Don't emulate Illinois...

I found this op/ed at Instapundit that describes the current situation with the budget battles between Gov. Quinn and the General Assembly:

The governor's attempts to create political chaos by placing high-profile, "feel good" programs on the chopping block is disingenuous. By failing to address the state's fundamental spending and inefficiency problems, Quinn is setting up Illinois taxpayers for even greater future fiscal disasters.

While closing the state's budget deficit won't be a painless process and some programs should be cut, that need not mean doomsday cuts. Programs that are well intended or sound good on paper aren't necessarily effective or even valid functions of government.

Perhaps the biggest deception in Quinn's budget gambit, however, is his claim that he is trying to protect lower-income families and children. In fact, they're the ones who will be most harmed by his tax hikes. Raising taxes on small-business owners and workers will decrease the amount of money they can spend, invest, and hire workers with. Low-income and low-skilled workers will have to pay more in taxes and will typically be the first laid off when businesses have to cut costs.

Taking even more money out of the private sector, where it could be used to prevent job cuts, and instead putting it into Illinois' bureaucratic money pit is a blueprint for disaster.

The main link at Instapundit analyzes why three of our nation's largest and prosperous states (California, New York, and New Jersey) are now struggling because they have more of their general economic policies such as taxes, super minimum wages, powerful unions, or even government health care.

Another link offers a place that's doing well even in this current economic climate, Texas. Of course they're bouncing off of this aformentioned main link to the Wall Street Journal article.

Cross-posted at Mechanics!

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State Pensions May be Merged in Illinois

Newsreleasewire.com:

Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has proposed combining the investments of the five State-funded pension systems into one single system in an effort to cut administrative costs and fight potential fraud and abuse.

Under the proposed system, the single fund would be managed by a new Illinois Public Employees’ Retirement System (ILPERS). The treasurer estimates this change would save taxpayers up to $82 million annually and has the potential to reduce unfunded liability by $16 billion by 2045. The State’s current liability for underfunded pensions stands at a record $54 billion, which Giannoulias said ranks as a major reason to merge the five pension systems.

The plan also introduces ethics and transparency requirements to help ensure appropriate performance by board members overseeing the proposed retirement system. Those requirements would prohibit board members, their spouses, and ILPERS employees from benefiting financially from the investment system and would ban vendors with contracts exceeding $50,000 from making political contributions.

“Currently, State pension assets are invested on three separate boards, creating multiple opportunities for corruption,” said Sara Wojcicki, spokesperson for the treasurer’s office.

Giannoulias’s proposed change also would make it easier for government watchdogs to help ensure pension assets are managed and invested properly because they would monitor the actions of just one board instead of five.

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Police report: Skoien with two prostitutes

I am really not sure what to say about this. I know this is a bit scandalous more than what you'd probably expect to see on this blog, but WOW!

Gary Skoien is still a Republican Committeeman in Cook County, but he also used to be Cook County GOP chairman and he offered a bounty for information that could lead to an indictment of Mayor Daley. I almost wonder if someone is out to get him with these new allegations.

I'll take you first to the Sun-Times:

Former Cook County Republican Chairman Gary Skoien is denying a police report that said his wife found him at home with two prostitutes and beat him with her fists and a toy guitar.

The report filled out by Barrington-Inverness police says that’s what Eni Skoien told them — and that Gary Skoien confirmed the account, said Deputy Chief Jerry Libit.

You have got to be kidding me!

Check out this video from FOX Chicago...

What say you out there? Is the Republican brand in Illinois hurt by this?

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Illinois Senate Legislates Status of Pluto

Reason magazine on an attempt by state Sen. Gary Dahl wants the state to recognize Pluto as one of the big nine planets of our solar system. Of course it should be noted one good read for this push is for the fact that the person who discovered the planet is said to be from Illinois.

So here's the gist...

An Illinois Senate committee on Thursday unanimously supported planet Pluto and declaring March 13 "Pluto Day..." The push for a state decree on Pluto comes from state Sen. Gary Dahl, a Republican whose downstate district includes Streator, birthplace of Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh. Dahl told colleagues Pluto is important to the local community, which considers the vote to downgrade Pluto to "dwarf" planet was unfair...

I had to go back to this post from Betsy's Page for more about this story...

Dahl told colleagues Pluto is important to the local community, which considers the vote to downgrade Pluto to "dwarf" planet was unfair as it involved only 4 percent of the International Astronomical Union's 10,000 scientists.

Dahl noted that Tombaugh is the only American ever to discover a planet. Tombaugh first detected Pluto in 1930 at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona.

Dahl called Thursday's committee vote a key step forward, not only for Pluto and Streator, but also for bipartisan cooperation in the Senate. He said previous Democratic leadership sat on the proposal last year but new Senate President John Cullerton let it advance.

Interesting, very interesting.

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Blago "Shame" Poster

I found this "poster" in a video unrelated to the Blagojevich scandal. You can also find the image in question here.

There is a lot of commentary in that link. They wonder why Democrats aren't calling for his resignation. Also saying that "the process is working" line isn't enough and there's more to change than just a new face.

Now that I posted this picture I wonder if people will have this image in their head whenever Blagojevich continues to proclaim his innocence.

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Blagojevich to name Burris to Senate

From the Tribune. At this point in time I'm not sure I want my name attached to a disgraced Governor, especially with the knowledge that the US Senate might not allow me to be admitted into the chamber. I suppose since the Governor is fighting the current charges against him, he might as well appoint a man to fill Obama's seat.

Apparently he's been making noises since Obama's ascension to the Presidency as well as not too long after the Governor's arrest for attempting to sell off the vacant US Senate seat to the highest bidder.

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Blago Is Busted

Today's episode of Hotline TV talks about the Governor's current legal troubles and some advice on whether or not Obama's successor should be merely a caretaker who won't run again in 2010. Interesting day it was today!

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State & Local Governments Have Bailout Fever

I wonder if this activity described in this article from Real Clear Markets applies to what's going on in Illinois and the budget pressures in Chicago.

Officials from state and local governments apparently feel left out of the $750 billion bailout package passed by Congress and signed by the president last month. Now they're angling for a share, complaining that the markets for government debt used to fund states, counties and municipalities are drying up.Maybe they should regard the situation as a message from above. State and local governments are already drowning in debt, much of it in liabilities for public employee pensions that were underfunded to begin with, and are now even more so after losing tens of billions in market value during the recent economic slump.

To issue more debt when they know they don't have the money to pay future pension liabilities is foolish.

If you read the rest of this article, one could conclude that governmental entities should attempt to live within their means. Also pensions for civil servants figures in this piece I could draw a connection to that other article about teacher's pensions that I posted here on Sunday.

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Video SEO and Local Politics – How the little guy stands out

An interesting post from this blog called ReelSEO featuring a post about how a candidate with no money can get noticed thru a process called search engine optimization. Thru this method a candidate for state Rep. in McHenry County, Robert Kaempfe, was able to get a video of his interview picked up by the Chicago Tribune.

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Municipal officials on a con-con...

Let's start with an article from the Naperville Sun...

While the Illinois Municipal League hasn't officially taken a formal stance, several local officials oppose a constitutional convention.

Channahon Mayor Joe Cook said he's worried that a convention would open up the whole constitution, meaning there would be no guarantee that even sound provisions would stand.

"Do you really want the same people who can't run the state having the ability to open up the whole constitution?" he asked.

And now the official position from a suburban municipality regarding a state con-con courtesy of the Grayslake Review...

Grayslake trustees are recommending a "yes" vote for a state constitutional convention. The question will be on the November 4 ballot.
...
Grayslake trustees are in favor of the latest effort.

"I believe our state government is broken," said Trustee Jeff Werfel. "I think we need some fundamental act like this to affect change."

Mayor Tim Perry agreed, saying, "The people in Springfield are so much against this because it contains the power of recall."

Illinois has over 6,900 units of government, far more than any other state in the nation, according to a pamphlet from Secretary of State Jesse White. Delegates to a convention could propose consolidating state and local government offices to reduce this number and streamline government. Voters must approve any changes that would be recommended.

There you have it two different positions from those who serve in local governments in the state of Illinois. One doesn't have much faith that a con-con can't change state government. The others does seem to think that state government can fix itself and a con-con is probably the last best hope to change state government.

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Morton Grove: My hometown's first-in-America gun ban in jeopardy

I live in Morton Grove, which prides itself, seriously, as the first municipality in the United States to institute a handgun ban. That was back in 1981, shortly after three prominent assassination attempts took place: John Lennon in late 1980, which sadly was successful, followed by the spring 1981 shootings of Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II.

That ban may be un-banned after today's landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down a similar handgun ban in the District of Columbia. Already the National Rifle Association is taking aim (Sorry, I couldn't resist) at anti-gun laws across America, including the one in Chicago.

Now if the Morton Grove Board of Trustees and our mayor, Rick Krier, are smart, they'd vote to toss out the gun ban, and save the 22,000 residents of Morton Grove thousands of dollars in legal fees. Fighting the ban is a losing cause. Besides, crime in Morton Grove, like most middle to upper middle class suburbs (I'm middle, by the way) involves the usual array of indiscretions shared with like-minded communities: shoplifting, driving under the influence, home burglaries, fistfights, petty vandalism, and domestic abuse. There may be a person or two who have reasons to fear for their lives, but as far as crime goes, making handguns legal won't change things much here. And almost all of those burglaries, like most others, take place when no one is home.

But late last year Morton Grove police were called to the home of a man who lives four blocks from me because his adult son told the cops his father had a handgun. The police didn't find any firearms, but discovered the man was allegedly producing fake credit cards.

Most, if not all of the arrests of people possessing handguns in Morton Grove are of motorists pulled over for serious driving indiscretions--this allows the police to search the offender's vehicle, where a gun is sometimes found.

Here is some background on the gun ban--from Morton Grove, 100 Years, A Tradition of Service, published in 1995.

On June 8, 1981, the Morton Grove Board of Trustees passed two ordinances relating to firearms. One prohibits the sale of handguns within the village, the other restricts the possession of handguns within the village. The genesis of these ordinances was in direct response to residents' requests that a gun store be prohibited from opening and doing business in their neighborhood.

During their thorough study of the issue, several trustees felt it appropriate to consider the broader question of handgun control. The result of their deliberations, which were closely watched and presented to the world by the international news media, was a vote of five to one to prohibit the sale of handguns and a vote of four to two to restrict the possession of handguns.

As a result, Morton Grove residents who own handguns have the option of storing them out of town or at a licenced gun club. The regulation is on handguns only and no other legally owned firearms.

As expected, the handgun ban was challenged in court, but Morton Grove won each round--and the US Supreme Court declined to hear the case after the village prevailed in a federal appeals court.

That was then, but today the Supreme Court ruled in favor of an individual right to bear arms.

And no, I don't own a handgun. I'm a law-abiding person.

To comment on this post, please visit Morton Grove's Marathon Pundit.

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Illinois US Senate replacements

I'm sure this has been discussed to death either here or on The Capitol Fax. Still what do you think would happen if Senator Obama is actually elected President of the United States? Would Blagojevich actually be able to appoint himself to the US Senate?

Look at what HotlineTV says about what's going on in Illinois.

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Blagojevich ally angrily criticizes House recall amendment

I'm surprized that the Tribune would actually print this article on their online edition let alone in their newspapers. Someone was bound to oppose this even if the governor himself is for it although if it ever gets thru the main person it will affect is the governor himself.

Tensions flared Wednesday as a top ally to Gov. Rod Blagojevich angrily used an expletive on the House floor while condemning a plan that would allow voters to oust the governor and other top officials.

The rare outburst came as lawmakers discussed a proposed constitutional amendment that would let voters recall constitutional officers and state legislators.

Some of the amendment's backers have made clear it's aimed at Blagojevich, whose fighting with lawmakers from both parties has caused major gridlock on key issues during the past year.

Rep. Jay Hoffman, a Collinsville Democrat and Blagojevich's House floor leader, called the amendment unnecessary and said lawmakers should focus on issues such as health care expansion and a statewide construction program.

"End the cycle of finger-pointing," Hoffman said. "Stop the bullsh*t!"

I changed the i in that last word so I won't get myself in trouble if this was my own blog I would actually post that. Anyway perhaps Rep. Hoffman should worry less about this recall effort and help his Governor, the man he represents on the floor of the house, to pass and implement a capital plan and health care expansion. Otherwise we might have another reason to recall the Governor of Illinois.

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I thought exactly about this

On Wednesday I posted here an article from the Chicago Tribune about the closing of a Blue Island hospital. This is probably one thing that didn't help in keeping this hospital open and in business...

As health insurance companies and government health insurance programs reduce amounts they pay hospitals, hospital operators increasingly look to consolidate to gain economies of scale in the regions where they operate.

Some operators also try the increasingly controversial route of expanding or relocating to wealthier suburban areas in order to attract a higher number of commercially insured patients who can provide a steadier flow of revenue.

But SSM was stymied in its attempts to expand and does not have other hospitals in the area to rely upon. SSM said it tried to strengthen St. Francis, located in a blue-collar community that has suffered job losses, by expanding to more affluent Orland Park, which is partly in Will County.

Those plans were rejected three years ago by the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board.

The planning board, which regulates hospital construction in Illinois, said the Orland Park area already was well-served by hospitals that had excess bed capacity, so there was no need for another hospital's services in the growing suburb. State health planning officials had no comment when reached Wednesday.

Then I saw this in the Clout St. blog today in the very last paragraph...

Questionable decisions by past members of the Health Facilities Planning Board have been used to underscore corruption allegations in the federal trial of Antoin “Tony” Rezko, a fund-raiser for Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

“We’re for abolishing the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board to do about $3 billion worth of projects and put 8,000 people to work,” said Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale). “And that’s just on top of the corruption problems that want to lead us to abolish that board, which is the central focus of the Tony Rezko trial going on in Chicago today.”

There shouldn't be any impediment to allowing a hospital to expand especially if it means it's survival and I don't think this should be left up to a government board. If nothing else it should be up to those localities where a hospital seeks to expand. If we are to believe this idea that there is a health-care crisis in this country, why should we entertain stopping a hospital from expanding into another locality?

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Stroger to meet with Palatine officials April 30

I wonder what County Board President Todd Stroger can do to convince Palatine officials to stay in Cook County? From the Tribune...

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger will meet with secession-minded Palatine officials at month's end. Stroger agreed to come to Palatine for a meeting at 7 p.m. April 30 in Harper College's Wojcik Conference Center to answer questions about the 1 percentage-point county sales tax increase approved Feb. 29.

Palatine officials responded to the tax increase by exploring ways to sever ties with the county. Though communications have been strained since early March, when Palatine Village Council members began to talk of a tax revolt, staffers for both sides met this week to settle on a date and time for Stroger's appearance, said Sam Trakas, assistant village manager. Stroger's office confirmed the appearance.

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Ill. delegation wants lawmakers to stop fighting

Hat-tip Newsalert. Surely they're not the only ones who wants the bickering to stop. From the St. Louis Post Dispatch...

Illinois' entire congressional delegation joined the pleas Monday urging the governor and state lawmakers to end months of acrimony and pass a capital spending bill.

Legislators return to work today in a Capitol building that remains hotly divided. A sign of the times, state House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said in a Chicago radio interview Friday that the atmosphere in Springfield was "frosty" and predicted that the state government could be in for a repeat of last year's overtime summer budget session.

The legislative leaders and the governor's office seem to agree on only one point: The last capital construction bill was passed in 1999 and state roads, bridges, schools and more could sorely use a new one.

Hence, a letter signed by U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, both Democrats, along with the state's 19 representatives in Congress, Republican and Democrat alike.

"With each passing month, it becomes more apparent that our constituents want — and deserve — a new capital bill that addresses our state's extensive infrastructure needs," the letter reads. "Whether driving over multiple potholes or waiting for a late train or bus, Illinois residents are voicing their dissatisfaction with the status quo."

It's not the first time prominent officials have pleaded with Illinois lawmakers to put aside their differences. Both Durbin and Obama have made the suggestion previously.

But the question is and apparently has always been how to pay for it. Various proposals include more casinos or gaming positions, which has some support from some sides; leasing all or part of the lottery, which has enthusiastic support from Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Chicago Democrat; and some form of an income tax increase, which has fierce opposition from the governor.

The bickering last year forced the legislative session, which traditionally ends May 31, into August. At one point, Blagojevich and state House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, were practically not speaking. Even the friendly relations between the governor and state Senate President Emil Jones Jr., D-Chicago, were tested. Republicans Cross and Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, had to play peacemaker for a while.

The congressional delegation has an added concern: hundreds of millions of federal dollars for infrastructure remain in limbo, unmatched by the state. And more than a few officials fear that those dollars could dry up if intra-Springfield fighting continues.

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Gov replies -- but he never answers

Carol Marin talks about the governor this morning in her Sun-Times column. In this story it starts off with the Governor attempting to have a press conference talking home mortgage relief. This was supposed to be about this "positive" story but the reporters who were there had other ideas. There were questions not about home mortgage relief but Tony Rezko.

Rogers kicked off the questioning: Governor, did that conversation happen?

Blago: “Let me answer that question with an answer. I’m not a party in that trial. I’m not following the trial. It would be inappropriate of me to comment on a trial I’m not a part in.”

Rogers tried again: Don’t the people of Illinois deserve to know whether or not those allegedly incriminating conversations took place with Stuart Levine, a person who has pled guilty to a variety of federal charges?

Blago: “I already answered your question. Those characterizations do not characterize how I operate.”

Rich Samuels of WTTW: Did Blagojevich have a conversation on an airplane with Stuart Levine?

Blago: “You know it’s a good question. I’m not a party in that trial. I’m not in a place where I think it’s appropriate to comment on a trial I’m not involved in.”

Then Carlos Hernandez-Gomez of CLTV: Was the governor’s chief of staff Lon Monk clearing decisions through Tony Rezko as Levine has testified?

Blago (taking a noisy sip of water): “Let me answer that question. I’m not a party to that trial.”

Then Phil Rogers once again: What was the governor’s relationship to Tony Rezko and Stuart Levine?

Blago (another noisy sip of water, his eyes peering over the paper cup):

“Look I’ve asked and answered that a million times. You just ought to go back and take a look at your clippings.”

I'd like to have seen that press conference. It's not wonder he's in his "bunker". He don't want to take questions about this case. I don't blame him, but there are some legitimate questions he's avoiding. Surely he can't avoid them forever, but he certainly can's assume that things are all hokey dorey. Marin continues...

All they show us is that since the feds began showering the Blagojevich’s administration with subpoenas three years ago for everything from state hiring practices, to how lucrative pension investment contracts were handed out and to whom, to the governor and his wife’s personal finances, there isn’t a single answer on a single one of those clippings that provides citizens of this state with a clear answer to any question about his conduct or his relationships.

And if the governor is referring to video clips of past news conferences, all you’ll see, time and again, is the governor running for the door. Literally.

So, budding crisis managers, the lesson here is don’t call a news conference unless you can say something that doesn’t insult the intelligence of the public.

If you were reading this column. I tried not to give too much away almost reads like a lesson for both aspiring crisis managaers and aspiring journalists. The lesson for aspiring journalist and I will include in that description citizen journalists is to never stop asking questions.

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Kensington Research's Frank Dal Bello appears on WGN-Radio

This afternoon, Bill Moller, subbing for regular WGN-Radio mid-day host John Williams, interviewed Frank Dal Bello of Kensington Research and Recovery, a Chicago-based firm. Eight days ago I related my experience with an overpayment we made to the Cook County Treasurer's Office. Maria Pappas is the Cook County treasurer. We received an official, scary looking property tax bill from the county, in the name of our home's previous owner, which we paid. Like most people these days, our property tax bill is included in our mortgage payment. As I explained in that post, it was a struggle to get our money back.

Dal Bello reiterated what I wrote last week, "If the county was doing its job, there would be no need for (Kensington) to exist."

The treasurer's office claims it's quite easy to recover overpayments, but does not automatically inform property owners that they've paid too much. Dal Bello says "some letters are sent, but it's just enough of an effort to say they're doing something."

According to Dal Bello, about 20,000 Cook taypayers overpay annually.

That sounds like the Cook County I know. Along those same lines, no one from the treasurer's office bothered to appear with Dal Bello and Moller.

About Kensington: Like the better known Keane Tracers, Kensington searches public records to find unclaimed monies. While searching Cook County records, it finds overpayments and double-payments. They inform the individuals who've overpaid, and the offer to get their cash back--Kensington keeps half.

This is important: After five years, if the overpayers do not collect their money, the county keeps it, Dal Bello added that "there is no recourse to recover this money" after that time has passed. Dal Bello believes that "roughly $20 million is kept by the county."

Yes, it may not seem fair that Kensington keeps half of the money they find as its commission. But as I stated in my post last week, and Dal Bello reiterated it, many people instead head to the Cook County Treasurer's web site, or call a special telephone number and begin the process, a difficult one I'd like to add, of getting their money back. But not everyone has internet access.

A bill in the Illinois General Assembly will limit fees companies like Kensington can charge to just a 10 percent cut. Fair? Perhaps. But it will put Kensington out of business. And it may mean the county, which just raised upped its sales tax levy by one percent, will keep even more money.

Kensington's Dal Bello believes that of Illinois' 102 counties, Cook is the only one that doesn't automatically inform taxpayers that they've paid too much.

County officials told WGN's Moller, off-air, that because of the enormity of Cook's population, over 5.3 million people, that it's too difficult to do.

But would an earnest effort by Maria Pappas' office cost more than $20 million? Or $1 million? The government, and I may be naïve on this point, is supposed to exist to serve the people--not the other way around.

Related Marathon Pundit post:

Cook County treasurer's office working against taxpayers

To comment on this post, please visit Marathon Pundit.

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Rep. Lipinski's real strength is his chief of staff?

There is just so much dreck in Illinois that it is impossible to keep up. Which is why I'm glad Erick Erickson of Red State sent me the below e-mail.

Before we get to that, I'd like to add that this is just another example of Chicago political nepotism. In the spring of 2004, Bill Lipinski, a longtime Democratic congressman in a district covering Chicago and its southwestern suburbs, ran in the Democratic primary and easily won a ticket to the general election. But he apparently had no intention of running in that contest--Lipinski engingeered it so his son, Dan, then a college professor, would take his place on the ballot. Had the younger Lipinksi run in an open Democratic primary on his own credentials, he would have had a tough battle. Since Illinois' 3rd Congressional District is heavily Democratic, Dan Lipinski coasted to victory that fall.

From Erick's e-mail:

Let's have some fun this morning.

Remember how the Democrats ran against the Culture of Corruption in 2006? Well, get a load of this story:

Congressman Dan Lipinski's Chief of Staff, Jerry Hurckes, has been sitting on the Board of Trustees of Oak Lawn, IL since 1999. During that time, and each time he's campaigned for re-election, the chief of staff has campaigned on how much bacon he's brought home. Again, this is not a Congressman, but a chief of staff to a Congressman.

Things have come to a head in Oak Lawn after a meeting last week. The Board of Trustees wanted to consider hiring a lobbyist and Hurckes went ballastic, hurling accusation at the Board that they were trying to do an end run around him.

This guy has never been elected to Congress, but he has been taking credit for things his boss has done.

I say we all call Congressman Lipinski this morning at (202) 225-5701 and ask when his Chief of Staff became Congressman Hurckes. When they tell us he has not, we should be sure to ask why then is Jerry Hurckes taking credit for bringing home the bacon to Oak Lawn. Is the Chief of Staff more powerful and influential than Congressman Lipinski?

Could be. The younger Lipinksi isn't popular, he weathered a tough primary challenge last month.
To comment on this post, please visit Marathon Pundit.

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Our underfunded colleges

From the Chicago Reader blog Chicagoland...

Due to persistent underfunding from Springfield, our state's 60 public colleges and universities have now deferred approximately $3 billion in maintenance costs.

If this is a serious problem then why is the governor talking about tearing down an academic hall at Northern Illinois University or mistaken donating money to a school not connected with a church who's landmark sanctuary was burned down?

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