Tag: Illinois

Closing Thought–18Jan23

Illinois has become another state in the Union to make history…..they have banned a lethal obsession of its citizens….

Illinois on Tuesday became the latest U.S. state to ban the sale or possession of assault weapons.

Just hours after the legislation’s passage in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the “Protect Illinois Communities Act” into law during a ceremony at the State Capitol in Springfield. Supporters, some of whom were gun violence survivors, erupted with applause and cheers as the governor presented the signed document.

The new law bans assault weapons, including some semiautomatic firearms, along with high-capacity magazines and rapid-firing devices.

“For a long time now, I and many other leaders in the Illinois General Assembly have prioritized getting the most dangerous weapons off our state’s streets,” Pritzker said in a statement Tuesday. “Today, honoring the commitment we made, we passed one of the strongest assault weapons bans in the nation, one I will be proud to sign.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden “commends the leadership of Illinois … and the numerous advocates, survivors, and elected officials whose tireless efforts turned the pain of Highland Park and other acts of gun violence into meaningful action on behalf of all Illinoisans.”

Nine U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C., now prohibit the sale or possession of military-style weapons, driven largely by deadly mass shootings in their communities.

For Illinois, the ban came six months after a gunman wielding a semiautomatic rifle shot and killed seven people at a 4th of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

“No Illinoisan, no matter their zip code, should have to go through life fearing their loved one could be the next in an ever-growing list of victims of mass shootings,” the governor said. “However, for too long people have lived in fear of being gunned down in schools, while worshipping, at celebrations or in their own front yards. This legislation will stop the spread of assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and switches and make our state a safer place for all.”

(abc news)

Will this trend continue or will this just be a flash in the pan?

Will SCOTUS intervene?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Say Good Bye To Right-To-Work (Hopefully!)

Closing Thought–30Apr19

Tomorrow is the International Day of the Worker….so I thought I would post on labor and its place in American society…..

I live in Mississippi a right to work state….a term that sounds good but in reality means that if you want to work then you will work for less money……what a glorious idea of the conserv pricks in our country……I have written what I think of this idea…..and none of it flattering….

https://lobotero.com/2008/08/27/employment-at-will-vs-right-to-work/

https://lobotero.com/2011/10/10/the-right-to-work/

To say that I am not a supporter of this rip-off of the American worker would be an understatement…….but at least one state is fighting back at the attempt to make right-to-work a stable of their economy…….right to work supporters tried to use this as a union busting move and for the most part it was successful……..but Illinois is fighting back……

With the support of labor unions, a new bill prohibiting municipalities in the state from enacting “right-to-work laws” was signed into law by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker last week.

The “Collective Bargaining Freedom Act” prohibits local right-to-work ordinances and imposes penalties for violations.

Right-to-work laws became a focus for state lawmakers after the village of Lincolnshire, a northern suburb of Chicago, passed one in 2015.

A federal court later overturned the ordinance.

Illinois State Of Mind

Over the years many disturbing stories have come out over the politics, especially the politicians, in the state of Illinois…..A mayor that was less than squeaky clean, several governors, including the now famous Blago, that have been anything but honest or truthful and a representative, one Dan Rostenkowski, that was jailed for corruption….those are just the ones that make the big headlines…..but now the nominee for Lt governor for Illinois is a story all by itself…..

In a story in the Chicago Tribune:

Scott Lee Cohen sold himself to Democratic primary voters as a shining example of integrity, transparency and business acumen. “Scott is prepared to bring his professional and life experience to the office of lieutenant governor,” declared his campaign Web site.

But his vague account of the battery case fell apart a day after his Democratic primary victory when an examination of the police record portrayed a more troubling picture than what the candidate offered.

His ex-girlfriend, it turned out, is a convicted prostitute. And she accused him of holding a knife to her throat, a detail in the police report that Cohen didn’t disclose when questioned earlier last week.

He has been sued dozens of times for back taxes, had trouble paying his mortgage and has been cited numerous times by the city for building code violations and failing to pay water bills.

His ex-wife accused him of being a serial cheat who shot up illegally obtained steroids, physically abused her and failed to pay child support even as he spent millions of dollars of his own money to get elected. .

Now tell me these guys are the most entertaining of individuals….there is something so sleazy about Illinois politics …….I am waiting to see how the radical right plays this to involve Obama…..wait for it…you know one of the dick brains will have a theory….

What A Difference A Burris Makes

I will be honest…..when Burris made his appearance in Washington to take his seat in the Sernate I was behind him for the way he took on the leadership and demanded, basically, to be seated.  But now, like the rest of the writing majority……

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris now acknowledges attempting to raise money for ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich — an explosive twist in his ever-changing story on how he landed a coveted Senate appointment from the man accused of trying to sell the seat.

Burris made the admission to reporters on Monday, after releasing an affidavit over the weekend saying he had more contact with Blagojevich aides about the Senate seat than he had described under oath to the state House panel that recommended Blagojevich’s impeachment. The Democrat also said in the affidavit, but not before the panel, that the governor’s brother asked him for fundraising help.

Lawmakers of both parties have said Burris should resign after he admitted over the weekend that he had talked to several aides of the governor before getting the Senate post. During his testimony before the panel, he said he remembered talking only to one aide about the seat and did not say he was hit up for campaign donations.

The new affidavit submitted to the impeachment panel indicated contact not only with Robert Blagojevich, but with Blagojevich’s former chief of staff John Harris and two other close friends — all of whom Burris had been specifically asked about by the committee’s top Republican.

I will agree that if the man lied or withheld info from the hearings then he needs to resign and get out of the way.  There has been enough embarrassment for the people of Illinois.  It is time for them to have the true representation that they deserve.

Illinois Governor Arrested

You gotta love the politics in Illinois……if convicted it will be the 4th governor to do time in 40 years….you gotta love those darn politicians.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on Tuesday on charges that he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, according to a federal criminal complaint. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper’s editorial board who had been critical of him fired.

A 76-page FBI affidavit said the 51-year-old Democratic governor was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.

Otherwise, Blagojevich considered appointing himself. The affidavit said that as late as Nov. 3, he told his deputy governor that if “they’re not going to offer me anything of value I might as well take it.”

“I’m going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain,” Blagojevich allegedly said later that day, according to the affidavit, which also quoted him as saying in a remark punctuated by profanity that the seat was “a valuable thing — you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

He also allegedly discussed getting campaign funds for himself or possibly a post in the president’s cabinet or an ambassadorship once he left the governor’s office. He noted becoming a U.S. senator might remake his image for a possible presidential run in 2016, according to the affidavit. And he allegedly said a Senate seat would also provide him with corporate contacts if he needed a job and present an opportunity for his wife to work as a lobbyist.

“I want to make money,” the affidavit quotes him as saying in one conversation.

The affidavit said Blagojevich expressed frustration at being “stuck” as governor and that he would have access to greater resources if he were indicted while in the U.S. Senate than while sitting as governor.

The affidavit outlined a Nov. 10 call between Blagojevich, his wife, his chief of staff — John Harris, who also was arrested Tuesday — and a group of advisers in which Harris allegedly suggested working out an agreement with the Service Employees International Union.

Under the plan, Blagojevich would appoint a new senator who would be helpful to the president-elect and in turn get a job as head of Change to Win, a group formed by the union. The union would get an unspecified favor from Obama later.

Nothing in the court papers suggested Obama had any part in the discussion. In fact, Blagojevich allegedly said in the same conversation that Obama most likely would not appoint him as secretary of health and human services or to an ambassadorship because of the negative publicity that has surrounded the governor for three years.

Blagojevich also was charged with using his authority as governor in an attempt to squeeze out campaign contributions.

Corruption in the Blagojevich administration has been the focus of a federal investigation involving an alleged $7 million scheme aimed at squeezing kickbacks out of companies seeking business from the state. Federal prosecutors have acknowledged they’re also investigating “serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud” under Blagojevich, who has a $177,412 salary, though it’s unclear whether he accepts the total.

Political fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko who raised money for the campaigns of both Blagojevich and Obama is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of fraud and other charges. Blagojevich’s chief fundraiser, Christopher G. Kelly, is due to stand trial early next year on charges of obstructing the Internal Revenue Service.

AS reported by the Associated Press.