Let me get this streight

we have money to give grants to rebuild churches (twice) and for organic food for Chicago school kids
but we are laying off DCFS workers and closing state parks and historic sites?

Glad we have our priorities right.

Wow, they didn't spend much time on his state senate time

Then again I wouldn't have either....

The issues about kids in bad schools that they mentioned. Ask Senator Meeks if that got fixed...

They are elminating some of the bathrooms on Metra

As a user of Metra (and the bathrooms from time to time) I have to say it isn't the end of the world. Just have to plan better if I hit CVS before I catch my train.

You can get your drink cheaper at CVS or Walgreens than you can get it at the station (a handy tip for those of you who don't take the train daily)

OneMan

Don't know how acurate this is...

But for Iran it seems like a smart move.

Madigan and Blago Hug?

What?

Also after the big Illinois Democratic Hug fest it was reported that in fact, cats and dogs were sleeping together and four horseman appeared at the state capitol.

You know I was glad I was a work when I read about that, otherwise I would have thought someone slipped me something.

BTW, I give the over/under on all of this love as 10 days.

Am I the only one who finds it funny...

That our Governor gets his 'good government' on with a veto of the pay-to-pay legislation because it isn't tough enough, right before he heads out to Denver where he having a reception with MillerCoors for Tammy Duckworth.

Isn't this the same MillerCoors that is getting something like $18 Million from the state to locate it's HQ in Chicago.

Just Askin...

OneMan

If John Kerry had nothing else he had...

People Skills, I suspect this did score some points with our governor since it did happen to Alderman Mell.

Funny I have a hard time imagining Bob Dole doing this.

A message to the City of Aurora

Since you basically doubled the cost of my Route-59 Metra Station parking permit, I have a few requests.

-- Fix the broken daily-pay machines for my daily-pay brothers and sisters, when even one of these is down it causes a real backup at the other machines. They deserve better.

-- Use some of that extra money to figure out and build a better way to get everyone in and out of that lot faster.


== Rant Off ==

Well yet another mailer from Linda Holmes

If the state has such financial issues, why is it spending money telling me all of the things Linda Holmes has proposed.

For example today I got a mailer about all of the proposed road projects in her district, let me emphasize proposed, funny the mailer doesn't mention the lack of a capital plan...

Also I can't really tell who paid for this, it doesn't say if the state did or some other entity paid for it's printing and mailing.

I am used to getting one of these a year from my state rep and state senator (actually Linda Chapa-LaVia's is an interesting read). But two within a couple of weeks of each other from the same elected official?

Just aksin...

OneMan

Some Thoughts from Peggy Noonan

Some thoughts from Peggy Noonan

It's hard for our political class to remember that Mr. Obama has been famous in America only since the winter of '08. America met him barely six months ago! The political class first interviewed him, or read the interview, in 2003 or '04, when he was a rising star. They know him. Everyone else is still absorbing.

This is what they see:

An attractive, intelligent man, interesting, but—he's hard to categorize. Is he Gen. Obama? No, no military background. Brilliant Businessman Obama? No, he never worked in business. Famous Name Obama? No, it's a new name, an unusual one. Longtime Southern Governor Obama? No. He's a community organizer (what's that?), then a lawyer (boo), then a state legislator (so what, so's my cousin), then U.S. senator (less than four years!).

With all respect to a family member and to several elected officials I know, spending time in the legislature in Springfield does not qualify you for president.

I knew he did good, I didn't realize he did this good..

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Perhaps while Senator Obama is in Springfield someone in the national MSM will ask him about the dysfunction down there, or his thoughts on yet another Illinois Democrat stepping down after a primary so his kid could run for the position.

Yeah like that is going to happen...

OneMan

Why Emil Stepping Down Hurts Linda Holmes

Simple,
Last time Linda got a lot her money last minute from Emil, since then her fund raising has been less than stellar.

In the last period lets compare Sen. Forby, Sen. Holmes and Sen. Holmes challenger Terry Wintermute.

	Forby	Holmes	Wintermute
Total Receipts	$97,863.85	$40,584.21	$64,585.00
Expenditures	$31,514.85	$33,706.96	$15,760.66
Funds avail at the beginning of the period	$90,856.77	$42,916.71	$52,971.87
Funds avail at the end of the period	$157,205.77	$49,793.96	$102,056.21

So the sitting state senator was outraised by almost 50%, spent a huge chunk of what she was able to raise and had half the cash on hand her challenger did.

Can anyone name another state senator who has a challenger that has twice the funds available at the end of the reporting period?

This is not good for Linda and digging into the numbers it looks even worse

She had $13,350 in 17 itemized individual contributions, only 2 look like they came from individuals (not companies) and both of those were from people with Springfield addresses. She had $1,425.00 in non-itemized contributions.

Wintermute had $38,425 in 75 itemized contributions with 32 different individuals or couples listed that made contributions (not companies) some folks gave more than once but I only counted them once. She had 5,570 in non-itemized contributions.

So Wintermute out raised her over 3 to 1 in individual contributions...

That can't be good for Linda either.

So lets review:

Sen. Holmes at the end of the last reporting period had a 1/3rd of what another Democratic Senator who may be a target had on hand. One who's challenger had about 13 grand on hand best I can tell.

Got out raised by her challenger, who out raised her on individual contributions by over 3 to 1.

Had less than half as much cash available as her challenger at the end of the period.


OneMan

Looking forward to my Democratic Blog Pals Saying..

There is nothing to see here..

From the Ombudsman of the Washington Post.

Democrat Barack Obama has had about a 3 to 1 advantage over Republican John McCain in Post Page 1 stories since Obama became his party's presumptive nominee June 4. Obama has generated a lot of news by being the first African American nominee, and he is less well known than McCain -- and therefore there's more to report on. But the disparity is so wide that it doesn't look good.

Also

This dovetails with Obama's dominance in photos, which I pointed out two weeks ago. At that time, it was 122 for Obama and 78 for McCain. Two weeks later, it's 143 to 100, almost the same gap, because editors have run almost the same number of photos -- 21 of Obama and 22 of McCain -- since they realized the disparity. McCain is almost even with Obama in Page 1 photos -- 10 to 9

Yes I am sure this isn't a sign of media bias or anything...

So at least someone is going to use Illinois on Obama...

The Trib has a piece about a third party ad linking Obama to Chicago's crime problem...

Besides his campaign saying he has done more to address urban crime, this is an area where in fact Sen. Obama has a record. Let's take a look at it shall we?

According to some information I have
Well in 1997 he voted present on SB 759

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides for adult
criminal prosecution of a minor at least 15 years of age who is
charged with aggravated battery with a firearm committed in a school,
on the real property comprising a school, within 1,000 feet of the
real property comprising a school, at a school-related activity, or
on or within 1,000 feet of a conveyance owned, leased, or contracted
by a school or school district to transport students to or from
school or a school-related activity. Provides that a juvenile judge
designated to hear transfer motions must transfer for adult criminal
prosecution the case of a minor at least 15 years of age charged with
aggravated discharge of a firearm committed on various school
properties or on a school conveyance or within 1,000 feet of these
properties or the conveyance, or at a school-related activity, if the
judge finds probable cause that the allegations are true

Seems rather anti-crime to me...

HB1812 from the 92nd General Assembly...

Amends the Criminal Code of 1961 and the Unified Code of
Corrections. Expands the offenses of aggravated battery, aggravated
battery with a firearm, and aggravated discharge of a firearm to
include offenses committed by gang members upon persons who are not
gang members, and provides that anyone convicted of aggravated battery
with a firearm or aggravated discharge of a firearm and sentenced to a
term of imprisonment must serve the entire sentence imposed by the
court. Provides that a person who is convicted of first degree murder
may be sentenced to death if he or she committed the murder in
furtherance of the activities of an organized gang or by his or her
membership in or allegiance to an organized gang, and the murdered
victim was not a member of an organized gang. Makes other changes.
Effective immediately.

He voted No on that one. Seems to me that might have helped reduce urban crime a touch...

How long will it be before someone ties these and other votes into a ad with footage for Rod offering to send out the National Guard.

OneMan

Caught a bit of Meet The Press this morning...

Got to see Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA)and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA). If Tim Kaine is going to be your Veep candidate, you need to get him able to do more than just repeat the same talking points more than once during the same answer to a question...

Just sayin...

More Educational Content for the Kids on Vacation

 

Because if you take the kids to Little Bohemia, they can see a bit of Chicago Outfit history, also the food isn't bad at all.

 

Because nothing says good parenting like taking the kids on the brewery tour while on vacation...

Back...

From our trip to the Northwoods...

Yet again, I failed to catch a fish of any size.

OneMan

From The Trib

Perhaps she is on to something here...

"It is an obvious example that the governor is a pathological liar," Rep. Susana Mendoza (D-Chicago) said, adding she usually earns about half of her published salary of $73,000 as a projects coordinator for the city Planning Department because she spends so much time at the Capitol. "If he honestly believes, in his lunacy, that 10 people from the City of Chicago controlled the fate of that doomed capital bill, he needs medical attention."

but you will only get a ticket for 80 or 85....

well Rods latest brilliant plan is speed cameras on the expressways to increase revenues. You are not going to make the scratch you are looking for by having the fine speed limit that high.

Also it is a lot easier to do warp factor 8 on 55 south of Bloomington than it is on the Reagan. So thanks southern Illlinois for paying for more troopers for Chicagoland.