November 2009

Wash U Students Reach Agreement With Mother’s

ArchPundit November 2, 2009 0 Comment

Well done:

Senior class president Fernando Cutz and the six black students who allege they were racially discriminated against by the Original Mothers bar in Chicago said at a news conference Wednesday that they will not be pressing charges against the establishment.

Cutz announced at the conference, held in the Danforth University Center, that the students have reached an agreement with the bar, and Mothers will issue a public apology to the students. Managers at the bar will undergo diversity sensitivity and awareness training. The students are receiving free legal counsel from Covington and Burling LLP in their negotiations with Mothers.

Mothers will also hold four charity fundraisers, three at the bar in Chicago and one in St. Louis. The students will determine the recipient of the funds. Senior Regis Murayi, one of the six black students rejected from the bar, said the funds will likely go toward a social justice-related cause.

“As this whole incident is about raising the issue about race relations in the United States, we think it’s very important to contribute to a fund or even a scholarship or organization, something to that matter, that would do the best to promote raising these types of issues,” Murayi said.

Who Would Have Thought That

ArchPundit November 2, 2009 0 Comment

after six years of Rod Blagojevich, these two guys would be fighting over a hair cut:

Memo to Quinn: Not Signing The Checks is an Impeachable Offense

ArchPundit November 2, 2009 0 Comment

Zorn is calling out the Quinn campaign for it’s attack on Hynes for signing the checks as Comptroller.

Before trying to tag Dan Hynes with not watching the budget closely enough, we might check the Illinois Constitution:

SECTION 17. COMPTROLLER – DUTIES The Comptroller, in accordance with law, shall maintain the State’s central fiscal accounts, and order payments into and out of the funds held by the Treasurer. (Source: Illinois Constitution.)

SECTION 18. TREASURER – DUTIES The Treasurer, in accordance with law, shall be responsible for the safekeeping and investment of monies and securities deposited with him, and for their disbursement upon order of the Comptroller. (Source: Illinois Constitution.)

Now, under Illinois law there are certain circumstances in which the Comptroller can avoid writing the checks.  Those are mostly related to non-performance for suppliers/contractors, there is no money, or cases where there is a dispute as to the conditions of disbursement.  Mostly though, the this is a shall do responsibility meaning it isn’t discretionary for the Comptroller to write checks when the legislature has appropriated funds.  As an executive branh Constitutional Officer the Comptroller is not allowed to make law or appropriate funds.  He may, in specific cases not issue funds, but he does not even have the power of rescission that the Governor has limited authority to use.   If Dan Hynes didn’t sign the checks across the board, he would be committing an impeachable offense.

In fact, as Zorn notes, when Hynes didn’t sign off on some disbursements the Govenor’s campaign attacked him. Given Hynes didn’t hold out  very long he was almost assuredly within his duties, but if he had refused to write checks for appropriated funds after a time, that would be impeachable. Quinn’s team, even though they won’t admit it, have just landed themselves squarely on both sides of this argument.