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* Local officials turn to courts to stop IDOT move

“We believe we have the legal precedence to be successful,” said state Sen. Larry Bomke R-Springfield. “We’ve known all along (the move) will not save money. It will cost the state of Illinois. It is not economic development. It is just plain nonsense.”

* Springfield files suit to keep IDOT jobs

* Kirk gets boost from N.Y.’s Bloomberg on gun-control stance

* Laws that have saved teen drivers’ lives

* Miller: Dems kill pay raises to avoid voter ire in November

* Ill. Supreme Court lets priest abuse case go forward

* Aldermen urged to give up pay hike

* Monitor eyes layoffs, too

* Will County Board votes to keep coroner

* Illinois State Fair livestock results

* Former Gov. Thompson to visit Rockford on Wednesday

Former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson will visit Rockford on Wednesday to headline a fundraising event for Winnebago County state’s attorney candidate Chuck Prorok.

posted by Kevin Fanning
Tuesday, Aug 19, 08 @ 9:22 am

Comments

I find it extremely difficult to believe that more than a tiny handful of people would change their minds about voting for Obama because our ever-greedy mostly Democratic state legislators voted themselves another pay raise. And aren’t most legislators running either unopposed, or effectively unopposed this fall, if they are running.

Of course, the flap over the pay raises distracts voters from real issues such as what are our legislators doing with the billions in taxpayer dollars they already have, and will continue to get to play around with, and hand out to their friends in the form of “contracts” and high-paying, low-work state jobs, following receipt of the appropriate “campaign contribution.” It also distracts them from what appears to be the imminent death of the latest attempt at some form of ethics legislation, to reign in the current crop of pigs at the trough just a bit.

We turned down those pay raises, they’ll say, and
we’re supposed to be impressed and vote them another couple of years at state government’s overflowing money pit. And, for the most part, we will.

Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, Aug 19, 08 @ 9:35 am
on the issue of teenage drivers, they just need to buckle down and change the driving age to 18 (keeping the current farm exclusions).

I know most 16 years olds will not be happy, but in our current soceity, 16 is too young and we are losing to many of our youth to automobile collisions which result from giving deadly objects to kids who should have a little more maturity and life experience before obtaining such rights.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Aug 19, 08 @ 10:18 am
In addtion to teen age drivers, I would prohibit college students and interns from driving german made automobiles.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Aug 19, 08 @ 10:45 am