Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 11:04 am - As you may know, Mayor Daley has been hoping to convince Gov. Rod Blagojevich to sign SB 837…

…another revenue hole in Daley’s budget would develop if Blagojevich does not sign legislation empowering the city to double the telephone tax used to fund the city’s 911 center to $2.50 a phone line a month. The mayor is counting on $48 million from that source.

The governor has said about a kabillion times that he will veto all tax hikes on “people,” and that one surely qualifies. The bill doesn’t directly impose the tax increase. It just allows Chicago to increase the tax on its own. But the governor has vetoed similar bills before…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich vetoed Senate Bill 831, legislation that would have allowed Will County to hold a referendum on a proposed countywide tax on gasoline.

If the bill had been approved, the county board then would have voted on the idea of staging a referendum. If the board members approved it, the issue would have been placed on a ballot. And if voters backed the proposal, a tax of no more than 4 cents per gallon would be levied on gas sold in Will County.

Still, promises and past history are one thing. Mayor Daley’s ire is quite another. So, yesterday the governor allowed the bill to become law without his signature.

No response yet from the governor’s office about why.

* 12:28 pm - Illinois is joining California in a suit against the federal government…

California sued the federal government on Thursday to force a decision about whether the state can impose the nation’s first greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and light trucks.

More than a dozen other states are poised to follow California’s lead if it is granted the waiver from federal law, presenting a challenge to automakers who would have to adapt to a patchwork of regulations.

“Our position is that it’s time for EPA to either act or get out of the way,” said Lee Moore, a spokesman for New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram.

* 12:34 pm - Aaron Chambers take us on a long walk down memory lane. A must-read.

…Adding… If you see anything missing in Aaron’s timeline, put it in the comments below. I’m pretty sure he’ll check.

* 2:39 pm - I’m not sure the Southtown can take too many more cuts…

More than 30 Daily Southtown editorial employees will be laid off by the end of the year in the wake of a merger announced last month, the newspaper’s parent company announced Thursday.

* 3:04 pm - The governor was in DC today to talk about health insurance, but he couldn’t get away from Illinois issues…

During a question and answer session, Blagojevich was less inclined to talk about his home state – or more specifically, the most recent ethical questions to dog his administration there.

Asked whether he was aware of a condominium deal involving his wife, a lobbyist and a state contractor – and whether questions around it could hurt his health care agenda – the governor gave a short reply.

“Boy, I thought I was out of Illinois,” he said. “It’s got nothing to do with anything. Next question.”

107 Comments

Question of the day

Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The setup…

Just days after the CTA postponed steep service cuts and fare hikes, the transit agency decided Wednesday to impose even more severe hardships on commuters effective Jan. 20 if the state government fails to work out a funding deal.

The CTA board voted 7-0 to eliminate 81 bus routes, raise fares to as high as $3.25 a ride and lay off more than 2,400 employees in the latest threatened transit “doomsday.”

The proposal would result in the elimination of 39 bus routes that had been slated for Nov. 4, as well as an additional 43 bus routes scheduled to be axed on Jan. 6. […]

“I think it is going to be horrible,” said CTA Chairwoman Carole Brown. “I am really just so upset that we are going to have to do that all in one fell swoop.

The question: Do you think “doomsday” will ever come? Explain.

36 Comments

Yes, Virginia there is “outrage”

Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’m not sure what planet the Daily Herald editorial board lives on, but it doesn’t include Illinois. The DH ran an editorial today about George Ryan’s imprisonment and asked…

Where’s our outrage over this? Yes, we might be understandably cynical to the point of submission. But we can’t capitulate to the culture of corruption. At some point, there has to be the kind of backlash to this entrenched thievery of public trust and tax dollars that will evoke change.

There is definitely “outrage” out there, as numerous polls have shown lately. Rather than blindly foaming at the mouth over what it wrongly sees as nonexistent voter rage, perhaps the DH could offer up some helpful suggestions.

* Meanwhile, the Tribune editorial board took note today of the poll first published in the Capitol Fax earlier this week…

In the two-plus weeks that reporters have been asking Rod Blagojevich and his staff about a proposal to remove him from office, the governor and his mouthpieces have maintained stiff upper lips. All this discontent with Blagojevich will be forgotten, they suggest, when Illinois voters comprehend all that he has done for “the people.”

Problem already. “The people” — including many who helped re-elect Blagojevich a year ago — apparently want to fire him. The idea of amending the Illinois Constitution to permit a voter recall of Blagojevich is an ascendant theme in the discourse of this politically gridlocked state.

I’ll have more on this topic in tomorrow’s Sun-Times.

* The AP compares the former governor to the current governor, and not favorably…

It might seem incredible that as a former Illinois governor reports to federal prison, the current chief faces similar misconduct allegations, from handing out state contracts as political rewards to accepting money under suspicious circumstances. But this is Illinois.

Democrat Rod Blagojevich, who won the chief executive’s office five years ago on a promise to clean up former Gov. George Ryan’s mess, has wound up besieged by accusations.

Two people already have pleaded guilty to federal charges in a shakedown scheme that also ensnared one of the governor’s closest fundraisers.

And federal prosecutors have acknowledged they are also investigating “serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud” under Blagojevich.

Jay Stewart, executive director of the Better Government Association, blames an arrogant political culture in Illinois where the philosophy is “take what you can get.”

* Check out the photo that the AP included with this story. Ouch.

* More Ryan stuff, compiled by Paul…

* John Kass: Delusion lingers longer than freedom for Ryan

* Eric Zorn: Ryan comedown takes Thompson too

* Editorial: End of an era, or another chapter of a sorry saga?

* Where are they now? Key players in the Ryan scandal

* Ryan’s new identity for the next six years will be 16627-424

* Ryan reaches end of road: prison

* Former gov Ryan slips into Wisconsin prison

* Prison seen as a ’sad end’ for ex-governor

* Ryan’s new life, quiet, regimented

* Ryan arrives at prison, maintains innocence

* In Oxford, George is just another visitor

* Editorial: As Ryan goes to prison, ethic measure stills stalled

14 Comments

Nauseating coverage *** Updated x6 ***

Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* When state Rep. Aaron Schock officially announced his congressional campaign, this is how the Peoria Journal-Star led its report…

Government needs a clean break from corruption and bitter partisanship and needs to be refreshed with new leaders championing fundamental conservative principles in Congress, said state Rep. Aaron Schock.

Schock, R-Peoria, outlined his positions on the Iraq war, foreign relations, immigration, education, the economy and energy Saturday during his official announcement that he’s seeking the Republican nomination for the 18th Congressional District seat. He also outlined a few bills he would propose on those issues.

* Not a single mention was made of Schock’s most incendiary proposal within the PJ-Star’s glowing article. Bernie fill us in…

State Rep. Aaron Schock, who is running for Congress, has some audacious — well, maybe “shocking” is a better word — ideas about foreign policy. […]

In particular, Schock’s plan to offer nuclear arms to Taiwan if China doesn’t go along with U.S. policy toward Iran seemed odd to me.

An international relations expert I checked with agreed, saying that idea not only shows “incredible naivete,” but, if carried out, probably would lead to war between China and Taiwan. […]

“The statement about selling nuclear weapons to Taiwan reflects an incredible naivete about international relations,” he said of Schock’s idea. “Transferring nuclear weapons technology to any state is a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It would also encourage other states to do the same, specifically to enemies of the United States.”

Oy.

* The Galesburg paper ran this recent profile of Schock…

One of the shooting stars of the Republican party made a stop in Knox County Tuesday. […]

Despite being the youngest of three Republican candidates for the seat - Jim McConoughey and John Morris, both from Peoria are the others -Schock is considered the front-runner, both in terms of the polls and fundraising. He has been tapped for big things by national Republican operatives, according to columnist Robert Novak.

Americans love a winner, so candidates (like commercial products) will always try to burn in the message that he or she is “number one.” But there’s more to a campaign than who is winning, and thankfully we have people like Bernie Schoenburg around to point that out.

* More congressional stuff…

* McQueary: Lipinski’s opponents line up on ballot

* Illinoize: The Lauzen letter to my family

* Would-be Hastert successors start mudslinging

*** UPDATE *** From a press release…

Jim McConoughey, a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 18th Congressional District, will be holding News Conferences this afternoon in Peoria and Springfield. McConoughey will make a statement regarding news released in this morning’s edition of the State Journal-Register. An availability session will follow.

The schedule is as follows:

1:00 p.m. McConoughey for Congress Headquarters
1200 West Main Street, Suite 9
Peoria, Illinois

3:00 p.m. Blue Room
State Capitol, Mezzanine
Springfield, Illinois

If McConoughey’s smart, he’ll use this as an opportunity to make the case that Schock just isn’t seasoned enough to be a Congressman. That seems to me like the best line of attack against the 26-year-old candidate.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Billy Dennis was at the presser and filed this report…

Jim McConoughey must have said “naive” and ‘inexperienced” a dozen times during his brief news conference today. Which is pretty must his biggest weapon against Aaron Schock, who was courteous enough to give McConoughey and other opponents John Morris an opening by suggesting that the United States arm Taiwan with nuclear weapons and arm freedom fighters in Iran. […]

Jonathan Ahl of WCBU was sorta playing word games by suggesting that Schock was being irresponsible by making the statement, because the public needs to know what opinion candidates have on foreign policy. The word Ahl suggested that McConoughey meant was “stupid.”

And Karen McDonald, the PJS reporter who’s article didn’t mention Aaron’s desire to ship nukes to Taiwan? She asked McConoughey why he didn’t say what HE wanted to do about China and Taiwan. My two cents: Why bother asking? The Journal Star won’t print it.

…Adding… Since some of you aren’t bothering to click on the link to Bernie’s column, here are some Schock quotes…

“If China continues to be irresponsible about nuclear proliferation in Iran, we should tell them that if they do not care about proliferation — and since they are enablers of it in Iran — that if they don’t change their position, we will sell Pershing nuclear missiles to Taiwan for their defense.”

“Non-proliferation will either be enforced universally or not at all — it is their choice,” Schock continued. “The Chinese will come around, I have no doubt.”

And Schock’s mouthpiece backed it up…

Schock’s campaign manager, Steven Shearer, responded that “academia routinely looked down on President Reagan and ridiculed him when he said that the Soviet Union was going to fall into the ash heap of history.” Reagan’s controversial positioning of Pershing missiles in Europe in the early 1980s “led to the first arms reduction in history,” Shearer claimed.

Here’s the difference: Reagan deployed American missiles to Western Europe, and America controlled those missiles. Selling Pershings to Taiwan means they would control those missiles, not us.

*** UPDATE 3 *** Schock responds…

The first step in the diplomatic dance that is necessary to prevent Iran getting nuclear weapons is to strengthen our President’s hand in negotiations. My comprehensive proposal on the Iranian threat will undermine the Iranian regime by their own people and get China’s attention to become a partner in stopping this threat from Iran.”

“While I have offered innovative ideas based completely on President Reagan’s successful strategy to end the Cold War, my opponents are operating cynical campaigns of being quick to attack while offering no substance on the issues what-so-ever themselves,” said Schock. “The people are tired of cynical candidates who run for office while avoiding dealing with our nation’s challenges while problems get worse. Our country needs leaders who are willing to address problems instead of waiting until they become a crisis.” […]

McConoughey is now on record as being soft on Iraq, Iran and China. He is running in the wrong primary.

Again, the US owned and controlled those Pershings that Reagan sent to Western Europe. Schock would turn control of those nukes over to the Taiwanese.

It really is amazing that this was totally ignored by the Peoria paper.

*** UPDATE 4 *** From the SJ-R…

McConoughey said at a State Capitol news conference today that the 26-year-old Schock, a state representative, made a “serious and reckless statement” with regard to nuclear weapons.

Serving in Congress requires maturity and steadiness, McConoughey said.

I’m curious how the Journal-Star will play this tomorrow. Guesses?

*** UPDATE 5 *** Democratic candidate Dick Versace…

“I’ve traveled across this great district on the Common Sense Express and I’ve heard what’s important to people in this community. Dishing out nuclear weapons to foreign places like Taiwan wasn’t mentioned. After eight years of reckless foreign policies coming from Washington, the last thing we need is another career politician who is willing to make dangerous proposals like this one without first considering the consequences.”

* Republican John Morris…

“Being in Congress is a very important responsibility and one has to be very thoughtful in their statements. I support policies that promote freedoms abroad. Congress and our next congressman need to work to make the world safer. My number one priority in Congress will be keeping America and its military strong,” Morris said. “Giving away nuclear weapons is completely irresponsible.”

*** UPDATE 6 *** From Lee News…

‘’This isn’t a Ronald Reagan idea. It’s a Dr. Strangelove idea,'’ McConoughey said.

51 Comments

Morning shorts

Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson

* No retreat for gov’s fighting donors

It was a weekend retreat. Gov. Blagojevich had gotten together with his top fund-raisers at a Lake Geneva resort in the fall of 2003.

The governor gave a speech. There was a cocktail party and a boat cruise. Then, at 2 in the morning, a fight broke out.

The public never heard about it. But documents obtained by the Sun-Times show that one Blagojevich campaign backer went to a hospital and another ended up the subject of a monthlong police investigation.

* School board to ignore state’s moment-of-silence law

The loophole means educators must comply with a law that is poorly defined, leaving teachers open to lawsuits and students vulnerable to teachers who might use the moment to promote prayer, said state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston).

On Oct. 18, Schoenberg sent letters to 17 school systems in his legislative district, which stretches from northern Chicago to Glencoe, calling on school districts to apply for a waiver on grounds that the law represents “undue interference in the ability of teachers to manage their own classrooms.”

“Right now school districts across the state lack formal guidelines for how to follow this new law,” Schoenberg said. “[Legislators] deliberately wrote the bill so that it was not directly part of the school code so there’s no [possibility to seek a waiver].”

* Daley rips Loop business tax

Calling it “dangerous” and a “disaster” for Chicago’s thriving downtown, Mayor Daley on Wednesday shot down an aldermanic plan to tax downtown businesses for police and fire protection to lop another $16.4 million off the mayor’s record property tax increase.

Twenty-two aldermen have signed on to a plan to impose a 40-cent-per-square foot “public safety assessment” on “each commercial owner or tenant occupying more than 5,000 square feet” of space in an area bounded by Congress, Halsted, Michigan and the Chicago River.

* Daley cool to proposed downtown business tax

* Chicago Public Radio: Aldermen take final stab at changing the budget

* Alderman plays hardball with Children’s Memorial Hospital

Reilly is the rookie alderman at odds with Mayor Daley over the mayor’s plan to build a Children’s Museum in Grant Park.
Now he’s naming his price for signing off on the 275-bed hospital that Children’s Memorial wants to build at 215-233 East Chestnut: Add parking, provide relief for traffic-choked intersections and guarantee that a heliport won’t endanger public safety in a congested area with 25,000 residents and 8,000 more units being built.

* Tasering grandma displeases Daley

Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th), chairman of the City Council’s Police Committee, said the incident exposed by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell could have been worse.

“It’s very unfortunate that it had to result to that, but I certainly understand. I’m pleased that they decided not to shoot her and they decided not to tackle her and that they didn’t use the night stick, which may have been options if someone is swinging a hammer at you,” he said.

* Orlando Jones death still under investigation

* Judith Miller: Secrecy should concern all

Charles Lewis, president and CEO of the Fund for Independence in Journalism, said there seems to be a “war on journalists” with the cutback in government information being made available.

And Charlie Wheeler, director of the Public Affairs Reporting program at UIS, said he’s seen a move by government at several levels seeking more than ever to “control the message,” with one way being to avoid questions from “pesky reporters.”

The administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, he said that Statehouse reporters tell him, is “the most closed (state) government we’ve ever had.”