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* Guv submits lottery proposal to bidders; a closer look at the RFQ

* Jesse White seeks 10-point legislative plan to tighten restrictions on teen drivers

* Sun-Times Editorial: Madigan takes proper stance

But instead of urging her to continue an unwinnable court fight, opponents should direct their efforts at lawmakers. It is their job, not Madigan’s, to change the law if necessary.

* Another Madigan supporter, urges passage of Fritchey bill

* Stroger finalizes budget cuts that axes many in courtrooms, sheriffs office and healthcare; hundreds protest

* Commissioner asks to delay Cook County smoking ban until July â€˜08

* PATH award winner rails against county healthcare system

* Smoking statistics overrated

* Editorial: State ethics exam absurd

* Reapportionment is coming

* HIV test as part of school physicals?

* Excerpts from recent Illinois editorials

posted by Paul Richardson
Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 7:06 am

Comments

Why would a non-smoker go into a place where the food and the atmosphere is choked by the number of smokers who frequent the place?

To be a self-righteous pain-in the ass or a progressive as most seem to be.

The smoking ban we are all told by folks with such social grace and good manners as Mike Quigley and Ed Smith that everyone benefits from a ban on smoking with the same vim and verve of ax-wielding pains-in-the-ass who gave ourt Republic the Volstead Act! They were progressives.

The very townships that banned smoking crawfished for a football game - now, that’s principle. Ban smoking. ban Goose Guts. Ban common sense. But the pains-in-the-ass will still find something else to ban and legislate and get all self-righteous.

Rather, why not stay out of smokey bars and restaurants and stay home and teach the kids about the great ’short haired women and long-haired men’ who gave us Prohibition, Abortion and the solid lack of faith in common sense so important to the progressive thinkers. G.K. Chesterton wrote that the progressive was akin to the nurse who tasted the bitter baby food and determined that asking for non-bitter baby food was not near good enough; she asked for a new baby.

Comment by Pat Hickey Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 8:24 am
I’m having trouble understanding why exactly the “very ill and very poor” will be affected by
cuts in the Cook County clinic system. In fact,
I’m having trouble understanding why anybody will be affected other than freeloaders from other counties (many of them weatlhy counties who could reimburse easily for their care) and middle class freeloaders who want their open heart surgery for free.

The very old have Medicare or a combo of Medicare/Medicaid. So do people of any age with
significant disabilities and also people with end stage renal disease. All kids in Illinois have, well, Allkids. And very poor adults have Medicaid. It’s exhausting for those overpaid payrollers to help them apply if they show up without Allkids or Medicaid, but hey,what can ya say. And billing the other counties for their residents’ care? Why, that might interfere with the sacrosanct payroller coffee breaks over there at the Health Bureau.

Cook County hospital is not located in an impoverished neighborhood full of uninsured folks. It is located in an increasingly upscale area of the near west side of Chicago in close proximity to the University of Illinois Hospitals and to Rush Pres St Luke’s. In fact, there are hospitals and clinics all over Chicago proper, not to mention a number of excellent suburban hospitals such as Loyola University Medical Center. These hospitals have clinics.

Unfortunate that if the Cook County clinics close, some people might have to switch. My ob-gyn just moved to another state and I had to switch too. But I didn’t consider this the end of the earth. And neither will Cook County clinic patients.

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 8:42 am
Pat,

I do not argue with your right to fill your lungs and the air around you with poison. I believe your right to do so is as inalienable as your right to empty your bowels.

But I believe that a civil society has the right — in the interests of sanitation and public safety — to limit the places where you can do either.

– SCAM

Comment by So-Called "Austin Mayor" Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:03 am
Cassandra –

Amen! With underutilized hospitals across Chicagoland. Amen. Outpatient clinics, Nurse practioners making visits to the projects and especially preventative medicine continue to be the way to go. Instead we are saddled with (and underwriters, fee takers and contractors glorified in) the unnecessary debt of what can be called Stroger’s Last Erection.

Comment by Truthful James Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:04 am
SCAM,
A Pleasure as always and consistent to the last as true progressive! You progressive do a penchant olfactory challenging and excrementory tropes! Must have had to with early childhood behavior modificatiosn in our better schools, don’t you know, Old Skin? What? Hmm?

Now, as to the later unwholesome albeit necessary activity - will the ‘civil society’ crowd next exercise a spirited ban on that activity as well? Lord Have Mercy! No, far too theocentric and exclusive - Roger Baldwin’s Toenails!

Comment by Pat Hickey Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:30 am
SCAM,
Profound apologies for the errata -”You progressive do a penchant olfactory challenging and excrementory tropes!”

Too quick on the button, but not too sharp on the noggin also -Modifications

Mea mihi conscientia pluris est quam omnium sermo -

You progressives do have a penchant fro olfactory challenging and excrementory tropes!

Comment by Pat Hickey Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:43 am
Damn! did it again. fro =for . - sorry Paul!

Comment by Pat Hickey Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:44 am
Cassie,
If I needed Open heart surgery, I would not go to County hospital, free or not!

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:55 am
“Stroger’s last erection”…Now THAT is funny!

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:58 am
Pat,
You are hard enough to understand when you use English. Stop with the Roman, will you?

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 10:00 am
Sic!

Comment by Pat Hickey Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 10:08 am
Bill,

Maybe you wouldn’t want to go to Stroger Hospital (it’s nicer than the old County) for open heart surgery (though I’d bet they’d do a good job) but if you got knived or shot, it’s the place to go. No one knows trauma surgery like these guys. I once went in to the old County to get a shot of epi (I was going into shock due to a bee allergy) and I was impressed with the healthcare I received. I didn’t wait, in fact they ascertained my problem and got me care before even having me fill out a form. Folks who wait tend to be those with non-life threatening conditions, it’s called triage and they seemed to do it well.

Cassandra, one of the reasons I live in Cook County is access to Cook county services, including that hospital. I figure, if I lose my job and my partner loses his job and we can no longer carry health insurance, at least in the event of an emergency we can still receive care without losing our home and savings in the process. For me, it’s a form of last-ditch insurance.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 10:21 am
Cermak,

Then you should support the guv’s universal health insurance priority, which is likely to substantilly increase insurance protection for all Illinois adults. If the guv doesn’t get it through the feds are likely to put through a national program.

Universal health care in Illinois might also have the effect of making the Cook County Hospital system more competitive as users would have multiple options. Of course, becoming competitive would also require Cook County payrollers to actually ask patients for insurance information and help some apply, and that may be asking too much.

By the way, under the current system, you don’t have to live in Cook County to get free care at CCH.

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 10:39 am
It seems to me from the protesters that were at the Markham Courthouse last night that Toddler Stroger is ignorant of the most vital motto of Chicago politics: “Good government is good politics!”

It was also duly noted that Toddler didn’t have the guts to show up. I guess he doesn’t have the guts to tell all those people there who use the health clinics he wants to close, or who are involved in Child Abuse and Neglect cases in the courts (and have to face a total distruption of that system, because the budget would ax all of the hearing officers that now handle these cases), the same people whose votes enabled him to beat Peraica, why he is betraying their trust in him so quickly.

Comment by fedup dem Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 10:54 am
You do technically have to live in Cook County to receive the care ethically. I consider those who come from other counties to be little less than thieves. If the healthcare is life affecting, that may make them justified thieves but only if after receiving it, they go home to their county and advocate for a county hospital.

I’m ambivalent about statewide regulations and laws in general. I like government that governs closer to the people. There’s a world of difference between Henry, Coles, and Cook County; maybe a one size solution won’t work for all of them.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 10:58 am
Cermak and Cassie,
I agree with both of you on your last points regarding universal health care and the quality of the trauma unit. I haven’t been to the new Stroger but going to the old County was not a very pleasant experience.
Would universal health care eliminate the need for free health insurance for state employees for life after 20 years service?

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 11:36 am
If the county wants to dictate that you cannot even smoke in a bar in cook county, then the county should continue its so-called effort to promote the public health of its residents by banning the sale of cigarettes, too.

Oh, wait … that would mean dropping its draconian CIGARETTE TAX!!! What could I be thinking???

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 11:37 am
Pat 9:44 No sweat. If anyone can sympathize with typos, it is I.

Comment by Paul Richardson Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 2:12 pm
Paul,

You are one of Nature’s gentlemen to the backbone!
My eyes are shot; stubby fingers; and mind overwhelmed by Daffy Duck ( complex plotlines bedevil me). Thanks again!

Comment by Pat Hickey Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 3:04 pm
“Furthermore, Bensen predicts that the average number of people in each U.S, House district would be close to 725,000 after the 2010 round of redistricting.”

This is a huge problem.

Comment by Squideshi Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 3:07 pm
Why do hearing officers instead of judges handle Child Abuse and Neglect cases in Cook County?
I know the judges need their golf afternoons but
isn’t there such a thing as courtroom management.
Shouldn’t the judges be making decisions about the abused and neglected kids. Isn’t that what the taxpayers thought they were doing.

It appears that one reason we have so many kids in foster care in Cook County is that so many government jobs depending on putting them there and keeping them there.

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 3:24 pm
It is greatttttttttttttt to see Attorney General Madigan take a stand and do the right thing.

Now can she apply the same to her entire office and her Office of Executive Inspector General?

Cook County Board President Tood Stroger should discontinue playing political games instead of serving the people of Cook County. How can he justify his cuts and simultaneously justify his recent hirings. Can’t those recent positions that he has filled be shared by two employees already making 126+ a year.

The people of Cook County would rather see the President raise taxes instead of cutting services. Either way the people loose and we rather loose with a tax increase instead of shortages in healthcare personnel at the Counties medical offices and hospitals.

President Stroger, serving the people should trump politics all day long!

Governor Blagojevich, should discontinue placing a time limit on taking the state’ ethics exam. There has never been a time in any school (that I am aware of) or for any test (that I am aware of) where taking the test too fast results in a failing grade.

It’s either you know the information or you don’t. And I agree with the editorial, aren’t there enough federal, state and county investigations collectively for the Office of the Governor and his Office of Executive Inspector General to place time and attention to.

How about releasing copies of reports completed by the Executive Inspector General. Governor Blagojevich, Inc. should put their focus there!

Comment by One_Mcmad Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 3:42 pm
One if they realeased the oeig reports there would be none because no employee would ever go rat on someone if their anonimty would be lost. And so far the oeig has investigated ar;ound 1000(rough guess) cases and two people have been fired and the’re probabley the two who didnt do anything but knew to much and were ratted out by the oeig which is merely a shill for the gov office to stop the publicity not stop the crime

Comment by Huh Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 8:41 pm