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Quinn wants answers, and more on the guv’s Philly trip

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* Yeah, this’ll happen. From the Tribune…

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn demanded today that Gov. Rod Blagojevich immediately explain himself to the public following the Tribune’s disclosure that the governor has been covertly taped by federal authorities investigating corruption in state government.

“I think the governor has a short period of time to come forward and level with the people of Illinois,” Quinn said. […]

“The governor owes to the people of Illinois a full and complete explanation,” said Quinn, who defended Blagojevich while serving as his running mate in 2006, when the federal probe already was going on.

Quinn said Blagojevich should open himself up to questions raised by the Tribune story and his relationships to convicted political insiders like Stuart Levine, whom Blagojevich kept on state boards where corruption flourished, and Tony Rezko, whose federal conviction followed a trial where the governor was repeatedly linked to allegations of pay-to-play politics. Blagojevich and Wyma have not been charged with any crimes.

“He should immediately find a forum and stand there for however long it takes and fully and completely answer all questions raised,” Quinn said.

An apt forum might be a House impeachment hearing.

Just sayin’.

* Meanwhile, we now know about how many staffers that Gov. Blagojevich took with him to Philadelphia to meet with fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama…

According to the governor’s press office, Blagoejvich and 7 or 8 staffers took a state owned twin turbo jet to Philly.

That’s a heckuva lot of staff. Compare that number to other governors at this link.

Back to the story…

We checked into how much more expensive it was to fly the private plane compared to a commercial flight.

According to the state auditor’s office, it costs $9.81/mile to fly the private plane. A round trip from Chicago to Philadelphia is 581 miles. That means it would cost an estimated $7,880 to fly round trip betwen Chicago and Philly.

We then priced a commercial flight from Chicago to Philadelphia. According to Southwest.com, a round trip flight would cost $440.

Therefore, it would cost the governor and staffers $3,520 to make the round trip. That’s a difference of nearly $8,000.

A spokesman for the governor tells us flying the private plane allowed the group to meet while in air and it has phone access as well.

The math here is really screwed up.

The 581 miles used in the story is actually nautical miles. 581 nautical miles x2 for a round trip is 1,162 miles, x$9.81 = $11,399.22, not the number in the story.

The Auditor General has also decreed that the billing rate for the state plane should be $1.85 per seat-mile. If it was the guv plus eight staffers (we’ll take the high end) that’s $16.65 for each mile.

So, using nautical miles, that’s 1,162 round-trip miles, times $16.65 = a recommended $19,347.30 pricetag.

Yowza.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 11:45 am

Comments

I think the state plane is the least of Rodney’s problems today. Wonder how many nautical miles it is to Cuba?

Comment by Speaking at Will Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 11:50 am
This is old news. Blago has bigger fish to fry, or should we say, is a big fish getting ready to fry. We know Blago took more staff to Philly and it was covered. I don’t have a problem in a one time flight for business purposes although this may have been political. Are we really going to make a big deal out of one flight to Philly when he flies to Springfield everyday because he and his wife are uptight Chicago snobs who refused to move to Springfield even though he has the honor of being our Governor.

Comment by the Patriot Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 11:55 am
Quinn is being a little silly, of course. The governor is the subject of a number of federal criminal investigations. He has a right to protect himself. His blanket denials will have to suffice, for now.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 11:55 am
Why couldn’t the governors of MN, WI, IL, IA, & MO meet in Chicago and take a van? They could have picked up MI, IN, and OH along the way. They could have shared staff and security as well as hotel rooms. That’s what the rest of us do.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 11:56 am
Is it too late for me to get into this racket? I’d sure like to get me one of these gold plated butts to take advantage of these high priced seat miles.

Comment by vole Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 11:56 am
1152 nautical miles from Chicago. That’ll be $19,180.80 according to the AG’s recommended billing rate, unless the plane should also be billed deadhead back to Chicago, in which case the bill would be $$38,361.60.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 11:58 am
Good point, six

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 11:59 am
I just noticed how close the one-way to Havana is to the round trip to Philly in nautical miles.

Duuuuude!

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 11:59 am
Should the guy who stands to benefit the most from Rod being impeached or resigning really be the one leading the crusade against him? Hmmm… conflict of interest? At least he hasn’t started measuring the drapes in the Governor’s office, as far as we know anyway.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:00 pm
Let’s keep in mind that this was the first NGA event Blagoof ever attended.
I did enjoy the huge number of statte who stiffed the media questions…suggests that stiffing the media could be a new sport.
Why did it take three, four or five days for this to get out there?
Why didn’t sad sack Andy Shaw include this in his dazzling live shots from Philly?

Comment by 2ConfusedCrew Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:10 pm
Quinn doesn’t want answers. He just wants his name in the paper.

Comment by Bill Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:17 pm
“All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.” - Lt. Gov. Quinn

Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:18 pm
Maybe the Feds are getting enough independent evidence that they really don’t need Rezko much anymore and thus aren’t willing to make huge concessions for his cooperation. Thus, we see Rezko balking and asking for a sentence.

Comment by Thinking Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:26 pm
$19,180.80 is just the start. We have landing and gate fees at the airports, storage/parking fees for the plane in Philly, …

Goes up VERY FAST!!!!!!

Comment by Healthcare Worker Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:34 pm
oops, forgot the crew accommodations……

Comment by Healthcare Worker Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:35 pm
Anybody check on how long the trip lasted?
One report said the Blagoof posse went on Monday and came back Wednesday night

Comment by 2ConfusedCrew Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:37 pm
Quinn is simply trying to publicly as possible distance himself from Blago in case he is made Governor and runs for election. It certainly can’t hurt.

It will be interesting to see if Madigan tries to prop up an indicted Blago for a couple years and not impeach him so his daughter doesn’t have to run against a nearly invincible incumbent Quinn.

It may be impossible, even for the mighty Mike, to hold off the ground swell of disgust.

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:39 pm
I’ve never heard the State of Illinois plane referred to as a “twin turbo jet”. It is a prop plane.

Nice little piece of anti-Blago pile-on propaganda there.

(And yes, technically you can say the engine in the plane is a turbo jet, but no one ever did until it could be used to smear Blago needlessly. I’ve never once heard the state plane referred to as a ‘jet’ before)

Comment by Quotient Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:41 pm
Pat Quinn, this morning, looking into his bathroom mirror after his morning rituals…

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who, is the luckiest guy of all?”

I’m the Mighty Quinn

Come all Illinoians, away from Blago’s sin
You’ll not see nothing like me, I’m Governor Quinn
Come all voters, for us it’s win-win
You’ll not see nothing like me, I’m Governor Quinn

We’ll be building roads and schools
Some are building monuments, others are jotting down notes
Everybody’s in despair, every girl and boy
But when Quinn the Governor gets here
Everybody’s gonna jump for joy

Come all you folks, from the bottom of the bin,
You’ll not see nothing like me, I’m Governor Quinn

I like to go just like the rest, I like my politics sweet
But impeaching running mates, just ain’t my cup of meat
Businesses hiding from the GA, feedin’ them from fear of loss of limb
But when Quinn the Governor gets here
All those pigs will gonna run from him

Come all legislators, away from Blago’s sin
You’ll not see nothing like me, I’m Governor Quinn
Come all voters, for us it’s a win-win
You’ll not see nothing like me, I’m Governor Quinn

Let me do what I wanna do, I can decide ‘em all
Just tell me where to spend it and I’ll tell you who to call
Blago can get no sleep, the Feds are on his toes
But when Quinn the Governor gets here
Everybody’s gonna wanna doze

Come all fund raisers, you’ll find me within
You’ll not see nothing like me, I’m Governor Quinn
Come all unions, come all within
You’ll not see nothing like me, I’m Governor Quinn
Come all liberals, come all within
You’ll not see nothing like me, I’m Governor Quinn
Come all power brokers, come all within
You’ll not see nothing like me, I’m Governor Quinn

Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:43 pm
How many flights = one DNR park employee?

Comment by Pot calling kettle Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:48 pm
VM: Another child of the 60s I see. This (flower) bud’s for you!

Comment by Pomerium Ultra Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:50 pm
Would Lisa, Alexi, Dan, or any other maybe-I-am-considering-running-for-Governor Democrat really want to run against a Gov. Pat Quinn? Would PQ just consider himself a placeholder in Room 205 should he find himself in that seat?

Comment by Captain Flume Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:52 pm
Just to clarify: It’s absolutely correct the Rod Blagojevich, as a private citizen, is under no obligation to comment on his own actions or on any investigation that may involve him. However, as an elected official, he is properly held to a higher standard; the folks who elected him, and re-elected him, have a right to know what he is doing while on their dime.

Comment by soccermom Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 12:57 pm
VanMan,
One or two songs was kinda funny but enough is enough. Don’t you have some work to do?

Comment by Bill Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 1:03 pm
Bill seems a little edgy today…

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 1:11 pm
Maybe we could get advice from that wise sage Gov. Palin since you parodied Quinn the Eskimo!

Comment by Illinois.Pundit Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 1:12 pm
Interestingly enough, the Web Flyer at
http://www.webflyer.com/travel/milemarker/getmileage.php?city=MDW&city=PHL
puts the trip from Midway to Philly International at 666 miles, which is both amusing in its own right and a bigger round trip number.

Comment by BigRed Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 1:17 pm
agreed! quinn wants attention BUT his message is right… the governor isnt obligated by law to talk and most lawyers would advise against it…HOWEVER this is a man who was given his position by the people of illinois and now there are SERIOUS allegations that he has abused his position…so legally, no he shouldnt talk but as the governor of this great state he needs to answer some of these questions…

EVEN Richard Nixon held press conferences throughout the Watergate investigations…

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 1:36 pm
===puts the trip from Midway to Philly International at 666 miles===

We’re talking nautical miles. Different.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 1:43 pm
a nautical mile equals 6076 feet, 1.15 statute miles
a statute mile equals 5280 feet, .869 nautical miles

Comment by Huh? Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 1:54 pm
The cost per seat to operate the state plane is not the same as the billing rate. It is sort of like saying the cost of operating a vehicle, over its life, is 50 cents per mile, but the mileage rate is 42 cents per mile. If we want to get to the bottom of how much it costs, several posters have identified some key ideas including landing costs, actual miles flown, crew accomodations, etc. (Is there a gate fee for a private aircraft landing?).

Ignore the billing rate. It isn’t relevant in this case. (i.e., the cost of operating the jet is the same whether there is one person or ten people in it). Also, shouldn’t the State of Illinois enjoy a discount for travel? Certainly it wasn’t a last minute decision on who was attending the meeting? What is the price of a group of ten RT seats to Philly, purchased by the state?

Someone with more time can do the computation and post the answer.

Comment by Lou Grant Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 1:55 pm
Lou Grant,

Arthur Andersen and I had an interesting discussion on this in yesterday’s Cap Fax. Since he is a state accountant who is privy to the numbers, you may find your angle there.

https://capitolfax.com/2008/12
/04/so-how-did-other-govern
ors-get-to-philly/#comments

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 1:58 pm
Thinking,

I think you have it just right.

Comment by Leave a light on George Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 2:06 pm
Phone access on the aircraft

Two words

– Skyphone.

Comment by OneMan Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 2:07 pm
Soon-to-be-Senator Bill is not edgy. He is appropriately concerned about the economic fate of the great state of Illinois,and he is troubled that the discussions of “travel agent” issues will distract his hard-working constituents from the state’s true and pressing need for federal relief — which, incidentally, we more than deserve as a “donor state,” from a federal taxation perspective.

Comment by soccermom Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 2:15 pm
That’s a lot of cheese!

Comment by Levois Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 2:30 pm
Who better positioned than Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn to know exactly what is going in Illinois Gov. Blagojevich’s administration. After all, Gov. Blagojevich plucked Quinn out of thin air and picked him to be his second. As my mother use to say, “If you lay down with dogs you get up with fleas.

All the sudden Quinn doesn’t know anything about Wyman, Rezko, Levi & Assocaites? This not only strains credulity, but makes me question Quinn’s veracity.

Does anyone else besides me think it is funny that Quinn, the second highest elected offical in Illinois government, and a guy that has been at the public trough his entire adult life doesn’t know what is going on around him????? Please.

Comment by Huntingwithaswitch Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 2:35 pm
Dear experts,

I doubt if 8 staff went along, for obvious reasons it was probably 7, and that probably included security. Also, it doesn’t cost the same to operate the plane whether 1 person or 8 people are aboard. Fixed costs (i.e., pilot’s salaries, insurance)are the same, but variable costs (i.e., fuel consumed) aren’t

Comment by steve schnorf Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 2:38 pm
I’m one of the ones who feels that the state plane was not as big of a deal as others are making it out to be. Commercial jets probably should have been the first choice, but I can understand why the state plane was used. (On the other hand, the Maryland governor should be embarrassed for flying.) I see much bigger problems with the use of the plane for Blago’s daily commute when the overtimes were occurring.

If the state plane should not be used for transportation to a governors’ meeting (a bi-partisan one, too, not simply a junket for governors with (D) behind their name), what’s legitimate use? Maybe travel to disaster areas, but a helicopter gives someone a better view of destruction. I know others would say that a plane should never be used, but the state of IL is not a Rhode Island. It’s big.

Comment by South Side Mike Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 2:38 pm
HWAS — Take a quick look at the Illinois Constitution. The Lt. Governor is elected indepedently in the primary. Quinn was not “picked out of the air” by the Governor; he was elected by the people of this state, on the basis of his lifetime of public service — both in and out of elected office.

Comment by soccermom Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 2:39 pm
To follow up on soccermom’s comments, it’s not a secret that Quinn and Blago don’t see eye to eye. He’s basically been frozen out since day one. Meanwhile Quinn keeps busy doing small projects that are importat to him.

Comment by Cynic Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 3:11 pm
Of all the Lt. Gov. candidates in the 2002 primary (Mike Kelleher, Pat Quinn, & Joyce Washington), I suspect that Quinn was at the bottom of Rod’s list for running mate. “Forced upon” would be a better description than “picked out of the air.”

I do not remember, but wasn’t Kelleher the candidate slated (or at least preferred) by the Dem. Party?

Comment by Pot calling kettle Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 3:42 pm
Huntingwithaswitch, I’m sure your shilling for another candidate but I’ll respond anyway.

Quinn was Blago’s last choice for Lt Governor but he won the primary so Blago had to except the reform minded crusader for the people as his running mate.

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 4:11 pm
Truly sad day….O,J. gets hard time….Wymaramabama best releases Greatest Hits….Patricia MB slams Blagoof in hairy noggin for being El DopeO SupremeO
What were they thinkin?

p.s. It will be impossible to replace Dring.
StateWideTom must retire….Landslide Ron Wait for Minority Leader!

Comment by 2ConfusedCrew Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 4:25 pm
Who was the only Democratic Statewiide Elected Officer that refused in 2006 to endorse Blago for re election?

Comment by WHO Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 4:54 pm
Steve, point well made in re: charter or State plane, the “real” cost is the same for 1 or 8 butts in the seats.

As you know, the rules are in Illinois that we don’t count that way; we run Air Blago and charge per seat, making Gen. Holland’s technically correct per seat full cost charge reflect the cost of all the deadheads, 1-passenger flights, etc, etc.

And one more thing-it is patently ludicrous to take a bodyguard out of state to attend a meeting with the POTUS-E. Rod’s greatest personal security threat is from the FBI.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Friday, Dec 5, 08 @ 7:56 pm
6 degree:

I confess I didn’t read the CF on Wednesday or Thursday. (Mea Culpa) Thanks for the link.

LG

Comment by Lou Grant Saturday, Dec 6, 08 @ 9:00 am
Whoopp,

Unless Alderman Dick Mell is the “reform minded crusader” you are talking about — you are kidding yourself. Get real.

Comment by Huntingwithaswitch Saturday, Dec 6, 08 @ 3:13 pm