BY MIKE CETERA
Who isn't for a capital program (in concept at least)? A balanced budget? Property tax relief? An end to political corruption (or the appearance thereof)?
The problem for House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego), who according to the Sun-Times, plans to unveil next week a GOP "Agenda for Action," isn't his ideas, it's getting voters to believe he or his party can actually execute them.
BY MIKE CETERA
Eight years ago, a fellow reporter -- who is now an Aurora police officer -- and I wrote a series detailing the problems Aurora has with crime and rental property.
The series -- which brought us into the neighborhoods face-to-face with residents scared and frustrated by the criminals who made their communities unsafe to live in -- I thought pointed out the glaring lack of authority the city had (and has) in removing the problem (namely criminals) from neighborhoods. The city knew it had a problem on its hands (we weren't pointing anything out to officials they didn't already know), but seemed reluctant at the time to make any bold changes.
Nearly a decade later, the city seems ready to deal with the problem.
BY MIKE CETERA
The promise and the problem with government programs meant to erase blight and poverty is hope. Such programs promise hope for a better future, hope for bright and shiny buildings and fancy cars and gourmet restaurants, hope for jobs and lower taxes, hope for a return to or a beginning of a golden age.
The problem is the disconnection between hope and reality.
State lawmakers -- with virtually no opposition -- voted last month to extend the life of Aurora's downtown tax-increment financing district, a district that was supposed to bring the Link project and then RiverCity Aurora, but has instead brought only promises of yet another major development. This extension gives leaders more opportunity to dwell on the hope of revitalization, even while at least one study shows revitalization occurs faster without TIFs, which also have been accused of being little more than de facto tax increases...
BY MIKE CETERA
If that tough, new anti-meth legislation was so important, why haven't the politicians who convened a press conference to announce it two months ago convened a second one to demand their bills get a vote in both houses?
Lawmakers left Springfield last week without having approved any of the three pieces of legislation state and local officials championed during a late March press conference. Where's the moral righteousness, like that issued by Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner during the press conference? "If you're looking to set up a meth manufacturing house, don't do it here."
BY MIKE CETERA
A late roundup of recent Statehouse action -- highlights from the legislative weeks that were or how we learned to love a rotten budget:
* Lawmakers tried, but failed to take FOID cards away from people who had guns stolen at least twice but didn't report the theft in a timely manner.
* Exceptional condemnation powers given to Champaign. When will this terrible government intrusion affect you?
* Failing to pay at a toll bridge is bad -- or is it?
* State can still ask potential employees if they've been convicted of non-violent crimes
* State fails to regulate where and when red-light cameras can be installed
* DuPage County politicians lobby for fewer signatures to get on the ballot
* No bail for people accused of making terrorist threats. Does this include school children?
* Oh yeah, the state passed a budget.
How did your lawmakers vote on these issues? Read all about it after the jump. Find previous votes here.
BY MIKE CETERA
Planned Parenthood Aurora, in a recent response to a defamation lawsuit filed by the Pro-Life Action League, suggests it has no liability in accusing anti-abortion activists of violence. The women's health care agency, which provides abortions, says it should be protected by a new state law that strengthens First Amendment rights.
PP is arguing, in essence, when it comes to trying to sway a government body, anything goes. To be clear, the agency also is suggesting what it said is true.
The Chicago Reader was the first to report on PP's use of the Citizen Participation Act. Find more about the lawsuit here and here.
BY MIKE CETERA
Highlights from the legislative week that was:
* State Police could be required to videotape all traffic stops.
* State could extend funding for initiative to put all children through preschool
* Sad this has to be a law -- but bill would ensure that the number of bridges deemed in "acceptable" condition be equitable in all areas of the state.
How did your lawmakers vote on these issues? Read all about it after the jump. Find previous votes here.
BY MIKE CETERA
Amen.
I've always found it strange and slightly irritating that every time I drive through an I-Pass lane, I have to read a sign with Gov. Rod Blagojevich congratulating himself. I cop the same slightly annoyed attitude whenever I travel to the airport and must be welcomed by Richard M. Daley.
So, I'm all for a law that would ban "state officeholders from having their names appear on tax-subsidized billboards and electronic signs promoting government programs." Unfortunately, I don't think this bill goes far enough.
BY MIKE CETERA
Highlights from the legislative week that was:
* Sorry, we're stuck with the flat tax; lawmakers reject calls to move to a graduated income tax.
* No more gerrymandering? How legislative districts are drawn could be changed.
* FOID cards could be revoked from some parents who can't keep their kids away from guns.
* Gov. Blagojevich will not face a recall.
How did your lawmakers vote on these issues and more? Read all about it after the jump. Find previous votes here.
BY MIKE CETERA
The Legislature wasn't in session last week, so no roundup of how your local lawmaker voted. Instead, check out this interesting piece about some politicians looking to appease unions -- again -- at the expense of taxpayers.
Some lawmakers are trying to add tollway workers and others to an alternative pension formula that was supposed to be used only for retired law enforcement officers, writes columnist Kristen McQuery of the SouthtownStar.
The alternative formula is a sweeter, softer, cushier pension offering that takes into consideration the dangerous, stressful occupations of policemen and women. In general, it allows them to retire with 25 years of service at age 50, earning up to 80 percent of their pay - and their pay rises annually to reflect a cost of living adjustment.Throughout the years, the General Assembly, to please labor unions, has added state pilots, conservation officers, corrections officers, Department of Revenue inspectors, secretary of state investigators and several other clout-heavy professionals to the formula.
