Saw this on Drudge. More lunacy from Gov. Blagojevich.
To make good on his offer to help Chicago combat violence, Gov. Blagojevich envisions putting speed cameras on interstates across Illinois -- and using the revenue to form an "elite tactical team" that would operate in Chicago and other cities.
The idea is in its infancy, with no budget and no timetable.
Sigh.
For those of you who enjoy watching slow-moving trainwrecks, Gov. Blagojevich just keeps ratcheting up the insanity in the Democratic Party and our State Government.
Rep. Jefferson says he will try to override the veto. He’s the sponsor, so it’s his call. If the attempt fails, the AV is dead but the underlying bill also dies.
So, in essence what Blagojevich is doing with this and every other bill he “improves” is to risk killing them. He essentially just killed a decent health insurance bill today. More deaths to come.
Yet, somehow, in his own mind, he’s “doing right.”
Stay tuned to Cap Fax for all the "fun."
Interesting, but not unexpected results.
This, Sen. Mike Frerichs and Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, is why it's irresponsible to pass a budget that is so badly out of balance that you must rely on Gov. Blagojevich to cut things in order to balance it. Does anyone really expect, when the Governor is considering where to cut, that the University or local legislative districts will be treated well?
But at least our local legislators can sleep easy knowing they have done their masters' legislative leaders' bidding.
Normally, I wouldn't comment on such a pointless media pop, but something about yesterday's press conference by State legislators in front of Lincoln Hall demanding Speaker Mike Madigan pass a capital plan rubbed me the wrong way:
State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville said the state was in danger of losing millions in federal matching funds if it did not move forward.
First, Rep. Hoffman is lying about losing federal matching funds if the state doesn't pass a capital plan. From Rich Miller at Capitol Fax Blog:
Nobody has yet been able to prove to me that this “We’re gonna lose $9 billion” statement is a fact. Yet, it is contantly passed along by reporters as if it is true.
Second, Hoffman's dear friend and close political ally, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, promised the funding to renovate Lincoln Hall way back in 2003, when then Sen. Rick Winkel agreed to break with Republicans and vote for Blagojevich's bond refinancing proposal. Blagojevich has yet to deliver on the promised funding from five years ago, so for Hoffman to stand up and demand that Madigan do something to fund Lincoln Hall is the height of chutzpah.
If Hoffman really wants to help renovate Lincoln Hall, he should call on Blagojevich - again, they are very close friends personally and thisclose politically - to keep his promises, as the reason there has been no real capital plan is because nobody trusts the Governor to honor the funding promises which would be included in one.
UPDATE: Here's the recent quote from Sen. Winkel, which I was having difficulty locating earlier:
In exchange for his vote in 2003 - and for which he got a lot of heat from other Senate Republicans - Winkel was supposed to get a commitment from Blagojevich to undertake the long-awaited renovation of Lincoln Hall on the University of Illinois campus.
It still hasn't happened.
"I found out who I was working with," Winkel said. "From my experience I wouldn't do it again."
First, he said he wouldn't trust Blagojevich. He isn't alone, of course, the General Assembly is full of members who believe they've been burned by the governor and his administration.
Second, Winkel said he didn't like the way political insiders, including GOP heavyweight Robert Kjellander, profited from the bond deal.
"I wouldn't do it again," Winkel said. "Besides, who's vote to give him a ton of money that he could use as a discretionary fund?"
ANOTHER UPDATE: Here's another example of this tired trick:
Poor Joe White. The University of Illinois president apparently really believes Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the governor's claim - in a press release anyway - that if a big gambling expansion bill gets the Legislature's OK it means the UI's Lincoln Hall will finally, finally, finally get a long-promised $55 million makeover.
Where have we heard that promise from Blagojevich before?
Well, just four years ago.
Unfortunately, Joe White wasn't at the UI then. So maybe he can be forgiven for drinking the Blagojevich Kool-Aid and allowing himself to be used last week as a prop in the governor's latest stunt - sending deputies and assistants around the state to appear with local officials to promote a $25 billion capital improvements plan financed with proceeds from gambling expansion.
But even if the money for Lincoln Hall stays in the bill, and even if the bill passes, and even if the bill is signed by the governor, and even if the project is authorized that still doesn't mean the money would be released by the governor. This governor doesn't work that way. Deals are aborted. Promises are forgotten.
That's why a lot of state lawmakers don't trust Blagojevich, and why Joe White shouldn't either. The UI president is only setting himself up for a $55 million disappointment.
"I would have no confidence that any agreement would be honored or kept," said former state Sen. Rick Winkel - now a UI faculty member - who was burned by a Blagojevich "agreement" when he was in the Legislature. The pact was that if Winkel broke from his Republican caucus and voted for a $10 billion pension bond sale that Blagojevich wanted, Winkel would get construction money for Lincoln Hall and two other projects, the Post Genomic Institute and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.
How many times will Lincoln Hall be used as bait by Gov. Blagojevich as his allies to get gullible legislators to go along with his budget schemes? Rep. Hoffman is the Governor's buddy, so his motives are transparent, but Rep. Black and Rep. Rose should know better than to participate in this. Why are they standing with Blagojevich on this when they know he cannot be relied upon to fulfill commitments made more than five years ago?
And, at some point, it would be nice if the media attending one of these press conferences actually reported on the number of times Lincoln Hall funding has been promised and withdrawn by this Governor.
YET ANOTHER UPDATE (and bumped to the top): Someone saw this post today, and wanted to send along this poll recently conducted in Rep. Hoffman's 112th District, a fairly Democratic district down by St. Louis.
Client: PRIVATE BY REQUEST
Date of Poll: June 11, 2008
Polling Area: 112th House District
Number of Participants: 3,772
Margin of Error: ± 1.57%1. Do you think it is appropriate for the Illinois Legislature to form a special impeachment
committee? - 65.46 percent2. Do you want your local legislators to support the formation of that special impeachment
committee? - 65.67 percent3. Based on what you know about Gov. Blagojevich, do you think the legislature SHOULD attempt
to remove him from office? - 56.81 percent
Cross-tabs are at the link above. Can someone please explain to me why the House Republicans are standing with Rod Blagojevich to call for this $34 billion capital plan, when nobody trusts him, even in Democratic district represented by his staunchest ally?
DISCLAIMER: I built the campaign website for Hoffman's opponent several months ago, but I don't have any ongoing involvement with that campaign. I didn't talk to them about this post, didn't get any information for it from them, and did not get the poll from Hoffman's opponent or his campaign.
I wonder how long it will be before Rep. Naomi Jakobsson starts talking about impeachment? Speaker Madigan has already issued the talking points, so that should be all the direction she needs.
Notice as well that Senate President Emil Jones is opposed to impeachment:
I think it’s wrong for the Democratic Speaker and Democratic Party Chairman to promote the impeachment of a Democratic Governor. Impeachment is unwarranted in my opinion, and should not be used as a political tool. It is a serious state action that should not be used to divert attention from the issues at hand which are the operating budget and passing a capital bill.
And it's worth remembering that Jones' statement and position nullify the positions and opinions of every other Senate Democrat, including "tough and independent" Sen. Mike Frerichs.
The jury has reached a verdict in the Rezko Trial. It will be read at 3:45 PM.
Keep checking Capital Fax Blog for all the latest and best coverage.
We only have one child, so I don't know if getting a mailing like this is typical or not, but it sure feels odd, especially eight months after the birth.
When I first saw the envelope, with a return address of "Executive Mansion," I thought it must be a fundraising appeal.
(Clicking on the image at right will take you to a PDF of the entire mailing.)
Gov. Blagojevich is using the surge of violence in Chicago for political reasons.
Blagojevich said the $150 million for his anti-violence initiative, which includes up to 20,000 summer jobs for young people in high-risk communities, isn't an unreasonable amount of money.
"This is an emergency. Children are being shot and killed. And for lawmakers to say we can't do it, that's exactly the reason why there's so much violence out there today and so we're just not gonna take no for an answer," Blagojevich said as he left the youth center surrounded by reporters trying to ask him questions.
Blagojevich's proposal includes spending $30 million to provide summer jobs statewide. He's proposing another $20 million to fund grants for after-school programs and other activities to keep kids off the streets. And he wants to invest $100 million to revitalize neighborhoods, support local businesses that create jobs and help police departments buy equipment, according to his office.
I'm shocked - shocked, I tell you - that anyone would use the deaths of children to push a political agenda.
The News-Gazette editorial today:
A challenge to Jones from within his Democratic majority might be the best option. Eleven Senate Democrats, including Sen. Michael Frerichs, D-Champaign, voted last Thursday to put recall on the ballot. Time will tell whether theirs was a courageous challenge to Jones or just a calculated maneuver that gave them political cover in their home districts. The real test is whether those Democrats, and others, are willing to offer an alternative leader to Jones and restore some semblance of respect and responsibility to the people and the government of Illinois.
A comment I made last week:
Who is going to be the first Senate Democrat to stand up and say Jones' leadership and devotion to protecting Blagojevich is part of the problem?
Are any of the Democratic State Senators "tough and independent" enough to admit that Jones is is part of the problem?
It's not that I'm tweaking the NG for echoing me, as I hardly think that's the case.
The point is that it's obvious that the Senate Democratic leadership, and their supporters (including our own Sen. Mike Frerichs) are a key part of the intractable problems in Springfield, due to their protection of and acquiesence to Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Someone needs to challenge Senate President Emil Jones' leadership of the State Senate, even if it's only a challenge to this policy of deference to Blagojevich. Mike Frerichs campaigned as a "tough and independent" Representative for the 52nd District, but has so far challenged Jones only superficially, if at all.
Does Frerichs not see the need to challenge Jones, or is his unwillingness to do so due to loyalty, policy agreement, and/or the massive campaign contributions Jones gave Frerichs in 2006, and likely will again in 2010?
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is extorting Illinois social service agencies into endorsing his budget proposals.
No, I'm not kidding.
I cannot think of a more compelling argument for limited government.
Billy Joe Mills at Urbanagora reports that Governor Rod Blagojevich is a closet Dallas Cowboys fan. The reasons for a recall keep rolling in.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has put another 450 jobs on the chopping block as part of his latest budget feud with lawmakers.
Workers at the University of Illinois Extension program have been told there may not be money to pay them after May 1 because the governor is threatening to withhold an estimated $18 million.
The Extension serves an estimated 2.5 million residents each year, including nearly 300,000 youths who take part in 4-H programs. It has 77 offices located in Central Illinois and throughout the state.
Discuss.
There's an interesting article in the Trib about Blago defending a pardon for Chandra Gill. Gill is currently an administrator for the Loop Lab School, which had rented space in the Pilgrim Baptist Church before it was destroyed by fire. Gill was convicted in 2002 of assaulting off-duty Urbana officer Al Johnston. She petitioned in 2006 for a pardon, and Blago granted it in 2007.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration presented a confusing picture Wednesday of what his office knew about a woman who received a criminal pardon from the governor in 2007, even as her school received a $1 million state grant to reopen after being burned out of the Pilgrim Baptist Church.
Blagojevich ducked out of a news conference Wednesday morning without answering questions about why he granted the pardon to Chandra N. Gill, who at the time was working with state officials to obtain the grant for the Loop Lab School. The school had rented space at the church until it was gutted in a 2006 fire.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-mistaken_grant_webmar06,1,994978.story
Here are some related stories:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-moneymistake-pard,0,570522.story
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-pilgrim-baptistmar05,0,6636685.story
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-pilgrim-baptist.04mar04,0,7744993.story
Update: There's a related article in the News-Gazette at http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2008/03/13/exofficer_upset_by_pardon . Another officer involved wasn't too pleased when she heard about the pardon, and she also questioned the $1 million being given to the Loop Lab School.
This is interesting:
Governor Rod Blagojevich's office says the building that was the scene of this month's shooting at Northern Illinois University will be demolished and replaced with a new classroom building.
A gunman fatally shot five students attending a lecture inside Cole Hall before turning a gun on himself on Valentine's Day.
Blagojevich plans an afternoon news conference to announce funding that will allow NIU to demolish Cole Hall. A new state-of-the-art general classroom building will be built on the site and named Memorial Hall.
I know the Governor's media pronouncements are next to worthless, and that perhaps questioning such an announcement is in bad taste.
But I couldn't help reading this and thinking: if there are funds for this, what about Lincoln Hall?
The Governor gave his budget address today. Looks like more of the same.
The best place for coverage, as always, is Capital Fax Blog.
Annual fundraising totals for Governor Blagojevich (from Tom Kacich):
2007 -- $2.43 million raised
2006 -- $11.4 million
2005 -- $6.56 million
2004 -- $5.91 million
2003 -- $5.29 million
2002 -- $19.1 million
2001 -- 3.3 million
Please note - in 2007, Blagojevich also paid about $1 million in legal bills out of that $2.4 million raised, he has less than $1 million left in the bank, and he's stated publicly that he plans to run for re-election in 2010.
Good times.
Rich Miller at Capitol Fax has the scoop (as always!):
So, in 2006, they went ahead and reported a legal debt and said the reason they hadn’t paid it was because they disputed the bill.
In 2007, they didn’t report a debt because they say they disputed the legal bill, but then they reported it in 2008 once the bill was straightened out.
One explanation for two completely opposite actions, and it’s all bull.
...
* Either way, the guv ought to be severely fined for not reporting a very large bill that was submitted to his campaign fund. The bills come in every month, and whether you agree with them or not, they’re supposed to be reported.
I know he likes to ignore the Constitution and the law and all that, but he needs to be called to account on this one.
But, let’s move along…
$2 million in legal fees? Over a million dollars in the past year alone? What the heck?
(Emphasis in original).
The Governor also appears to have fundraising problems. Go read the whole post.
Today's News-Gazette published a guest commentary from me on the question of an Illinois Constitution Convention which I am in support of (N-G doesn't put guest columns online, sorry)...
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has done something remarkable in Illinois. He has managed to unite people across the political spectrum to create consensus that he absolutely stinks as a governor. Illinois deserves better than Rod Blagojevich. Because of his low approval in both parties and the budget fiasco of last year, legislators (even those in his own party) are talking about amending the constitution to allow recall votes of sitting politicians. The timing for such talk is opportune because on the November ballot this year there will be a question on whether to have a constitutional convention for Illinois to rewrite or amend the state constitution.
The ability to throw a politician out of office after he or she has been shown unwilling or unable to govern according to the public interest is popular among the voters and is growing popular among politicians who want to take revenge against Blagojevich. Yet a convention should include more than just recalls. While throwing public officials out of office that have shown themselves to be a complete failure is a good start; revising the constitution should produce an overall solid framework for good governance.
Discuss.
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