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Visits to the site are the same as early last week, but comments are way, way down. Did Wednesday’s accidental hate fest scare everyone off?
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Mar 14, 05 @ 3:52 pm
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What’s up with this?
CHICAGO - Gov. Rod Blagojevich deflected charges Monday that he hasn’t helped push for gun-control measures in Springfield and said Mayor Richard Daley’s lobbyists have failed to notify his administration about key legislative votes.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 14, 05 @ 5:59 pm
So why exactly do state agencies have legislative liasons? (Other than to provide jobs for lawmakers’s relatives, i.e. Reitz, Phelps & Halvorson.)
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 14, 05 @ 6:08 pm
C’mon, give Blago a break. I mean it’s not like the governor’s office should know what’s happening in Springfield or anything.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 14, 05 @ 7:00 pm
People are mute because it’s the Monday after the St. Paddy’s Parade and the South Side Irish Parade. Surely you understand the meaning of the word “hangover”?
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 14, 05 @ 7:43 pm
Perhaps the lack of comments is backlash for your threat to end Friday Topinka blogging.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 14, 05 @ 8:22 pm
The state’s legislative liaisons are very important.
Say the legislature came up with an ingenious idea to change how state agriculture research is funded (which they often do.)
The legislative staff person will often contact the liaison to tell them why such an idea is idiotic.
The legislative liaisons are also responsible for coordinating the development of “fiscal notes” that tell the legislature how much a proposal will cost.
Generally they could make more lobbying, but they generally work as liaison to increase pension benefits or something.
Comment by Ralph Monday, Mar 14, 05 @ 10:49 pm
Interesting analysis, Ralph. Thanks for that.
My personal theory is that Rod’s just an ass. How bout that?
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 14, 05 @ 11:55 pm
Actually I enjoyed the hate fest…if you’da left it up and edited out the more extreme stuff, I’ll bet you’d have 300 posts by now. HST is here in spirit…Fear and Loathing in Springpatch!
Ralph’s comment is dead on…except those liaisons actually have something to do about 2 months out of the year. They’re pretty busy in Jan and Feb and sometimes March, as we get a lot of memos around this time wanting our input on a host of bills affecting our agency. I really don’t know what they do in, say, August.
Here’s a MasterCard commercial for you:
Wining and dining a state legislator to table a gun bill: $75
3rd row scalped tickets to Cubs game for the same purpose: $400
Governor’s office unaware of legislation in Springpatch: Priceless!
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 1:19 am
Sorry Rich. We are all just plain exhausted from commenting on Blagozo’s crap from last week. BTW, the “accidental” hate fest was quite enjoyable. I think you should follow it up with a poll of some sort. No comments. Just a yes or no vote if you like how elected officials are performing their job. You could list one or all or any number of your choosing. At least you will keep the Gov’s staff busy that day by voting on your site.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 1:44 am
For what it’s worth, my little outpost, The Inside Dope, has experienced a dip in comments over the past few days as well. It’s back up now, but I attribute it to all the issues with Blogger. After all, some folks had to wait forever for the comments window to appear, then after clicking to post them, would get an error message after waiting another few minutes. I imagine this soured many from attempting to comment for a while.
Hope it’s only temporary.
Comment by The Inside Dope Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 2:45 am
Joe Handley runs the liasions. Need we say any more on why they are screwed up?
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 6:37 am
People love to read muck, not mush!
Comment by Craig Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 7:17 am
I’m no defender of the Executive Branch, but I did used to work with Joe Handley, and that last comment was over the top. Joe Handley might be one of three people on payroll for the Exec, including the Governor himself, who actually know how to pass a bill.
Instead of blaming staff, lets just admit that the gov is not interested in passing gun control/safety legislation. If he was, would Brunsvold be head of DNR?
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 5:15 pm
If spirited ranting and venting now qualifies as hate, I say let the hate fest continue. Buck up, Rich. We all have thick skins and can handle the give and take.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 5:45 pm
I’m so sick of people complaining on things they know little about. Why we must all be so negative about state government?
Seriously. This is getting on my nerves.
From one former state employee who put in more 60-hour work weeks than I care to count, ENOUGH!!
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 6:14 pm
To 6:14. You worked 60 hour weeks? I was in state employment for 17 years employed in grunt to supervisory positions and we always got our work done, no matter how much crap we had to send to the Gov’s office in addition to doing our real work. I didn’t know anybody who worked those hours, except for a few suck-ups who were clueless or cloutless. Those souls thought they would get ahead by being visible at the office. They are all gone now.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 7:16 pm
to the 6:14 post…as a current state worker who has just watched a number of long time employees get handed their walking papers at the same time that new contract workers are being brought on board and recent political hires are already being promoted - well, I think that’s good reason to be negative about state government. This administration, who ran on a “no more business as usual” platform, has certainly succeeded in demonstrating that reform was NOT what he meant!
Comment by cynic Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 7:19 pm
This is all called misdirected anger. I lived in Spfld for more than 15 years, watching Republicans fill up the state payrolls, watching them run around town with their little Rolexs and cell phones, padding the payrolls, yet supporting conservatives like Reagan who talked about cutting gov’t.
Such hypocrisy.
To all of those disgrunted state employees, I think you need to move from Springfield. Go out and try to create your own businesses in the state somewhere else.
Perhaps some of your anger is that your gravy train has been derailed, and although you’ll fight like hell to install a new GOP Governor in 2008 it might be better for your health if you just moved from Springfield to start a new live in the private sector.
Come on, isn’t that what Reagan taught you all?
Comment by Blue State Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 7:27 pm
” I lived in Spfld for more than 15 years, watching Republicans fill up the state payrolls, watching them run around town with their little Rolexs and cell phones, padding the payrolls, yet supporting conservatives like Reagan who talked about cutting gov’t.”
Yep, and now we’ll be watching Democrats fill up the state payrolls, watching them run around town with their little Rolexs and cell phones, padding the payrolls, yet supporting “reformers” like Blagojevich who talked about “changing the way we do business.”
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 9:56 pm
Come on blue state- you have said in previous postings, that you were a former state worker….and you have also said you thought the DCCA has done a good job “up in your area”. That almost sounds like maybe they gave you some special preference-maybe a “helping hand or a “special assistance” in getting your “new career” up and going.
Hmmmm…sounds familiar…..should we pull up Roddogs donor list, and see if Bluestate is a large contributor? I believe the going rate is 50 large for an appointment to a good board. Have you considered the Gambling board as a hobby?
Roddog is a disgrace, a disappointment, and a fraud. IF he does not get indicted, he will get beat in 06. Then we will see how many demos leave from the capital (and most likely become lobbyists)!
Comment by EvilTerry Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 10:30 pm
Come on blue state- you have said in previous postings, that you were a former state worker….and you have also said you thought the DCCA has done a good job “up in your area”. That almost sounds like maybe they gave you some special preference-maybe a “helping hand or a “special assistance” in getting your “new career” up and going.
Hmmmm…sounds familiar…..should we pull up Roddogs donor list, and see if Bluestate is a large contributor? I believe the going rate is 50 large for an appointment to a good board. Have you considered the Gambling board as a hobby?
Roddog is a disgrace, a disappointment, and a fraud. IF he does not get indicted, he will get beat in 06. Then we will see how many demos leave from the capital (and most likely become lobbyists)!
Comment by EvilTerry Tuesday, Mar 15, 05 @ 10:31 pm
Gimme a break blue state. Gravy train? When I walked, and I walked because I saw real programs that helped real people being destroyed. They were destroyed only because they had been in place since the last admin and many administrations before that. I had to leave because there was nothing left, no money, no direction - nothing. The new wiz kids that came in went from interns to making twice the salary that took me 14 years to attain. And they didn’t deserve a penny of it. Clueless moron’s all think they are on West Wing. Anyway, I wrote useless reports for 10 months, finally put on my walking shoes and told them all to kiss my a**. Best move I ever made. BTW. I’m doing what I want now, making more money and working by the rules I set. In other words - self employment. One more thing. I am moving soon to another state to avoid being “fee flogged” to death. Gravy train my butt. Those of use who made the state run were paid peanuts plus we knew what we were doing. We didn’t come in making $50,000 per year working as an assitant to the assistant procurement officer.
Comment by Governor Flatus Wednesday, Mar 16, 05 @ 1:39 am
I read all these posts and debated whether to get involved. My two cents. I’m a current state employee, who thankfully doesn’t work in Springpatch, but is affected by all the moronic decisions made by people who look at numbers only and not the people they are affecting.
In any of the human service areas, DCFS, DPA, DHS, Well pick an agency, they aren’t looking at whether or not there are enough people to get the work done and if the needs of the general public are being met. They are looking purely at numbers. You can’t keep cutting the staff who provide the services directly and expect those left to fill the void in a 40 hour week at the same level that having all jobs filled would do. Yet we have numerous people above us telling us how to do our jobs (from Springpatch), and telling us how we’ve screwed up, and that again, we have to do more with less.
The system is broke. It was broken with Ryan in place, because he started with the “let’s get rid of people” plan, and it’s continued with Blahblah “do more with less”. Can’t be done. And the people we serve are the ones suffering. And so are the staff I work with. I’d gladly trade places with a legislative liason or lobbyist if they think they could do what I do or my co-workers do. Thanks to those in Springpatch who are trying to minimize state government. It can’t get much more minimum where we’re at.
I love what I do, so do a lot of people I work with. We just hate what those who are out of touch with reality are doing to us (i.e. those in Springpatch).
Sorry, me thinks this string of posts hit a nerve. I’ll go back in my hole…..
Comment by Tessa Wednesday, Mar 16, 05 @ 7:19 am
6:14 again.
We have all had to do more with less. I emphasize with DHS, Public Aid, DNR, etc — we’ve all had cuts. I’m not saying it’s right, but it is what it is and we’ve gotta deal with what we have.
The State employes over 3,000 people. It’s a vast complex of agencies, boards, commissions, representatives, etc. All I’m saying is don’t complain about things you have no experience with. And by the way, those “plush jobs” are rapidly disappearing.
And to 7:16, I put in those long hours because 1- we were understaffed, and 2- I believed in what I was doing. That’s a powerful combination.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 16, 05 @ 10:17 am
Hey, Evil Terry, you amuse me by trying to make me the issue. What I wrote about was 25 years of consecutive GOP gravy trains in Springfield. The Dems have had control for a big two years and you’re whining like a stuck pig.
And, believe it or not, I’ve gotten my jobs w/out state gov’t grants or boards or commissons but through my own entrepreneurial skills and spirit.
As a conservative, you have to at least tip your hat to that!
Comment by blue state Wednesday, Mar 16, 05 @ 4:29 pm
Blue state- that is how much animosity there is out here in state gov’t. It really isn’t about you- its about the Gov, and his inability to lead, his inability to listen, and his unwillingness to look at history. Other than the 60 new “bosses” in our agency, there isn’t a single person who believes we are better off now than we were under any of the previous governors- including the last, who we hope goes to jail soon. I am not a “regular republican”- but, this guy has certainly made me reconsider the possibilities.
Obviously, you took your buyout and ran- and if I didn’t have a house full of children, mortgage, and a wife- I would probably do the same. The key part for me, is I actually went to college in order to do what I do for a living….and my parents are yellow dog democrats, thus, I didn’t have a patron saint to sponsor me. I actually got the job in the interview process- which is absolutely NONEXISTENT under this administration. (I know this, because I used to be able to sit in the actual interviews while hiring people- and now I am not allowed to even be in the room).
It is past time for a change- and lets hope the next Gov actually has a spine, has integrity, and has a plan.
Comment by EvilTerry Thursday, Mar 17, 05 @ 9:34 am
Evil Terry, I can appreciate some of your comments regarding the current administration.
Comment by Blue State Friday, Mar 18, 05 @ 9:33 pm