Governor State University should be denied its university and educational status; refuses to place Blagojevich portrait

Governor's State'University says it will not put up a portrait of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has been charged and is awaiting a jury verdict on federal corruption charges. The college -- hard to use the word any more to describe this place -- argues that the legislature passed a law prohibiting the state from spending money to put his portrait in Springfield along with the other convicted felons and corruption that now hangs on its walls.

Click here to read the story.

Maybe Governor's State University should remove the portraits of other past governors convicted of crimes while they were in office, like that of Gov. George Ryan, whose corruption was tied to the deaths of six children.

Sounds like Governor's State University -- named after the state's governors duh! -- isn't the place where students should go to get a good education, unless they want an education filled with hatred and stupidity and hypocrisy. Pathetic place.

I'd be ashamed if I attended there. Colleges and Universities are supposed to be about academic and thought freedom where students can debate all issues and where things like bigotry and political hatred are battled not coddled.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Radio Chicagoland for Thursday Jan. 5, 2009

Jim Tobin of the National TaxPayers United of Illinois discusses the impending tax threat from acting Gov. Pat Quinn. Either Quinn is star struck, a patsy or is a part of the Madigan game plan. House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, who controls many members of the legislators with political leashes, will orchestrate one of the largest tax increase packages the state has ever seen -- and boost up the budget of the Illinois Arts Council -- which does what? -- with more millions the state can't afford.

Tobin is on at 8 am on WJJG 1530 AM Radio www.RadioChicagoland.com ... and our program is rocking council and legislative chambers around Chicagoland and the state.

Tune in live on the radio and live on the Internet.

Ray Hanania
www.OrlandParker.com

Gov Blagojevich finally fights back with PR campaign against lynch-mob trial

When you are faced with criminal charges, most of the time, you don't want to launch a massive publicity campaign to respond. That's because usually, criminal charges are filed according to the Rule of law and a person is Innocent until Proven Guilty.

But apparently in Illinois, few seem to remember that little phrase "Innocent until proven Guilty" and Gov. Rod Blagojevich has found himself in the awkward position of having to fight not only the federal criminal charges against him but the slander and defamation campaign by House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, and his "Cabal of Selfish Legislators" including Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn -- who wants Blago's job -- and Madigan's daughter, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who seems to pick and choose when the law will or will not apply.

Tragic drama that has destroyed Illinois' already sullied reputation; remember, it wasn't Gov. Blagojevich who crowded Illinois with the magestic robe of "Culture of Corruption."

Blagojevich is under siege, thanks to the unorthodox and questionable conduct of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who unleased a half-assed case against Blagojevich not to strengthen the law but to smear the governor. Fitzgerald never even sought an indictment against Blagojevich -- at least not a legal indictment. And instead, he pursued the public indictment of lynch the accused before the trial, which is exactly what is now about to begin in Illinois' scandal-plagued legislature, in the Illinois Senate.

Should we go through the list of legislators sullied by immoral and unethical and even criminal conduct who have skated past with narry a burp from, their colleagues. Suddenly Blagojevich is the bad guy.

He may be guilty of the federal charges, but the outrageous manner in which he is being attacked by the legislature this week is just too unfair. There is no way Gov. Blagojevich can get a fair "trial" in the Illinois Senate. It is stacked against him, with everyone trying to pretend that Blagojevich can get a fair trial when everyone knows he cannot.

He has been denied the right to defend himself and can't even call witnesses, yet the Illinois Senate, in cahoots with Fitzgerald, can pick and chose from the alleged evidence and present what they want without Blagojevich EVER being able to challenge any of it.

I think blagoejvich should have the right to call as witnesses David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel, and even President Barack Obama. Afterall, this is about -- allegedly -- Blagojevich seeking to "sell" the vacate Obama Senate seat to the "highest bidder," or so we have been told in an unprecedented public lynching of Blagojevich by Fitzgerald.

Regardless of whether Blagojevich is innocent or guilty of the Federal charges, this week's trial in the Illinois Senate and his impeachment by the Illinois House are just one big, ugly kangaroo court conducted by a political lynchmob of selfish politicians all seeking not the justice behind the controversy but the benefits they all hope to reap.

Blagojevich has FINALLY decided to respond by hiring a PR Firm, something he should have done as soon as Fitzgerald turned the Federal Criminal Case into a publicity-seeking circus. Blagojevich has hired Glenn Selig. Selig's agency is The Publicity Agency based in Chicago and LA, which might explain his ability to get Blago on the national news, Good Morning America and The View. Good job. Maybe we might finally start hearing both sides of this one-sided political lynching.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Blagojevich fights back -- finally -- with a publicity campaign

When you are faced with criminal charges, most of the time, you don't want to launch a massive publicity campaign to respond. That's because usually, criminal charges are filed according to the Rule of law and a person is Innocent until Proven Guilty.

But apparently in Illinois, few seem to remember that little phrase "Innocent until proven Guilty" and Gov. Rod Blagojevich has found himself in the awkward position of having to fight not only the federal criminal charges against him but the slander and defamation campaign by House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, and his "Cabal of Selfish Legislators" including Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn -- who wants Blago's job -- and Madigan's daughter, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who seems to pick and choose when the law will or will not apply.

Tragic drama that has destroyed Illinois' already sullied reputation; remember, it wasn't Gov. Blagojevich who crowded Illinois with the magestic robe of "Culture of Corruption."

Blagojevich is under siege, thanks to the unorthodox and questionable conduct of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who unleased a half-assed case against Blagojevich not to strengthen the law but to smear the governor. Fitzgerald never even sought an indictment against Blagojevich -- at least not a legal indictment. And instead, he pursued the public indictment of lynch the accused before the trial, which is exactly what is now about to begin in Illinois' scandal-plagued legislature, in the Illinois Senate.

Should we go through the list of legislators sullied by immoral and unethical and even criminal conduct who have skated past with narry a burp from, their colleagues. Suddenly Blagojevich is the bad guy.

He may be guilty of the federal charges, but the outrageous manner in which he is being attacked by the legislature this week is just too unfair. There is no way Gov. Blagojevich can get a fair "trial" in the Illinois Senate. It is stacked against him, with everyone trying to pretend that Blagojevich can get a fair trial when everyone knows he cannot.

He has been denied the right to defend himself and can't even call witnesses, yet the Illinois Senate, in cahoots with Fitzgerald, can pick and chose from the alleged evidence and present what they want without Blagojevich EVER being able to challenge any of it.

I think blagoejvich should have the right to call as witnesses David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel, and even President Barack Obama. Afterall, this is about -- allegedly -- Blagojevich seeking to "sell" the vacate Obama Senate seat to the "highest bidder," or so we have been told in an unprecedented public lynching of Blagojevich by Fitzgerald.

Regardless of whether Blagojevich is innocent or guilty of the Federal charges, this week's trial in the Illinois Senate and his impeachment by the Illinois House are just one big, ugly kangaroo court conducted by a political lynchmob of selfish politicians all seeking not the justice behind the controversy but the benefits they all hope to reap.

Blagojevich has FINALLY decided to respond by hiring a PR Firm, something he should have done as soon as Fitzgerald turned the Federal Criminal Case into a publicity-seeking circus. Blagojevich has hired Glenn Selig. Selig's agency is The Publicity Agency based in Chicago and LA, which might explain his ability to get Blago on the national news, Good Morning America and The View. Good job. Maybe we might finally start hearing both sides of this one-sided political lynching.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Governor right-on with his charges on taxes

Jim Tobin of the National Taxpayers United of Illinois (www.NTUI.org) pnned it down recently in an interview on RadioChicagoland (www.RadioChicagoland.com) charging that one reason why legislators dislike Gov. Rod Blagojevich is that he stands in the way of their efforts to raise taxes, and supports programs like expanded healthcare they don't want because the lobbyists who have some of the legislators in their pockets don't want them.

Tobin says that if Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn does succeed in his coup against his former partner, Blagojevich, the first thing he plans to do is raise taxes in Illinois to fund pet projects and pay for patronage hirings oncluding a coterie of contributors to his past funds.

Quinn won't answer and won't come on the radio show to answer these charges, even though I have extended an invitation to him repeatedly. Quinn only appears with media that suck up to him, and I won't.

Still, I'd love to hear Quinn explain his response to the charge that he supports raising taxes in Illinois. Of course, that assumes he has a good answer other than, yes, I plan to raise taxes in Illinois.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Congressman Rush declares Blagojevich "politicall unfit" to appoint Obama Senate seat successor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2008

Congressman Rush Declares Gov. Rod Blagojevich
as Politically Unfit to Appoint Senate Successor

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, on Capitol Hill, Congressman Bobby L. Rush provided the following statement in response to press queries about the shocking arrest, this morning, of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on charges that he tried to benefit, financially, from his constitutional duty to appoint a replacement for the U.S. Senate seat recently vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama.

“Like the people of the great state of Illinois, I was shocked and angered by the disturbing news, this morning, that Governor Blagojevich had been arrested for what federal prosecutors describe as “a political corruption crime spree.”

“I believe that the acts that are alleged to have been committed by the Governor are so heinous that he has forfeited his right to appoint someone to fill the seat of President-Elect Barack Obama. My bottom line is that the Governor should not be the one to make the appointment to this important office.

“I also do not necessarily believe that holding a special election is the right way to go either for the basic reason that when the President-Elect is sworn into office on January 20th, my colleagues and I in the House will be called upon to vote, almost immediately, on several important pieces of legislation ranging from an economic stimulus package to health care reform. Illinois deserves to have its two Senate votes in place by January 20th and a special election would, at the earliest, occur in the spring of 2009.

“I want my constituents to know that I am in urgent counsel with attorneys in our state to suggest a remedy to this crisis in leadership that addresses the concerns I and others have raised about the importance of keeping African American representation in the United States Senate and, certainly, our important second vote from our state.”

# # #

US Attorney's press release on Gov Blagojevich's corruption charges

Click HERE to open the press release issued by US Attorney Patrick Fiztgerald on the corruption charges against Gov. Rod Blagojevich (Bla-Bleep-ovich).

Click HERE to read the actual charges and full "Complaint" filed by the US Attorney's Office.

-- Ray Hanania
http://www.radiochicagoland.com/

Gov Blagojevich uses creative financing according to Institute for Truth in Accounting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 9, 2008
CONTACT:Darlene Porteus, 847-835-5200dporteus@truthinaccounting.org
GOVERNOR USING CREATIVE ACCOUNTING TO COME UP WITH "REVENUE" Truth in Accounting issues Illinois' Financial State Of the State

Northbrook, IL - Today, to educate legislators during the continued budget process, the Institute for Truth in Accounting released its annual "Financial State of the State," a roundup of the Illinois' true debt numbers. These numbers are based on the Illinois' 2007 financial report, which was released 363 days after the fiscal year end.

"Our report indicates that the state is almost $70 billion in the hole," noted Sheila Weinberg, founder & CEO of the Institute. "We hope by issuing this report now, the legislature and governor will stop using creative accounting to pretend they are balancing the budget, while drastically increasing the state debt."

In a June 2, 2008 press release, Gov. Rod Blagojevich admonished the state House for failing to adopt two "new revenue sources." Those revenue sources included $530 million through transfers from special purpose funds, and $400 million which would be freed up through a refinancing of the state's pension debt.

"Calling transfers from special purpose funds 'revenue' is like you believing you make money when you transfer funds from your college savings account to your checking account," commented Weinberg. "And to take $400 million from funds generated by issuing state government bonds equals recording loan proceeds as revenues. This is the type of creative accounting that has put Illinois $70 billion in debt and got the Enron executives thrown in jail."

The Institute's Financial State of the State can be found at: http://www.truthinaccounting.org/2007_illinois_fsos.pdf
About the Institute for Truth in AccountingThe Institute for Truth in Accounting (IFTA) is dedicated to promoting honest, accurate, and transparent accounting at all levels of government. As a non-partisan, non-profit organization, the IFTA works to expose accounting deficiencies while promoting better, more accessible delivery of accurate government financial data-and, in turn, providing a foundation for more informed public policy. The IFTA provides its expertise to develop more effective accounting standards and deliver accurate government financial information to policymakers, opinion leaders, and citizens so that they can work for a more secure financial future. To learn more, please visit our website at www.truthinaccounting.org.
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