Obamarama - Friday caption contest
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
After the bad press he’s received lately, I’m sure he probably wants one. Try to be funny.
*** UPDATE *** Completely off topic, but while we’re being funny, Adam Nagourney reports that John McCain stumbled a bit today when pressed for several minutes by a reporter in Iowa…
Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?â€
Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.â€
Then Nagourney writes…
This went on for a few more moments until a reporter from the Chicago Tribune broke in and asked Mr. McCain about the weight of a pig that he saw at the Iowa State Fair last year.
Wonder who that was? Perhaps these guys can fill us in.
*** UPDATE *** Looks like we have our answer…
[McCain has] also made what he calls “the obligatory visit” to the Iowa State Fair to view a 1,187-pound pig named Waldo and eat pork on a stick, all rites of passage for those who wish to become president.
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Question of the day
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
In olden days, state legislatures elected US Senators and routinely passed resolutions like this directing their Senators on various issues. Those days are long gone, of course, but the resolutions pop up from time to time…
In a slap at President Bush, the Democratic-led Illinois Senate went on record Thursday opposing any additional troops being sent to Iraq.
“We have to send a message to Washington that it is time for us to get out,” said Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago), sponsor of the resolution. “We declared victory already. We’ve already made it clear the weapons of mass destruction no longer exist, if they ever did, so why are we still there? It doesn’t make any sense.”
His resolution, which passed without any objection from Republicans, was watered down from an earlier version. A call for an immediate withdrawal of troops was stripped from the resolution that passed Thursday.
Hendon said he was “shocked” no Senate Republican stood to oppose his proposal.
Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson (R-Greenville) ridiculed Hendon’s nonbinding resolution and said legislators had no business dictating war policy. “I’m sure the Pentagon will be calling Rickey to get his thoughts on how to handle the Iraq war.”
The full resolution can be found here.
Question: Regardless of your position on the war, do you think resolutions like this should be encouraged or discouraged. Why?
I know I’m taking a risk here, but please, let’s not get into a debate on the war. There are plenty of places for that, so take it somewhere else. I know there’s anger, but let’s do our best to avoid it. Also, if I’m not around and someone tries to gin it up with some goofy comment, please just ignore them. I’ll delete them later and put them into permanent comment moderation. Thanks.
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What are they up to?
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
These guys are starting to pique my interest…
Americans for Prosperity made their second stop of a statewide “Mystery Pork Tour,” Thursday at JTM Concepts Inc., Rock Island.
AFP Illinois director Joe Calomino said the goal of the tour is to spotlight some of the most outrageous examples of projects throughout the state funded by pork-barrel spending.
“The state of Illinois has a pork-barrel spending problem — a trend toward government waste, fraud and abuse that the people of Illinois cannot afford,” Mr. Calomino said. “Our lawmakers must get spending under control.”
Their website can be found here. The group has chapters all over the place, and Illinois director Calomino has been around for a while. From his bio…
Joe Calomino began his career as a political strategist in the Illinois Secretary of State’s office where he served for eight years. During this time, Joe served as a regional campaign coordinator for the successful 1994 re-election campaign of Secretary of State George Ryan as well as Ryan’s successful 1998 gubernatorial election. […]
In the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary, Calomino managed the campaign of first-time candidate Ron Gidwitz.
Calomino held a press conference a few weeks back about the heated driveway at the governor’s mansion…
He was joined at a news conference Thursday by representatives of the national office; state Rep. Michael Tryon, R-Crystal Lake; Greg Baise, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association; former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz; and others.
It’s occurred to me that one very good way to undermine support for a tax hike is to undercut government credibility with persistent allegations of gross mismanagement. Both Baise and Gidwitz have been lobbying hard against the governor’s gross receipts tax.
And then there’s this press release from the group…
This morning, Ron Gidwitz, 2006 Republican Primary Candidate for Governor and Chairman of the Illinois Coalition for Jobs, Growth and Prosperity, launches local chapters of Americans for Prosperity Foundation in the Quad Cities region.
Gidwitz, who is supporting the grassroots organizations mission of educating and empowering citizens to hold their elected officials accountable for how they spend our tax dollars, highlighted the states fiscal problems and called on citizens to “take back their governmentâ€.
Gidwitz unveiled a direct mail piece that will be mailed to approximately 100,000 households in several legislative districts throughout the state.
At a later stop in Moline Illinois, Gidwitz called on citizens to “contact 71st District Democratic Representative Mike Boland and ask him why he has regularly voted for higher taxes, raiding the pension funds earmarked for veterans and raiding funds for environmental purposes and roadwaysâ€.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Michael Madigan’s spokesman was asked by the Southwest News Herald about the governor’s tax plans…
“We’re waiting for the details,†said Steven Brown, a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-22nd).
“The spending things are there but ever there was a time when (details on revenue are needed), this is it,†he said.
You may have seen a complaint by business that the gross receipts tax leads to “pyramiding.” Bruce Braker, the president of the Tooling & Manufacturing Association, explains…
Here is an example of pyramiding in the manufacturing process, assuming the Legislature enacts the 0.5 percent tax suggested by Blagojevich:
“Basic industry” sells $200 worth of raw materials to a “parts fabricator”: $1 tax.
“Parts fabricator” adds value and sells $400 product to “manufacturer”: $2 tax.
“Manufacturer” adds value and sells $800 product to an “integrator”: $4 tax.
“Integrator” adds value and sells $1000 product to a “wholesaler”: $5 tax.
“Wholesaler” adds value and sells $1,200 product to a “retailer”: $6 tax.
“Retailer” adds value and sells $1,600 product to “consumer”: $8 tax.
In this example, $26 in taxes was paid on a single product that was sold to the final consumer for $1,600. Thus, the effective tax rate was 1.7 percent, or more than 300 percent higher than the rate suggested by the governor.
And, finally, the Tribune points out some inconsistencies in the governor’s GRT proposal…
But an official at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce said Thursday that top Blagojevich aide John Filan told her that small businesses would have to pay the gross receipts tax after the corporate income tax is phased out in four years. Filan said the tax would be lower than the one imposed on big companies, or at a fixed dollar amount, said Connie Beard, an attorney and a top chamber official.
The letters didn’t mention anything about that.
“It offends me because they’re [implying] that all of these [small-business owners] aren’t going to be paying the gross receipts tax,” Beard said.
Blagojevich spokeswoman Becky Carroll said that Filan believes Beard must have misunderstood him and that he was simply listing various tax options for small businesses after the corporate income tax ends.
The administration intends to keep the corporate tax in place for small businesses for now, then get comments from the small-business community on which tax system it would prefer, Carroll said.
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Blagojevich bashing
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Yes, it’s the Blagojevich administration, but does every single campaign contribution have to be treated like some sort of federal crime?
The head of the state agency that provides student loans to college students says his ties to Gov. Rod Blagojevich had nothing to do with him getting his $180,000 job.
Andrew Davis, 50, said Thursday that it is “silly” to suggest that his contributions to the governor in 2000 and 2002 led to him being named as executive director of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
“If that were the case I’m probably owed 25 other jobs because I’ve supported lots and lots and lots of people and never received a quid pro quo beyond an autographed photo,” said Davis.
Davis was appointed to a seat on the commission by Blagojevich in 2005 and signed a three-year contract as executive director in January. State records show Davis and his companies have contributed at least $31,000 to the governor’s campaign fund.
[Emphasis added]
And then there’s this from the Decatur Herald & Review…
THUMBS DOWN! To the Illinois Executive Ethics Committee, which allowed the former Illinois Department of Transportation secretary to take a job with a company that had received $50 million in contracts during his time with the state. Tim Martin asked for a waiver of the ethics law, which prohibits state employees from starting private-sector jobs at firms with which they did business for one year after leaving a state job. But the ethics commission decided to waive that requirement. What’s the use of having a law if a commission is going to ignore it?
Um, guys, the law specifically allows for the waivers. The commission didn’t “ignore” the law. The commission applied it.
And while we’re at it, the same editorial page had this gem…
THUMBS DOWN! To Gov. Rod Blagojevich for stepping over the line by claiming God is on his side in his battle to reform the state’s tax system. Blagojevich told the Illinois Education Association last weekend that he wants to use some of the proceeds from the gross receipts tax to increase funding for education. He also told teachers he was expecting a battle in the legislature. “It will be Armageddon, but we are on the side of the Lord, and we will prevail.” Huh? Politicians are prone to exaggeration, but Armageddon, with the Lord picking sides? That’s over the top.
Blagojevich was actually quoting Teddy Roosevelt. Here’s what he told me in an interview last week…
You know, Teddy Roosevelt left the Republican convention because the machine renominated William Howard Taft, and Teddy Roosevelt didn’t get the nomination, so he bolted and he went to the Old Historic Chicago Coliseum in 1912 and rallied the troops behind his own Bull Moose Party, a progressive party.
And the last line of his speech was ‘It is Armageddon and we are on the side of the Lord.’ And I was dying to say it out there, cause that’s how I’m feeling.
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Biggest rip-off in Illinois history?
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Like I wrote in this morning’s Capitol Fax, if AG Madigan is right, then this revelation is beyond huge…
Attorney General Lisa Madigan alleged Thursday that corporate manipulation caused the huge jump in electric rates that Illinois consumers are facing, and she asked federal regulators to suspend the rates and investigate.
Electric rates have soared since January, when a 10-year freeze on prices expired. The new prices were set through a “reverse auction” that was meant to keep rates as low as possible.
But Madigan says the auction yielded prices far higher than the actual cost of producing electricity. That’s because some 15 power companies manipulated the process, she claimed in a complaint to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Exelon Corp., the parent of power company ComEd, immediately denied the allegations.
More…
In a 31-page complaint filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Madigan lays out what she says is evidence that last year’s power auction involving Ameren and ComEd may have been fixed to ensure that specific wholesale suppliers got the most lucrative parts of that business _ at the expense of rate-payers who ended up with bills some 40 percent higher than they should be under a competitive market. […]
“The wholesale suppliers are charging prices that are at least double the marginal cost of generating electricity,’’ the complaint alleges. It goes on to allege that “there is evidence that some of the wholesale (power) suppliers manipulated prices in the auction,’’ possibly with secret side-agreements among the suppliers.
The complaint states that “quid pro quo arrangements’’ are a “likely’’ explanation for unexpectedly high power rates that resulted from the reverse auction, which was ostensibly designed to ensure that Ameren and ComEd got the cheapest possible power supply contracts from competing wholesale electricity providers.
It is “possible’’ that “departing bidders’’ were rewarded with side-agreements that their power would later be purchased “at favorable prices,’’ the complaint states. It cites a similar “market manipulation scheme’’ that was uncovered in the Enron corporate scandal.
[Emphasis added]
More…
State Sen. William Haine, D-Alton, praised Madigan’s action and suggested it could lead to the Illinois Senate passing a bill to return Ameren’s rates to last year’s frozen levels as soon as next week.
“If the auction was tampered with, obviously, it should be thrown out,” he said. “If there is fraud in the procurement process, it’s across the board. All of it is void. It’s the fruit of a poisoned auction, and as such, these contracts are voidable, which means we have a new ballgame in the procurement of electric power based upon lower rates.”
CUB’s response…
It’s abundantly clear that the auction and the rate hikes it produced must be scrapped.
True dat.
Meanwhile, Sen. James Clayborne picked a really bad day to complain that CUB and AARP, of all people, are not negotiating in good faith…
Some Illinois consumer advocates are being so inflexible in their demand that newly raised electric rates be legally forced back down that they’re endangering attempts at a compromise with the utility companies, the state Senate’s top utility negotiator hinted Thursday.
“I’m not going to say (they’re) obstructionist. I just feel like they haven’t come to the table in good faith,” said state Sen. James Clayborne, D-Belleville.
He said advocates, including the Citizens’ Utility Board and AARP, “aren’t cooperating like they’re supposed to” in closed-door negotiations that Clayborne is conducting, looking for a compromise to ease the impact of electric rates that skyrocketed this year after Ameren and ComEd deregulated in Illinois. […]
“If being uncooperative means not agreeing with the utilities … and representing the best interest of our members, then yes, we’re uncooperative,” said Donna Ginther, director of state affairs for AARP-Illinois.
The charge is ridiculous, particularly in light of Madigan’s investigation.
* Madigan’s press release
* FERC complaint
* Supporting exhibits
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Morning Shorts
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Audit: Double fares might not even help RTA
His audit urged lawmakers to revamp the way mass transit is funded. The Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees the three transit agencies, relies on sales taxes in Cook and the collar counties — a formula that has remained unchanged since 1983.
* Auditor says state should give funds, require reforms for RTA
* Audit: RTA in serious financial trouble
* Audit finds public transportation in financial disaster
* Sun-Times Editorial: Mass transit funding needs new route map
* Chicago area mass transit needs overhaul:
The modern criminal code was just 72 pages when it was written in 1961. Now it would take the Rosetta stone to decipher the code’s more than 1,200 pages. Court appearances sometimes have to be continued to give judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys more time to sort through the often conflicting, redundant and outdated morass of laws.
* Tribune Editorial: Cracking the criminal code
* Republicans slam governor’s prison guard plan
* Federal judge appoints lawyers for fired grand jurors
* State law would force parents to lock up guns
“If they can get behind the wheel of a car and they manage to make poor judgments there I don’t know how you are going to sit there and tell us that we absolutely have to lock up every firearm in our house.â€
* Future unclear for teen driver ID signs
* State police again deny FOIA request
* State cuts leave offices empty
* Ex TV News anchor, Joel Daley, changes sides to work as federal courthouse spokesman
* Emmanuel tells D.C. freshman to avoid Stephan Colbert
* Lobbying revenues fail to outpace inflation
“It’s hard to know whether lobbying’s flat growth in 2006 was due to Jack Abramoff giving the industry a bad name or an election year in which Congress didn’t consider much legislation for lobbyists to cash in on,” said Sheila Krumholz, the center’s executive director.
* State wants to know sex offenders’ email address
* Fawell sentence reduced
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer granted a four-month reduction to Scott Fawell’s 6¨-year sentence for racketeering committed while he served as chief of staff to George Ryan in the Illinois secretary of state’s office.
* City workers nabbed in joint city and federal payoff probe
* Presidential candidate Brownback to speak in Peoria
* Guilty plea in Hired Truck case
* Political donors to also be landlords in Cook Co.
* Early voting only 10 days away
* Subprime woes to claim Schaumburg jobs
* New Lennox mayoral candidates vow clean campaigns
* Friday Beer Blogging: Guiness Edition
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Question of the day
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
First, the setup, which is from a press release. The bill wasn’t actually heard in committee this week for various reasons, but it will be heard next week. The issues broached in the press release are what we’re concerned with today…
…. Representative Harris previously introduced House Bill 1612 extending benefits of marriage in Illinois to same-sex couples. Representative Harris told Committee members today that while many of his colleagues believed it was appropriate to provide legal protections for same-sex couples and their families, they simply could not support marriage rights for these couples and families.
“Members told me that public discourse is still evolving over the distinction between religious marriage and civil marriage for many Illinoisans,” said State Representative Greg Harris of Chicago in presenting the bill to the Human Services Committee. “For this reason, many of our colleagues asked me to develop legislation that addressed fairness and equity, protected all Illinois families, protected the rights of our religious institutions, but did not enter into the marriage debate. I am, therefore, proposing House Bill 1826.â€
Under House Bill 1826, thousands of committed, same-sex couples across Illinois would be able to fairly and equally access basic legal protections and responsibilities that come with marriage in Illinois – including, the ability to visit one’s partner in the hospital, the standing to make health care decisions for a partner, the capacity to extend health care coverage to members of the household and the ability of a surviving partner to determine the disposition of a loved one’s remains. They would not, however, be recognized by the State as “married,†but Illinois would recognize the relationship.
The legislation also makes clear that the State of Illinois can never compel a religious denomination to recognize any civil union or perform commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples if such recognition or ceremonies conflict with a denomination’s religious tradition.
“Over time, History will evolve and one day our children and grandchildren will look back at debates over these concepts the way we now look back on debates over bans on interracial marriage and the right of women and minorities to vote,†added Harris. “This is the right thing to do.â€
Question: Do you support this concept? Explain.
And, please, this is not a debate on gay marriage. Do your best to stick to the question at hand. Thanks much.
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A few things to remember before you read this story and comment:
1) The movement of state government to Chicago started long ago, way before Rod Blagojevich was elected to any office.
2) This is a feel-good “headline” bill that has little to no chance of ever becoming law. Just because a bill gets out of committee (especially in the House) doesn’t mean it’s gonna pass both chambers.
3) The capital is Springfield, but most of the state’s people live in the Chicago area.
State agency directors would no longer be reimbursed for travel expenses to Springfield under legislation a House committee approved Wednesday. […]
The Blagojevich administration has come under fire from lawmakers and others who question why many agency heads who live in the Chicago metropolitan area get travel expenses when they commute to the capital city. [..]
Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, who chairs the committee, said he believed that in a legislative hearing last year, it was determined that the governor’s office spent $27 million overall on travel.
“I was appalled at that,” Franks said. “The government’s here in Springfield, and if people choose to live somewhere else, that’s fine. But I don’t think we should have to pay for that.”
Have at it.
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Property tax relief has more legs
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
I told subscribers earlier this week that Senate President Emil Jones had changed his mind about property tax relief.
Jones met with reporters just after the governor’s budget address last Wednesday…
“I don’t know how we can adequately address the property tax issue so it would be fair,” Jones said, adding that he didn’t see a need to “run” to the property tax issue this year.
But that didn’t go over too well with many of his members. The Trib had this today…
Jones said his staff is working with Blagojevich on how to include property-tax relief in the governor’s budget proposal. Jones previously supported the governor’s entire plan but endorsed targeted relief for poor communities.
And more from Copley…
“If you are going to give property tax relief, how do you target the property tax relief so that all of the money does not go to wealthy school districts?” asked Jones, noting that an across-the-board cut will do nothing to close the per-pupil spending gap between rich and poor school districts.
“If you do a 25 percent across-the-board cut, the bulk of the money will go to places like Kenilworth and places like that,” Jones said. “You will keep that (spending) gap there.”
Kenilworth is represented in the Senate by a Democrat.
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Chambers nails it again
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
As is his habit, Aaron Chambers pens yet another important story. First, the Rockford Register-Star reporter accurately points out that the governor’s capital plan is no big deal…
Blagojevich, in the first year of his second term, is pushing for a budget that does not include a capital plan in the traditional sense — a program that’s so large the state must borrow money to support it.
Instead, Blagojevich is simply pushing for a continuation of the state’s ordinary multiyear road improvement plan. Under his budget plan, the state would earmark $1.88 billion in new spending on roads in the next fiscal year — $100 million less than the current fiscal year.
Then he discloses that the governor is apparently holding a “real” capital plan hostage to his tax and health insurance plans…
Blagojevich said in a statement that policymakers must first focus on his plan to increase taxes on businesses by $7 billion annually and expand state-subsidized health care.
“The sooner we do that, the sooner we can free up funding for a capital plan and can engage in a more detailed discussion on our state’s infrastructure needs,†he said.
In other words, give me my wish list and the pork will flow freely.
Speaking of the capital budget, some transportation folks were in town yesterday asking for a whole lot of money…
Business groups, labor unions, and an alphabet soup of transportation groups say Illinois’ roads and rails are at the tipping point.
The groups say the state has to spend money, $5 billion a year, or face the prospect of losing jobs and people to other states.
The Transportation for Illinois Coalition says Illinois hasn’t dedicated money for roads since Governor Ryan was in office.
Governor Blagojevich has a road building plan, but the Coalition says it’s barely enough to maintain the system, and not nearly enough to expand it.
Meanwhile, I had a brief bit on this in Capitol Fax today…
Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s bid to impose the largest tax hike in Illinois history isn’t limited to just campaign-style television ads.
The governor this week also sent direct mail pieces to 345,000 Illinois business owners as part of a public relations blitz aimed at assuaging fears about his proposed tax changes.
“There are loud voices in Springfield spreading misinformation about my plan because they haven’t paid their fair share of taxes in a long time – if they’ve paid any – and they want to keep it that way,” the governor says in the five paragraph letter.
The letters, which cost taxpayers an estimated $115,000 in postage, are targeted at small business owners who the governor says won’t be affected by the tax changes.
The full letter can be downloaded by clicking here [pdf file].
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Morning Shorts
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Kane County to retain its lobbyists in Springfield
* Illinois budget: 2.3% more for higher ed?
* ‘Scott’s Law’ put under the microscope
According to numbers provided by the Illinois State Police, the number of tickets issued has moved up and down since the law was enacted, peaking with 796 in 2002 and dipping to a low of 355 in 2004.
As of February 28 of this year, motorists have been assessed 216 tickets this year, setting 2007 up as a record-setting year in terms of the most tickets written.
* ICC: Ameren must explain the effect of credit drop; copy of letter [.pdf]
* Commerce Commission challenges Ameren’s cutback threat
Paul Justice, an analyst who follows the electric industry for Morningstar Inc., said both Ameren and regulators appear to be posturing to an extent. But he added that the rating downgrade would put financial pressure on Ameren.
* More stormy weather for Ameren
* Electricity rates under siege
* Editorial: Ameren’s credibility, consumers suffering
It’s doubtful that an electric rate freeze is going to happen.
But Ameren’s lack of credibility, and the strange timing of Moody’s announcement, won’t give consumers the feeling they are being treated fairly. It’s hard to blame them.
* Rate rollback gets through Senate panel:
Despite Jones’ past rejection of rolling back rates, Forby said Wednesday that the president assured him he wouldn’t hinder a Senate discussion'’He’s the one that’s letting my bill run anyway,'’ Forby said of Jones. ‘’He’s the big man. If he said no, it wouldn’t be in committee or it wouldn’t go to the floor.'’
* CTA audit urge with gripes of filthy trains and buses
* Editorial: Don’t outlaw smoking in car with children
But having the government decide for everyone what is the “right” way to rear a child is more frightening than having “unlicensed” parents doing the best they can, even by the trial-and-error method.
* Strict smoking ban begins in suburban Cook Co.
* Michael Sneed: Jackson Jr., Giannoulias, Reilly
* Sun-Times Editorial: Gap in city schools needs to close
* Tinley Park Mental Health Center loses right to bill government for care
* Ex jail directors in Lake County deny pension fraud
* State Reps call for increase in blood donations
* Stiffer fines proposed for parking cheats
* Chicago city Council toughens measure on dog owners
* Kristen McQueary: Gorman vs. Peraica: Who’s right? And where’s the pork?
Editorial: Openness vow by governor gives way to self-interest
That fact is that the governor was right when he vowed to increase access to government records and documents. The residents of Illinois, who pay the bills, have a right to know what government workers and politicians are doing with their money and in their name. The governor’s claims to be concerned about privacy serve his personal interests, not the public’s.
* AG Madigan: Board’s Chief vote ends legality question
* Schoenberg: Davlin, Giannoulias
* Group begins airing commercials against Rockford area sales tax increase
* McLean County Clerk indicted
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
First, the setup…
A week ago it won a narrow endorsement from a key Senate committee despite “no†votes from both Jones and Watson — a political rarity. A nearly identical plan has enjoyed similar initial success in the Illinois House where influential House Speaker Michael Madigan supports the plan and Gov. Rod Blagojevich appears to lean that way as well.
The suburban sponsor of one of the plans said he believes momentum is building and the start of the Cook County ban could prove crucial.
“It helps most definitely,†said state Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat. “You know why I think the chances are better? Because of what Chicago and Cook County did, none of their senators and representatives has any reason to vote against it because it’s not going to do anything to them.†[…]
Similarly, a statewide ban would end a “scatter shot†approach across the suburbs where one community banning smoking sees cigarette-toting bar patrons flock to the next community over.
Sixteen states no longer allow smoking in public places. At least 42 Illinois municipalities, including nearly 20 suburban locations, have similar bans in place or about to take effect. There are more than 1,000 municipalities in the state. […]
Preliminary head counts by supporters show there’s not yet enough backing to get a statewide ban approved in the 59-member Illinois Senate. And it’s unlikely that it would be called for a vote unless success is all-but guaranteed.
We’ve already debated a smoking ban several times. Let’s not do it again. Today’s question is a bit different: Would it be better to just ban smoking statewide instead of allowing some towns to gain any economic advantage on others that have already banned consuming the brown weed in public?
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I wrote about this study in yesterday’s Capitol Fax. I was a bit surprised by the results and I’m wondering what you think.
A study shows the number of naturalized citizens in Illinois since 2000 has increased, with the most growth occurring in state legislative districts now held by Republicans.
The numbers, compiled by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, underscore the changing face of the suburbs as new immigrants increasingly arrive and settle outside of Chicago. The findings imply future voting blocs that could wrestle political power from some longtime Republican strongholds. […]
According to the report, the average percentage increase in naturalized citizens is 62 percent higher in Illinois’ Republican House districts than in Democratic House districts — 22.4 percent vs. 13.8 percent — and 42 percent higher in Republican Senate districts than in Democratic Senate districts — 21.2 percent vs. 14.8 percent.
Of 10 House districts that saw the highest growth rate in naturalized citizens, nine are held by Republicans. The 10 Senate districts that saw the highest growth rate in naturalized citizens have seven seats held by Republicans.
You can download the complete report by clicking here.
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Taxes and budget stuff
Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
The Post-Dispatch does some fact-checking on the governor’s new TV ad promoting his gross receipts tax…
The ad is also reminiscent of Blagojevich’s earlier campaign commercials in that it engages in what some would argue is a selective presentation of facts.
The ad implies that the scant income taxes often paid by major corporations are all they pay. In fact, those companies’ biggest tax expenses often are property, sales and other taxes.
It also implies the proposed new business tax plan would decrease residential property taxes, but there is no provision in the plan to do that. The ad also implies that the new tax would address the state’s pension crisis; however, that is part of a different Blagojevich plan, involving leasing the state lottery and restructuring debt.
I’m not sure if this was posted yesterday, but Treasurer Giannoulias expressed some serious reservations about the governor’s gross receipts tax this week…
“Our pension system needs help, obviously,†Giannoulias said Monday at a Statehouse news conference. “Health care for everybody would be great. I just, I want to make sure the GRT didn’t place too much of a burden on the consumers at some point. … I want to look at it a little more.â€
Giannoulias also wondered about the effect the tax would have on businesses.
“We definitely don’t want businesses leaving the state of Illinois,†he said.
And the governor told the Associated Press that voters shouldn’t be surprised that he is now proposing a huge tax increase and flatly stated that the gross receipts tax was the only way that schools would get more money…
“This gross receipts — this tax fairness proposal is very much along the lines of what I did for four years. It’s just a bigger, bolder version of it,†Blagojevich said.
In a 45-minute interview, Blagojevich said he’s not sure how much his plan would shrink the gap between the state’s richest and poorest schools, but he warned education advocates that his plan is the only way schools will get more money. […]
The governor said education advocates should back his plan as the only way schools will get more money.
“I’ll never raise the income tax or sales tax. So if we’re going to put money in our schools, this is it. This is the only game in town,†he said.
Finally, the Tribune reports that Gov. Blagojevich isn’t finding a lot of Statehouse support for his proposed gaming tax increase.
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Numbers
Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
I didn’t see this Bernie Schoenburg column the other day about a recent poll taken by the Illinois Republican Party.
Among the findings of the 600 registered voter poll taken Feb. 20-21 was that the public ain’t exactly enamored with the idea of selling the Lottery. The idea was opposed by 67.3 percent, while just 13.7 percent approved and 19 percent had no opinion.
The other results are fairly predictable…
* Nearly 51 percent of respondents thought Illinois is “headed off on the wrong track,” compared with 36 percent saying the state us going in the “right direction.” The rest didn’t know or didn’t answer.
* Blagojevich was viewed by almost 37 percent in a “favorable” light, including 12.5 percent “very favorable” and 24.3 percent “somewhat favorable;” However, 46 percent were on the “unfavorable” side, including almost 28 percent saying they have a “very unfavorable” view of the governor. Almost 15 percent had no opinion, and yes, 2.5 percent had not heard of him.
* On job approval, 63.2 rated Blagojevich’s performance as “only fair” or “poor,” including 26.8 percent “poor.” There were 31.7 percent on the plus side, with 5.3 percent rating him as excellent, and 26.3 percent calling the performance “good.”
* 26 percent said state government “works well,” while 65.5 percent said it “needs reform.”
* Just under 20 percent said Blagojevich has “restored honesty and integrity to state government,” while 66.5 percent said it has been “politics as usual” under him. Nearly 14 percent didn’t know or didn’t answer.
* In a question that could be worded in different ways, 77.2 percent said they disapproved of the governor “taking money from the state employee pension fund to help balance the state budget.” In recent budget years, some money that would have gone to the fund was used for other purposes, but it wasn’t taken from the base. So this wording may paint too dismal a picture. […]
* Respondents were asked about a gross receipts tax on business “to pay for state subsidized health insurance for anyone in the state who currently does not have health insurance,” which is somewhat different from the plan the governor announced, which would also help some people pay for insurance they have.
The question also says the tax would end up “raising prices for consumers on all goods and services,” which doesn’t take into account exemptions announced by the governor last week. Given the flaws in the question, disapproval of the idea came in at 50.7 percent, while 33.2 percent approved.
* Just for fun, perhaps, the Republicans threw in a question asking if the state Constitution should be amended to allow voters “the right to recall state elected officials and vote them out of office before their term expires.” In all, 73.3 percent approved, while 13.3 percent disapproved and 13.3 percent didn’t answer.
You can download the poll by clicking here.
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Morning Shorts
Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Governor returns to center stage to campaign for healthcare plan
* Budget leaves out harbor funding
* Plan to raise casino revenue might be gamble for governor:
“His answer to everything seems to be a tax increase,” she said. “The riverboat industry is a huge industry in the state of Illinois and provides a lot of income and a lot of jobs.”
* Analyst sees budget as ‘lifeboat’ for state GOP
* Slick ads promote business tax plan
* Budget advocates, opponents square off
* Businesses forsee hit if state passes payroll tax
* Cindy Richards: Guv’s budget lands in fair territory
The business community needs to stop stonewalling any idea that comes out of the governor’s mansion or propose a realistic plan that ensures all businesses pay their share of state bills.
* Governor’s plan sparks PR battle
* Former newsman goes to bat for governor on healthcare
* ComEd President: Rate freeze would bankrupt ComEd and cripple the state
* AG Madigan thinks Ameren downgrade may have been orchestrated
“The attorney general is concerned that the relationship between the utilities and the credit rating agencies is not nearly as independent as the utilities claim,” Ben Weinberg, chief of the public interest division for Madigan’s office, said Tuesday.
* Editorial: Ameren ups the ante in rate game
* Editorial: Voting on ICC members won’t help consumers
* Lawmakers not discouraged by Ameren’s ‘junk’ status
* AG Madigan and Patrick Fitzgerald announce $344 million judgment against Medicaid HMO [press release]
* The mother of all judgments; company emails
The case, brought by a civil whistleblower and then joined by federal authorities and the state attorney general’s office, charged that Amerigroup cherry-picked “healthies” and purposely avoided women in their third trimester of pregnancy because they cost more to insure
* U.S. stops payments to Tinley Center
* Senate committee passes .50 caliber rifle ban
* Bill would define lawsuit settlements as public information: “The public has a right to know about where their tax dollars are being spent and why a case had to be settled and who’s wrong.”
* Legislation regulating nurse/staff ratio has only tepid support
* Daley always knew city had to pony up for Olympics
In a stuttering response to a reporter’s question, Daley said he knew “at the beginning” of the bidding process that city money would have to be put on the table. Daley said he kept it quiet — not because he wanted to get past the mayoral election — but because “we’re not putting any direct money into it.”
* City Council takes up Olympic funding
* Daley on blame for postal woes: Feds are ‘Dysfunctional’
* The promise of reform at Cook Co. juvenile detention center
* U of I board buries the Chief
* ‘Uncle Amrish’ helped raise $500,000 for governor
* Immigrant rights groups say suburbs need to start listening
* Carol Marin: FBI inquiries give county officials reason to sweat
* Michael Sneed: Tillman, Daley, Inspector General Hoffman
* Editorial: Merc, CBOT merger good for Chicago
* Excerpts from recent editorials: HPV, budget , electric rates
* City Inspector named in bribe case, said to have pocketed $16,000
* Cooking county smoking ban starts Thursday
* West Chicago to get tough on landlords with code violations
* Smoking laws in some Southland towns
* Ousted candidates back on ballot in Summit Hill
* New Lennox mayor position not likely to be made full-time: I have a lot of time with a flexible schedule to be here when the village needs me, but I don’t think it needs an $80,000-a-year mayor’s salary.”
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