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Question of the day

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Illinois

This is probably too meta, but what question(s) would you like to see asked here?

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 8:07 am

Comments

In the comments on your Cegelis question yesterday there was a post suggesting you ask if Dan Lipinski will get a contested primary. How’s that for a q.o.t.d.?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 8:43 am
Does John Filan or Bradley Tusk actually understand how the property tax cap works?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 8:44 am
Simple answer, first term, second term, never…
What term will Barack Obama be tapped for V.P.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 8:56 am
Rich, this doesn’t change the point (which was right on the money,) of your Capitol Fax item today on Blago bragging about his stupidity, but the ACT folks changed their grading formula about ten years ago. An “18″ in Blago’s day is equal to a “20″ or “21″ today. Back before the ACT changed their grading (I think in the mid 90’s,) it took a minimum score of 15 or 16 to get into NIU, Western, ect….so Blago would have been admitted to those schools. However, he would not have qualified for U of I, unless they had an affirmative action quota for Serbian kids with lots of hair.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 9:04 am
But he said SAT.
And a 21 is nothing to brag about. My own son is at U of Chicago and he has a 32.

Comment by Shelbyville Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 9:13 am
QOTD: “If you could recommend only one book about Illinois politics, which book would you recommend AND WHY?”

Comment by So-Called Austin Mayor Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 9:15 am
Here are but a few for us Die-hard-downstaters:
Will John Shimkus run for Treasurer if JBT runs for GOV?
What Dem.’s run for Treasurer if JBT takes the plunge? (Or Repubs)
Who runs for LaHood’s congressional seat and can they win?
How long will Jerry Weller stay married to the Daughter of a South American dictator (who committed genocide)?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 9:39 am
Interesting, but why ask if certain individuals understand how property tax caps work?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 10:37 am
Congratulations, Shlebyville! Maybe your genius son can teach you some reading comprehension skills….he said ACT.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 10:42 am
Do you think Victor Reyes will get indicted?

Do you think Sen Munoz will get indicted in Hired Trucks and if so when?

Do you think the Mayor will dismantle HDO?

Do you think Alderman Ricardo Munoz will beat Senator Sandoval?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 10:59 am
Not a QotD, but do people REALLY pay you to put stuff on your blog?

Comment by Pat Collins Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 11:19 am
Will Blagojevich face opposition in the upcoming 2006 Primary Election? And if so, who is the strongest Democrat to challenge Rod in the Primary?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 11:40 am
Yeah, here’s a question: who’s gonna play at the state fair?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 11:55 am
As an ancillary to the Blago primary opponent question, “If the Governor does not have a primary opponent and stands for reelection, which republican candidate stands to most likely earn the votes of dissatisfied democrats, and why?”

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 11:56 am
Whatever happened to Miriam Santos?

Comment by Ralph Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 1:14 pm
…and why should we care?

Good riddance, she was a mess.

Comment by Tom DeLay's Mom Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 1:28 pm
Who has the strongest lobbying presence in Springfield?

Comment by wildcat Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 1:33 pm
Will there be a Foghat reunion tour?

Comment by BuckTurgidson Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 1:49 pm
The Rs passed the tax cap because of the perception that local govs were abusing tax levies.

Govboy comes in and declares no new taxes or tax increases and we all think he means the State, but no, it appears he’ll veto anything, even stormwater emergency levies, that are not capped.

So it is logical to ask if his advisers understand the tax cap and how it works. It is logical to ask that if you own property in a community like DesPlaines that flooded, or work for a government that provides emergency services, or pay higher insurance premiums for floods because of payouts for catastrophic floods.

Just asking…I imagine by tomorrow that crack staff will know how it works.

BTW I liked wildcats QOTD.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 1:52 pm
I have often quipped that the budget situation was so bad that the Governor would end up breaking all of his budget-related campaign promises except his promise not to raise taxes, and then he would break that one.

Now that he’s broken his promise not to support an outright gambling expansion, I’m wondering how bloggers think he’s doing on that score?

Also, I think we’re all familiar with the complaints about bureaucratic waste and mismanagement. As long as state employees are going to be blogging, I’d love a Suggestion Box question for people to make specific recommendations for reforming state government.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 2:03 pm
As long as state employees are going to be blogging, I’d love a Suggestion Box question for people to make specific recommendations for reforming state government.

Um, you must be new here. Since the Gov (with a capital ‘G’) took office, whatever “employees” suggest — especially regarding efficiency — is routinely ignored in favor of whatever high-paid consulting firm is currently at work “consolidating.”

One thing I’ve noticed in the past three years or so of the Gov’s tenure — especially at the agency level — is that employees (union staff and managers both) no longer have much say about helping to “improve efficiency.” The agency appointees don’t want to hear it — or have been told not to listen.

It’s like the airline CEO a while back who complained how things would run a lot smoother if there were no pilots to deal with. I suspect that’s the same mentality at work here.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 2:24 pm
Here’s a way to save money at the IL State Police- take away all state vehicles (except for on the road troopers)It’s ridiculous that all management aka sgts. master sergeants, lts. and coronals, lt. coronals) anyone who hasn’t written a citation in a year or helped a stranded citizen. IF they need a state vehicle to perform state business they can check one out of the motor pool like any other state employee. I see so many unmarked state police vehicles at shopping parking lots and dropping their kids off at school. Why should they get to use state vehicles and gas cards to do their personal errands? If the unimaginable should happen and they would be called out to assist they could be given a blue emergency light to put on their personal cars and they could put in for mileage. Just a thought!

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 2:36 pm
Buck,

A Foghat reunion is highly unlikely because founding member Dave Peverett (guitar) died in 2000 and founding member Rod Price (guitar) died in March of this year.

But there is a NEW Foghat that will be playing in Loves Park on May 28, and in Aurora on July 15 and in Countryside July 22.

One of those appearances is probably just a Slow Ride away.

Take It Easy…

Comment by So-Called Austin Mayor Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 3:18 pm
State employees recommending reform in state government. Hmmm. Very interesting. Apparently no one outside of state government has heard that if one works for the state, one is not allowed to make sense. That is the big joke where I work at. If it makes sense, it’s not going to happen.

Reform starts with decreasing the number of people/agencies one has to answer to in order to maintain certification/standards of practice. Reform starts with decreasing the number of people directing action and increasing the number of people taking action. Have the number of people on staff you need to do the job correctly instead of paying inordinate amounts of overtime to cover empty employee spots. Get rid of the multiple middle layers of bureaucrats and their assistants (they could do some direct frontline work, we have jobs to fill) and for Gods sake, why keep combining agencies when they don’t run better but slower. DHS used to be, what, 8 agencies, and they still have 8 different people in change of the different divisions plus a director, plus all the minions, before you get to the front line staff.

Oh, and when you can’t make payroll: cut every part of your departments budget, including training for staff, food for the people who live in facilities, etc.. I’m betting those in Springfield aren’t doing without.

Sorry, I think you touched a nerve.

Comment by Tessa Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 4:15 pm
Tessa: mid-level managers *are* the front-line staff. THat’s my point. I doubt very many (smaller) agencies have a bunch of managers “directing” staff. Maybe in the larger agencies — I don’t know.

Managers are doing front-line work and not getting pay raises — unlike front-line staff who *are* doing front-line work *and* getting pay raises.

Let’s talk about that one.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 6:48 pm
Amen Tessa!

And to the anonymous commenter right after - at our agency it seems that a significant number of those mid-level mangers are recent (since the election) - uhm - acquirements who came in with starting salaries that MORE than make up for the fact that they haven’t been getting raises. PSAs who have been around for years and years are lucky if they’re making $70,000. PSAs who started under this governor - experienced or not (mostly not) are making $80,000 or $90,000 or more. And the next level up - well, the old-timers might be making $80 or $90, but the newcomers are over six figures.

Is is such a surprise then, that there are so many unhappy state employees?

Comment by cynic Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 9:22 pm
I see your point there. I wasn’t thinking about smaller agencies, but larger ones like the ones you frequently see in press - DHS and DOC. Lots of people in Springfield and offices in Chicago, etc. on the top and above local management (which is needed). At what point does one say enough is enough for assistants, etc.?

Those are the ones I was looking at - assistant deputy director (true title) and the like.

I certainly don’t agree with the withholding of pay increases to those merit comp employees who deserve raises (and the majority do). I work with people who haven’t had raises in almost 4 years. That’s not right.

Like th pose on taking away vehicles - you take vehicles away, then they have to be rented or pay staff mileage. Which is cheaper in the long run? Mileage is what 41 cents a mile these days.

WAtching what’s going on in Illinois with the budget and how it affects everyone is kind of like knowing a wreck is going to happen and you can’t stop it. It’s going in slow motion and you are stuck.

Comment by Tessa Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 9:26 pm
No PSA is making 90,000 — period.

Show me one “recent” PSA that’s making 90,000.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 9:31 pm
Question of the day - why don’t people ID themselves with at least a username? And quit posting time and time again on the same subject.

Comment by anyonebutRod Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 11:33 pm
Any manager /CEO / Governor who has such a complete lack of respect and disregard for THEIR own staff will fail!

This Governor not only does not understand the mission of the agencies under him, he has no respect or regard in any way for the programs or policies he is supposed to manage. Blago uses the state workers to promote his own dillusional image of himself. Employees and programs are simply tools to generate press for Blago.

The new state hires in most all instances are making more than those they replaced. In most instances they are not even qualified. To deny these facts is to be a partison liar or simply ingnorant of the facts.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 12:10 am
To anyonebutRod: For some reason, when I tried to put in a username and password, I couldn’t get my comment to post. Maybe that’s why people are using anonymous.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 7:25 am
I have to agree with anon. up above a few who called out all the State Police brass for using the unmarked squad cars for personal use. This has frosted me for years. I have even seen a couple squads “outfitted” with car seats and toddlers. Now, how is Ponch gonna respond to a bank robbery in progress in that scenario? Tell the kids to duck? Leave them by the side of the road?
Besides, it’s not like they’re foolin’ anyone with the plain license plates. We all can figure out that a black or white Crown Vic with 4 extra antennae driven by a big fella (or gal on occasion) is probably not someone’s Grandpa. This is not collosal waste, but at the same time they are putting the arm on us for another buck on the license plate fee so the real troopers can have safe squads, they should put a stop to this first.

Comment by NumbersGuy Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 8:41 am
How about posting the question that Russ Stewart posted on his site:

(www.russstewart.com)

During so-called â€œdown timeâ€ in Springfield, when bored and restless state legislators have time to kill between (or during) committee meetings and floor votes, a favorite parlor game of many is mocking Governor Rod Blagojevich, who is roundly reviled.

For the more perversely imaginative, acronyms seem to be the order of the day â€“ namely: concocting a series of adjectives negatively describing the governorâ€™s character and temperament. For example, Governor J-I-V-E seems quite popular; itâ€™s an acronym for Juvenile, Inconsiderate, Vindictive and Egotistical. Another is Governor O-A-S-I-S; itâ€™s an acronym for Obstinate, Arrogant, Superficial, Insincere, and Self-centered. Yet another is Governor E-L-V-I-S: Erratic, Lazy, Vindictive, Inconsiderate and Spoiled.

The grand prize goes to whoever can figure out eleven relevant adjectives for the acronym B-L-A-G-O-J-E-V-I-C-H. Thatâ€™s currently a work in progress.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 9:05 pm
Asked and answered:

B-L-A-G-O-J-E-V-I-C-H

Block-headed, Loser, Asinine, Glassy-Eyed (or Greenhorn), Obdurate, Jackass, Eliminated, Vacant, Impaired, Childlike, Half-baked

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 9:19 pm