Chicago Daily Observer

From day one of his administration back in 2003, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich told the people of Illinois it wouldn’t be business as usual. He was right. It’s been business worse than usual. Calling himself a reformer and promising to shake things up, Blagojevich has found new and creative ways to benefit his own campaign chest while doing nothing to eliminate the perception of Illinois as the Wild West of politics.

Under the guise of extending union protection to individuals who work as home health care personal assistants and home daycare providers, Blagojevich created a whole new pool of people from which the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) could collect dues, a portion of which is used for campaign contributions – a union which at the time of his taking office had already given Blagojevich more than $800,000 in campaign contributions.

Less than two months into his first term, Blagojevich ... Read More...

We’ve often heard the expression “that was clear as mud,” after an explanation of something, and I can’t think of a better way to describe the workings of state government in recent years.

While budget battles are not new to Springfield and neither is “massaging” the numbers, the practice has risen to a new level – or perhaps sunk to a new low – under the Blagojevich administration. Even if Gov. Rod Blagojevich inherited a debt when he took office, he’s had nearly six years to clean up the mess. Instead, he’s only made it worse.

Not only has Blagojevich implemented new programs totaling billions of dollars at a time when Illinois couldn’t pay its bills, but he has also managed to bleed dry any reserve funds the state might have had; put Illinois businesses on shaky financial ground by being months behind in paying them; and has been willing ... Read More...

Gov. Rod Blagojevich deserves credit for wielding his veto pen as a meat cleaver to pare massive amounts of pork from the state budget.

Republicans, given a seat at the table when the session went into overtime, deserve credit for holding the line on taxes. But the budget outcome is far from ideal.
The seemingly arbitrary method the governor used to decide which pork to veto and which to leave intact calls into question the fundamental problems in the current budget process, which allows pork to be added in huge amounts with little or no public debate, transparency or accountability.

Moreover, while the state has billions of dollars in overdue bills and already-high taxes, earmark cuts should be used to pay down bills in the name of fiscal responsibility, not to fund a massive executive-ordered expansion in government-run health care.

The major victory in this budget outcome is ... Read More...