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Question of the day

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Illinois

* Which one of the following stories interests you the most? Take the poll after you’ve taken some time to at least scan each of the stories and then explain your answer in comments, please.

* Stories…

1 - Quinn vetoes electric-rate hike; legislators likely to override

2 - Illinois’ multi-billion dollar bill backlog goes back a decade

3 - UIS considering smoking ban; bill may require it

4 - Scenic, struggling southern Illinois braces for fracking rush

5 - AFSCME: Prison assault is product of overcrowding

6 - CPS quietly lowers its estimated cost savings from closing 54 schools

7 - Mother’s quest to find treatment for son highlights mental health system’s limitations

8 - Editorial: State can be a leader in juvenile justice

9 - Tollway ‘Website of Shame’ Falls One Vote Short

10 - Zorn: Simple majority rules

* Vote…

surveys

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 6, 13 @ 12:46 pm

Comments

I like Zorn’s for the politics, and political “theatre”. We had school board races out here in Kendall decided by the amount of people that would attned a “Bunko Nite”.

Interesting.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 6, 13 @ 12:55 pm
The others are more important to the future of the state, but I just had to pick #10. Illinois has some screwy election laws, and I’ve seen some bizarre stuff, but that’s just about the oddest Illinois election story I’ve heard yet. I’m so glad it worked out for the young man - in a relatively timely fashion.

Comment by Yossarian Lives Monday, May 6, 13 @ 12:57 pm
#2 want to know where the root of all of this started.

Comment by 3rd Generation Chicago Native Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:05 pm
2 followed by 1 as those will affect us the most

Comment by Wumpus Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:09 pm
#4 - I’m pro-fracking b/c of the potential big economic impact, and yet am interested in reading more to see why I might be wrong.

Comment by Robert the Bruce Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:09 pm
Voted #7 - mental health care is understood by precisely no one but those who need it, and their understanding is that the current plan is to throw pills at a problem and see what happens. Violence, welfare, unemployment, divorce, just about every aspect of society that “we” would all like to see improved would benefit from a wider understanding in the holes in the MH system and in the limitations of what is known about how mental illness works.

But I voted reluctantly. while this is the issue that, 10 years from now, will be seen as central to the 21st Century Rennaisance, 4 (fracking) and 5 (prisons) are of direct and vital importance to the state as a whole right now and I would welcome all the coverage possible on these issues, and particularly the angles that Rich laid out.

These prison stories, coming out in drips and drabs, are terrifying. But I’m hopeful that out of the wreckage of what we have now we can reform our laws and treatment of prisoners to produce long lasting positive results instead of warehousing human beings our of retribution. We can either punish, or we can try to fix the problems.

There was a great piece recently called What If We Never Run Out of Oil, and it helped me see the benefits of fracking as a bridge source until we can get truly renewable energy up and running…PROVIDED we can find out what chemicals are being injected in the ground and the regulatory environment is such that we aren’t shooting ourselves in the foot as we rush to the Next Big Thing.

Comment by Colossus Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:14 pm
I voted the cps story. It would be one thing if the citizens of chicago were deprived of an accountable elected school board in favor of an appointed administration that was actually competent and honest but cps has done nothing but flail and mislead taxpayers parents students and teachers throughout the whole process. I think if your numbers are 100 million dollars off then at the very least you can call new hearings for the school closures.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:23 pm
hisgirlfriday -

And that’s where #6 and #10 intersect. As OW memorably points out, extremely small numbers of people elect school boards. If I lived in Chicago, I’d want an elected school board, too, but unfortunately elections are no cure for bad numbers and even financial mismanagement. Plenty of elected school boards are closing schools, even when the numbers don’t add up. But I do remain hopeful that accountability could do something to improve the prospects, particularly in a large city.

Comment by Yossarian Lives Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:31 pm
5 - because it has to do with public safety.

Comment by WOW Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:36 pm
voted number 2. Was curious because I remember that Dawn Clark Netch made the backlog of unpaid bills, or “hidden deficit”, a major plank in her run against Edgar. At that time, the deficit ran into the hundreds of millions. At a symposium, I asked Bruce Dold how the Trib was going to cover an election where the major debate point was over public finances and if the Trib had the expertise to evaluate the competing positions. He said they did not have the expertise and would have to rely on third parties to do that for them. The inability of news organizations to effectively evaluate economic or fiscal policy claims by candidate means that anyone can claim any fool thing and it will just be reported as one of two sides of the issue.

Comment by anonx Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:40 pm
#4 - Jobs in So IL? Revitalizes my belief that anything is possible.

Comment by Joe from Joliet Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:42 pm
I voted for #6. 10 was a close second. Finally we start to see the wheels come off Rahm’s baloney bus, but sad it’s at CPS. I continue to be shocked by the people who complain about “education,” but don’t vote for school board and only know the name of the superintendent because the last school board chased him out of Dodge.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, May 6, 13 @ 2:02 pm
0 - Because none of them interests me.

Comment by Mouthy Monday, May 6, 13 @ 2:03 pm
I voted #6. It’s one thing to be conservative with your revenue and cost estimates, but to be off more than 20% seems to me that someone massaged those numbers for political reasons. Be honest about it and let the real numbers speak.

Comment by iThink Monday, May 6, 13 @ 2:06 pm
==baloney bus==

I thought there was only the Weinermobile. Do you have pics of the baloney bus? //snark//

Comment by Demoralized Monday, May 6, 13 @ 2:08 pm
2-I always enjoy a trip down memory lane.

Comment by Bill Monday, May 6, 13 @ 2:32 pm
#5 - I am very concerned that the US has the world’s highest incarceration rate. This story is not only a huge economic issue but also a public safety and human rights issue.

Comment by Ruby Monday, May 6, 13 @ 2:33 pm
#8 only because it is of professional interest to me.

Comment by Stones Monday, May 6, 13 @ 2:43 pm
I wish I could have voted for 2 and 9. The irony of a state so far back on its bills to “shame” people for not paying tolls on the roads we can barely afford to maintain is so think you can chew it.

Clearly, the member of the GA did not get the overall them of Hawthorne’s novel.

Comment by Come on man! Monday, May 6, 13 @ 3:03 pm
Demoralized, it’s likely a German-made SUV.
#snark and sorry, Skeeter.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, May 6, 13 @ 3:05 pm
Robert the Bruce–that’s the attitude I keep coming back here to see. I wouldn’t want fracking happening in my neighborhood, but I understand Southern Illinois could use the jobs, and if you guys are willing to put up with the mess, than I will not oppose it.

My story was #6 and I am not at all surprised to find out CPS basically made up a number and now is quietly backtracking on that number.

Comment by Chavez-respecting Obamist Monday, May 6, 13 @ 3:23 pm
#1 - Wondering how many times the General Assembly is going to vote to give higher rates to ComEd & Ameren.

Comment by SportShoz Monday, May 6, 13 @ 3:36 pm
#10 - As someone interested in running (again) for local office, I like to be aware of all the potential impediments.

Comment by thechampaignlife Monday, May 6, 13 @ 4:03 pm
#10 Zorn- because the science of politics intrigues me.

Comment by Endangered Moderate Species Monday, May 6, 13 @ 4:04 pm
#6. I don’t minimize the difficulties CPS faces in making reasonable projections. Prediction is hard. Especially about the future. And especially when you do not have good information to start with. But you have to wonder. Also, to the extent CPS relied on Frank Clark, former premier at Com Ed, for analytical expertise, there is a nice nexus with #1.

Comment by Ivory-billed Woodpecker Monday, May 6, 13 @ 4:32 pm
I voted #4 because I’m a native of southern Illinois. Any economic boom would help down there…

Comment by Vote Quimby! Monday, May 6, 13 @ 4:34 pm
#7, because I work with students with severe mental and behavior disorders. I don’t know how many of my students end up homeless and/or in the prison system once they age out of the public education system, but I hear from many of their friends and relatives that this is what usually happens.

It’s a disgraceful portrait of how we educate and treat our mentally ill, with parents and siblings often the focus of abusive behaviors from their own relatives. The danger to society at large is inevitable, as we have sometimes seen.

Comment by Wensicia Monday, May 6, 13 @ 4:35 pm
#7. The mental health system is the loose thread on the sweater…it can impact the prison population, violence, business costs, education, etc. Anywhere there are people are places the mental health service system has an impact.

Comment by Earnest Monday, May 6, 13 @ 4:53 pm
The Electric Bill raise–what a joke. I hope the legislators who vote for an override realize this kind of stuff really pi–es people off!

Comment by Just The Way It Is One Monday, May 6, 13 @ 7:30 pm