Pam Davis - Hero

If you ever doubted that one person can make a difference then the story of Pam Davis, CEO of Edward Hospital, will change your mind.

Last week, for the third time, the Illinois Health Facility Planning Board rejected Edward Hospital proposed full-service facility in Plainfield. Even though Plainfield and Will County has one of the state's fastest growing population base and one of the lowest hospital beds to population ratio in the state. Despite this setback the planning board did approve a facility that will provide emergency care and for this we can thank the vigilance and courage of Pam Davis.

In 2003 Edward Hospital first proposed a full service facility to be built in Plainfield, IL. Davis was told that she would only gain approval for the new facility if she used a specific contractor. Instead of playing Illinois' favorite game, pay for play, Davis decided to go to the FBI. For eight months she wore a wire and the information gathered by the recorded conversations exposed corruption on the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, leading to indictments of two of the four board members, Tony Rezko, and a corrupt governor.

In the state of Illinois, where turning your head and playing the game, is often easier than doing the right thing, Pam Davis shows us that when you stay true to your convictions change can happen. This is why ABC News named her Person of the Week and new Governor Pat Quinn appointed her to be on the Illinois Reform Commission. Thank you Pam Davis!

Here is the link to see the ABC News feature on Pam Davis.

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6615027

For Sale: The State of Illinois

The latest craze in Illinois politics seems to be leasing municipality’s assets to private corporations. This all started in 2004 when the City of Chicago announced the 99 year lease of the Chicago Skyway to Spanish corporation Cintra-Macquaire for a 1.8 billion dollars upfront payment. Since then Mayor Daley and Gov. Blagojevich has proposed to lease everything from Midway Airport to State Tollway system to the State Lottery. Yesterday, Mayor Daley added the city run parking garages to the list.

The City of Chicago will be paid $550 million dollars for a 26 year lease of the parking garages under Grant and Millennium Parks. Mayor Daley plans to use half of that to payoff the remaining debt occurred in construction of the Park. The other half will be used to fund "nieghborhood projects" and improve the city's infrustructure. Mayor Daley explains, "Government isn't in the business of parking garages."

I couldn't agree with the Mayor more, government should govern and businessmen should run businesses. The problem I have is the way our government is governed! It was Daley's mismanagement of the building of Millennium Park that caused 4 years of delays and a $300 million dollar cost overrun. Now the city is hard pressed to be able to payoff the bondholder debt that remains. Leasing the garage will save Daley from that headache, but it will also give him another $250 million to fund other pet projects.

Can we trust Daley with a $250 million coffer? I think not. Already the revenue reserves that were made from the selling of the Skyway went to pay the City of Chicago's 2005 budget shortfall of $220 million dollars. At this rate, in less than 3 years, Daley would have spent what should have been 99 years of revenue. When Daley is gone what is the city going to do when it faces a revenue crisis? With all the city assets gone and all the money spent, the only recourse the future mayor will have is to raise taxes. Is it any wonder why people don’t want to run for elective office?

The same can be said about Gov. Blagojevich. After he has raided the state's employee and teacher's pension fund to make up his budget shortfalls, the only option he has in an election year is to propose the selling of the state's assets or (heaven forbid) cut spending growth. With these two running the show I can't see spending cuts happening. Luckily, Blago has to answer to the 50% of the state who live outside Cook County and the only reason why the Tollway hasn't been sold off already.

The Greased Wheel Continues to Roll

With the Illinois State Primary quickly approaching I can't help reflecting on the worst vote I ever made. In 1998 George Ryan, then Secretary of State, was running to be Governor of Illinois. Ryan was what is called a moderate Republican, a deceptive term. Moderate enough to gain trust of centrist democrats and a wink to say to republicans that I am one of you. That vote taught me that you can trust anyone that tries to please everyone. Ryan raised tax after tax, made inappropriate overtures to Fidel Castro, handed government contracts to cronies, gave truck driver licenses in exchange for a campaign donation and subverted state law by placing a moratorium on the executions of death row inmates. Ryan's actions as governor were no where close to my values as a republican and if the 5 month trial against the former governor proved anything at all, it is that Ryan did nothing moderately. This week the jury will begin to decide Ryan's fate on charges of mail fraud, tax invasion, conspiracy and racketeering. One can only hope they throw the book at him.

Judy Barr Topinka, a moderate Republican with political ties to George Ryan, leads the pack of hopefuls to unseat Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Topinka is an interesting character, cut from the same pack of cigs as Marge Schott, and like Marge, has a tendency to run her mouth a bit too much. Yesterday, while speaking to a group of supporters she said, "It's hard to debate when you have to debate a bunch of morons." Topinka was referring to her more conservative challengers in the primary. I all can think is here we go again.

Conventional wisdom says that Illinois isn't ready to elect a conservative. I don't necessarily buy that, Peter Fitzgerald won his election for the U.S Senate in '98 and was very popular for his independent conservative thinking and being a fierce defender for a clean government. In fact, his nomination of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (no relation to the former Senator) began the investigation into Ryan's ethical problems. Perhaps this was the reason why in 2004 Topinka, then Chairperson of the State GOP committee, lead the effort to defeat her own party's incumbent Senator and refused to give him the GOP's endorsement. The net result was Sen. Fitzgerald retiring rather fighting an uphill battle against party officials (Topinka) who remained loyal to a crooked Gov. Ryan. Add the incompetent campaigns of Jack Ryan and Allen Keyes and you had the makings of an easy victory for Barak Obama. Smooth move Judy.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for a big tent Republican Party, it's the main reason why I gave Ryan my vote in '98, but apparently Topinka doesn't have any tolerance for those she calls "right wing wackos". Therefore, she won't be getting my support in this election.

King Mell and Queen Judy share a warm and fuzzy moment

Even without my vote Topinka stands a good chance of winning in November. Topinka is a master of political maneuvering and understands how the Chicago machine works. She has made allies with the men that control the Chicago voting machine, including Dick Mell, who just so happens to be the father-in-law to Blagojevich. Mell's talent to get out the vote is well known; somehow he was able to deliver 92% support from the Chicago's northside for his son-in-law in the last gubernatorial election. That's not likely to happen this election as Blago and Mell have been publicly feuding and Topinka is more than capable to exploit this troubled relationship. Ryan may die in jail but that's not going to stop the insider deals and corruption in this state.

Hate Begets Hate

Thanks to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich we now know what happens when the members of the Governor's Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes hate each other. In 2005 Governor Blagojecvich apointed to serve on the panel Sister Claudette Marie Johnson, an official in Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam. Considering Farrakhan's and the Nation of Islam message of intolerance towards Jews, homosexuals and "the man" (the white man), it is hardly suprising that such an appointment would raise a few eyebrows.

For those of you that are unfamilar with the message the Rev. Louis Farrakhan preaches to his followers I thought I would share a few remarks that Sister Johnson refuses to disavow herself from:

Expert from Farrahkan's Saviour Day's Speech, 02/26/06 - Chicago, IL
“These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength…It’s the wicked Jews the false Jews that are promoting Lesbianism, homosexuality. It’s wicked Jews, false Jews that make it a crime for you to preach the word of God, then they call you homophobic!”

Remarks at a Huricanne Katrina Shelter, 09/15/05 - Charolette, NC
“I heard from a very reliable source that under that levee there was a 25 foot hole, which suggested that it may have been blown up, so that the water would destroy the black part of town, and where the whites lived, it would be dry.”

National Black Agenda Conference, 03/18/04 - Boston, MA.
“I call them the so-called Jews because to be a Jew you have to adhere to the statutes and laws that create the special relationship. How can you be a Jew and promote homosexual marriage?”

To date four Jewish members of Commission have chose to resigned rather than serve alongside a high ranking official of the Nation of Islam, but supporters of Sister Johnson claim to remove her from the Commission would be nothing more than guilt by association. Well, thats right. Sister Johnson was given ample opprotunity to refute Farrakhan's statements and she has refused. To me that is tacit approval to Farrakhan's message of hate. Because of this Sister Johnson is not someone who should serve on a commission whose mission is to foster education efforts and help implement policies and state laws that battle violence and acts of discrimination which are based on ethnicity, religion, skin color, gender, disability or sexual orientation.