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Illinois
Obama

* Don’t forget about tonight’s party

* Hester vs. Hastert

* Fox Lake to drop ComEd service after January deregulation

* Editorial: A bit of advice for governorâ€™s top advisers

* Indiana, Illinois agree to study proposed toll road… More here

* Editorial: State owns homes; it should be able to knock them down

* Report: State faster in investigating abuse, but still too slow

* Editorial: `Willfully ignorant’

* Kadner: Chicago’s security blanket: Richard Daley for mayor

If Mayor Daley needs a theme song for his re-election campaign, I suggest, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

That was the Grammy-winning song of 1989, the year Daley won his first mayoral election.

As the song by Bobby McFerrin says, “In every life we have some trouble, when we worry we make it double. Don’t worry, be happy.”

Jeff Torborg was manager of the Chicago White Sox.

Don Zimmer was skipper of the Cubs.

Ronald Reagan was president of the United States.

Jim Thompson was governor of Illinois.

Michael Jordan had yet to win an NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls.

* Kass: How not to treat your guardian Angelo

* Retail Sales Surge in November

* Sick workers should get paid, Obama says

* Latino community rallies around stricken family - Goal is raise enough to send bodies of Carpentersville family back to Mexico for burial

* Trees for Troops a way to say thanks

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 13, 06 @ 9:20 am

Comments

Along with the Governors top advisers, I thought Secretary of Transportation Tim Martin was leaving also? It was in Crain’s about a month ago. Is it still true?

Comment by anon A Wednesday, Dec 13, 06 @ 10:10 am
It’s hard to be against paid sick days; another fluffball from Obambi.

In Illinois, I believe state government workers get twelve sick days per year plus endless opportunities for unpaid “sick” time off under FMLA and other programs. In addition to the many other expensive (to the taxpayer) perks offered by state government employment, employees who get sick and exhaust their sick time can take medical leaves that can extend for years…and they have to be given the same job when they come back. Who in the private sector could dream of such job security. So yes, I think that private sector employees are entitled to at least a pale version of the benefits they are funding for the people they pay to work for the government.

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Dec 13, 06 @ 10:21 am
Kass’ curb kick to a convict - must read for the righteous.

Jesus, what a talented jerk Kass happens to be.

He brings a man’s nine year old into the column after whinning about how his little boys were intimidated by bad men and making an accusation that the bad men were scaring the kids. Did Kass make out a police report like a good Dad? Maybe. But he is clever enough to screw around the truth to justify today’s garbage. What a colossal jerk!

Comment by Pat Hickey Wednesday, Dec 13, 06 @ 10:55 am
Honestly, Cassandra. The Senator is trying to prevent Illinois citizens once employed in our country’s nuclear bomb manufacturing complex from being stiffed on statutorily authorized medical benefits for radiation related illnesses.

If we can manage to disagreeably disagree about THIS, we really are lost.

Comment by Ivory-billed Woodpecker Wednesday, Dec 13, 06 @ 12:44 pm
Did you see this morning’s Daily Herald story, ILLINOIS’ BLUEPRINT TO INTEGRATE IMMIGRANTS? It looks like the Democratic governor and legislature are rolling out the welcome mat to illegals. Obviously they will benefit from the fact that 60% of hispanics vote Democratic. Will there be a backlash from their blue-collar base though? Afterall, it’s the working class that suffers most from illegal immigration.

Comment by doug Wednesday, Dec 13, 06 @ 1:24 pm
Ivory-

You miss my point.

So let me make it again.

State employees should not have workplace protections, including insurance and disability leave, that are better (in Illinois’ case, way, way better) than those of other citizens (the ones who are paying for the state employee benefits), regardless of where those citizens work and whether there is a statue backing the benefits or not. We are willing to pay for exorbitant health and disability and job security benefits for state employees but apparently many workers feel we ourselves are not worthy of the same protections.

If we as citizens were more demanding, perhaps the workers whose plight is being addressed by Obama (as part of a maybe presidential campaign)
would not need Obama’s help.

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Dec 13, 06 @ 1:39 pm
Richie Daley should stop ignoring the two-ton elephant in the room and answer the freaking question: Who hired Angelo Torres? This old gangbanger headed the Hired Truck program, which was incredibly corrupt even by Daley’s low standards.

Comment by Tom Wednesday, Dec 13, 06 @ 2:12 pm
The State Journal Registries editorial is on point.

In addition to the Video Game Legislation being declared unconstutional, in the very same lawsuit where Rod Blagojevich and Lisa Madigan were defendants, due to the Attorney General’s blatant conflict of interest, a Special Assistant Attorney General, from an outside lawfirm, was hired to represent the State of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich and Lisa Madigan.

The question now is when will this become precedent that when the Attorney General, the Governor or the “State of Illinois administration” is a party to a lawsuit, the conflict of interest is acknowledged by the Attorney General and a Special Attorney General, not a Special Assistant Attorney General who would still report to the Attorney General, is appoint to represent the State.

Thus far this has been the only lawsuit where the State has appointed a Special Assistant Attorney General to avoid conflicts of interest.

However, it should be across the board in all such cases where the Attorney General would have a conflict or the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Comment by One_Mcmad Wednesday, Dec 13, 06 @ 4:16 pm
Darn it!!

I met you in 2004, at a Pasfield House event for the Kane & Kendall County Young Republicans, which I was invited to, as the incoming Chairman of the UIS CRs.

I wish I had been back to this site a couple days ago - or even this morning - I was looking for somewhere to go this evening, after work… It ended up being ‘Taco Gringo’…

I would have much rather been at your party!!

Comment by Aakash Thursday, Dec 14, 06 @ 1:49 am