Chicago Daily Observer

So, it has come to this. Headlines in newspapers across the state were devoted to informing voters and taxpayers of the following, momentous development – state senators voted to reject a 7.5% pay increase they would’ve automatically received if no vote was taken.

What a brave and selfless action to take. In an election year, during a recession, while the state is broke. Of course, to get to this point, criticism of the pay increases from pundits, citizens, watchdogs and editorial boards had to continue unabated for months. Even that wouldn’t have been enough to kill the raises if the General Assembly hadn’t been called into special session.
Still, talking heads are hailing this vote as a victory for taxpayers, and I suppose it is, albeit a small one monetarily, when put in context of the state’s budget. Meanwhile, as the legislative raise brushfire is quenched, Rome continues to ... Read More...

Here is the roundtable discussion of Illinois Politics with Tom Roeser, Jeff Berkowitz, and Charlie Johnson, from the WLS-AM 890 show “Shootout”

The interactivity takes over about 45 minutes into the show, with Illinois Senate Republican Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) calling in.

HT: Jeff Berkowitz

The growing field of 2010 Illinois governor aspirants, with the exception of Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, have a common motto: “I don’t like Mike” – as in Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. All the candidates want to be the ultimate “tumor remover,” and they don’t want Madigan to impeach Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich before they get their chance to defeat him.
A recent memorandum concerning the possible impeachment of Blagojevich, prepared by the legislative staff of Madigan, stated that “criminal activity” in the Blagojevich Administration has been “proven” and is now a “tumor” on the state’s body politic.
Madigan’s memo further argued that impeachment is feasible, for three reasons:
First, that the ongoing federal investigation into alleged bribes-for-jobs, involving Blagojevich, his wife, and his campaign committee, has “impaired” his ability to govern. The recent plea of Ali Ata, who gave Blagojevich $125,000 in campaign contributions, and got ... Read More...