Hynes to G-Rod: You Can’t Be That Stupid, Can You?

ArchPundit January 31, 2005 No Comments

So if we lose the soon to be filed lawsuits, it’s all The Blagorgeous’ fault.

“As a matter of sound business or governmental practice, we find it hard to believe that the state would agree to such an obligation that is entirely dependent on the approval of the federal government, or any third party,” Hynes chief of staff Keith Taylor wrote. Blagojevich and Hynes are both Democrats.

I thought it was a good idea, but I figured the Administration would be smart enough to have an out if the Feds dragged their feet.

If We Are Stuck With Him

ArchPundit January 31, 2005 No Comments

He could make up nicely with this as an initiative

For months, advocates of early childhood education have been buzzing that Gov. Rod Blagojevich plans to announce a bold initiative to vastly expand public schooling for preschoolers–provided he finds the funding for it.

It’s expensive and it’s worth it. And it hits that median voter perfectly. I’d love to see the polling data on it. While that isn’t the reason I support such a plan, it’s got to be good enough to make The Blagorgeous blush.

The Trib’s editorial sites the basic idea pretty well, but to give you some idea of how significant a decent early childhood education plan can be…

Take a look at the dummy version of the Minneapolis Fed work the Trib mentions–I’ve seen Grunewald present on this.

The challenge is that the industry as currently funded and organized is largely maintained by poorly trained and poorly paid staff who have little understanding of child development. For those with a decent income, one parent can stay home or they can afford a Center that has strong staff and faculty. For those who aren’t well paid, their kids may end up in a good center, but are just as likely to end up in a mediocre center.

The insidious element of this system is that it reinforces class structures that inhibit upward mobility at the very beginning of a child’s life when that child is incapable of making her own informed choices.

A serious effort towards a universal system that provides quality care to all children, would go along way to making the Governor seem palatable to many in the Center and on the Left.

Hence, I have little hope for it coming to be.

“It?s also worth noting that the General Assembly and the governor have not achieved the previous EFAB recommendation yet.?

ArchPundit January 25, 2005 1 Comment

The Governor’s (his spokespersona actually) reason why it isn’t important that he didn’t appoint members of an advisory board that is required to issue a report on the state of school financing.

Senator Miguel del Valle criticizes the Governor pointing out the statutory requirement, but the real criticism should focus on The Blagorgeous’ inability to even address the issue forthrightly.

But most importantly, an updated report could have addressed how the $600 difference in recommendations and actual increase affected school performance. Now, there is no information to draw upon and that seems to be by design.

Who wants to be that if, as Aaron Chambers reports, Senate President Emil Jones pushes for a tax swap, the Blagorgeous says we should wait to hear the recommendations of the panel?

The most important quote is from Tom Cross who says the issue is dead unless the Governor makes a move. Republicans and the Speaker aren’t going to stick their heads out there only for the Governor to chop it off. He’s going to have to lead on the issue or nothing will get done.

Good to See that Quinn isn’t the only clueless one

ArchPundit January 25, 2005 No Comments

In a rather hysterical whine to Don Wycliff, Pat Quinn suggested that the Trib acted like the Pinkneyville Bugle and in one swipe offended the public editor of the major daily in the state and the good people of Southern Illinois.

Not to be outdone, Brad Tusk of the Governor’s office gets in on the act in the Southern Illinoisan

“One of the most interesting aspects of the job, he said, is getting to know the people in the state, as he did last week when he accompanied the governor on a two-day swing through Southern Illinois. The trip helped clear up what he said was his biggest misconception about the state.

“I just didn’t realize how diverse this state was. Southern Illinois is almost like the South. Central Illinois is more like Middle America. Chicago is like most big cities and its suburbs are sort of typical of most American suburbs,” he said. “It’s almost like four different worlds in one place.”

The best part is that he talks about shaking things up in the State Board of Education, but doesn’t seem to clue in that the SBOE’s biggest challenge to come involves those Southern Illinois schools.

and from Vasyl:

Oh, and doesn’t he sound a bit defensive?? How many times does he repeat that Blagojevich makes the decisions?? Why state the obvious — unless it’s not

Yes Rich, That’s a Flip-Flop

ArchPundit January 25, 2005 1 Comment

Via Capitol Fax

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Just a year ago, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY’-uh-vitch) said he wanted to end exceptions to daily physical education classes in public schools.

Now his State Board of Education is suggesting ways to make it easier for schools to eliminate P-E. A report to the Legislature says state law could be changed to allow automatic exemptions in certain cases like for kids who play sports.

Spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch (ROWSH’) says Blagojevich is not reversing his position. She says Blagojevich believes schools should require physical activity but he is willing to help them eliminate bureaucracy to cut PE classes.

How about this–enforce the current law. P.E. has long been poorly done, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good and necessary idea. As a young kid I was always one of the last kids picked, but I was kept active and became a relatively inshape guy by 15 and kept up with that until I had twins. P.E. could have been structured better, but the idea of daily exercise in an increasingly lethargic society is a habit that needs to be taught-and it improves the mind.

And Blagojevich caved.

Trying to Wrap My Head Around the Mell-G-Rod Spat

ArchPundit January 14, 2005 No Comments

And I haven’t been able to sum up why it is such bad news for Blagojevich until I read Carol Marin who gets to a big point at the end:

Even today’s reality TV junkies who feast on the sorrows of others, even hard-hearted cynical politicos, don’t want to learn that the governor’s wife and her Dad don’t talk much or that the grandchildren don’t go fishing with their grandfather anymore. Or that their very ill grandmother is heartbroken by all of this.

It’s a sad story. And it’s bad politics.

Politicians can have tough personal times, but don’t make them public. Really, the public doesn’t want to know. Smile and say it’s private. And when you get information that someone is trading on your name like this–call them, tell them to knock it off, and then call the EPA to make sure that nothing is going and then stay the hell out of it.

It’s one thing to be a media whore, but to do it with your family in the middle looks like rank opportunism.

How Bad Is this for the Blagorgeous?

ArchPundit January 11, 2005 8 Comments

Pretty bad. At some level the general public might take it as a sign of independence, but let’s face it–Democrats are looking for an excuse to run against the guy and this provides that opening. As IlPundit points out, the comments are more than just a spat, Mell accuses the guy of corruption and now the Illinois press has even more reason to track down every donor with an appointment or such. And let’s face it, The Blagorgeous isn’t the press’s favorite guy.

And the coalition is hurt. In a general election the guy might do okay, but his position in the City is very bad. Mell was his biggest block of support and now that appears to be gone. The Mayor has little love for the guy and the Speaker hates him.

A primary challenge can unite downstate labor Dems, the Mayor and the Southside and make a good run at the guy. The problem is who can do it. Lisa Madigan is having a kid and such a run is nearly impossible. Hynes might be able to do it, but after his lackluster effort in the US Senate Primary, he’s not viewed as strong. He’ll be fine long term, but he probably needs to think more about how to present himself to the public. Dick Devine is a possibility and has a supporter in Jerry Costello as well as the Mayor. He’s the anti-G-Rod, though his family was generally close to Blagojevich for G-Rod’s first run for Governor. Or—convince Paul to come back.

Beating an incumbent Governor isn’t impossible, but it is tough. McCaskill did it in Missouri, but even then, Holden had horrible numbers. G-Rods seem to stay around 50% or better in approval and he has a huge warchest.

More Fun than you Can Shake a Stick at

ArchPundit January 11, 2005 1 Comment

The Mell–Blagojevich fight has me giggling too hard to post.
Seriouly, back tonight with more and an update on the car search which is just about over.

ILPundit has some as do the usual suspects.

I’m Not the Only One

ArchPundit December 22, 2004 2 Comments

Who remembers the idiotic move by then Congressman Blagorgeous to try and require that napalm shipments be announced to communities they were being shipped through. This makes about as much sense as announcing when gasoline is being shipped through your community–actually less sense.

Napalm is essentially a jelly form of gasoline liked by militaries because it sticks to things like people and continues to burn unlike liquid gasoline that burns itself up too quickly.

Shipping it is safer than gasoline because if there is a spill, it doesn’t leak into the ground rapidly or spread itself nearly as wide as regular gasoline. But leaving it tanks does open up the chance that it will slowly leak out and enter things like water supplies where it is stored. Shipping it for permanent diposal is a good strategy and Blagojevich spent a bunch of time fighting it based on it having a scary name.

I Didn’t Touch on the Politics

ArchPundit December 22, 2004 3 Comments

Because Miller got there first in his weekly column. It’s a winner, though one has to wonder why the Guv isn’t focused on other issues. It’s especially a winner with married women who are a key demographic.

And obviously parents need to be more involved in these things as Miller points out. What I’ll say in addition is that while parents need to pay more attention to what media their kids are consuming, that doesn’t mean that retailers don’t have a moral responsibility to watch out for kids. It’d be nice, if like the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) the rating system was enforced at the buying or renting point and then parents can override that decision by accompanying the kids, but that didn’t happen.

Even if the Governor’s plan isn’t enacted as law, who wants to bet the industry starts paying attention more?