Friday Afternoon Diversion
Jay-Z Announces 2010 Tour Dates. Chicago Not On List.
"Batman" Headline Is a Stretch, But Prison Escape Story Could Be Its Own Movie
Grates To Tear Up Schubas
Chili Cook-Off Countdown
Boy, you know it must be bad when Mayor Daley is calling you out on your legislative tactics. In remarks to the press yesterday, Daley called Blagojevich's plans to cut $500 million from the recently passed budget and impose a universal health care plan of his choosing legally questionable and "dangerous." "In short, I'm cutting pork and special-interest spending and, in its place, I'm using the legal authority that I have to expand health care to more than 500,000 people. I believe that's the right thing to do," Blagojevich told the Sun Times. Without actually specifying what any of that pork was, he claimed that his proposal was "as constitutional as it gets." House Speaker Michael Madigan called Blagojevich's plan "contrary to the Constitution," contending that the governor can cut spending with a veto, but cannot increase spending where the legislature had not appropriated any.
Senate President Emil Jones has vowed to stand with the governor on this proposal, and it remains to be seen if Senate Democrats will get to hold on to their pet projects for refusing to override Blago's veto. Mayor Mumbles had a few choice words about that, as well: “Something like this really kind of separates people….You’ve got Democrats and Republicans in the House. Once you start dividing them and divide the Senate, that is very, very dangerous in regards to — not only politics, but government.”
No shocker, both the Tribune and the Sun Times criticized the governor in editorials, while Carol Marin invoked the ghost of Hunter S. Thompson.
Besides Mayor Daley's critique of Blago's, er, methods, he pointed out the pending crisis with the CTA (as well as Metra and the rest of the RTA): “The issue of public transportation will not go away. ...Whatever they do, it’s not going to go away. Public transportation is going to be there."
Maybe this is why Dick Mell hates his son-in-law so much.
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How do the insane antics of an Illinois Governor surprise anyone? This continues the rich history of nutjobs holding that office in our state. Look at the overall political leadership in Illinois: Blagojevich, Emil Jones, Dick Mell, Todd Stroger, Dick Durbin, and the list goes on...these guys make our Mayor Daley look like Thomas Jefferson.
I got great heath care, but have to deal five days a week with public transportation that sucks.
If I had to pick one, no heath care and better transportation I'd keep the heath care and keep the transportation that sucks. Every body should have heath care and I'm glade Blago is standing for this. I say Heath Care first, yea it sucks because there are more than enough resources to do both, but as no one wants to consider a fundamental restructuring out our system, than at least provide heath care.
Too much power in the hands of one party always leads to poor government. A balance between the two parties is better. What would be best is 4-5 major parties, but that is unrealistic.
I would be all for living in a state with a universal health care plan but I think Blagojevich is wrong to ram it down the throats of the legislative branch as well as the people of Illinois. Why does it have to happen Blagojevich's way, and on his timeline? Why not fund the responsibilities that the state has already taken on, like schools and transit and take some time to actually allow public input on Rod's plan? Maybe with some time for debate, his health care plan could actually be improved, and we could find a realistic way to fund it, too. This isn't about Rod wanting to help people - it's all about trying to save his career.
I think he looks like john travolta in the pic above.
Why isn't the CTA's funding crisis Daley's problem, instead of the state's? The City provides about $3 million to the CTA, almost all of it in the form of police protection, while New York City provides over $100 million to its transit authority. Meanwhile, the CTA engages in useless capital projects that do little but benefit Richie's buddies, such as the Blue Line superstation.
Richie's very good at demanding that other governmental units cover costs that he incurs. I don't blame Blago for thinking that health care is a better choice.
i just want to correct timocity:
dick durbin is a fantastic senator.
if you don't believe that, you're not paying attention.
The problem isn't so much that the God of Hair is fighting for universal health care--though I don't think that's really what he's fighting for--but that he seems to have taken a page out of the Bush book and declared himself emperor, choosing to interpret the law in whatever way gives him the most power. I guess he thinks he's the decider.
As for health care, as long as the current state of health care economics remains, no state can afford universal health care all on its own. The problem is that when a state tries to go it alone, they're paying for insurance rather than care, and the price of insurance simply goes higher and higher. We need a national solution that removes insurers from the equation and funds healthcare directly.
And guest 6: I'm sure Chicago would be happy to fund CTA all by itself without taking anything from downstate as long as it gets to keep all the tax revenue the city generates. I'm sure you're no more tired of Saline County subsidizing CTA than I am of Cook County subsidizing schools in Effingham.
So basically he just wasted the last two and a half months over this whole budget thing, knowing he was going to pull this end run?
I am with Johan. Why bother having a house and senate if the governor can fund whatever he wants without approval from the legislators? Where is the check and balances to this?
And yes, health care is important, but he is doing it to get another term, not to help anyone.
Check with the schools and the agencies that already provide health care for the poor. When the state finally sends them a check for services rendered, it's months later and a fraction of what was actually billed. Jayne Shover Easter Seals in Elgin had to merge with Easter Seals DuPage because the state payments for its medicaid patients wasn't keeping up with what they billed the state. They cut most of their programs out and sold their building to recover from the state screwing with them.
I'm all for improving health care, but does anyone really think Blago is competent enough to actually put together a plan that works? The guy that ordered a shitload of vaccines that he couldn't import is going to fix the state's health care system? I can only pray that my family and I never get sick.....
Guest 8:
You do realize that there is more to the state than just Chicago and downstate, right? Have you heard of the suburbs? If you venture out of the city a bit you may notice them. By the way, the major proposal in the legislature does not involve downstate taxpayers funding the CTA.
Sorry, MK, but the suburbs do not exist as their own entity. They exist solely as interdependent units of the Chicago metroplex. Erase Chicago, and you erase the suburbs. So when I say Chicago, I am including the suburbs ... they're just Chicago with a different name.