgression.”
* “But these [previous court] decisions do not say that the Constitution forbids all politically motivated contracting practices.”
* “Once again that approach has the potential to turn violations of state rules into federal crimes.”
* “Treating an incorrect application of state procurement law as a ‘misuse of office’ and [an employee pay] raise as a ‘private gain’ would land us back in the soup - once again, simple violations of administrative rules would become crimes.”
* You can read the Thompson decision here [.pdf file]. Another case almost completely ignored by the media - and Patrick Fitzgerald first real setback in Illinois - was the complete dismissal of all charges against Nick Hurtgen. That decision is here. Fitzgerald’s motion to reconsider is here. The original criminal complaint against Sorich is here.
Eric Krol does a pretty good job today of summing up the problems facing the governor’s gross receipts tax as the session clock ticks away…
To see what a rough road Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s business-tax-for-health-care plan faces, look no further than Tuesday’s pep rally with the AARP.
The nation’s largest senior advocacy group endorsed the governor’s proposal to help provide a majority of the state’s 1.5 million uninsured obtain coverage. But AARP officials declined to back Blagojevich’s gross receipts tax on businesses that would pay for the massive health-care expansion.
[Emphasis added]
And then there’s this…
Even over in the Senate, where President Emil Jones Jr. remains a staunch ally, the closed-door talks have yet to begin in earnest. State Sen. Donne Trotter, a Chicago Democrat and Jones’ lead budget negotiator, said he’s not been involved in any talks about the governor’s tax or health care plans.
“I don’t have a clue,†he said.
Yesterday, Krol put up this post on his paper’s bloggy-type thingy, Animal Farm…
Blagojevich was asked if House Speaker Michael J. Madigan is talking to him about the gross receipts tax and how the meetings went. Blagojevich responded that he doesn’t think it’s appropriate to provide the details of private discussions with Madigan…
Perhaps one reason the governor didn’t want to give up any details about talks with Madigan is that no meetings have actually taken place. That’s what Madigan spokesman Steve Brown told my colleague John Patterson this morning.
This made me laugh…
At one point, Blagojevich asked for a clarification as to whether it was April or May.
Oy.
Meanwhile, Carol Marin makes a prediction about the final deal that is as valid as anything else out there right now…
Maybe a cobbled-together tax proposal that raises the threshold on the GRT from $2 million to $20 million in taxable gross revenue coupled with a little bit of everything else, small increases in the sales and/or income tax plus property tax relief, tossing in for good measure, more new gambling positions and a few new casino licenses.
But not before everybody gets a little pork. It won’t be pretty. Nobody will be happy.
And count on it, it will only delay, not avert our current crisis.
More budget stuff, compiled by our intrepid intern, Paul Richardson…
If the rest of Illinois is going to help the City of Big Shoulders shoulder its costs, its taxpayers need a more pragmatic reason than the one the governor gave earlier this month: “You gotta think big, man.”
