Posts Tagged ‘Rod Blagojevich’
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
From a press release:
Local 150 Leadership Blocks Blago Raid on State Road Fund; Call on House Lawmakers to Reject HB 473
Springfield, Illinois… “No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.”
Mark Twain would have added an exclamation point to that observation if he had ever had the occasion to meet Governor Rod Blagojevich.
The economic well-being of operating engineers was again jeopardized this month by House Bill (HB) 473 as it was originally written.
Prior to IUOE 150 intervention, HB 473 would have granted the Governor the ability to “sweep” (i.e. raid) a number of ostensibly dedicated state funds to the tune of $520 million, including the road fund and the veterans fund, to transfers those monies to the state’s general revenue fund for use as the Governor sees fit.
Todd Vandermyde, IUOE 150’s lobbyist in Springfield, testified before the Senate Executive Committee, urging legislators to not allow for the road, construction, and veterans funds to be “sweep-eligible” by the Governor.
“This legislation is wrong,” said IUOE 150 Vice President Jim Sweeny. “We are not going to stand silently by and allow the Governor to continue playing financial shell games at the expense of jobs for our members and infrastructure upgrades that are critically important to all Illinois families.”
As a result of IUOE 150’s collective efforts, the legislation was amended to preclude the Governor from raiding the road fund or the veterans fund.
However, the legislation that passed the Senate on April 3 by a 37-21 vote does still include the construction fund as a fund the Governor may raid.
“We are urging state lawmakers in the House to reject HB 473 as long as it continues to provide for the raiding of the state’s construction fund,” said Sweeny.
“The consequences from the financial mismanagement of Illinois by this administration should not continue to be visited upon working people,” added Sweeny.
HB 473 current awaits action in the House.
Tags: Operating Engineers, Rod Blagojevich
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | Comments Off
Friday, November 2nd, 2007
If you depend on public transportation in the Chicago area, you might want to send Rich Miller a thank-you note. Apparently, he’s the only thing stopping the entire system from shutting down due to lack of money. Seriously.
Tags: Capitol Fax, CTA, Rich Miller, Rod Blagojevich, RTA
Posted in Citizen Journalism | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 30th, 2007
The editors of the Chicago Tribune were apparently stunned by the response they received when they asked their readers if they believed that Governor Blagojevich should be recalled. I thought I might ask my readers what they thought. My opinion can be found in C.J.’s comment section.
[poll=11]
Tags: Chicago Tribune, governor, recall, Rod Blagojevich
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | Comments Off
Sunday, October 28th, 2007
News links via the Journal Star:
- Aaron Schock officially announced yesterday. As far as I know, he’s the only candidate to come out in favor of expanding the use of nuclear power, which is something I strongly support.
- Doug Finke says that Gov. Blagojevich wants to send the entire state a bill so Blago’s Chicago neighborhood can get some property tax relief.
- Freebies and fun for the kids at the Taft.
- In East Peoria, once they figure out a kid is a bad influence, they kick his sorry ass out. Everywhere else, they treat the poor darlings with kid gloves.
- I am shocked, absolutely shocked, that a hotel guest would try to rip someone off.
- Their former boss said ‘no pension for you.’ One of them checked, and yes, you do get a pension. No harm no foul, right? Apparently so. I wonder how many people are out there suffering because their boss made a ‘mistake.’ Funny how these mistakes keep benefiting bosses.
- Sigh. Woodruff High School just doesn’t have good luck during the playoffs.
Tags: Aaron Schock, Doug Finke, East Peoria, Journal Star, pension, Proctor, Rod Blagojevich, Woodruff High School
Posted in Overset | 3 Comments »
Thursday, November 23rd, 2006
Aren’t we all so proud we re-elected this hair sprayed as governor? It’s bad enough Rod Blagojevich thinks the state capitol is 200 miles to the north, but he doesn’t have a clue where Peoria is located:
The news release sent out Wednesday stated: “Gov. Blagojevich announces acquisition of helicopters from federal government that will strengthen public safety in Rockford, Peoria.”
It then goes on to say that police departments in Belvidere and Byron will each receive Bell OH-58A helicopters the state had obtained. Both of these cities are more than 130 miles away from Peoria.
Initially, CMS spokesman Justin DeJong said the helicopter at Byron would service the Peoria area, but when told that Byron is more than a two-hour drive away, DeJong said he would look into it.
Here’s a little help with that research, dude:
The excuse of the day is that everyone jumped the gun with the press release the gun and that the Peoria area is next on the list. The trouble with THAT is that while there has been a little “gee, wouldn’t it nice to have a helicopter talk” locally, there hasn’t been any serious discussions about how to share the helicopters among local agencies, nor does anyone have any idea how to pay for their use and upkeep. And Peoria County Sheriff Mike McCoy says the costs wouldn’t be worth the benefits. Peoria needs more jail space than it does a helicopter.
While Blago is handing out free helicopters all over the state — whether they are needed or not — the state is still balancing it’s budget by not paying into the retirement fund for downstate teachers.
Blagojevich,helicopters,Central Management Services
Tags: central management services, helicopters, Rod Blagojevich
Posted in Overset | 3 Comments »
Thursday, November 2nd, 2006
A poll authorized by Copley Newspapers poll authorized by Copley Newspapers says Blagojevich would get 44 percent of the vote, compared to 40 for Republican Judy Baar Topinka and 7 percent for Green Party candidate Rich Whitney, and another 9 percent remain undecided. The poll’s margin or error is four percentage points. Other polls give Blago a much wider lead and Whitney more than 10 percent of the likely votes.
My two cents: The only poll that matters is the one taken on Tuesday. But the fact that poll numbers shift so much depending on who’s taken them suggests to me that there’s going to be a lot of stunned people next Wednesday. And if there’s another poll showing a closer race for governor, it’s going to be much harder to get people dissatisfied with Blago more than Topinka to vote for a third-party candidate. And for that I blame th pervasive attitude that one “wastes” ones vote by voting for someone with little chance to win. I still intend to vote for Whitney because I cannot imagine Topinka being much better, and because she needs to be punished for using state workers to get the Libertarians kicked off the ballot in a previous election.
Judy Baar Topinka,Blagojevich,polls,libertarians,Green Party,Rich Whitney
Tags: Green Party, Judy Baar Topinka, libertarians, polls, Rich Whitney, Rod Blagojevich
Posted in Overset | 6 Comments »
Monday, October 23rd, 2006
I just received the following press release:
Rich Whitney, the Green Party’s candidate for Illinois Governor, claims that he is facing widespread media bias and is requesting fair coverage.
“While this campaign has been gratified by the favorable response by many front line reporters, the fact is that when it comes to the top of the institution, we’re seeing a different story–one of institutional bias. It reflects the fact that these institutions have a economic and political sink in the same two-party system that most Illinois voters, as well as the green party, see as part of the problem–not part of the solution,” said Whitney.
Some examples of media bias that the Whitney campaign is reporting include the following:
- Omissions from stories covering both of Whitney’s opponents.
- Language suggesting there are only two candidates (i.e. “opponent” vs. “opponents”.)
- Exclusion from debates, interviews, and other broadcast programming.
Citing two specific examples, Whitney pointed to recent endorsements of gubernatorial candidates by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Even though the Tribune hosted Blagojevich and Topinka, neither editorial board invited Whitney to be interviewed before issuing their endorsements.
“Both the Tribune and the Sun-Times are doing the voters a tremendous disservice by failing to provide them with all information needed to make an informed decision on election day. I believe that this is a reflection of the fact that both papers are themselves sizable media corporations, indebted to other corporate interests, that are literally invested in the Blagojevich and Topinka campaigns,” said Whitney.
Whitney has also been arbitrarily excluded from broadcast programming, such as the debate sponsored by the Illinois Radio Network and CBS2 Chicago’s “Straight 2 The Issues” segment, airing between now and Election Day. When asked for equal opportunity, the Illinois Radio Network indicated that Whitney would not be invited without permission from the Democratic and Republican candidates; and even though the most recent Zogby poll shows Whitney’s support in the double digits and growing, CBS2 Chicago indicated that Whitney was “not polling high enough” to be included in their segment. When asked how high Whitney would need to poll in order to be included, CBS2 Chicago was unable to provide any type of pre-established, objective criteria for inclusion.
“CBS2 Chicago claims that the decision to exclude Rich Whitney was based on their good-faith news judgment; but unless their judgment is incredibly bad, I don’t see how that is possible, considering that the most recent Glengariff Group poll showed that 70% of Illinois voters want Rich Whitney included,” said Tim Tacker, Communications Director for the Whitney campaign.
“Media corporations are unique in that, not only are they themselves corporate entities, but most of their revenue comes from advertising from other corporate entities; so they have a very big material stake in maintaining the corporate status quo. The Green Party, and this campaign, represent a challenge to that status quo, which is why were are seeing this type of institutional bias against us and why these same media conglomerates are not serving the public interest,” said Whitney.
MORE INFORMATION:
www.whitneyforgov.org
Rich Witney,governor,Illinois,media bias,Blagojevich,Topinka,Green Party
Tags: governor, Green Party, illinois, media bias, Rich Witney, Rod Blagojevich, topinka
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | Comments Off
Thursday, September 14th, 2006
Press release from the Illinois GReen Party:
Rich Whitney, the Green Party’s candidate for Illinois Governor, has been invited to participate in a gubernatorial debate in Marion, Illinois, on September 26th, 2006. The debate is co-sponsored by the Southern Illinoisan, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIUC, and WSIU Public Broadcasting.
Governor Rod Blagojevich and challenger Judy Baar Topinka orally committed to this debate, and the Topinka campaign has confirmed that they are fine with Rich Whitney’s invitation; however, Blagojevich has previously indicated that he may not participate if Rich Whitney is included. A deadline of September 19th has been established for all
three candidates to confirm their participation in the debate.
The Southern Illinois debate committee’s invitation was in response to a recent Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll that showed Rich Whitney surpassing the 5% support requirement previously established by the committee.
“The voters deserve to be fully informed and that is what this debate should be about. We want a fully informed electorate so they can select the best candidate, with the best proposals for the people. The only way to do that is to have all the candidates in the debates,” said Rich Whitney.
Rich Whitney,Green Party,governor,Illinois,Blagojevich,Topinka
Tags: governor, Green Party, illinois, Rich Whitney, Rod Blagojevich, topinka
Posted in Overset | 4 Comments »
Thursday, August 24th, 2006
Here’s another Green Dart from the Whitey for Governor campaign, blasting both gubernatorial candidates Judy Baar Topinka and incumbent Rod Blagojevich for their stances favoring expanding gambling to boost revenue.
Feh.
As a libertarian I believe gambling should be legalized, and subjected to taxation no higher than any other legal business. Hell, put a casino on ever freakin’ street corner for all I care. It couldn’t possibly be more destructive to our society than a limited number of riverboat casinos have been, or the state-operated numbers racked called the Illinois State Lottery. Go stand in line at Super Liquors at the end of the month and see who’s playing number after number. Almost every single story I read about some trusted school secretary or mid-level elected official caught with his hand in the cookie jar has been addicted to gambling. I once saw what looked for the world like a homeless couple trying to check into the Par-A-Dice hotel, with the clothes in taped-up boxes and black garbage bags, trying to get a discount room rate based on the amount of gambling the’ve done at the casino.
Hey, but who am I to stand in the way of someone choosing to ruin their own lives? Let the private sector — and not just well-connected, campaign-donation-giving gaming industry — in on the fun. Let’s see some mom and pop start-ups provide this service. They can hire Cousin Guido to collect the debts and Sally from down the street to provide entertainment of another sort. We used to have a lot of these kind of businesses in Peoria. I believe it was called The Mafia.
Seriously, I simply do not get why it’s wrong for guys with Italian-sounding names to run a gambling operation, while it’s wholesome goodness for the government to do the same. If you ask me, the government is the bigger gangster.
So anyway, here’s the press release:
(more…)
Tags: casinos, gambling, gvreen party, Libertarian, Rod Blagojevich, topinka, whitey
Posted in Overset | 8 Comments »
Saturday, March 4th, 2006
Imagine, if you would, the year 1940. Imagine that the then-governor of Illinois appointed a member of the pro-Nazi German-American Bund to a state commission. Imagine that Jews and others demand thus Bundist be fired, but that the governor hestitates because he doesn’t want to offend voters of German decent. Of coutse, Jews in state government would resign in protest.
Essentially, that’s what’s jappening now:
Two Jewish members of the Governor’s Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes resigned Thursday rather than serve alongside an aide to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, known for his disparaging remarks about Jews, whites and gays.
In dueling news conferences, Jewish and gay lawmakers called for Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad to disavow Farrakhan’s comments or step down from the commission, while black lawmakers defended her right to serve.
“I think she has the intellect and also the humanity to do what this commission was put together for,” said state Sen. Donne Trotter, a Chicago Democrat.
Blagojevich appointed Muhammad to the commission in August, but she drew no public attention until she invited other commissioners to a Farrakhan speech last month. Some commissioners began complaining of her presence on the panel, and the criticism increased after Farrakhan’s speech Sunday included references to “Hollywood Jews” promoting homosexuality and “other filth.”
The Democratic governor, in a recent interview with The Associated Press, said he did not realize he had appointed a Nation of Islam official until learning about it from news reports.
He nodded vigorously when asked whether his staff should have discussed the appointment and its implications with him, but would say little else about the incident.
But he did say Muhammad should stay on the commission so long as she supports its goals of fighting discrimination.
Bull. A member of an organization founded on the concept that whites — Jews especially — are members of an inferior subrace cannot possibily serve honestly on an organization that is supposed to promote racial harmony and diversity.
By refusing to fire Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad, Blagojevich is essentially telling Jews that he needs the votes of black racists more than doing the right thing.
Tags: Nation of Islam, Rod Blagojevich, Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 13th, 2006
Normally, I’m all too happy to pile on the criticism of Rod Blagojevich. But c’mon.. Blago has told bigger, more damaging lies than this.
blagojevich,eric zorn
Tags: Eric Zorn, Rod Blagojevich
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | Comments Off
Monday, January 30th, 2006
Remember that scene from “Animal House” where Stratton (Tim Matheson) is trying to console Dorfman (Stephen Furst), who foolishly let the gang use his brother’s car for a road trip, only to see it damaged?
“Hey, you f***** up! You trusted us!”
That’s Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s message to anyone stupid enough to believe him:
(more…)
Tags: animal house, illinois, Illinois Department of Corrections, lawsuit, Rod Blagojevich
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 2 Comments »
Monday, January 16th, 2006
It’s open thread time.
Here’s some possible topics:
 1. Governor Blagojevich wants to let restaurant patrons play Keno, which is a quick-paced form of gambling that some critics say is as addictive as Bingo on crack. Furthermore, Blagojevich says existing law gives him all the authority he needs to allow this form of gambling without any say so from the state legislature, and with the leaders of both state house and senate backing Blago, it looks like it’s going to happen. And a lobbyist for one would-be Keno game supplier is a former state employee working for the governor.
2. The Peoria City Council will be asked to cough up big money — well past $100,000 — to a multi-city effort to buy the Illinois American Water Company.
3. The Peoria School Board just closed down a bunch of high school academies, and one media outlet pegged the cost savings a about a $100,000. The district still pays two associate superintendents close to $100,000 each — and these positions were created specifically as co-superintendent positions during the time the district was searching for a full-time, permanent replacement for Kay Royster. And the district wants to start paying these two as much as $130,000 retroactive to last summer.
keno,blagojevich,rwe,illinois american,water buyout,kay royster
Tags: Illinois American, Kay Royster, keno, Rod Blagojevich, rwe, water buyout
Posted in Overset | Comments Off
Sunday, January 1st, 2006
Yes. It’s true. If you pick up a copy of The Community Word now on the stands at fine establishments everywhere, you will see that I wrote a column endorsing Edwin Eisendrath, who is challenging current Gov. Rod Blagojevich for the Democratic nomination.
Heh. Yeah. Seriously.
My column points out several very good reasons for this decision. First and foremost, he’s not Blagojevich. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald might even have the guy indicted before the primary, and Eisendrath is as good a replacement as any on the ticket should Blago be rendered damaged goods before the primary. And second, Eisendrath is not Judy Baar Topinka, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. That Blagojevich is corrupt is a given, but Topinka is also as dirty as they come. She’s been caught ordering government employees in the State Treasurer’s office to do political work on state time, which is a no-no. She has her snout buried so far into the trough, she has to dig the slop out of her ears.
I know very little about Eisendrath. It doesn’t matter. I endorsed him as a protest candidate, even though there’s just a little hope he’ll actually be head of the ticket. House Speaker Michael Madigan would never let that happen. Even if the haul Blago off the the federal pen, the Democrats will find some way to make sure one of their own gets plastered onto the ticket.
However, not four hours after the deadline for this column passed, I learned that Peorian Jeff Trigg had filed a petition to run for governor in the Nov. 7 general election. By running as an independent, he was able to bypass the March 21 primary election. Trigg is the former executive director of the Libertarian Party of Illinois and had been planning a run for governor on that party ticket. But the LPI decided to not field a slate of candidates because of lack of funds and the massive number of signatures they would need on their petitions.
Woo Hoo! Now here’s a candidate I can get behind. I burned by LP membership card after Sept. 11. But I’ll certainly endorse Trigg over any of these other schmucks.
But It’s not going to be. Trigg told me that that was going to wait and see if anyone challenged his petition. And that’s exactly what happened. A man named Alcides F. Espinal or 2035 W. Walton in Chicago filed an objection on Dec. 27. From what I’ve been able to find out, Mr. Espinal is the director of Future Teachers of America. I don’t want to prejudge, but I’m fairly certain that he doesn’t have enough signatures. Even if he did, they would say he didn’t, if you know what I mean.
This is Illinois after all, and when the Big Two put up candidates like Blago and Topinka around, they last thing they want to allow on the ballots are legitimate alternatives.
Blagojevich,Topinka,Edwan Eisendrath,2006 election,illinois
Tags: 2006 election, Edwan Eisendrath, illinois, Rod Blagojevich, topinka
Posted in Overset | 2 Comments »
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Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates