This just in… Hynes actually makes a joke
Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 1:24 pm - From NBC’s Mike Viqueira…
The halls of the Capitol are rife with reports of former Speaker Denny Hastert leaving Congress before the end of his term. These reports are only kind of true.
I just spoke with Hastert, who calls the reports a “rumor,” and that he has a lot of work still to do for Illinois on transportation, health care, energy, etc. Asked directly if he has plans to resign, he said: “Not at this time.” […]
A GOP leadership source says that now the plan is for him to wait until the end of this year or early next to announce his departure… The source says that Hastert is “definitely going to resign,” but that it won’t happen be announced officially for a couple of months or so.
* 1:28 pm - As I told you earlier, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn has demanded that Gov. Blagojevich push Senate President Emil Jones to call the “play to play” reform bill that’s been sitting in limbo for months. Quinn held a press conference today and here’s the official reaction…
Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said the governor doesn’t control what bills legislative leaders call. Regarding HB1, she said, the governor is interested in more sweeping campaign-finance reform.
It gets more bizarre every day.
* 1:38 pm - From a speech given earlier today by Comptroller Dan Hynes…
The Illinois Legislative Session of 2007: A Fable.
“Once upon a time, in a Land of Lincoln, a Governor presented a budget in a lovely town called Springfield. This Governor was great and generous and had a tremendous head of hair. And the wise and diligent people who needed to approve the budget, the members of the General Assembly, invited the Governor to their home to talk about one part of his plan. He did. And when he left their house, the members did what any courteous hosts would do: they voted 107-0 against him. And told him he was always welcome to stop by.
Though the Governor declared this a great victory, the streets of Springfield were strangely free of dancing or parades or general merriment.
Instead, a great black cloud covered the Land.
And the members of the General Assembly knew, to save the day, they’d have to agree on some kind of plan. So their leaders set down to work, day and night, and agreed on nothing of consequence.
And the cloud remained.
Now danger was approaching, and everyone said that they needed more time — so that they could call each other the worst names they could think of. Nasty, terrible names. Like when someone called the Governor a demagogue. And when the Governor called the Speaker of the House —a Republican.
And then things got even worse. The Governor said that God was on his side, and then unleashed God’s fury against a Senator from Moline. And the men who led the General Assembly insisted that they were absolutely, positively right, and whenever discussing the Governor, took God’s name in vain.
God was generally not pleased.
And the cloud remained.
But just when things looked their worst — just in the nick of time — knowing all that was at stake for the people they served, the good and decent leaders came together – in courtrooms all across Illinois. You see, the Governor had said that the members should meet at 2 o’clock. But the members decided to get together at 10 o’clock. That could mean only one thing, in the name of truth and justice, and everything good in the world: sue the bums!.
So in the happiest of happy endings, the Governor sued the Speaker of the House. And just to make sure that the Speaker’s clerk didn’t feel lonely, he sued him, too. And for a moment, the Governor thought about suing a maid at the Statehouse Inn because she had once said hello to the Speaker. But, in the rush to get back for a Cubs playoff game, he forgot all about that.
And the cloud remains over the Land.
Some say that the Governor is acting crazy. Some say that the Speaker is acting crazy. Some say that the other leaders are acting crazy.
But all of the people in the Land of Lincoln do agree on one thing. Their leaders are always, always, always putting them first.”
THE END.
I hope we can get the video of this.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Eric Zorn has some flag pledges recited in states across the country. Illinois has no such pledge…
Texas: Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.
Kentucky: I pledge allegiance to the Kentucky flag, and to the Sovereign State for which it stands, one Commonwealth, blessed with diversity, natural wealth, beauty, and grace from on High.
Michigan: I pledge allegiance to the flag of Michigan, and to the state for which it stands, 2 beautiful peninsulas united by a bridge of steel, where equal opportunity and justice to all is our ideal.
Question: Let’s come up with our own state flag pledge. I’ll put the winning entry on a t-shirt that we’ll sell at our charity store and the winner will get one of those shirts for free.
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The bright, shiny ball is discussed in Chicago
Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The city laid out its hardball position yesterday…
Mayor Daley would love to have a casino in Chicago, but the $800 million it would cost for a license makes it all but impossible, the city’s finance chief said Wednesday.
Pending legislation would require the city to pay the $800 million to the state for a gambling license. But Chief Financial Officer Paul Volpe said the price would prevent a Chicago casino from turning enough of a profit.
“The city will only go forward with a casino that is profitable,” Volpe told the House Gaming Committee at the Thompson Center. “Eight hundred million dollars, quite simply, does not work.” […]
“Even one dollar is too much,” Volpe said at the hearing. “Because every dollar paid for a license fee is less funding available for what we envision as a substantial capital program to improve our city.”
* The governor is reportedly willing to settle for much less than $800 million, but I doubt he’d go all the way down to zero. And Speaker Madigan’s spokesman did his best to throw cold water on the whole idea…
The likelihood of a Chicago casino curing the state’s financial woes edged a little further from reality Wednesday after Mayor Richard Daley’s administration asked for a sizable cut of casino revenues and considerable control. […]
While the committee’s chairman still expressed optimism that a casino deal could be negotiated, a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) said the city’s demands did little to move things toward that end.
“It sounds to me that there needs to be a lot more clarity before anything happens with gambling expansion in Illinois, so that’s par for the course,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said after the hearing. “It sounds like it was a good idea to have this hearing, and it sounds like we need a couple more.”
* And there are other problems with the Senate’s version of the bill, as Mark Brown notes…
Gaming Board officials noted Wednesday that the gambling bill makes provisions to fund the Chicago Casino Development Authority, the agency that would control the city casino, but none to fund the Gaming Board, which would be charged with overseeing the city agency. […]
Left unclarified by Wednesday’s presentation by Paul Volpe, the city’s chief financial officer, was whether employees of the Chicago Casino Development Authority would be subject to background investigations by the Gaming Board.
Volpe told legislators the city has no interest in playing a role in filling the jobs that would be created by a casino, and Volpe probably doesn’t.
But somebody does.
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* Don’t expect a Hastert announcement today. Several outlets appear to have jumped the gun…
Former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is expected to announce that he plans to leave the House later this year, setting up the widely anticipated prospect of a special election to replace him, Republican sources on Capitol Hill confirmed.
Hastert initially planned to make an announcement Thursday but has since scrapped that decision, according to one GOP aide. The former speaker, who announced his plans to retire over the summer, is still expected to leave the House some time in December, but the date of his departure — as well as his announcement — remains unclear.
* I don’t really understand why Hastert would do this, considering the consequences…
Republicans are already locked in a hard-fought primary. But Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich could fast-track that intramural contest in order to schedule the special on the same day as the state’s Feb. 5 primary - when Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will be on the ballot in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
That could be seriously problemmatic for the Republican nominee, to say the least.
* Sometime after we spoke yesterday, retired Col Jill Morgenthaler decided to quit her state job…
Jill Morgenthaler, who is the governor’s deputy chief of staff for public safety, is apparently mulling a bid for Congress in Illinois 6th Congressional District.
The governor’s office said Wednesday that Morgenthaler, of Des Plaines, submitted her resignation on Tuesday, effective Nov. 1.
Morgenthaler is mulling a bid against freshman Republican Peter Roskam. I would take this resignation as a sign that she’s moving much closer to the race.
* Back to Hastert’s seat for a minute, Charlie Johnston takes a look at the odds…
Do not be surprised if the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) quietly gets into play sometime soon. If they do, it will be on behalf of Oberweis. It’s nothing personal; just follow the math. The NRCC was spread thin in 2006 and will be spread much thinner in 2008. They probably have twice as many seats they need to target as they have money to target them with. Regardless of how the Republican Primary turns out this seat is likely to become a Democratic target. While Lauzen may very well have the fundraising ability to make up for what he lacks in personal wealth to compete in the primary, he would assuredly need significant national help if the general was targeted by the Democrats. The decision-makers at the NRCC aren’t geniuses. But you don’t have to be a genius to figure out that, if Oberweis wins, money that would have to be used to prop up Lauzen in a general could be used elsewhere, relieving a little of the pressure on the very tight national NRCC budget.
It has been surprising how cautious and lackluster the Oberweis campaign has been to this point. Without a renewal of vigor, Oberweis risks repeating the results of his first statewide race when little-known, underfunded State Rep. Jim Durkin swept to victory in the U.S. Senate Primary. Anything other than a decisive win will almost certainly lead the Democrats to target the seat, making the cost of the general election campaign
* More stuff…
* LaHood plans to endorse possible successor
* Schock visits Adams County Republicans
* Schoenburg: Family, friends behind candidate to take on Shimkus in IL-19th
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Hit on all sides
Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* With all the talk about proposed tax hikes in Chicago, Cook County, the RTA region and the state, this whopper, which on a per capita basis makes all those other tax ideas look pretty tiny, has gone almost unnoticed…
Fox Valley Park District trustees plan to ask voters for a $57 million tax increase in February to help pay for an all-encompassing list of capital projects. […]
The district has reached a point where its parks and facilities are either going to get better or worse, Executive Director Steve Messerli said.
“We’d like to move it up from good to great,” he said.
That’s quite a bold statement, but at least voters will have a direct say come February.
* Meanwhile, don’t follow leaders…
…the [Progressive and Independent Caucus in the Chicago city council] is now talking about putting together a package of revenue and cost-cutting alternatives to Daley’s record $108 million property tax increase.
“If you look at stories in the paper, the mayor hasn’t got the votes for the property tax increase. And that’s a third of the [new revenue]. We’ve got to think about what [alternative] options might be,” Preckwinkle said.
* Watch your parking meters…
Privatizing Chicago parking meters could produce a bonanza of revenue to build libraries, parks and schools, but it’s no substitute for raising taxes, Mayor Daley said Wednesday.
Concerned that aldermen might use the parking meter deal as an excuse to run even farther away from his $293 million tax package, Daley said he would insist the windfall be placed in a reserve fund with interest income set aside for long-term investment. It would not be used for day-to-day operations.
I’m not sure he can win that battle.
* And over in the county…
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger admits he wants more of your tax dollars than he really needs to operate his government every year.
But, he argues, it’s more fiscally responsible to ask for more now, so as not to have to keep coming back to ask you for more year after year.
Besides, he adds, if he can get more from you now, he might even be willing to give back some of it later.
Yeah. That’ll happen.
* Stroger is in deep denial…
Should citizens entrust $890 million a year in new tax revenues to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger? Put on a pair of Stroger Goggles, which distort reality, and you’ll see what he sees — a government that he says has achieved “enormous operational efficiencies” and adopted “modern business practices.”
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*** UPDATE *** Quinn’s website is now up. Go check it out.
* Timing is everything. On the same day of Gov. Blagojevich’s annual megabucks fundraiser, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn is demanding movement on a bill to end “pay to play” state contracts. From a press release…
With $25 billion in taxpayer funds at stake in the state’s proposed capital plan, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn on Thursday sent a public letter to Governor Rod R. Blagojevich asking him to call for an immediate vote in the Illinois Senate on House Bill 1, to outlaw pay-to-play state contracts in Illinois.
“The bill to end pay-to-play state contracts passed the Illinois House 116-0, and 46 out of 59 state senators have co-sponsored it as well,” Quinn said. “Before our state considers spending $25 billion in taxpayer funds on construction contracts, we need a tough new ethics law in place to make sure the people of Illinois get full value for their money.”
Quinn called on Governor Blagojevich to urge his legislative ally, Senate President Emil Jones, to call HB1 for an immediate vote by the members of the State Senate. If Jones refuses, Quinn said, Governor Blagojevich should institute the provisions of HB1 by executive order. […]
To demonstrate the widespread support for HB1, Quinn invited Illinois taxpayers to use his website, StandingUpForIllinois.org, to send an e-mail to Governor Blagojevich urging immediate passage of the bill. Quinn also unveiled a new feature on his website, — an animated cartoon showing vested interests being showered with billions of taxpayer dollars.
House Bill 1, introduced by State Rep. John A. Fritchey (D-Chicago), would require all bidders on state contracts of more than $10,000 to disclose any campaign contributions they have made to the elected official in charge of that contract. It also would prohibit any businesses holding more than $25,000 in state contracts from making campaign contributions to the officeholder in charge of those contracts.
* Meanwhile…
A state employee whom Gov. Blagojevich once outed as a subject of a federal probe into his administration’s hiring practices is now being promoted to a top job within the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
Robin Staggers once was accused by a subordinate of creating “a culture of intimidation” within DCFS’ human resources department, according to an internal state report disclosed in January by the Associated Press.
But DCFS Acting Director Erwin McEwen said in a message Wednesday to the agency’s 3,000-plus employees that Staggers is being named chief of staff as part of a series of management changes.
* And…
A high-level official in an agency under Gov. Rod Blagojevich has resigned during a review of his ties to a company doing business with the state.
Mark Kolaz will leave his post as chief of staff for the Department of Central Management Services on Monday, Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said Wednesday.
Kolaz will take a private-sector job in a move that has been “planned for some time,” although he officially submitted his resignation Friday, Rausch said. She would not elaborate and said she did not know what the new job would be.
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Morning shorts
Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Anger over Poshard stirs up split talk
* SIUE Professor sounds the rebel yell
* ComEd wants new 8% rate hike to juice up delivery system
* ComEd calls for new price hike, CUB vows to fight ‘huge increase’
* ComEd seeks rate increase, Ameren may follow
* Indicted but still lobbying
Then in 2005, Glennon was indicted in what prosecutors say was a $700,000 kickback scheme involving construction projects at the Chicago Medical School.
Now, Glennon faces trial on Nov. 26 on federal charges of aiding and abetting the misapplication of government funds and lying to the FBI.
Despite his troubles, Glennon remains registered with the state as a lobbyist. And he still has one blue-chip client: the Wirtz Corp., owner of the Chicago Blackhawks.
* Governor’s income drops
* CHA plans to make more tenants find work
* OpenLeft Blog: Pelosi, House Dems say no shield law for bloggers
* Editorial: Shield law not a threat to our nation
* Scott Reeder: It’s not easy to buy American
* Change of Subject: State pledge of allegiance in IL schools?
* Opinion: Religious freedom in Illinois
* Students talk about schools’ moment of silence
* Press Release: Bicycling community wins key piece of legislation
* State Senator Link honored
State Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, has been named the American Cancer Society’s “Legislator of the Year” for his lead sponsorship of the Smoke Free Illinois Act. It is the first time the society has named a “legislator of the year.” At the same time, Link has received the President’s Award from the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, also for his work on the smoke-free bill.
* Rasmussen poll of Iowa caucus
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