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The never-ending mess, Part 9,287

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Illinois

* There are no definite plans yet on when the General Assembly is coming back to Springfield, according to the Post-Dispatch. I’m hearing the House may return on November 1st, but that’s not certain yet….

“People have lives to live. This whole five or six months we’ve spent with people being yanked around like yo-yos is kind of ignorant and disrespectful, so we’ll try to avoid that going forward,” said [Speaker Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown].

With budget issues still unresolved and Chicago-area transit systems insisting they need a state bailout by Nov. 4, it is expected the Legislature will be back before the end of the year.

But Brown said it makes no sense for the House to return until an agreement is reached by negotiators on a mass transit bailout.

Madigan believes it is up to House Minority Leader Tom Cross of Oswego to negotiate a deal with Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Some Republican votes are needed for the bailout because the measure needs a supermajority to take immediate effect.

But Republicans say the bailout and a proposed statewide construction plan must be tied together.

* Cross’ mass transit proposal may be unveiled soon, and it could include fare increases…

Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross says he expects a possible funding solution will be introduced early this week

CROSS: We think it’s one that members of the general assembly can vote for and the bottle line is that it doesn’t raise taxes. And that’s what we need to do. We’ve got to come up with some solution that doesn’t raise taxes. People are getting sick and tired of every time they turn around—another tax increase. So we feel like we have to find a different alternative.

Cross says it’s not unreasonable for the CTA to raise fares since gasoline prices have also gone up. The CTA will cut nearly 40 bus routes and increase fares if it doesn’t receive additional funding by November 4.

* Rep. Julie Hamos points out the shortcomings in the capital projects bill that passed the Senate not long ago…

* The capital budget bill that the Senate recently passed contains 10 times more funding for roads over mass transit than the last capital bond program passed in 1999.

* “The capital bond program passed by the Illinois Senate in SB 1110 is totally inadequate to replace broken-down buses, or fix the CTA “slow zones”, or allow Illinois to compete for federal transit expansion dollars — even if SB 572 is passed for transit operating budgets.”

* Cross was set to propose a gaming proposal as well, but that may have been put off for a bit. Finke touches on something that I went over last week in the Capitol Fax…

[A gaming expansion] bill will almost certainly call for at least one new casino in Illinois and allow all of the existing riverboats to expand their operations. What’s the big deal? Just that in 2005, the House voted 67-42 to get rid of riverboat gambling. Not limit expansion, get rid of it altogether.

Yeah, it was a symbolic vote related to other budget issues going on at the time. It had no chance of passing the Senate, so there was no danger that the state would lose its gambling cash cow. Still, 56 current members of the House are on record as voting to eliminate riverboat gambling.

Don’t think that old vote will be ignored. The anti-gambling Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems is distributing copies of the roll call. ILCAAAP is also distributing copies of its candidate survey from last year’s election. Thirty-one House members responded, and most of them said they oppose new casinos. Most of them also said they oppose slot machines at horse-racing tracks, another idea being floated.

It’s a good bet that at least some of these people will be changing their tunes if an expansion bill tied to capital comes along. That’s when we’ll see some real fancy footwork.

* More stuff, compiled by Paul…

* Rich Miller: Legislative session brings out a different side of Dan Hynes

* Schoenburg: Can’t predict what the future holds with Blagojevich

* Editorial: Time to send in replacement leaders?

* Rep. Eddy not surprised by 900 failing schools

* Country Club Hills Mayor upbeat about casino odds

* Editorial: Lottery limit not a real cure for gamblers

* McQueary: Charity is the new way to reach politicians

* Erickson: Topinka racks up campaign fund violations in run for Governor; and other statehouse news

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 9:17 am

Comments

If fare hikes doesn’t translate into service cuts I don’t think there should be a problem. Let’s see if the Springfield personality clash can see this thru.

Comment by Levois Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 9:50 am
Dan Hynes perhaps should consider proposing solutions to the current problems. His fable was very well done, but it seems he is more interested in milking the current problems for plublicity then he is in trying to solve the problem. Its fine to stand in the crowd and shout that the emperor has no clothes along with the masses who are shouting the same thing. But perhaps it would show his abilties as a leader if he stepped up with a Robe and worked to solve the problem. its easy to stand in the back of an angry mob and wave a pitchfork when everyone else is doing it. Hynes needs to step in front of the mob and slay the monster himself.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 10:11 am
Does anyone know where the study on the mess and understaffed IDNR can be located.On the news this weekend there was a report on the growing crisis in the IDNR.

Comment by DOWNSTATE Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 10:32 am
I think Chris Mooney, quoted in Schoenberg’s column, gets it right. Personally, I can not foresee any circumstance in which Rod Blagojevich can get reelected in 2010, particularly given his impending legal problems -lots of rerally bad publicity, even if he is not indicted. Despite his masterful camapigning skills, Blago’s record is abysmal and he has very few friends/political allies left. If I had had a crystal ball. I would have voted for Topinks. But I think it was impossible to foresee the Springfield meltdown precipitated by the Governor and enabled by Godfather Jones.

I disagree with Ghost about Dan Hynes. Hynes has stood up to Blagojevich repeatedly the last four months and in the past too. Personally, I’d like to see lisa Madigan in the Senate and Dan Hynes as our next Governor. But I have a preference for substance over style.

Anybody but Blago! I’ll have to abstain if Blago somehow wins the Democratic nomination, I’d just have to abstain if his opponent is a socially conservative Republican.I would not think twice about voting for a moderate Republican gubernatorial candidate, even though I’ve never voted for a Republican for Governor before (30+ years of voting here in Illinois).

Comment by Captain America Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 10:35 am
With respect to the white rabbit that the magician Tom Cross fianlly may be ready to pull out of his hat, in terms of a mass transit funding solution, fare increses don’t bother me. Fare increases wouuld be hard on low income people. It’s the peotntial draconain service cuts that bother me. I still think the Hamso Plan is far su-erior to any other proposal. I think if Cross wants a capital bill, then he should be prepared to support the Hamos Plan. I could cre less what the governor wants. Balog haw become an impediment to getting things done rather than a ousitive force for change.

Comment by Captain America Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 10:44 am
Anyone betting if CTA will actually implement “doomsday” on November 4 or if they will back off if some legislative leader makes a promise or advances some money?

Comment by Bluefish Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 10:54 am
Hey Captain America, you might want to slow the fingers down a bit.

Comment by Jaded Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 11:14 am
CC Hills getting a casino would catastrophic in my opinion, but it would propel them into the arena of the Aurora-type cities.

They also have a mega-mall similar to the likes of Aurora that should be opening in the summer of 2009.

Comment by YouNeverSawMe Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 11:14 am
They might need to put that casino somewhere else in the south suburbs. Perhaps Harvey. Or Dixmoor.

Comment by Levois Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 11:43 am
Transit fare increases do not “have” to hit the poor disproportionately.

http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/riders.html

http://www.transitchicago.com/welcome/transitb.html

There are programs available for reduced fares already where seen as socially appropriate. These programs can be expanded if need be. There are middle and upper class transit riders who can bear a fare increase, and still come out way ahead over driving downtown, when costs of car ownership, fuel, maintenance, insurance, parking, and frazzled nerves are all considered.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 11:44 am
Krut Erikson wrote, “Madigan believes it is up to House Minority Leader Tom Cross of Oswego to negotiate a deal with Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Some Republican votes are needed for the bailout because the measure needs a supermajority to take immediate effect.”

Erikson uses the word “bailout” twice in his article. It’s a budget, not a bailout.

“I think everything you used to know is wrong,” Mooney said. “That’s what we can say after this session. I mean, things have gone so crazy, and there’s no end in sight.”

That’s right. I’m looking forward to the election.

“Although she still is listed as having $255,000 in her campaign fund, Topinka has not paid the fines.”

Why am I not surprised?

Captian America wrote, “I’ll have to abstain if Blago somehow wins the Democratic nomination, I’d just have to abstain if his opponent is a socially conservative Republican.”

Just vote for the Green Party candidate.

Comment by Squideshi Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 11:51 am
Captain America what has Dan Hynes done to end the problems other then functionaly just standing up and saying there is a problem and it must be ended? Hynes is able to submit suggestions or ideas for deals and/or revenue to be considered. he has not submitted anything but rhetoric. He, like Quinn, are great at “demanding” somthing be done, but they offer no real solutions or leadership. Hynes is prone to the empty kind of Rhetoric and demands that the Gov makes. Hynes is defiently more style then substance. I would agree, we should go for substance and seek out Lisa Madigan for gov. For example while everyone else was complaining about the surge in electric rates she actually acted to do somthing to solve the problem. Hynes is all press release, no substantive actions.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 12:02 pm
Country Club Hills would be an ideal southern location, close enough to the upscale southern suburbs, as well as providing excellent training and employment opprtunities to the working classes hit by the current recession and prior plant closings. The City sits at the intersection of I-55 and I-80 and draw clientele from Indiana, extending south to Champaign.

As I understand it, CCH would act as host but ownership and profit distribution would be shared with other municipalities on a cooperative basis.

Comment by Pete Speer Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 12:06 pm
It is very difficult to invest in a business in Illinois, locate a business in Illinois or do business with Illinois while it goes without stable governance.

The longer we suffer under this Democratic crackup, the longer it will take us to get back on track when and if it ends.

We are in a world of hurt, and there is no relief in sight. There are no winners here, only losers - including you and I.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 12:35 pm
We need to stop beating around the bush. The people of Illinois have been trained over the last decade or two that they can have all the services they want without paying for them. Gov. Rod perpetuates this myth and Cross is backing him up.

If we want roads, parks, schools, health care, etc., WE need to pay for it and that means raising income tax and expanding sales tax. Gambling is a poor excuse for revenue to pay for the commonwealth. If no one wants to pay, let’s close a few bridges, shut down the parks and a University or two, drop sports from all of the schools, shut down mass transit, send the police and fire departments home, close some hospitals, and live with the government we are willing to pay for.

The leaders of the state need to start leading and stop pandering to the voters and bickering among themselves. Be up front with us, what does the commonwealth cost and why should we pay for it?

Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 12:41 pm
Rod’s toast, he just doesn’t realize it.

Hynes might be a good governor. He knows his way around a budget, but he should work on raising his profile if he’s planning on running.

Submit some ideas for fixing the mess, as someone already said.

The CTA, I think, will go through with the cuts on 11/4. I think they were ready to the first time around before the emergency loan was delivered.

I’m pretty sure Huberman and Brown are on record saying that they won’t accept another loan.

It feels pretty serious to me.

Comment by jerry 101 Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 1:06 pm
If Country Clubs Hills gets the casino it will be located on property owned by the Gatilins. They are friends of Emil Jones, and thats what Emil wants. The question I have is what does Emil and his friend Tony Bass get for delivering this prize?

Comment by MOON Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 1:22 pm
Does anyone else see a Cross run at the Governor’s office in 2010 as a real possibility? He has been getting a lot of good press as the moderate negotiator between the feuding Dems and he got that stem cell initiative through earlier this year. Maybe the repubs can actually get behind a moderate candidate!

Comment by Bud Man Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 1:23 pm
All the legislatures as well as Blago are not looked upon fondly by the public (voters), thus I think Cross or any legislature would have a tough time winning a state wide office!

Comment by MOON Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 1:32 pm
I say transit cuts are going thru on 11/4…I get the feeling eliminating the bus routes was something the CTA wanted to do anyway, low ridership, ancient equipment…service on CTA rail lines is more important, and costly to maintain at that…Hynes is a decent public official…he may be governor material…let’s elect anyone in ‘10 with the brains for the job and an ability to work constructively with others…I don’t see Lisa Madigan wanting to be in DC with two toddlers at home…Is Speaker Madigan dumping the CTA crisis on republican suburban Cross?

Comment by Loop Lady Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 1:35 pm
I agree with Steve Brown about “People have Lives…” but the Legislature and the Governor has NOT done their jobs. I am sorry for the Inconvienance that they have dealt with this year, but there are a LOT more taxpayers that have been affected by their LACK of DUTY.

Comment by He makes Ryan Look like a Saint Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 1:41 pm
I’ve wondered during the rush to open more casinos in ethically-challenged jurisdictions, why no one is trying to get the mothballed tenth license up and running? Obviously no one wants to give a penny to the mobbed-up investors of the old Emerald, but they are out of the picture. While the remaining investors, like Connie Payton and Chaz Ebert are hardly charity cases, offering some sort of settlement to end all the litigation and claims on the tenth license would allow the state to bid that license out right away, without any new monster casino bill. It could easily pump a few hundred million into the state coffers almost immediately. The state and everyone else settle lawsuits every day and often pay to do so. God knows there are crazier ideas out there.

Comment by Anon Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 2:25 pm
Why bring it up when they can sell one or two or three more? Once those are sold, they can sell the 10th and get more money and make more big money donors happy.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 2:28 pm
Captain America apologizes sincerely to all bloggers for his terrible typing. I’m actually a competent speller. I just learned to type a few years ago - believe me digital dexterity is not my strongpoint.

Comment by Captain America Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 2:39 pm
lol

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 2:42 pm
Random thoughts: It’s not a ‘bailout’; but a budget for necessary infrastructure. Fare hikes are a given, under any plan. The service cuts in Pace and Metra (next year) will leave the suburbanites seething (in an election year). Does Cross get this or even care? Casino taxes and profits come from people losing money gambling on games rigged for the house. Is that any way to fund important government responsibilities? No more ‘payday’ loans for transit - the RTA Board has made this clear, even if the CTA were to go along. Madigan is setting up Cross for the transit blame.

Comment by Legaleagle Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 2:55 pm
I completely agree with Ghost that Lisa Madigan is a person of gravitas and substance. My language was imprecise. I really like her and respect her. She’s done an outstanding job as Attorney General and no doubt would be an excellent Governor too. My previous reference to style was intended to refer to our current Governor,who is all style and no substance, and doesn’t understand the difference between campaigning and governing.

But if I were the “kingmaker” and there was a vacancy in the US Senate, I’d slate Dan for Governor and Lisa for US Senator. If Lisa runs for Governor, I’d like to see Dan move up to Secretary of State, but as far as I know Jesse White has no intention fo retiring.

Comment by Captain America Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 2:55 pm
Squideshi

I stand corrected. Voting for the Green party candidate would be a reasonable alternative to abstaining when if parties run unacceptable candidates. That’s probably what I’ll do if Blago should somehow get renominated and the Republican nominee is a social conservative.

Comment by Captain America Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 3:02 pm
The story that the chicago casino might not generate all the cash some think is the reason that putting slots and video poker into Ohare and midway makes sense. These machines would generate a huge amount of money to go along with the additional casino and most of the money would come from tourists and buisness travelers not locals. That being said depending on gambling to provide for the city county and states future is a scary thought hopefully our leaders have more than just casinos as an answer. wishful thinking I know.

Comment by FED UP Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 3:04 pm
I wonder why people have a problem with social conservatives? I can understand the problems with a more religious conservative.

Comment by Levois Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 4:38 pm
Part 9287, good stuff.

Comment by Lotta Liaison Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 5:36 pm
Observations from the JRTC:

Lisa Madigan is a pleasant person who will talk to you while she’s waiting for her car, unlike some of the other mopes running the state.
Jesse White is also a friendly, regular person when you bump into him in the elevator, always with something to say. Each has one visible security person standing by, not an entourage or phalanx of state troopers.

George Ryan, for all his faults, was an amiable guy who would shake your hand whether you wanted to or not (or if you had a handful of bills or not). He traveled with two visible security guys but wandered away from them as he saw fit. Jim Thompson was no man of the people, but he would, every once in a while, talk to us state workers like we were real people.

Then there’s Blago. If we ever see him here, I’ll let you know what he’s like.

Comment by DuPage Dave Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 6:26 pm
ok, Ghost said Hynes was all press release and no action. Ahem, first of all, the Constitution does not allow the state Comptroller to do much besides issue checks, regulate cemetaries, and keep the state’s checkbook balanced. Second, remember when the Governor bought the vaccinations and they were disallowed into the country? Hynes refused to pay for them. Finally, using the psychological principle of projection, where one’s own faults are projected onto another, Ghost must work for the Governor’s office, where indeed, everything is press release and no substantive results obtained for the people of the state.

I am no great fan of Hynes, but accusing him of being all press release and not mentioning the Governor is just plain wrong.

Comment by some former legislative intern Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 6:38 pm
First of all, how can ANYTHING be the Republicans fault?

Seconly, in reference to campaign violations, what was Blago’s and what was Todd Strogers?

Third, and this is some research for Rich — during the campaign Blago said he was going to give all of Rezko’s contributions to charity. Do we have proof that he did that and to where did he send it?

Comment by It's Just Me Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 6:39 pm
It’s the Republican’s fault for not fielding a good candidate to run against Blago.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 8:54 pm