Question of the day
Wednesday, Apr 25, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
First, the setup, from The Onion…
CHICAGO—Mere weeks after his unusual mid-March graduation from Northwestern University’s School of Law, Shaun Daley, son of Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, was named chairman of the Illinois Nepotist Party Monday.
“I’m thrilled and humbled to be chosen to lead one of Chicago’s most beloved and respected political organizations,” said Daley, who was sworn in at his family’s ancestral residence, the Chicago City Hall. “I swear to you all that I shall do my best to uphold the principles and last name that have made Chicago what it is today.”
Daley vowed to use his position to combat unemployment amongst the sons and daughters of Illinois’ most prominent politicians and business figures.
Question: Do you think the current backlash against the election of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has put the kibosh on this nepotism thing for a while? Why or why not?
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U of I trustees in the news again
Wednesday, Apr 25, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
This article is really two articles. First, the excerpts from the Senate action…
The Illinois Senate approved new six-year terms for three University of Illinois Board of Trustees members Tuesday despite complaints that senators were denied a chance to quiz them about the controversial retirement of Chief Illiniwek. […]
Many Republicans said they voted “no” to protest Sen. Rickey Hendon’s decision to prevent the trustees from testifying before a Senate committee hearing on Friday.
The four GOP members of the Senate Executive Appointments committee requested that Eppley, Montgomery and Vickrey appear at Friday’s hearing. But Hendon, a Chicago Democrat who chairs the committee, said he rejected the request because the senators wanted only to grill the trustees about the Chief.
Senate President Emil Jones is quoted in the story calling the Republican complaints and “No” votes on the trustees “silly political games.” He apparently said that without any irony.
And here’s the other story, from the House…
Also Tuesday, the House voted almost unanimously to have U of I board members elected publicly, rather than appointed by the governor. […]
Seven members would be elected from the state’s four judicial districts; the other three would be student trustees elected by students from the U of I’s three campuses in Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. The three student trustees would have one binding vote between them.
You already know how I feel about the now-defunct makeup-wearing dancing white guy, but I don’t think I have a solid opinion about electing the trustees again. I’m curious if you do.
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Hynes cries foul
Wednesday, Apr 25, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’m not sure who’s telling the truth here (although I have my suspicions), but it looks like the governor’s people are more than hinting that Comptroller Hynes is trying to force a budget crisis. On the other hand, it might be assumed that the governor’s office is keeping the squeeze on Medicaid providers in order to prod them into backing his GRT plan, which would provide lots of cashola.
The Blagojevich administration missed a chance to pay $650 million in Medicaid bills in early April, despite a suggestion to act from Comptroller Dan Hynes’ office, the agency said Tuesday.
However, the governor’s office said the plan outlined by Hynes’ staff would have left the state short of money to pay Medicaid bills through the rest of the budget year, which ends June 30. […]
On April 4, Hynes’ chief of staff, Keith Taylor, sent a letter to Barry Maram, director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. In it, Taylor said the comptroller’s office had an opportunity to pay $650 million in Medicaid bills if the department would forward the invoices for payment. […]
[Yesterday, Taylor sent a follow-up letter] “The Office of Comptroller is extremely disappointed that your department failed to respond to our letter of 4/4/07 . . .” Taylor wrote. “Given the fact that you held and continue to hold an additional $1 billion in Medicaid bills, we find your lack of action or even an official reply to our April 4 communication inexplicable.”
Knowles said the payment plan relied on money borrowed short term to kick-start an assessment program that taxes hospitals to obtain additional federal money to treat Medicaid patients. However, the legislature still hasn’t approved a supplemental spending bill needed to fully implement the hospital assessment program.
* The irrepressible Ralph Martire is at it again…
The man behind the so-called tax-swap proposal to fund Illinois schools said Tuesday night that McHenry County state legislators were acting neither fairly nor morally in rejecting his measure.
Ralph Martire, the executive director of the bipartisan organization Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, outlined House Bill 750 at District 300’s Community Finance Committee meeting Tuesday, which drew officials from neighboring districts to hear the school funding expert speak. […]
“We need to stop being cafeteria capitalists and start reading Adam Smith [widely considered the father of modern economics] again,†Martire said Tuesday. “[These legislators] are frankly ignoring the issue. … Of course rich people should be paying more in taxes than they get back.â€
* More…
* Martire’s board of directors
* Professor: Gross receipts tax will not fix state budget problem
* Scholar borrows a pension solution
* Chambers fight gross receipts tax
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Steve Greenberg? *** Updated x1 ***
Wednesday, Apr 25, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Does anybody know anything about this guy? The Hill’s article says he’s a wealthy young man who makes money investing in turnarounds. He has little political experience (he’s served on the state Republican Party finance committee and is a precinct committeeman), but he’s lusted after by party bosses because he could self-finance. He also appeared to be slightly naive, at least about Durbin, but that seems to be changing…
Businessman Steve Greenberg is weighing whether to challenge Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), or neither in 2008, and he will go public with his decision around May 15, Greenberg told The Hill on Monday.
The young, wealthy political newcomer met with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in Washington last week and said he is now more seriously considering a House bid in one of the GOP’s top targeted districts, Illinois’s 8th. […]
In February, Greenberg expressed interest in running against Durbin. But he said on Monday that his meeting with NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Political Director Terry Carmack altered his perspective. […]
“There are a lot of people who think this state is not Republican, and I think it is,†Greenberg said. “In this state, people have not been proud Reagan Republicans, and we’ve been trying to pander to be what I would call Democrat-lite. I think that’s the absence of leadership in the candidacies.â€
The Hill goes on to claim that Chicago Board of Trade executive Kevin J.P. O’Hara is also interested in running against Durbin, but then stretches creduility by claiming that Sen. Bill Brady and Joe Birkett are also possible candidates. Not. Well, at least for Brady. I also seriously doubt Birkett, who has been touting his chances in the 2010 governor’s race, would like to go 0 for 3 in statewide raes by losing to Durbin.
According to The Hill, President Bush won Bean’s district with 56 percent in the last two elections. On paper, the Republicans count this as one of theirs, but Bean has proved much more resilient than they expected.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** Eric Krol had a story about Greenberg’s possible candidacy back in February…
Greenberg, who turns 36 next month, was an executive with Promotions Unlimited, a Racine, Wis., supplier of merchandise and promotional sale ads to independent drug stores. His father, Ira, founded the company in 1973 in Rosemont and eventually acquired the Ben Franklin variety and craft store franchise rights.
Steve Greenberg, who now invests in turn-around companies, served on the Illinois GOP’s finance committee. He’s also a former minor league hockey player with the Washington Capitals organization.
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Death threat alleged against Forby and Jones
Wednesday, Apr 25, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Needless to say, I hope they throw the book at this cretin…
State police confirmed Tuesday that an investigation is under way concerning an alleged death threat made against state Sen. Gary Forby and Senate President Emil Jones that was apparently inspired by the lack of relief from recent electric rate increases.
Scott Compton, a spokesman with the state police in Springfield, said nobody is in custody but interviews are under way.
Compton said the investigation is ongoing and that some individuals have been interviewed more than once. “Right now we’re still in the process of trying to determine what, if anything, did take place,” Compton said.
State police are working in cooperation with law enforcement officials in Franklin and Sangamon counties, Compton said. He said when the state police investigation is completed the information will then be forwarded to both state’s attorneys and a decision will be made whether to file charges.
Compton would not say if there is a suspect in the case or how the alleged threat was made.
* Meanwhile, the Tribune editorial page has finally mentioned last Friday’s parliamentary shenanigans in the Senate, but the paper buried it way down in an editorial against the rate freeze…
The Senate voted to impose a one-year freeze on Ameren and ComEd. But Jones used a parliamentary maneuver to keep ComEd out of the legislation. We agree with Jones’ goal, but it was dead wrong to use such a strong-arm tactic to thwart a majority vote. No veteran of Springfield expects it to operate like Mayberry — but this tactic stunned a lot of people and added to an air of distrust in the capital.
* The Northwest Herald editorialized today for a freeze of sorts…
The state House should pass an amended bill, providing ComEd with a modest increase – in the range of 5 to 7 percent – for a year and send the bill back to the Senate. Then, Jones will have to be pressured by lawmakers and residents to do the proper thing and approve the rate-hike rollback.
Rolling back Ameren’s and ComEd’s rates for one year will give lawmakers another shot at addressing the issue. But an agreement would have to be hammered out now, not sidestepped until the 11th hour again.
* The Post-Dispatch also editorializes for a rate freeze…
As the weather heats up, so will demands for rate relief. Warm as things have been so far for Illinois lawmakers, they will get even hotter when customers start receiving huge electric bills during the summer months. Mr. Jones is going to have a hard time preventing a rate freeze in the months to come.
The larger issue for Illinois, however, is the flawed energy deregulation plan that produced major rate hikes. Deregulation has resulted in higher rates in every state where it has been adopted. But freezing electric rates is simple compared to re-regulating utilities.
The General Assembly should move forward with a rate freeze. But its work won’t be done until it creates an independent panel to outline options for fixing the state’s electric power system. The sooner that process starts, the faster a solution will be in sight.
* Sen. Gary Forby tells the Post-Dispatch that he and Senate President Jones had a little talk yesterday…
Forby said Jones, his own party leader in the Senate, apologized, “kind of,” on Tuesday. A Jones spokeswoman said she could neither confirm nor deny that.
But the fallout continues…
Jones’ maneuver has angered even some members of his own party who agreed with him on the freeze issue. “You never (use) a parliamentary maneuver like that on one of your own members,” Sen. William Delgado, D-Chicago, said Tuesday. “That’s something used on the other party.”
* More…
* Ameren: We have not cut off delinquent customers
* Power bill debate heats up
* Ameren threatens to leave talks on rate relief for customers
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Problem may be fixed
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Some people have reported that they’ve tried posting a comment and are getting an error message saying that they can’t comment because there’s a time limit between postings - even when they haven’t yet posted a comment.
This is a WordPress feature designed to slow down spammers, but the problem is if several people from one IP root address (like AOL, for instance) are posting at the same time they’ve been getting blocked. I’ve finally figured out how to disable the blocking feature (I hope) so comment posting should be much less of a hassle now, particularly in the morning when many folks post at once.
Also, I’m now trying a new method for posting the news feeds which appears to be increasing page load speed.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
The Daily Herald’s story on Mayor Don Stephens’ funeral includes this quote from former Gov. Jim Thompson about political patronage…
“How do you expect people in public office to use the political process to carry out the wishes of the people who elect them, unless they can bring into office those who believe in them and support them?†Thompson said. “The real world understands that.â€
Agree? Disagree? Please explain.
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Backlash heats up over “Friday Massacre”
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
The Friday Massacre won’t be forgotten soon. Check out this quote from Sen. Gary Forby, whose amendment to attach ComEd to the rate freeze bill was killed when Senate President Emil Jones used an almost unheard-of parliamentary tactic…
“President Jones and the people from Chicago– they just back-stabbed me is what they’ve done. They’ve back-stabbed southern Illinois.”
* The Sun-Times also weighed in today with an editorial entitled, Trick makes rate-freeze vote look wired…
…there is no defending the cheap parliamentary gamesmanship Jones and his close ally, Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago), engaged in Friday in undermining a one-year freeze proposed by a fellow Democrat, Sen. Gary Forby of Benton. […]
Consumers are under enough duress without having an unheard-of technicality determine their rate-paying future. Jones’ friendship with ComEd President Frank Clark demands he act openly and straightforwardly on this issue. His stunt was neither of those things.
* The Belleville News-Democrat’s editorial is headlined “Majority rules? Not in Illinois”
In theory the Illinois Senate operates on majority rule. In practice Senate President Emil Jones runs it like a dictatorship when he wants to get his way.
* The Rockford Register-Star’s editorial board published this zinger today…
Jones may not know where Rockford is, but he sure knows who his friends are.
* SJ-R editorial: A cynical message from Sen. Jones
…this is Sen. Emil Jones, D-Chicago. The president of the Senate. The guy whose wife got a nearly $80,000 raise for her nearly $200,000-per-year job that she secured after state rules were changed to allow her to qualify for that job. The guy whose son received a nearly $60,000 state job that doesn’t require a college degree and apparently didn’t need to be advertised so others might compete for it. Oh, and the guy who has received more than $270,000 in campaign contributions from electric utilities.
Mr. Jones went to Springfield last week and played games with one of his own Democratic members of the Senate. But more importantly, he demonstrated to the people of Illinois that power is what matters. Might trumps right was Jones’ clear message.
* Decatur Herald & Review: Reform sorely needed in state government
The result of Friday’s sleight of hand is that a bill, supported by a majority of the Senate, is being held up by one man. ComEd executives have to feel pretty cozy with Jones protecting them in the Senate.
Friday’s activities point out the need for reform in state government. Legislative reform is needed to take some of the power away from legislative leaders and ensure that those elected to represent the people get a chance to do so. Campaign finance reform is needed so political contributors will have less influence on the legislative process.
It’s unlikely any of that will happen soon. More likely is that Illinois government will continue to be an embarrassment to the people of the state.
* And the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board? Nothing. Nada. Zip.
* Meanwhile, the Associated Press ran a story the other day that didn’t get the notice it deserved…
Not one of the 16 states – plus the District of Columbia – that have pushed forward with deregulation since the late 1990s can call it a success. In fact, consumers in those states fared worse than residents in states that stuck with a policy of regulating their power industries.
An Associated Press analysis of federal data shows consumers in the 17 deregulated areas paid an average of 30 percent more for power in 2006 than their counterparts in regulated states. That’s up from a 24 percent gap in 1990. […]
Utilities say markets are still adjusting to many years of artificially low rates that drove potential competitors away. They point to states like Illinois, where rate caps just recently were lifted and where there already is talk of reinstating them.
Consumer groups, however, say deregulation has had a chance to prove itself. In Texas, for example, competition did develop after rate caps ended – but the energy prices remained higher.
* And a couple of more stories from today…
* Governor wants electric rates frozen at ‘06 level
* Electricity suppliers offer relief
* By the way, that story at the top which included Forby’s quote was mainly about a woman in Forby’s district who is calling Emil Jones’ constituents asking for help.
Maps, street names, and a phone book… Gay Vaughn says these are the tools to get the ball rolling against Emil Jones. Calling the people in his region and telling them how Southern Illinois is hurting from the high rates.
“They don’t think southern Illinois will do anything. If they start hearing from their own constituents and get them to write him, maybe they might change their mind,” says Vaughn.
Vaughn hopes one day he’ll be voted out of office, but for now she’s staying on task until things change… losing sleep, and devoting days at a time to this project.
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“Request Denied”
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
If you are interested at all in the citizenry’s right to obtain documents from its government, then you have to check out the State Journal-Register’s newest series of stories. Entitled “Request Denied,” the series is a must-read.
A few exerpts…
* ‘We just want to know what happened to our son‘
A review of Freedom of Information Act requests made to Illinois State Police in 2005 and 2006 shows that most questions go unanswered. Insurance companies seeking information on traffic accidents or thefts are told records can’t be released because doing so would be a “clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.†Crime victims and their loved ones are told the same thing – even though criminals can get files on their cases. Lawyers are denied reports that concern their clients, even when the clients sign waivers authorizing the release of documents.
The zest for secrecy is evident at the bottom of blank forms used to chronicle crimes, traffic accidents and other incidents. Even before anything is written down, the forms show that police have already decided the information is secret, despite state law that says all government records are presumed open.
“The contents of this document are not to be distributed outside the Illinois State Police,†says a statement on field report forms used by troopers. Forms used by investigators charged with conducting follow-up interviews and in-depth investigations say the same thing: “This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the Illinois State Police. It and its contents are not to be disseminated outside your agency.â€
Besides withholding documents, state police are keeping poor track of FOIA requests, contrary to agency policy that says responses to each inquiry are supposed to be documented. In hundreds of cases, ISP files don’t show how a request was handled.
* ‘I felt like they blew me off totally‘
Elizabeth Flaherty’s request was polite.
“I am writing to you today, in hopes that you will send me a copy of your reports on the incident,†Elizabeth Flaherty wrote in a February 2004 letter to a state trooper who had investigated the beating of her father at a nursing home owned by Bureau County, about two hours north of Springfield. “It has taken me this long to come to the point in my life that I still feel the need to seek out the truth.â€
The death certificate says congestive heart failure, but Flaherty says her 76-year-old father was never the same after he was assaulted by another nursing home resident in May 2001. He died two weeks later. […]
In a form letter, the state police told Flaherty that releasing the report “would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.†When Flaherty appealed the decision, sending the state police paperwork verifying that she had power of attorney for her deceased father, she got no response.
* Not just crimes and crashes that are kept secret
Crimes and traffic accidents aren’t the only things Illinois police keep secret.
Police are also slow to say how taxpayer money is spent. Just ask John Baker, a Springfield attorney who successfully sued the Illinois State Police for employment discrimination on behalf of a former state police officer.
Baker first asked in June 2000 how much money had been spent on defense attorneys in his client’s case. Police didn’t respond to his request, so he wrote again. And again. And again.
All told, it took five months before police finally revealed that more than $685,000 in public money had been spent on lawyers. Besides sending requests to Bridget DePriest, freedom of information officer for the state police, Baker said he sent five queries to Keith Jensen, chief legal counsel for the agency.
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Ugh
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
I was told earlier this year by the State Fair people that we may have submitted our Grandstand lineup suggestions too late for consideration. Bummer. The State Journal-Register has the lineup today…
Daughtry - a multi-platinum rock band fronted by bald, bellowing and beloved “American Idol” contestant Chris Daughtry - will perform Sunday, Aug. 12, at the state fair Grandstand. […]
Corbin Bleu (of Disney Channel’s tweener TV movies “High School Musical” and “Jump In!”) and Drake Bell (from Nickelodeon’s “Drake and Josh”) will perform Saturday, Aug. 11. […]
Three country acts were disclosed previously: Gretchen Wilson with Blaine Larsen, kicking off the fair on Friday, Aug. 10; Martina McBride with Carolyn Dawn Johnson on Friday, Aug. 17; and Sugarland with Joe Nichols capping off concerts, and the fair, on Sunday, Aug. 19.
A performer for the Saturday, Aug. 18, slot remains to be announced.
Let’s hope that last slot is a lot more musically interesting than the rest of this lineup. Oy.
Discuss.
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