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Another flashy gubernatorial announcement ends with nothing happening. The State Journal-Register fills us in:
Santa Claus may bring books to your kids this holiday season, but Gov. Rod Blagojevich won’t.His administration quietly dropped plans to partner with a Tennessee foundation to offer free, age-appropriate books to Illinois children younger than 5. The “Imagination Libraries” program was estimated to cost the state $26 million per year if all eligible children were signed up for monthly mailings. First-year costs were projected at a smaller amount, at least $5 million.
Blagojevich embraced the literacy initiative early this year during a news conference at a South Side church in Chicago. In a Jan. 11 news release, the Democrat was quoted as saying: “Illinois will become the first state in the nation to offer every child a personal library. That’s exactly the kind of commitment children deserve.”
But then the whole thing was dropped.
No news release was issued over the summer when the proposal became a casualty of overtime budget wrangling.
Rep. Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills) deconstructs the situation nicely:
Beaubien said he considered the book program impractical but rapped the gover-nor for misleading people that it would happen. He said the governor tends to make big, splashy announcements without following through.“These things kind of come up and they die away,” Beaubien said Friday. “The press loves it and gives him front-page headlines. … Instead of saying, ‘Here we go again,’ you say, ‘Isn’t that wonderful?’”
The meme is spreading.
posted by Rich Miller
Sunday, Dec 19, 04 @ 11:02 am
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Beabuien once again reasserts his savvy.
Amy Allen
Obiter Dictum Blog
www.obiterdictumblog.blogspot.com
Comment by AmyEAllen Sunday, Dec 19, 04 @ 3:54 pm
So when is Rod going to issue a press release on this story?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/yahoo/chi-0412200092dec20,1,661964.story?coll=chi-newsaol-headlines
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Dec 20, 04 @ 12:17 pm
Maybe Rod didnt care to follow through with this program because he was worried of the impending crisis a copy of “The Emporer has No Clothes” would cause in the wrong hands.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 22, 04 @ 11:35 am