Return of Planetarium Pork

by Cal Skinner

Remember during the presidential campaign when John McCain picked a member earmark for the Adler Planetarium to criticize?

Well, it's back.

I've been doing a pork look-up for Illinois congress critters and it showed up in the Commerce, Justice and Science bill.

And Adler wasn't the only Illinois planetarium to get money.

The other earmarker listed isn't even in Congress anymore.

This information was published on McHenry County Blog first.

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Governor Vetoes Legislative Pork – Want to Apply $463 Million to Health Care Program

Since the Governor’s Office stopped sending me press releases, I haven’t printed any.

I’ll make an exception today because he vetoed the pork-member initiatives-earmarks, whatever you want to call it, out of the budget bill and is trying to allocate the $463 million to get his health program off the ground.

That will, of course, build a big hole in the budget for next year, and, if demand is greater than expected, a gap that needs to be filled before next July 1st.

The legislators can override his line item vetoes with a bare majority vote. I would not assume that won't happen.

I well remember what the veto session was called under the last Democratic Party governor, a populist with fewer big spending ideas named Dan Walker.

We all called it the "veto override" session.

I have read the press release and no where does he mention his goal is to force Illinois taxpayers to pay for the health care of illegal aliens.

Little wonder why, because if that were known the idea would sink like a millstone.

The governor is removing the $500 million, presumably with his line item veto power, but, as is typical with this chief executive, no paperwork but a press release has been filed.

Take a look at the press release. Use my perceptual screen and you can see where the illegal aliens will obtain health care.

You can, of course, sense my frustration that the real motivation behind the governor's health care initiative is never mentioned in news stories. If a politician is trying to accomplish a major change in public policy, he or she should be forthright. That is not an attribute of the governor in his health care proposal.

The press release can be found here at McHenry County Blog.

The governor's summary chart can be enlarged by clicking on it.

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