A Chicago Blog

The Tribune Reports:

SPRINGFIELD — A measure allowing voters to dump the governor and other statewide officeholders through California-style recall petitions advanced Wednesday in a key test vote in the House, though its approval is far from certain.

Proponents said the bill was prompted by their dissatisfaction with Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has been criticized by Republicans and his fellow Democrats for what they say is his autocratic and aloof style of governance. But they argued the measure also is good public policy already embraced by 18 other states, including California, which replaced an unpopular governor with action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003.

“I would not have filed it but for the dismal performance of this governor,” said Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock), the bill’s sponsor. “Our state is dysfunctional. . . . We are stuck at an absolute impasse because the governor refuses to lead and refuses, frankly, to show up for work. He won’t govern, and he can’t govern.”

The House adopted an amendment to the bill on an 80-25 vote, which Franks said indicates it likely will be approved by a wide margin when he tries to send it to the Senate next week. The favorable reception in the House also underscores Blagojevich’s running feud with Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), who voted for the amendment.

A fellow blogivist alerts us to a breaking development in Georgia. The State Senate has approved a tuition tax credit scholarship program (read the full bill). The bill now just needs to be signed by the Governor, Sonny Perdue. Perdue signed a special-needs voucher program last year, so there is every reason to expect he’ll sign this bill as well.

Any time a state passes a scholarship program like this one, it is good news. Tax credit programs like this one encourage individuals and corporation to give to scholarship funds that help needy children get out of failing public schools. Thousands of kids will now be given opportunities that before existed only in their dreams.

Read the rest of this entry »

From FoxNews:

FOX News has uncovered documents that indicate Wright is about to move to a 10,340-square-foot, four-bedroom home in suburban Chicago, currently under construction in a gated community.

…

According to documents obtained from the Cook County Register of Deeds, Wright purchased two empty lots in Tinley Park, Ill., from Chicago restaurant chain owner Kenny Lewis for $345,000 in 2004.

Documents show Wright sold the property to his church, Trinity United, in December 2006, with the proceeds going to a living trust shared with his wife, Ramah.

The sale price for the land was just under $308,000, about $40,000 less than Wright’s original purchase two years earlier.

Public records of the sale show Trinity initially obtained a $10 million bank loan to purchase the property and build a new house on the land.

But further investigation with tax and real estate attorneys showed that the church had actually secured a $1.6 million mortgage for the home purchase, and attached a $10 million line of credit, for reasons unspecified in the paperwork.

Must be nice. For Obama’s sake I certainly hope Rezko isn’t connected to this deal.

This is the first in a series of post on races where a good free-market candidate is taking on the left. Consider it a serious version of Colbert’s “Better Know a District.” The first is Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional district, where Chris Hackett is trying to take back a traditionally conservative seat from Chris Carney who won the seat in 2006 after scandal knocked out the incumbent. From RedState:

The 10th Congressional District is an entrepreneurial district. It has a median income of $35,996.00 and includes the city of Carbondale. Chris Hackett knows the district and, more so than Carney, relates to the district. In an area of Pennsylvania where many of the residents either work for themselves or small businesses, Chris Hackett is also an entrepreneur. Having purchased SHS TechStaffing, a recruiting and temp staffing business, he grew and expanded the company inside the 10th Congressional District and then through Pennsylvania and several other states.

Chris Hackett, unlike his opponent, knows how tax cuts and tax hikes, spending cuts and spending hikes, and regulation and deregulation affect small businesses.

This should certainly be a race to watch.

Hopefully this is the only time I link to this video all season long.

As some of you know, the Sam Adams Alliance (my employer) is hosting a conference for state-level bloggers from around the country. It kicked off last night with a terrific speech by John Fund about sticking to you principles even in the face of defeat. He noted that Ronald Reagan was ten points behind Carter in 1979, but won in a land slide.  Here are some picutures, I’ll be posting more as the conference goes on.

The teachers unions will sue anything that moves. Last year, I remember being shocked that union-funded groups went after the Teach for America because the young men and women the program put into underprivileged classrooms were not properly “certified.” Now they are going after the biggest and best school choice program in the country.

Can America survive the teachers unions?

It always makes me nervous when people predict good things for the Cubs. Needless to say I plan on burning the newest issue of Sports Illustrated, which predicts the Cubs will go to the World Series. Jeez! Don’t say stuff like that. Lucky for us they have us losing to the Tigers.

From SI:

As a bit of a tightwad, it’s great to hear that I’m in good company. Backyard Pundit explains that the Obamas aren’t really the charitable type. Don’t ever say that great men can’t be cheap. Obama is the savior of the human race and I think I’ll pay tribute to him by no longer paying any tribute.

Now if we can just get the rest of the politicians in DC to be as cheap as I am.

More evidence of the eco-demographic: Frango goes Organic.