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The fight goes on, and on, and on, and…

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Illinois

* The governor unveiled yet another amendatory veto yesterday…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Sunday used his amendatory veto power to give a full property tax exemption to an estimated 16,000 Illinois veterans with severe disabilities. The exemption would affect veterans who have a service-connected disability of 50% or more, according to a release from the Governor’s office.

There is no state money to pay for this new program, however.

* Dawn Clark Netsch says the governor is abusing his powers…

“That is an absolute abuse of the amendatory veto power,” said Dawn Clark Netsch, a former state senator and one-time Democratic nominee for governor who was a principal architect of the state’s current amendatory-veto statute.

“The idea was that you keep the substance of the legislation but make some improvements,” said Netsch, now a law professor at Northwestern University. “It was never intended for the governor to sit back and not participate (in the legislative process) and then say, ‘Now I’m going to do it my way.’”

Except that’s not what the delegates wrote…

The Governor may return a bill together with specific recommendations for change to the house in which it originated.

The voters rejected a 1974 referendum that would’ve changed the constitution to confine the AV to minor changes, and the Illinois Supreme Court has kinda jumped around on the issue. Netsch has been running all over the place denouncing a proposed constitutional convention as unnecessary, but she just disproved her point yet again.

* Back to the governor…

Blagojevich sounds like he’s prepared to take several shots if lawmakers don’t agree with him. He suggests the pile of bills lawmakers put on his desk gives him lots of opportunities to try to force lawmakers to go along with the proposal for disabled veterans as well as other ideas he’s cooking up.

“It’s sort of like a quiver with a whole bunch of arrows in it,” Blagojevich said. “And if they don’t approve a specific bill, I may take other bills and put the same rewrite in it. We’ll take several bites at the apple before we take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Just to add a little pressure, he said he wants lawmakers to consider his changes before the election. The move relies on lawmakers caving into populist ideas under public pressure right before they ask voters to cast their ballots. The theory is simple: how many legislators will risk taking an unpopular vote right before an election. […]

“It’s very easy, and it’s no accident that the General Assembly has the veto session comfortably after the election, and there’s a certain cynicism to that, which I think is kind of troubling if you’re a citizen of this state and you feel like there’s no reason why good things shouldn’t happen before an election,” Blagojevich said.

He’s gonna flood the zone with these AV’s.

* Somewhat related…

* State slashing substance abuse programs

* Worthwhile bill hijacked by political fighting

* Lt. Gov. to Senate: Reject automatic pay raise

* Little hope going into special session - State lawmakers return Tuesday, but both sides feel there’s not much that can be done on education funding, capital bill

* Fair creates new hurdle for lawmakers - Political divisions may become even more evident at festivities

* Rod can’t play nice and can’t manage?

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 7:43 am

Comments

So somebody has to get into the long line and sue the governor, so we can get a judge to declare him out of line.

Comment by Gregor Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 7:55 am
Housing First housing is health care

Recovery management is an important instrument in Supportive Housing

As it pertains to recovery homes, A Sober living and safe environment is what captures the eye of participants and visitors. To achieve this responsibilities are given to the clients. Followed up with staff monitoring, team meetings & weekly community. During assessments of clients a desire to stay straight is expressed and a Sobriety plan is devised.

Social services are provided to Support the positive productive living of the participant. Enhancing interpersonal skills is vital thru recovery support services. Life skills, recovery education, community, 12step groups (ASH Advocates AA), Socialization, becoming involved in the political process are used to take ownership in the recovery process. These are in-house participation and are peer orientated. Meaning the older staff and participants shows the new people.

In addition to in house participation, we have a multidisciplinary team. That could be Treatment, since recovery homes doesn’t do treatment, participants are assessed for treatment. The clinical aspect of the process. Which require so many hours of service. Clients get educated about their disease. More examples of Multidisciplinary teams are probation, parole, Tasc case management, Hospital referrals medical/mental, community linkages, employment training. All the services are documented in the recovery home and considered a one stop shop for the Participant.

In Recovery home settings a social model is promoted. In that social model residents learn to get in to action, and get better by doing. From intake to discharge A community based, drug free, peer orientated facility residential facility provides shelter and recovery services.

Staff have experiential knowledge, as a high percentage have been residents themselves. We have a motto that’s handed down to residents. They have to be working, in school job training or treatment. If a residents recovery is managed he gets a job, finish treatment, or job training. Continues doing home improvements, attending self help groups, getting a bank account, arrives to work on time. Then cost effective outcomes are met .less hospitalization, reduction in incarceration, remains sober and drug free, Family reunification, socialization with out drugs.

Many achieve this in a recovery environment, but then says ok where do I go from here.
AHS has independent living residencies, other supportive housing are SRO’s , outreach agencies have services for the homeless or at risk of being homeless person. That accepts clients on a sliding scale basis. Those are services to be utilized in the continuum of care of the clients.

Safe Haven multidisciplinary team and Continuum of Care Providers

ASH aims to provide a continuum of care through partnership agreements for the provision of support services with the Department of Children and Family Services, the Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (DHS/DASA), the City of Chicago Department of Public Health, the Chicago Housing Authority, the Cook County Drug Courts, IDOC, and Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities
There Is A March on Springfield tommorrow at 12pm when the Special Seesions convene. Please meke your voices heard. Politicians meet in greet at the Bud Billikin Parade but can’t respond to the will of the people

Comment by charles Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 8:29 am
The Gov is leading by sound bite and press release not what is best for Illinois. He is picking hot topic sympathy gestures to garner positive publicity for himself, regardless of the cost. The Gov is complaining about the budget deficit and his need to make cuts from programs that help the homeless and drug addicts; but then he turns around and cuts income to the State without going through the legislative process. The Gov is willing to help others but only if its somthing the Gov put into play and can cliam credit for; if it is an exisiting social progrma then he cuts it so he can come in and replace it with somthing new, and more costly, with his name on it.

Its time to impeach this Gov and get a con-con going.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 8:45 am
Thank you Mrs.Netsch for stating the obvious…tell me why you are against a Con Con again?

Comment by Anonymous45 Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 8:54 am
King Rod knows what is best for us. Just check the daily press release. All talk no action.

Comment by lifer Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 9:32 am
If the Gov would use his very active mind to come up with real solutions, this state would be whole and strong. Probably the best in the nation. But no he brings more madness to the situation. Does he not have any advisors who really talk to him, tell him what he dosen’t like to hear?

Comment by IL the Twilight Zone Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 9:35 am
For all his talk, the Governor’s plans on “improving” all these bills attempts to push “the people” OUT of the legislative system. The constitutional requirements that bills be read on three separate occasions in each chamber, the committee process, in fact much of the entire legisaltive process (not all–I’m not stupid enough to believe it’s all for “good government”) is designed to provide opportunties for anyone interested to study, ponder, work out compromise, improve by amending, etc. By totally avoiding the legislative process when all that is going on, then grandstanding his “rewrite” he attempts to short-circuit the process designed to provide for thoughtful, rationale, logical (as well as political) deliberation. Many of his “rewrites” may be good ideas–but they should be vetted through the normal legislative process, where proponents and opponents both have an opportunity to make their cases. Once again, Rod “I was never very good at constituitonal law” shows he doesn’t have a CLUE about how to govern, or how government works. What’s worse than not having a clue–he and his administration don’t WANT any clues. They prefer to be clueless.

Comment by Ivote Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 9:42 am
Can anyone discern a goal or overall strategy in these tactical moves? It all seems so ADD.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 9:57 am
Any react from Downs’ village officials on being a sacrifical pawn in RRB’s chess…no, wait….on being a thimble in RRB’s Monopoly…no, keep going… on being the bad kid who breaks the cookie jar in Chutes ‘n’ Ladders… no, how about being the blue square card that gets you stuck in Molasses Swamp in Candy Land? They are just trying to follow the rules to get their TIF straight and get to be a part of this stunt.

Comment by Vote Quimby! Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 10:19 am
Also, property taxes are collected by LOCAL goverments. The entire cost of any property tax exemption is borne by the county, city, village, school district or other local taxing bodies. Yet another “unfunded mandate” imposed on local governments. The “free rides for seniors” mandate is turning out the same way… I believe the money the state was going to provide to assist local mass transit districts with that program got cut. I am sure many local government officials are praying for an indictment or an impeachment before he bankrupts them all.

Comment by Bookworm Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 10:24 am
It appears that what the Governor is doing is to become more and more outrageous until we are rendered speechless and stunned and he can walk among us like a god

Comment by Truthful James Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 10:26 am
You can twist anything into an argument for a Con-Con, but this certainly isn’t it. Not only did the voters approve the current provision re AV, but they specifically declined to approve an amendment to change the AV. The same voters will be voting on a Con-Con as well as the work product of a Con-Con. If their views on AV have changed, then just resubmit the constitutional amendment that was rejected once before.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 11:08 am
Look at the headlines the Governor’s AV received under the links on the right side of this blog page: “Governor wants tax break for disabled vets - United Press International”,
“Blagojevich uses veto to expand property tax relief for disabled vets - Naperville Sun”

With heads like that, no wonder we are seeing these AVs. Those are the kind of headlines that campaigns live for.

Comment by Captain Flume Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 11:09 am
It is about tainting the jury pool, folks. Pure and simple. He has got to do these things before the hammer gets dropped, because afterwards it will look utterly insincere and that he’s just trying to save himself. Don’t think for a moment we won’t hear opening statements and closing arugments about a courageous governor who tried to do the right things: help vets, help seniors,help autistic children, help cancer victims, cover the uninsured, etc., but was frustrated at every turn by an evil legislature captive to the special interests. Don’t think that he won’t be on the stand, indignantly denying his role and offering non sequitors like, “maybe they just didn’t like my plan for trying to stop the killing in Chicago.”

Comment by Willie Stark Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 11:14 am
===With heads like that, no wonder we are seeing these AVs. Those are the kind of headlines that campaigns live for.===

And therein lies the ENTIRE PROBLEM. This is 2008, a time for governance. He isn’t up again until 2010, a time for campaigning.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 11:47 am
While the voters did approve the current AV provisions almost 35 years ago, in an era when those provisions hadn’t yet been completely tested (I think there were some legal issues raised about a couple of Ogilvie’s AVs) that was long before anyone ever imagined that any governor would abuse this authority to the extent that Blago has.
In Wisconsin, whose governor has the broadest AV power of all, voters did eventually get rid of what were called “Vanna White vetoes” (rearranging individual letters to form the words the gov wanted to appear) and “Frankenstein vetoes” (cobbling together entirely new provisions out of existing words and phrases in a bill). Obviously, when voters believe a power is being abused, they may be more amenable to curbing that power.

Comment by Bookworm Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 11:54 am
==And therein lies the ENTIRE PROBLEM.==

Amen to that! But it has always been about the campaign, unfortunately for Illinois.

Comment by Captain Flume Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 11:59 am
What the paper fails to point out is that we already have a disabled veterans property tax exemption. Yes disabled veterans should get an exemption, but they should not be treated differently from other groups. What about seniors? what about the disabled that aren’t veterans? This is such a slippery slope. Someone has to pay the taxes if one group gets it for free. This means a disabled veterans pays no taxes and a senior citizen’s goes up.

Nothing is free, people!

Comment by He's at it again! Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 12:08 pm
HJRCA35
Filed 1/17/08
House Sponsors
Rep. John A. Fritchey - David E. Miller

Proposes to amend The Legislature Article of the Illinois Constitution. Repeals the Governor’s power to amendatorily veto bills. Effective on being declared adopted.

Comment by Here's the Solution Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 12:38 pm
===Does he not have any advisors who really talk to him, tell him what he dosen’t like to hear?==

No.

Comment by Bill Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 12:44 pm
===Does he not have any advisors who really talk to him, tell him what he dosen’t like to hear?

No.==

More than any other shortcoming, this is the governor’s most egregious. It’s a dangerous trait in a wise, experienced, hard-working leader — think Nixon. in one who is not, even more so. More than anything else, it will be Blago’s downfall.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 1:08 pm
George Ryan had the same problem.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 1:11 pm
“===Does he not have any advisors who really talk to him, tell him what he dosen’t like to hear?==

No.”

He used to have Deb Golden and Susan Lichtenstein…

Comment by Ghost Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 2:03 pm
He used to have a lot of people. They’re msotly gone now. Filan and Harris are left but they are part of the problem not the solution.

Comment by Bill Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 2:57 pm
Dawn Clark Netsch is a hoot.

She writes (along with 118 others) a constitution that contains one invitation after another to “abuse power,” and then laments some one who abuses it.

We don’t have the advertising budget allocated by the “Alliance to Protect Rod, Todd, & Richie,” but at least every headline coming out of Illinois papers proves that our case is much stronger.

Vote “Yes” in November.

Comment by Bruno Behrend Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 2:57 pm
I thnk the only solution is to legalize dueling ala Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. It’s definitely time for a shoot-out at the Do-Right Corral. The last man standing - the Governor, the Senate President, or the Speaker would get to impose thier public policy solutions unitl the next election. May the best megalomaniac win!

Comment by Captain America Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 4:01 pm
CA,

Wouldn’t it be more like “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” 3-way shoot out scene.

Of course, we’d have to give Tuco his bullets back.

Comment by Bruno Behrend Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 4:14 pm
D C Netsch is a nice enough old gal. But for her or anyone else who participated in the last Con Con to say that we will never need another is even more egotistical than her claim that she was smarter than Jim Edgar. Perhaps true, but he was smart enough to win the election.

As Rich pointed out, it might help her reputation to be more familiar with what the constitution actually says, not what she would like it to say.

Time for her to head back to the pool parlor…

Comment by DuPage Dave Monday, Aug 11, 08 @ 8:42 pm