Tomorrow, there will be a meeting between two guys who helped crooked developer Tony Rezko get his hands on millions of dollars.

Democrats Barack Obama and Alexi Giannoulias probably won’t talk about their old pal, convicted and now in federal custody, when they meet for tomorrow’s fundraiser to support Giannoulias’ campaign for U.S. Senate. But people who know about Obama’s career in Illinois politics will probably make the connection for themselves.
Rezko became Obama’s biggest donor early on because he was a developer of subsidized housing. He made his money from government. …

I’m guessing that Tony Rezko, the president’s benefactor, friend and personal real estate fairy, would love to attend.
He was the star of a Sun-Times report published Monday about a $22 million development loan from the Giannoulias family’s now-defunct Broadway Bank to a Rezko company.
It would be nice for Rezko to show up. That way, Obama could point, then shout for all to hear: “That’s not the Tony Rezko I know!”

Sadly, Tony has no time for fundraisers these days.
He’s in federal custody, awaiting sentencing on his convictions for political influence peddling.
Rezko …

The Sun Times did the research, and told us what everyone already assumed, Alexi Giannoulias and his bank made some ill-advised loans to nefarious characters.

This steamed Rich Miller at the Captial Fax, who wondered What am I Missing Here
But, wait a sec. Rezko’s name appears nowhere on the loan because he was a minority partner. The company got the loan at least three months after Giannoulias took a paid leave of absence from the bank.
Thus absolving Broadway Bank and Alexi Giannoulias of the “know thy customer” commandment of banking.  All bankers should be …

Just a regular newsday for Illinois Dem’s and their favorite banks.

Tony Rezko received $22.75 Million more loans from Giannoulias Bank
ShoreBank, the darling of political insiders announced financial results showing a $190 Million shortfall….
which should make it no surprise that ShoreBank has managed funds for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and managed to lose over 80% of the State’s funds which were invested in ShoreBank, “shrugged off” by Andrew Davis, appointed in early 2007 by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich as executive director of ISAC, and held over by the pinnacle of reform, Pat …

Parks officials in the northern suburb say it was a good use of taxpayer dollars, even though the off-the-charts spending spree included giving the three executives nearly $700,000 in bonuses while paying one of them $185,120 for no work and signing over an SUV to him as he left town.

The Park District acknowledges it did so, in part, to pad the executives’ pensions, a practice pension officials say is wrong. The district’s 58-year-old former executive director is now paid more in retirement — $166,000 a year — than he was …

Maybe voters shouldn’t have listened to Barack Obama, who claimed Rezko as his “political godfather.” Obama assured voters in a re-election endorsement that “We’ve got a governor in Rod Blagojevich who has delivered consistently on behalf of the people of Illinois.”
Party leaders knew that wasn’t true.

* * *
And when the media did begin reporting on the allegations swirling around the governor’s office, even alleged party reformers were there to defend Blagojevich.
“I don’t like government being used as a tool to reward political favors and I never have. I don’t like …

I was coming out of a polling place in East Rogers Park, where I had served as a precinct judge of election, when I found that my Pontiac would not start. I placed a telephone call to a police officer assigned to the 24th District and he helped me get a tow truck. While we were waiting for the truck, we began talking about local politics and he told me that Alderman Dick Mell (33rd) was going to begin pushing hard for a young lawyer by the name of Rod …

Did Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration intervene in the road builders strike to help the public — or to help two labor unions which gave him hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations just days before?

That question Tuesday moved to the front of the race for governor as Illinois Republicans suggested — but stopped short of charging — that Mr. Quinn may have been caught in a Rod Blagojevich-style pay-to-play scheme.
Team Quinn denied any impropriety.
Specifically at issue is $475,000 Mr. Quinn’s campaign has reported receiving in May and June from …

Sam Adam Jr. has just accused President Barack Obama and his transition team of negotiating with Blagojevich.
The offer came from Rod to Tom Balanoff, Adam says. Balanoff brought it to Valerie Jarrett and word came back from Rahm Emanuel through John Wyma. It’s a negotiation they were in, he said of Obama and Blagojevich.
“You start high and they come low,” Adam said.

Read more at the Sun-Times

This is about what happens when governments, both state and federal, pump money into a politically connected enterprise with little accountability on both ends. If you’re an Illinois taxpayer, be advised: Reading this may raise your blood pressure.

On June 9, 2010, the American Thinker reviewed how the now-defunct Chicago suburb-based Save A Life Foundation (SALF) was founded under false pretenses, promoted by Chicago and national news outlets, and supported by some big politicians — mostly from Illinois. AT also noted how SALF, with bipartisan political backing, tapped into several money …