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Illinois

* Daley defends Bridgeport land deal

* Daley denies sweetheart deal for park site

* Mary Mitchell: Daley ignoring rising toll of rogue cops

* Independent cop watchdog to start over with new name

* ILGOPNetwork: A rundown of the Congressional races

* Peoria Chronicle: Schock to officially announce candidacy

* Newcomer eyes Weller’s seat in the House

* Illinois Review: 8th CD GOP primary heats up over ‘dirty money’

* Press Release: Dan Seals ducks and dodges debates

* Press Release: Lauzen announces health care policy position

* ArchPundit: Why he supports Mark Pera

* Video: Mark Pera’s first TV ad

* Video: John Laesch press conference

* Video: Peraica ad slamming new GOP State’s Attorney candidate [fixed link]

* Press Release: Green Party candidate announces for DuPage Co. Board

* WurfWhile: Congressman Biggert target of pro-SCHIP coalition

* School silence law kicks up a big fuss

Pockets of students, parents and teachers who take issue with the law’s intent have staged walkouts, online protests and letter-writing campaigns to state lawmakers in the hope of reversing the measure, which makes Illinois one of 11 states with requisite periods of reflection. A 14-year-old student is expected to file the first legal challenge to the law Friday, thrusting Illinois even further into the thick of the national school-prayer debate.

* IlliniPundit: 2007 ethics training

* GAO Report: Current status of state and local government retirement benefits; just the highlights

* IL Campaign for Political Reform: Dependents as donors and dependent candidates

But the problem that the Post and WDC found isn’t so much that some parents use their kids to sneak around the limits, it’s that candidates can become too reliant for money from a tiny number of donors. And we have that problem in Illinois in spades.

Here in Illinois, most candidates for statewide office get most of their money from donors who pony up $10,000 or more, and those donors account for a teeny tiny fraction of all Illinoisans — less than one-tenth of one -percent.

* Foreclosures crisis could worsen, officials say

“The number of people getting into trouble is going to grow, and the need for housing counselors is going to grow as well,” said Tammie Grossman, executive director of Housing Action Illinois, a Chicago-based training and advocacy group.

Brenda Grauer, a prosecutor in the office of Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, said foreclosures caused by fraud are becoming “incredibly prevalent.”

Poor communities on the South Side and in the south suburbs, she said, are prone to illegal mortgage practices — everything from a broker or lender overstating a borrower’s income to inflating property values on a loan application.

* Sun-Times Editorial: Bad loan crisis affects all of us

* Tribune Editorial: Thoughts on Cook Co. health care system

* Daley said he heard the message and will trim the tax increase

* Clinton Landfill opposition group’s leader contends county board violated Open Meetings Act

The leader of a community-based watchdog group opposed to the permitting of chemical wastes at a landfill in Clinton is accusing a DeWitt County official of erasing an audiotape of a county board meeting.

* Friday Beer Blogging: Halloween Costume Edition

posted by Paul Richardson
Friday, Oct 26, 07 @ 7:44 am

Comments

The Peraica video link needs to be fixed.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Friday, Oct 26, 07 @ 8:16 am
This school silenece law is going to cost the Sate more in legal expense then any benefit derived from it. What a monumental waste of time, all around - drafting it, passing it, implementing it, and all the complaining now that it exists. In the end it provides no benefit and just become another situs for the State to spend money it sorely needs elsewhere.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Oct 26, 07 @ 8:44 am
The Trib article on the Cook County Hospital system doesn’t go far enough in describing exactly which “poor” the hospital is serving. Since patients with Medicaid and Medicare can’t be considered “poor” with respect to medical care (but rather, rich) the article doesn’t address the question of who, exactly, the hospital is serving.

This is important, because if the uninsured population the hospital is serving is largely illegals and out-of-county moochers, and a few patients with insurance who continue to go there out of habit, plus patients who want to cheap out on health insurance, taxpayers need to know how many there are in each category and what the cost
is. It may be, for example, that other hospitals
and clinics can pick up the patient population and the only reason the hospital is really needed is
to pay lifetime salaries to those 7000 union employees. If that is the case, the hospital definitely needs to be shut down or sold, not put under another crew of politically connected managers.

Comment by Cassandra Friday, Oct 26, 07 @ 8:49 am
how about putting the right Peraica video link

Comment by Anon Friday, Oct 26, 07 @ 9:35 am
Cassandra,

I know 1 person who unlawfully receives care at Stroger? How many do you know? Now, how many patients a day are seen at Stroger?

Stroger provides a real service to a lot of people. It provides an important safety net to the lower middle class who can’t afford insurance and also can’t afford high medical bills. Many of the poor have no idea how to sign up for Medicaid and so it provides care for them too. Yes, I’m sure our illegals get care there too. You’d rather they die in the streets or carry disease because they’re unfit for health care? Doesn’t strike me as the most responsible public health care choice in the world. Non-profit hospitals have largely decided they are for people with insurance or who can afford their bills.

Should Stroger be reformed? Absolutely. Should it be done away with? Absolutely not!

Comment by cermak_rd Friday, Oct 26, 07 @ 11:34 am
I don’t know that any Stroger patients are unlawful.The hospital does serve all comers, apparently, regardless of their ability to pay.
And doesn’t charge them, regardless of their ability to pay.

My point was that we need more information on who exactly the hospitals are serving and what other options those patients have. As to the Medicaid eligibles who can’t figure out the forms, my understanding is that the hospital will do that for them–or would, if they bothered to charge anybody for anything. Illegals are eligible for emergency care under federal law..is the hospital
charging the feds for their care. Emegency care is
very broadly defined. As to nonprofits…we should simply continue their tax-exempt status without
insisting that the provide the charity care with such status entails.

Looks like we taxpayers are paying double or more…paying to support Medicaid/Medicare, allowing nonprofits huge tax breaks, then paying again for Cook County’s health system without insisting that the hospital bill for what it can and that nonprofits earn their tax exemptions.

Comment by Cassandra Friday, Oct 26, 07 @ 12:28 pm
Ditto on the powerful Tribune editorial.
Save Stroger hopsital from those unfit and unqaulified to oversee an $800 million dollar meical/health system.

Comment by Captain America Friday, Oct 26, 07 @ 1:29 pm
Daley defnds the indefensible, thereby diminishing his personal credibility. This is one of those situations and instances of institutionalized corruption that is easy for people to understand.

It should be an intersting case for Fitzgerald to investigate. but the evidnence of probable wrongdoing has y been destroyed or mispalced somehow. The Bridgeport gang/crew of political criminals is pretty careful.

Comment by Captain America Friday, Oct 26, 07 @ 1:37 pm
Paul links, “Press Release: Dan Seals ducks and dodges debates”

Errr… no.

The Footlik campaign is going to do itself no favors by infopimping such demonstrably false baloney.

Seals already has agreed to two League of Women Voters sponsored debates with Jay Footlik, Jan. 10th and 12th.

Plus, the debate Footlik is complaining that Seals “dodged” wasn’t with Footlik, it was with Kirk… last year, days before the election… and he didn’t dodge it, he disagreed to the format…
Finally, the Footlik campaign may want to try to remember the names of the various local newspapers. What is the “Lake County Sun-Times”?

While there is a “Sun-Times” in the area, the Lake County paper they referenced is actually the “Lake County News-Sun”.

Comment by Rob_N Friday, Oct 26, 07 @ 4:09 pm