Illinois gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard is probably being golf-clapped by every candidate running against him for a second major flip-flop in less than a couple of months. In case you hadn’t heard, Dillard recently pulled his support from a plan that would bring Navistar International, formerly International Harvester, and their 800 new jobs to Lisle, IL. He did so out of concern for the environment and the autistic school, Giant Steps of Illinois, located 120 yards to the east of the proposed site. Doesn’t it sound principled? Read more
I don’t know what’s going to happen on the Democratic side (as I think it is still too close to call), but it’s pretty clear that Jim Ryan will be the Republican’s gubernatorial candidate. I think Brady, Dillard, and McKenna would be mistakes, and it’s looking like I’m not the only one to feel that way. I exclude Proft from this list because I actually like what he has to say (anti-tax, anti-corruption), but he realistically doesn’t stand a chance. Given that, I thought I would take a moment to offer a few thoughts on Ryan. Read more
People say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We experienced it on the playground. We see it in fashion and fads. We see it in business and sports all the time. Why shouldn’t State governments start looking at each other to figure out what is working and what is not? Contrary to popular belief, not every state is experiencing $10-plus billion budget deficits. Some have actually managed to balance-balance (not to be confused with Illinois-balance) their annual budget, matching expenditures/spending to revenue. Contrary to popular belief, they’re not all oil states. Read more
http://www.friendsofblago.com/
This is an interesting site detailing how inbred and intertwined the existing crop of Illinois politicians is.
There’s a new site that tracks pensions, salaries, and payments from the Illinois state government. It’s a good site that is easy to navigate. The wealth of information is great.
Illinois Open Government
