Remember this? March(ing) on: Rolling, Rolling, Roland Burris (Originaly posted 03-02-09)

Today on my Republican Blog: I’m not certain what they’ve been putting in the water of Chicago politicians all these years; but I’ve gotta try it. It apparently makes you immune to all reality and common sense. Case in point: Roland Burris’s continuing refusal to step down from the senate seat that we all know he bought and subsequently lied about buying. As I’ve said before on previous posts: do not accept this appointment because if you do, no one will take anything you do in the senate seriously and you’ll just be embarrassing yourself. Well, back to the future(cast). Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, also a dem, has just said that he’s giving Burris two weeks to step down before he urges Illinois lawmakers to consider a special election. I hate to say I told you so…but I told you so. This train wreck of a situation has us all now watching Burris holding press conferences and reading his ridiculous news releases; all in his attempt to disprove what we now know has just been confirmed. Mr. Burris, I don’t know if you read the news, but Illinois state attorney general, Lisa Madigan (D), issued an opinion stating that a special election will probably happen. And by the way, Alexi Giannoulias (Illinois state treasurer), U.S. Reps Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam, and also William Daley (the brother of the mayor), are all waiting to attack. The piranhas are starting to taste blood in the water; and they’re ready to bite. Stop this nonsense and just resign. And to the people of Illinois: when this special election is held, could you please stop your historic addiction to democrats ruining your state and vote Republican? So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and blogger, and especially my Democrat blogs and bloggers (told you so): let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! See you in a minute!

A Liberal State of Mind pt.4: I’m not Scared (of Lions and Tigers and Bears)

Today on my Republican blog: Lions and Tigers and Bears: Fear and those things that you should be fearful of. This post is directed towards my liberal, democrat friends. Actually, to be more specific, my Illinois liberal, democrat friends. I hate to say I told you so…but I told you so. As I’m sure most of you now know, your new governor is going to do what we all told you liberals would do if they got in control: raise taxes. So, I’m going to show you a very funny (to me and all Republicans) article from the March 17th issue of the Chicago Tribune. But before I do that, I’ve got to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, J-Star (see you on My Block: Belleville), Bobby Knight ( “like I stole them from a baby”), and Missy (St. Louis native…) To all of my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, to all of my Democrat blogs and bloggers (I told you so), and to all political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! Let’s go (tax) hiking! Read the newspaper people. Enjoy:

By Ray Long and Rick Pearson
Tribune Reporters
6:29 PM CDT, March 17, 2009
SPRINGFIELD

Gov. Pat Quinn will use his first state budget address Wednesday to call for a 50 percent increase in income taxes as well as higher fees for license plates and drivers licenses to deal with the state’s mounting deficit and to fund a public works program, documents first obtained by the Tribune show.

Less than two months on the job after replacing his impeached and ousted predecessor, Quinn will try to ease the blow from higher income taxes on lower-income families with an increase in the personal exemption–a move he estimated would hold the line or cut taxes on as many as 5 million people.

Quinn also is proposing a 10-day holiday on the state’s sales tax in August for the purchase of school-related clothing and supplies.

At the same time, he’s proposing an increase in corporate income taxes and the closing of some business tax breaks while also asking state workers to pay more for their health insurance and to take four unpaid days off work.

Quinn also is supporting a proposal backed by Democratic leaders that would boost cigarette taxes to help pay off overdue bills to healthcare providers to the poor, legislative sources said. The proposal, filed in the Senate today, would boost the current 98-cent per pack cigarette tax by 50 cents and could increase another 50 cents in the next year, sources said.

Further, Quinn is considering $20-a-year hike in license plate sticker fees, which would rise to $99 on July 1, and increasing the driver’s license fee to $20 from $10 now, according to information provided to lawmakers.

“We can–and must–turn the state of our economy around,” Quinn said in a letter to lawmakers that accompanies his budget plan. “I believe it is not only possible to get Illinois back on the road to recovery, but make it stronger for future generations.”

Quinn will try Wednesday to persuade skeptical and nervous lawmakers to embrace his tough choices to keep the state afloat amid the potential of a record $11.5 billion deficit by the summer of 2010.

“This gap is too large to be addressed with any single measure, whether it is spending cuts, revenue increases, or federal recovery money,” Quinn told lawmakers in a letter that accompanies the budget plan, obtained by the Tribune. “It calls for every type of solution. That is what this budget does. This plan makes tough decisions while maintaining our commitment to our priorities and, more importantly, it protects our most vulnerable citizens.”

As he boarded a St. Patrick’s Day flight from Chicago to Springfield earlier today, Quinn acknowledged he would need the “luck of the Irish.”

The Quinn income tax hike proposal would raise the rate to 4.5 percent from 3 percent for individuals, levels first reported last week by the Tribune and to 7.2 percent from 4.8 percent for corporations. The tax increases are the centerpiece of a plan that he hopes will fill the budget gap and provide him with a path to win the office he inherited following his predecessor’s impeachment and ouster.

Without any changes in Illinois tax structure, Quinn forecasted a drop in the state sales tax revenues of 4.2 percent in the new fiscal year beginning July 1, a drop of nearly 22 percent in corporate tax receipts and a reduction in individual income tax revenue of more than 2 percent.

His proposal for a $26 billion construction plan dubbed “Illinois Jobs Now!” is aimed at creating 340,000 jobs over several years. Quinn’s predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, was unable to get approval for a public works plan during his six years in office because of mistrusting lawmakers. With Blagojevich facing federal corruption charges and out of office, Quinn will stand a better chance of pushing through a construction plan if he is successful working with lawmakers and eschewing his predecessor’s style of confrontation.

Under the plan, $14 billion would be targeted for bridges and roads, $4.6 billion for mass transit, $4.2 billion for school construction and $971 million would be set aside for $971 million. One of the more contentious provisions of the construction program is that Quinn wants pay for it through increasing fees for driver’s licenses and license plate fees to pay for transportation-related improvements while using 10 percent of the new income tax revenue to pay for school construction and other “economic development” projects around the state.

Resisting pressure from lawmakers to raise the gasoline tax, Quinn showed no signs in his budget documents that he would go along. Proposals to increase the current 19-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline have ranged from hikes of 8 cents to 23 cents a gallon. But Quinn repeatedly has been adamant in opposition.

Quinn’s proposals to save money include such matters as restructuring some of the state’s debt in a move to save as much as $500 million during the fiscal year that ends June 30, 2010.

But he also is looking at ways to make smaller reductions. One example would be combining two agencies, the Department of Natural Resources and the Historic Preservation Agency. The savings from merging, estimated at $1.2 million, comes after Quinn reopened several state parks that Blagojevich closed.
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune

Rod Blagojevich-Solid Brass: The Teflon Don pt.6 (Originally posted 1-26-09)

Today on my Republican blog: I’ve got to admit it: I’m now a Rod Blagojevich fan. Anyone who could hold a press conference and show this much balls (Sarah Palin on polar bears anyone?) deserves the respect and admiration of every living human being. For those that didn’t catch it on CSPAN2 or WGN, please go to youtube.com and look for the footage of his press conference on friday. This guy is truly amazing. From refusing to mount any defense or even show up to his Senate impeachment trail, to his analogies about being lynched, to his new conspiracy theory about Republicans and Democrats plotting to get him out of office so they can raise taxes; he has been a wonder to see over the past few months. His former chief defense attorney, Edward Genson, announced friday that he’s taking himself off of Blagojevich’s federal criminal case, which seems to have made “The Teflon Don” more brazen. “I’m not even getting a fair trail; they’re just hanging me. And when they hang me under these rules that prevent due process, they’re hanging the 12 million people of Illinois who twice have elected a governor” said Blagojevich friday. If that isn’t the definition of balls, I don’t know what is. While I love my little girls with all my heart, I hope that one day I’ll be blessed with a son, so I can raise him in the mold of Rod Blagojevich. You won’t find many people on this planet who actually personify words (audacity, hubris, arrogance) in such a perfect fashion. As I’m writing this, the Governor of Illinois is preparing to appear on various media outlets today; and I doubt he’ll disappoint. If he’s showed us anything: it’s that he just doesn’t give a f***. And I admire that! Yes, I’m actually a fan of Rod Blagojevich now, because I want my future son to be raised with one thing: solid brass balls. If you don’t believe in yourself, who else will? So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers (sorry for the delay), to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (watch TV today): let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And gooooo Rod Blagojevich! See you later.

Rod Blagojevich-Solid Brass: The Teflon Don pt.6

Today on my Republican blog: I’ve got to admit it: I’m now a Rod Blagojevich fan. Anyone who could hold a press conference and show this much balls (Sarah Palin on polar bears anyone?) deserves the respect and admiration of every living human being. For those that didn’t catch it on CSPAN2 or WGN, please go to youtube.com and look for the footage of his press conference on friday. This guy is truly amazing. From refusing to mount any defense or even show up to his Senate impeachment trail, to his analogies about being lynched, to his new conspiracy theory about Republicans and Democrats plotting to get him out of office so they can raise taxes; he has been a wonder to see over the past few months. His former chief defense attorney, Edward Genson, announced friday that he’s taking himself off of Blagojevich’s federal criminal case, which seems to have made “The Teflon Don” more brazen. “I’m not even getting a fair trail; they’re just hanging me. And when they hang me under these rules that prevent due process, they’re hanging the 12 million people of Illinois who twice have elected a governor” said Blagojevich friday. If that isn’t the definition of balls, I don’t know what is. While I love my little girls with all my heart, I hope that one day I’ll be blessed with a son, so I can raise him in the mold of Rod Blagojevich. You won’t find many people on this planet who actually personify words (audacity, hubris, arrogance) in such a perfect fashion. As I’m writing this, the Governor of Illinois is preparing to appear on various media outlets today; and I doubt he’ll disappoint. If he’s showed us anything: it’s that he just doesn’t give a f***. And I admire that! Yes, I’m actually a fan of Rod Blagojevich now, because I want my future son to be raised with one thing: solid brass balls. If you don’t believe in yourself, who else will? So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers (sorry for the delay), to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (watch TV today): let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And gooooo Rod Blagojevich! See you later on…

Just Peachy: The Teflon Don pt.3

Today on my Republican blog: Yesterday an Illinois House panel voted 21-0 to recommend impeachment for Governor Rod “The Teflon Don” Blagojevich, which sets up a full House vote today. Charges of abuse of power? Mismanagement? Possible criminal acts? Trying to sell Barack Obama’s former Senate seat? Trying to extort campaign funds from Illinois politicians in return for favored appointments? I wonder how many House members woke up this morning with a horse head in their bed. It’s pretty obvious that the “Don” is not afraid to step outside of the lines once in awhile. Well, actually most of the time. Wait… actually all of the time. It’s 10:30 am right now in the great state of Illinois and luckily there’s been no news about any committee members cars exploding or any of them coming up missing. But it is still early in the day.
State Reps. Jay Hoffman, Tom Holbrook and Ron Stevens all said they plan on voting in favor to impeach Blagojevich. Hoffmann, D-Collinsville, said “I don’t see, with so many important issues facing the state, how the governor could possibly provide the leadership that is necessary to ensure that we address those important issues”. Well, at least a few Democrats are finally coming around. But what’s so funny is the fact that Illinois residents will probably vote for another Democrat for Governor this next election- and the corruption begins all over again. Same story, different names. One day you’ll wise up and put a Republican in office, and then you can get your state back on track. While I live in St. Louis, my family lives in Illinois and they’ve been frustrated with Gov. Blagojevich for years. That’s why I focus on Illinois politics: it affects me directly. We’ll get to St. Louis (it’s almost as ridiculous) later on this week. So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers and my Democrat blogs and bloggers: let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And to all my Illinois Democrats: watch the news tonight; I have a feeling Mr. Blagojevich will be giving one hell of a press conference sometime today. You guys just won’t stop embarrassing yourselves.

And yet you keep rolling on: Turn off the lights pt.2

Today on my Republican blog: First off, if it seems that I only write about midwest politics; it’s because I happen to live in the region. Metro-east Democrats (Missouri and Illinois alike) f***ing up daily are really all I see when I watch my local news (thank you KTVI, KMOV and KSDK). So to everyone reading me around the country and around the world; just know that I have a front row seat to all of this madness. But back to my original point: Roland Burris and the Senate Democrats continuing to embarrass themselves for yet another consecutive day. For those that don’t know, today Mr. Burris testified before an Illinois House committee, saying quote “I can before this committee state that there was nothing…legal, personal or political exchanged for my appointment to this seat”. Hmm. That’s a very interesting statement; considering that your campaign donations to Illinois Governor Rod “The Teflon Don” Blagojevich somehow led to almost $300,000 dollars worth of state contracts to your consulting company. And you expect us to believe that nothing suspect is going on with your appointment? Stunning. Threre has to be a better use for the tax dollars being spent to pay for this soap opera. How do we stop this? Wait a minute…I just figured it out; and you can probably guess what my solution is for 2012. Democrats: enjoy your next 4 years of perpetual scandals- the Republican Party will be back soon. So once again, to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (way to start your year off): let your voice be heard. And GOP in 2012!

Democrats: Turn off the lights!

Today on my Republican blog: Democrats…prepare to turn off the lights. As little kids, most of our parents would tell us to turn off the lights when we exited a room. Please allow me to play your father for a quick minute. While all of us Republicans can acknowledge that you’ll be occupying the White House for the next four years- you’d better start learning where the the light switches are. Nothing against Barack Obama, but the Dems are already f***ing up seven days into the New Year. What other nonsense do you guys have planned during Obama’s term as President? Today, Roland Burris said he expects to join the Senate “very shortly”, after talking to Democratic leaders and working out some outstanding legal issues. And the craziest part about this story comes in two parts: #1. after all of this grandstanding over the past week, the Democrats have decided to support Burris’s appointment… #2 Judicial Watch, a supposedly conservative group, has actually sued today to have Burris seated on the grounds of constitutionality (I couldn’t make this up if I tried). And I almost forgot- the Senate still has a $1 trillion dollar stimulus package to vote on while this circus is going on. Stop it. Before you think I’m being too harsh, remember this: Burris gave more than $20, 000 dollars to “Teflon Don” Rod Blagojevich’s campaign fund and then somehow received more than $290,000 in contracts from the Illinois Department of Transportation. Sounds kind of suspicious, right? (Google it). And now, what has Mr. Burris “purchased” himself? A seat in the Senate. Hmm. So once again, to all of my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all of my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (get ready to turn out the lights in 2012): let your voice be heard. And a special thank you to Conservatives First and The National Black Republican Association. Thanks for your support. GOP in 2012! Stay tuned for pt.2

Mr. Burris goes to Washington-You couldn’t make this up!

Today on my Republican blog: You couldn’t make this up! As previously stated, Mr. Roland Burris went to Washington today…. and guess what happened: a very funny youtube.com moment, but no entry into the Senate chambers. Absolutely astonishing! Ask yourself: if you already knew that your appointment wouldn’t be confirmed, would you still hop on a plane to D.C.? I might just become a liberal for a day; just so I can see what it’s like to live in a fantasy world. You people amaze me! So once again, to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (explain this one); get out and let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! See you later on tonight.

The Teflon Don pt. 2: Roll-on Burris

Today on my Republican blog: There came a time in all of our lives when we realized that certain things were just fantasy; no matter how hard we tried to believe otherwise. The tooth fairy, leprechauns and dragons come to mind for me. Unfortunately, the liberal mindset doesn’t operate in that fashion. If it wasn’t enough to have continued to associate himself with “The Teflon Don” Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Roland Burris has taken to calling himself a “United States senator” and has flown to Washington for the convening of the Senate- even though Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev, said “Burris would not be permitted to take his seat because Burris has not been certified by the state of Illinois”. Hmm. Mr. Burris, your whole party is against you-please stop this nonsense. There are no amount of press conferences you can hold to convince us that all of your campaign contributions to the governor didn’t affect this appointment. Let that fantasy go. So to all of my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all of my Libertarian blogs and bloggers and to all of my Democrat blogs and bloggers (you should be ashamed), let your voice be heard! PS: Anyone in St. Louis, Chicago or Atlanta; contact me! And GOP in 2012!