Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller

After a 10-second countdown and with the flip of a switch, the giant holiday tree in the James R. Thompson Center atrium is supposed to light up.

Unless, of course, a circuit breaker blows. Then you’re in the awkward position Gov. Rod Blagojevich found himself in Wednesday, explaining to dozens of people gathered in expectation of a tree-lighting why nothing happened. [Snip]

The lights came on after a couple of minutes, and after the ceremony, Blagojevich jokingly assumed it was a state worker’s fault.

“That’s just a good old-fashioned human error. A state employee was just a little bit behind schedule and if you can’t have compassion and love in your heart during the holiday season, you can never have it,” he said. [Snip]

Blagojevich, who is chronically late to public appearances, also took some ribbing for showing up about 25 minutes late. Payne started the event by saying she would buy the governor a Big Ben clock for Christmas.

Blagojevich got the last laugh, even if it was at his own expense: When the tree finally lit up, he quipped, “Just like the governor. Late.”

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More goofiness from the guv’s office

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller

In response to questions about the size of his bodyguard unit and the conduct of some of its members, Gov. Rod Blagojevich is ordering a review that could reduce the size of the Executive Protection Unit.

The review will also focus on ways of “improving the unit’s professionalism and training from outside experts and strengthening the unit’s code of conduct,” according to a statement Tuesday from Blagojevich’s office.

“One of the goals is to see if we can reduce the size, both when it is used here and when it is used for out-of-state travel,” said Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff.

“See if we can reduce the size”? How difficult could that be? He takes a dozen guards to Boston and ten to California and they can’t figure out how to bring fewer on the next trip?

A recent item from the Washington Post:

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, wife Maria Shriver and “a gaggle of Kennedys” were spotted strolling the streets of Georgetown yesterday afternoon. “Every single person they walked by seemed to notice them,” one caller said.

Funny, but there was no mention in that article about 12 police officers blocking traffic and setting up an impenetrable perimeter around the most famous governor and political family in the nation.

If Governor Blagojevich has received real threats to his person that require extra guards, then his staff should say so - or at least tell reporters off the record so we can move on to something else. If not, then he ought to just stop acting so self-important.

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Bad timing

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller

The same day that mega-lobbying firm Ronan Potts was forced by a federal judge to pay more than $400,000 in fines and penalties, one of the governor’s most trusted lieutenants announced she was resigning to work for the firm.

Former state Rep. Julie Curry, a key downstate member of the Blagojevich administration, is leaving her post at the end of the year to start a job that involves lobbying state government.

Curry said she will join a firm headed by John Potts - a principal in the Chicago firm Ronan Potts LLC that on Tuesday was sentenced by a federal judge in a bid-rigging case involving a contract at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Neither Potts nor former state Rep. Al Ronan, D-Chicago, the other leader of the firm, has been charged personally in the case.

Curry claimed she was leaving for “personal reasons.”

Curry, 42, said her motivation to leave her $115,000 job as Blagojevich’s deputy chief of staff for economy and environment is personal. A resident of DeWitt County, she said that during the week, she sees her 7-year-old son about an hour a day, in the morning before her 50-minute commute to Springfield.

I believe that one, mainly because I know her and her situation. Still, this was some bad timing.

Something else in that story also qualifies as big Statehouse news:

The lobbying firm to be headed by Potts will be called Illinois Strategies, she said, adding that she believes Ronan is retiring and that Potts had bought him out.

Al Ronan retiring? Wow.

Curry basically ran a half-dozen state agencies. The directors weren’t allowed to so much as sneeze without her permission. A replacement will be difficult to find because she remains one of the few people who knows what she’s doing in that outfit.

Here’s a thought: Why not let the directors - who were, after all, confirmed by the Senate - actually run their own shows for a change? Nah. Never happen. The guv comes off as a happy-go-lucky type, but his budget director is a master control freak who would never let that idea see the light of day.

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Help

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller

OK, all of a sudden, my ITunes 4.7 started playing a short series of weird tones at the beginning of each song and then about every minute or so thereafter. The tones precede a scrolling of the song name and artist name at the bottom of the screen. I’ve looked at the Preferences to no avail, and I Googled the problem but couldn’t find anything.

THIS IS EXTREMELY ANNOYING. Anyone have a solution?

UPDATE: Reinstalled ITunes and rebooted twice and it’s gone. Wish I knew why so I could prevent it from happening again.

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TIme waster

Tuesday, Nov 30, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller

McSweeney’s New Food page is a culinary and literary delight.

Swiss Chard

Submitted by Eric Smith

I hate you Swiss chard. Oh, how I hate you. I have hated you ever since I figured out why dumpsters smell like dumpsters. It’s because of you. I always thought they took on that characteristic stench because long years of bad garbage odors combined together in an unholy stew that for some reason always smelled the same. Kind of like how mixing lots of different paint colors always gives you brown. But no, it turns out that they smell exactly like you did two days after I brought you home from the grocery store. So it was you all along. Screw you, Swiss chard. [Snip]

The Litchi

Submitted by Ellia Bisker

If you’ve ever idly wondered what it might be like to eat a human eyeball, you might want to consider the litchi as a delicious (and more socially appropriate) alternative. Here is how to eat a litchi. Stick your thumbnail into the base of the stem and pull back slightly until the stem releases, then peel away the papery skin in a thin spiral strip. About this skin: it is covered with small rosy hexagonal scales, like the drupelets of a raspberry with some reptile in its family tree. You will expose a slippery globe of translucent white flesh about the size of a pingpong ball. Stop peeling about halfway down, because here comes the part you have been waiting for: press your lips to the perfectly smooth fruit, apply a little suction, and with a wet, satisfying plop, it will suddenly pop into your mouth, luscious, fragrant as nectar. Imagine that it’s the eye of your lover, or your nemesis. It’s just that good.

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Watch your back

Tuesday, Nov 30, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller

Is the Republican-controlled Will County Board gearing up for a fight with the incoming county executive, Democratic state Sen. Larry Walsh?

Walsh upset the apple cart in Will by defeating incumbent Joe Mikan. The county board has already moved to hire Mikan’s top assistant, Bruce Friefeld, as its “director of operations” - a new post created for Friefeld after the election.

Will County Executive Joe Mikan may be leaving office on Dec. 6, but he won’t be going far â€” for a few months at least.

Mikan has been asked to stay on as a county board consultant while the executive office transitions to the administration of County Executive-elect Larry Walsh.

Mikan will stick around for at least 3 months, at $1500 per month working about two days a week, according to the article. Walsh better watch his back.

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Old Fax

Tuesday, Nov 30, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller

Back when I started Capitol Fax, in 1993, about a third of my new subscribers had to buy a fax machine just so they could read it. It wasn’t that long ago, but the world of technology has progressed amazingly fast since then. Still, the fax machine has been around a very long time. From Boing Boing (click on the photo for a larger image).

This fax-by-telegraph machine was in operation at the New York Herald in 1900. From a Pearson’s Magazine article published at the time:

“The equipment consists of two machines, almost identical in construction, the first being called the “transmitter,” the second the “receiver.” Each is provided with an eight-inch cylinder, which may be made to revolve by a delicate system of clockwork so finely regulated that both instruments work together to a nicety.

Above each cylinder rests a fine platinum needle, or stylus, not unlike the point in a telegraph key. A sheet of tin-foil, six inches by eight inches, ready to wrap round the transmitter’s cylinder, and a sheet of ordinary carbon manifold-copying paper of the same dimensions, which, when placed between two sheets of blank paper, is to be wrapped round the receiver’s cylinder–these complete the chief requirements.”

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Blogroll additions

Tuesday, Nov 30, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller

I’ve added a few more blogs to the roll.

Peoria Pundit has moved to Typepad, so go check him out. Also he has a snarky little piece on Rep. Ricca Slone today that’s a good read.

Metroblogging Chicago has some good stuff, mostly not about politics, though.

Glenview politics is the subject of Glenview Watch.

Draft Vallas has apparently expanded its subject matter beyond the goal of drafting Paul Vallas to run for governor in 2006. Good site for those who aren’t thrilled with Rod Blagojevich.

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Chamber statement

Tuesday, Nov 30, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller

The statement from the Illinois Chamber about the Cook County judge’s ruling on the fee increase follows. Also, I read the court’s decision very early in the morning and misread part of it. Only the fees collected from the Workers Compensation surcharge are placed in escrow. However, it’s clear from the opinion that the other 300 fee increases aren’t Kosher.

â€œThe courtâ€™s decision sends a clear message to our state lawmakers that it is unreasonable â€“ and unconstitutional â€“ to discriminate among fee payers and specifically burden one group, in this case businesses and employers, with providing funds for general purposes,â€ said Douglas L. Whitley, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber.

â€œThe courtâ€™s decision addresses the fundamental distinction between fees and taxes,â€ added Whitley. â€œIf the General Assembly decides it needs additional funds for general purposes, it should be up front about it and enact a tax increase.â€

â€œOur hope is that this well-reasoned decision will prevent lawmakers â€“ in Illinois and across the nation â€“ from abusing their power by using excessive fee increases to supplement general revenue funds, which should be generated by taxes paid by all taxpayers,â€ he said.

â€œBy drawing this distinction, the court is saying that state government does not have unlimited power to impose fees. State government does not have a blank check to discriminate against a certain class of fee payers to solve its fiscal problems,â€ Whitley said.

A story in Crain’s about the judge’s ruling is here.

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Fee hike decision

Tuesday, Nov 30, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller

As promised in today’s Capitol Fax, you can click here to download Cook County Judge Patrick McGann’s ruling from yesterday that struck down 300 state fees which were imposed last year. The file is fairly large, so be patient if you have a dial-up connection.

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