Blago Visits the House of Hope

By Kevin Robinson in News on Jan 14, 2008 4:25PM

In the continuing soap opera that is our state's budget crisis, Governor Rod Blagojevich made a visit to Rev. James Meeks's south side mega-church, House of Hope Sunday to drum up support for his proposal of free rides for seniors on the region's mass transit system. Besides being pastor of the church, Meeks is also an Illinois State Senator, and is often allied with the governor.

In remarks to the congregation of about 8,000, Blagojevich pitched his plan as a choice between pessimism and hope. "With every good idea comes somebody who's got something to say that ain't so good.... It's amazing to me," the governor said. Responding to Mayor Daley's comments on Saturday that “any politician can give things for free, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Blagojevich suggested that Daley get some religion. "Mayor Daley shouldn't be so pessimistic," Blagojevich said. "Maybe he needs to come to the House of Hope and have a little bit of hope, because I have high hopes for our lawmakers." Blagojevich told the congregation that free rides for senior citizens who are dealing with increased living costs, including higher property taxes that Daley successfully pushed through the city council late last year.

Image via House of Hope