Well I paid my $63 a head for my High School reunion (20) at a bowling alley in Mokena. It looks like 5 weeks in advance is too late to get your info in the 'book' but we will see.

If nothing else my .com experience should give someone some schadenfreude.

Why we couldn't have it a little closer to Dolton (where our high school was) is beyond me. I have an idea why but I am going to keep it to myself.

Beth, you are still going, right?

OneMan

There is a very interesting post over at the OpenLine Blog about the timing of some of the filings regarding the clinic and when some permits were filed and what information was supplied for those permits.

Look at the minutes of the planning meeting here. Take a look at page 3 (item 18). Were the people speaking being forthright? I guess the bigger questions is the classic 'What did they know and when did they know it?'.

Suffice to say I am looking forward to the Beacon looking into this. Suffice to say I think there is a story here.

OneMan

Headline from the Beacon News on-line edition.

Leland man stabbed in Sandwich.

I guess there are worse places to get stabbed than in your Sandwich.

Some more stuff involving the new planned parenthood clinic in Aurora. The Beacon News reports that Alderman Lawrence is working on creating a local notification law. Don't know if a city can do that but it is an interesting idea. Also I have to admit it is a bit surprising coming from Alderman Lawrence.

OneMan

I was having a chat with my neighbor about a local election and I realized something...

For the last few years I have been thinking about elections more tactically (that is who is electable and how many resources it would take to elect someone) than just who would be the best in the role....

So my question is 'How much should tactical go into figuring out who to support'?

OneMan

The feed for the site has been converted to a full feed.. Since Rick pointed out it wasn't and rightfully busted my chops about that.

OneMan

Jake over at Rhodes school has some thoughts  about the 'playbook' for the net and the 2010 governors race.

First, he says some nice things about me which I appreciate (and that may bias my responses).

Next what I totally agree with in part.

#2  The 'Wallstrip' idea for web video on line, brilliant. Today someone should be going around the state with a camera and a host doing bits about who got jerked over in the line item vetoes.  Some candidate will find gold out of that, $465 million in random cuts is hard to understand, the idea that your bridge isn't going to get fixed but some other towns will be. Understandable and video can do that.

#4  Yeah, I was looking for this from Judy and it never came. Again inexpensive and with the line items and all of the other stuff.... Just imagine once all of the Rod subpoenas come out (and they will) turning that into a scroll box... 

#5  I am reachable and appreciate the nice comments..

#6  I would say have it under the press shop but not as controlled by it. Again Jake has a lot more experience with this than I do so take what I say here with a big grain of salt.  But you can't have the web stuff too loose-goosey so some control from the press team in terms of message (or at least theme) isn't a bad idea.

OneMan

Seriously....

At this point I have run out of things to say...

Besides not to go into a mensroom with a Republican Senator....

OneMan

Was at at the Oberweis announcement today, decent size crowd. Sorry this is the best I could do with the Blackberry camera.

OneMan

Best answer to a question ever...



Just watch...

It's all about the maps...
For more information about her go here.

Jim Oberwies is announcing for Congress tomorrow at 1:30 at the Oberweis Dairy in North Aurora....

See OneMan even created the dang ad....

Just had the 25th birthday of the CD...

First CD I purchased, Genesis Genesis at the K-Mart in Dolton after I got my first CD boom box. Payed for the boombox with my retroactive raise from my summer job in a machine shop in Mokena, IL, August 1988.

What I had for lunch on Monday, no idea....

OneMan

Another budget Jem via Rich...

* Section 55. The sum of $1,500,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Board of Higher Education for competitive grants for nursing schools to increase the number of graduatingnurses. $1,000,000


Ok, kids lets go back to some press releases....

July 11th, 2006:

Gov. Blagojevich signs critical nursing law Measure will help stem nursing shortage; ensures adequate level of frontline healthcare providers as baby-boomers age....

The Governor’s FY 2007 budget includes $3.5 million to launch important initiatives aimed at preventing a severe nursing shortage.

But it ended up at $1,000,000 in FY 08 after he tossed another $500,000 out.

May 19, 2005

GOV. BLAGOJEVICH ANNOUNCES $180,000 IN TRAINING FUNDING TO ADDRESS CRITICAL SHORTAGE OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS Health Care Worker Shortages Projected, Opportunity Returns Grant Will Attract and Train New Nurses to Help Meet Expected Demand

Feb 7, 2006

Gov. Blagojevich introduces plan to address nursing shortage, ensure adequate level of frontline healthcare providers as baby-boomers age At current pace, shortage expected to reach 21,000 by 2020; Plan would boost number of nursing educators, provide financial relief to nurses in training, and improve working conditions


So I guess we have solved the Nursing shortage... What good is universal healthcare if there is no one around to provide it.


OneMan

Fun with the Budget Part One...

How Aurora Did (looking at budget items that contain the word Aurora excluding IMSA)

$250,000 For Operation Ceasefire for the City of Aurora -- Vetoed
$ 18,656 For flodd control on Indian Creek -- Survived
$200,000 For the new police station -- Vetoed
$ 75,000 For Aurora Township for programs -- Vetoed
$ 20,000 For A grant to AU for working with East and West Aurora SDs -- Vetoed
$250,000 For Provena Mercy at either the Aurora or Elgin locations -- Vetoed
$100,000 For infrastructure improvements. -- Survived
$ 60,000 For Aurora Family Counseling Service -- Survived

Final Score

$545,000 To local government entities Vetoed
$118,000 To local government entities Survived

$250,000 To local non-profits Vetoed
$ 60,000 To local non-profits Survived

Glad we have a Democratic state senator, Democratic Mayor and Democratic state rep and a lobbyst so we don't get jerked over during the budget process. Oh wait we do and we still did.

OneMan

Did something today I haven't done since I was 6.

Walked a picket-line. Yes, OneMan walked a picket line with some of Aurora's finest outside of a fundraiser for Tom Wiesner. Got soaked to the bone in the rain but was well worth it.

OneMan

Will someone explain to me how much someone may have made in overtime pay at Oprah's company (Harpo) is news? Seriously the Sun Times has story about how much in overtime pay someone may have made at Harpo with a telephoto picture of the woman and everything.

Is this what news has become in Chicago? Invading the privacy of someone who is not a public figure because she works for Oprah?



OneMan

If the Illinois GOP had any sense (or any money) we would be running adds showing pictures like this (and of him at Cubs games) with voiceovers about how widows and orphans are not getting their money because he doesn't have time to sign and/or veto a budget....

Also perhaps pointing out how the money spent on special sessions could have been spent helping said widows and orphans...

OneMan

Last post...

Why do I think reguardless of how much this thing costs, I could make a fortune with it in Naperville alone.

$100 an hour I test all of your kid's toys.

OneMan

Zorn asked if Elvira Arellano is going to be the Rosa Parks of the immigration reform movement.

In a word no.

Why, she isn't sympathetic enough.

The ideal 'Rosa Parks' will be someone who has been here longer (came when they were like 12 or something), had more kids here and did not get a job using a fake SSN and didn't take advantage of sanctuary.

OneMan

Drove by the clinic protest at about 7:45 PM tonight (curious what the crowd would look like). It appeared the anti folks were the only ones around and there were about 5 of them, some crosses next to the road, no big signs or anything. If you were just driving by you wouldn't really know what was going on.

OneMan

Is Mike Vick's NFL career over?

Yes

The Beacon Blog had an item about several local pools being informed by the Illinois Department of Health that their last day 'let the dog swim' events could cause them to lose their operating licenses next year. So understandably they are not going to have the events.

From the letter sent to the pools.

"Swimming with pets is inherently dangerous due to physical contact with animals," Health Department officials had said in its letter to park districts. "... Animals may be carrying pathogens that will lead to water-borne illnesses."

Having worked multiple summers at a public pool in this state, catching something from Fido after one day of swimming is truly the least of your worries. Also, nothing and I mean nothing can protect you from all of the cooties in the world.

OneMan

Last one, just as an FYI, because of something that has come up involving the 14th and myself (no I haven't been asked to run). I am going to refrain from blogging on the subject for right now.

Depending on how things play out I may start blogging about it again sooner rather than later. But when I start if there there is anything that would be a 'conflict' I would want to be open about it.


Thanks

OneMan

This is actually in the UP, anything interesting happen while I was gone. Like governor's ignoring the state Constitution or congressmen announcing they are not running for re-election?

Back from vacation in the Northwoods.... Took the kids to the Point Brewery because nothing says good parenting like teaching them about brewing...

Taking a blogging break, everything is cool...

When good answers go bad....

When asked about why his sons did not enlist Mitt Romney responded.

"The good news is that we have a volunteer Army and that's the way we're going to keep it," Romney told some 200 people gathered in an abbey near the Mississippi River that had been converted into a hotel. "My sons are all adults and they've made decisions about their careers and they've chosen not to serve in the military and active duty and I respect their decision in that regard."

People can understand that, his sons have made their own decisions about if they should serve. Everyone gets that, may not agree with it but gets it.

Then he sort of falls down.

He added: "One of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping me get elected because they think I'd be a great president."

Besides for the implied swipe at Giuliani it seems he is trying to equate working a campaign to being in the military (I know he wasn't trying to do that) but that's what the sound bite sounds like.

OneMan

So Linda is not going to run for congress, I think she would have been a good candidate and made the primary on the Dem side a lot more interesting....

That being said.

I think she should run for Mayor of Aurora.

Why....

Because I think she might do a decent job as mayor. She now has some government experience has some private sector experience and can reach out of all of Aurora. I also think in some ways being a successful mayor of Aurora would set her up better to run for a higher office down the road. Also pragmatically she would be a rising star in the democratic party in a blue state, that would be sure to attract more help for the city from the state.

OneMan

As loyal readers of the blog will recall a while back (about 15 months ago) I blogged about the demise of the Hi-Lite 30 drive in in Aurora. The proposed land deal, the compromise and then the final offer.

Well it has taken another stranger step. The school district turned down the land donation, with a estimated value by their own independent appraisal (glad they did that this time) of $1.15 instead opting for an estimated $240,000 standard payment.

Those who voted against it said they wanted more time and did not think they were 'rejecting' the plan. So Bigelow said he would consider making the same offer again.

This post on the Beacon Blog provides some detail on how the land deal has changed over time as well as the latest developments.

You know I can't really at this point fault Bigelow for any of this at this point.

In fact he seems to be the only rational party in this whole thing.

The city announces deal X which becomes deal Y (which involved less land) and then the school district decides to go with deal Z (which seems to have a much lower value than X or Y). What business wouldn't take advantage of that opportunity.

However the East Aurora school board continues to look like the gang that can't shoot straight.


OneMan

Ran to the newly opened Super Wal-Mart down the street. It was clean and well organized, it will be interesting to see how long that lasts. Everytime I go into the Naperville Wal-Mart (yes, Naperville has a Wal-Mart the horror) to looks like they just had a small riot.

Yes, I know Wal-Mart is pure evil, but they had shorts on sale and I needed some shorts!

OneMan

Why I got rid of my bluetooth headset.

It made me look like a tool and the sound quality sucked.

OneMan

That's it they are all just days, there is no deadline... He can wait as long as he can, deadlines are for small thinkers and detail guys.

Do you know how many people are without health insurance in this state?

So the governor can just tell the Illinois Finance Authority to start giving out loans and the state will cover the interest? Seriously, he can do that?

That might be a solution to the whole budget mess as well as to his popularity. Just have the IFA loan the state the money for the health care plan! Perhaps even have the state pay peoples credit cards, we will forgive the interest when you pay us back!

Brilliant.

Seriously however am I the only one a bit nervous that he has access to the state Discover card again?

From the basement of the building I work in...

I guess you are suposed to flee underground if the fire is in the basement.

Seen outside the Oak Brook Post Office a couple of days ago. Was tempted to ask how Mark Fairchild was but decided against it.