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* Tribune Editorial: What CTA workers want for Christmas

* Henry Hyde funeral, pols from both parties offer praise; more here

* Sun-Times Editorial: Sorry, housing woes won’t reduce property tax bills

Of course, the foreclosure crisis could make the situation much worse over the next few years, and home values could start to drop. But let’s say that happens. Even then, taxes won’t automatically be lower. It all depends on how you fared relative to other property owners. If everyone saw a similar decrease, then your tax burden could stay the same — and could even go up, if local governments keep on demanding more money. Your taxes would fall only if you were hit harder than most other people.

* Editorial: Schools lose money as governor dawdles on BIMP bill

Because the payments are smaller, school districts that can afford to are dipping into their reserve funds to pay their bills.

Eventually, they may be compensated retroactively for that money but not for the interest earnings they are losing because of it.

Blagojevich supports the funding measure as it was approved by the Legislature, according to one of his PR people.

“Schools are not going to lose out on this,” spokeswoman Susan Hofer said.

* Editorial: Letting a little common sense flow

The bottled water backlash has begun. Illinois schools and offices are shunning those omnipresent liters, and why not? This $15 billion-a-year industry is a triumph of marketing over common sense.

* Rules of new IL smoking law still foggy

* Editorial: New year, new law good reasons to quit smoking now

* Tribune Editorial: The truth about teen births

Given all this, a one-year overall rise is grounds for concern but no more. If it turns out to be a brief interruption in a continuing decline, no one will much remember what happened in 2006.

Despite the uncertain meaning of the change, some people were sure what caused it. Planned Parenthood blamed abstinence-only education that omits information about condoms and other types of contraception.

* All casino patrons may be carded

The Illinois Gaming Board is thinking about requiring every patron to hand over a driver’s license or state-issued identification card for electronic scanning in order to check against a state list of “self-excluded” gamblers who have promised not to enter casinos. Currently, casino operators scan the IDs of people who appear to be younger than 30 before they can enter gaming areas.

* Groups offer tax, financial, indemnity services to entice FutureGen project

Illinois has dangled $80 million in financial incentives, including tax breaks, low-interest loans, reimbursement for worker training and $17 million in outright grants. That’s four times as much as Texas has offered.

Neither the FutureGen Alliance nor the Department of Energy has publicly asked for subsidies from states, and money might not make a difference. Ohio, which offered $164 million, didn’t make the first cut, and neither did Kentucky, at $90 million.

* Hilkevitch: Study due this month on long-discussed Chicago-area bypass

* Word on the Street: Peoria mayor has track record of endorsing losing candidate

* Clout Street: State GOP endorses Sauerberg for Senate against Durbin

* WurfWhile: The trouble seeing Bill Foster’s grassroots campaign

* Mark Pera’s new TV ad

* Peoria Pundit: Aaron Schock’s Website is up, glitches and all

* Sharpton says he’ll lobby against Olympics unless Chicago deals with police brutality

‘’Chicago does not symbolize a place that can hold an international event when it can’t deal with its local problems,'’ Sharpton told the Associated Press Sunday. ‘’They can’t say to the world, ‘Come to Chicago. We are an example; we are a beacon of light,’ when you’ve got systematic abuse (by police).'’

Sharpton said if Mayor Richard Daley and city officials don’t respond in a matter of weeks, he will travel to other countries with West Side church leaders and victims of alleged police abuse to persuade members of the IOC to not chose Chicago.

* Sharpton threatens Chicago on police brutality

* Press Release - Governor for a Day: Mike Messuck…

The Illinois Republican Party today announced that the winner of the special drawing, Governor for a Day, is Mike Messuck of DuPage County.

“I am excited to be chosen as Governor for a Day,” said Mr. Messuck. “If this is a governor’s typical work day, I cannot imagine this will be too difficult.”

Mr. Messuck, who sells cranes, grew up in Westchester, Illinois, and attended college at Bradley University in Peoria where he played hockey.

“Congratulations to Mr. Messuck on his win, I am sure he will enjoy his day” said ILGOP Chairman Andy McKenna. “Hopefully, this serves as a reminder to the people of Illinois that we need a change of leadership in Springfield.”

Mr. Messuck will begin the day at the hour of his choice. From then, he will be ushered to a salon for a haircut and massage.

Following his time at the salon, Mr. Messuck will be treated to a first-class lunch which will be followed by a tour of the City of Chicago including visits to the Sears Tower and other Chicago landmarks. Mr. Messuck will end his day by attending a Chicago Blackhawks game.

Final details as to the date Mr. Messuck will step up to the not-so-difficult task of being Governor for a Day are still in preparation.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 8:53 am

Comments

Good for Sharpton… Andy McKenna should voice a second from the GOP. It’s the right thing to do and it makes Democrats squirm.

Comment by Bill Baar Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 9:12 am
That’s shocking…the Republicans chose someone from DuPage County to be Governor for a day.

Comment by Old Shepherd Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 9:23 am
Al Sharpton is absolutely correct! If anything Mayor Daley has helped perpetuate police brutality in Chicago. Richie has his father’s mentality when it come to dealing with such things.
Chicago would be embarrassed before the world if some unfortunate were to occur.

Comment by Olympic Committee is watching Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 9:24 am
Pera’s ad is short, sweet and might be very effective if he can get it aired regularly. I don’t think it’s fair to blame Lipinski for Bush’s energy policy, but most 3rd District voters just aren’t that sophisticated. The problem for Pera will be getting enough money to buy air time and mailings, and finding a way to insure that the other candidates don’t drain too many anti-Lipinski votes away from him. I don’t see him succeeding in either.

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 9:25 am
Even more shocking is Governor Blagojevich’s salary for what he does.
By the way, didn’t Governor Blagojevich give himself a raise this year?

Comment by Wacker Drive Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 9:26 am
The Peoria paper at it again, huh.

Wonder if there will be a followup story on Schock’s endorsements, like the commenter on their website suggests.

How many endorsed losing candidates in the past? If they’re Republicans in Illinois, there’s no question…. ALL of them.

Might be interesting to see how many endorsed non-conservative candidates, since Schock is touting himself as Mr. Conservative, as are his opponents.

Comment by Rayfan Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 9:35 am
“Schools that can afford it will dip into their reserves…”

Between the delays this year in the second distribution of taxes and the State induced delays, there are not many school districts “…who can afford it…”

The Districts with their June 30th Fiscal years and with Cook County Distributions from current tax receipts crossing two fiscal years have no choice if they are to pay teachers, administrators and pay due bills for other merchant services.

The budgets are set AFTER the beginning of the fiscal years and without exact knoiwledge of how much revenue is going to be received. In lieu of conservative budgeting, many Districts anticipate more revenue than they will receive. Teachers contracts are signed on that basis.

Unfortunately for them, Districts had reacted — with state permission, of course — to this budgeting mnethod by recourse to temporary financing. Either anticipation notes are sold and the money paid back with interest when received in the fiscal year. This lessens the dollars which can be used for actual school purposes.

The alternative is to sell Working Cash Fund Bonds, the proceeds from which are loaned to the Operating Funds. The original purpose was to keep the interest cost in the District. However, instead of paying the loan back to the Working Cash Fund, many districts “forgive” the loan. That pays down the deficit financing — but in fact provides an additional appropriation above that which would have been permitted by the County Clerks under the State mandated levy limits.

In due course, the Working Cash Fund is abolished, leaving the Bonds outstanding. The Working Cash Bonds are paid through a separate levy — just another burden on the taxpayers.

In due course again, possibly before the W.C. Bonds had been retired, a new issue is sold for the same purpose.

Just a bit of School District magic.

But that is incidental. Budgets and even credit is stretched. It is nice to say that the State will make up the interest cost — but without a printing press, Illinois taxpayers will pay. For Blago’s people to neglect to mention this is disengenuous.

Comment by Truthful James Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 9:42 am
Wacker Drive…
I believe it was 10%

Comment by siyotanka Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 10:11 am
Go Al!! I used to think the Olympics were totally useless gigantic wastes of money. But, the fact that some want them so badly creates leverage for others. Look at China and how the Olympics that are going to be held there have become a leverage point for those oppossed to China’s support for Sudan. Now everybody who wants something positive for change in Chicago (and could do something to interrupt or derail Chicago’s Olympic bid) has some leverage..

Comment by b-dogg Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 10:12 am
The Chicago Tribune article, about the U.S. Senate race, states that Mike Psak is a fringe candidate, but the article doesn’t include any facts which prove that he’s a fringe candidate and Dr. Sauerberg isn’t a fringe candidate. Neither of them has run for office before. If Psak is a fringe candidate, Sauerberg is a fringe candidate.

Psak has been campaigning for the U.S. Senate for four years, which is about eight times longer than Sauerberg has been campaigning. Psak is the only pro-life candidate in the race, and he supports President Bush’s Iraq policies. Psak is pro-tax cuts, pro-spending cuts, anti-illegal alien, pro-gun rights, and anti-gay marriage. His petition was signed by voters who live in 96 counties. Please read his site, www.psak4ussenate.com.

Comment by PhilCollins Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 10:30 am
PhilCollins, please, let’s be realistic here.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 10:38 am
Hair Salon. Lunch. Tour. Hawks game.

That should just about tap out the ILGOP coffers.

Comment by JonShibleyFan Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 11:12 am
McKenna hit the right spot. Unless the State GOP goes after GRod - sometimes with humor/sometimes without - voters are just gonna remain ticked at ALL legislators. Some DEM legislators are gonna have to get on this bandwagon soon. Or maybe the State Dem Party - but - oops that MJM. He really needs to get out of there so that “the party” can take the rap for hitting GRod. Everyone out there needs to remember that they’re all taking the heat - most voters are not blaming it all on the Gov. They think that all legislators in the Capitol are useless - at least that’s what it’s looking like. MJM - release your prisoner (State Party).

Comment by babs Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 11:41 am
I wonder who gave Blago the Hanah montana tickets he was at the concert with his kids. I know he didnt wait in line like the rest of the parents. It must be nice to have state jobs and contracts to give away. I wonder what kind of state contract you can get for 4 hanah montana concert tickets. Does he have to declare these “gifts” Rich?

Comment by FED UP Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 12:01 pm
Rich, I’m being realistic. Psak has been campaigning longer than Sauerberg, and Psak is more conservative than Sauerberg. Sauerberg will probably lose votes because he was endorsed by McKenna.

Comment by PhilCollins Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 1:07 pm
I tell you what, Phil, let’s make a cash bet on the primary.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 1:11 pm
McKenna could have done one classy thing and made a homeless person “Gov for a day” - instead of just degrading them by giving them the surplus bars of soap from the IL GOP’s other silly gimmick this past week.

Having a “State GOP Chairman for a day” contest might be fun, if someone had any idea what McKenna does.

Comment by GOP'er Monday, Dec 10, 07 @ 8:53 pm