Blank's Place

Barack's Learns the Illinois Way Doesn't Work Nationally

Pointing fingers, naked pandering and just plain contradicting yourself are staple tactics used by our friends in the Illinois General Assembly.  I was at a function where a popular Suburban Republican state senator denounced tax hikes with great passion and with great affect.  Of course that morning he was quoted in the newspaper stating that he, in fact, could get behind some tax increases.  Since no one is watching your every word, except a few people such as myself, they can get away with it.

Alas, former state senator Barack Obama from time to time has to learn to break the habits of doing things the "Illinois way."  Political Punch does a pretty good job at pointing to Sen. Obama's buck passing ways: 

We started covering Sen. Barack Obama's inability to hire good staffers in June 2007, when he blamed staffers for some opposition research trying to link Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, to outsourcing in India; for injecting some venom in the David Geffen/Hillary Clinton fight; and for missing an event with firefighters in New Hampshire.

In December, we noted again that Obama was blaming the answers on a 1996 questionnaire on a staffer; and was blaming his touring with "cured" ex-gay gospel singer Donnie McClurkin (which antagonized gays and lesbians) on bad vetting by his staff.

Those five buck-passing incidents were apparently not enough.

Yesterday, in an interesting New York Times look at Obama's rise in Chicago politics, we learned that in 2004 some Jewish supporters became alarmed to learn that in a questionnaire Obama refrained from denouncing Yasir Arafat, or from expressing strong support for Israel's security fence.

Reports the Times: "In an e-mail message, Mr. Obama blamed a staff member for the oversight, and expressed the hope that 'none of this has raised any questions on your part regarding my fundamental commitment to Israel’s security.'"

Libertarian Paternalism

For your consideration: The New Paternalism.

Sunstein explains the appeal of libertarian paternalism: "For too long, the United States has been trapped in a debate between the laissez-faire types who believe markets will solve all our problems and the command-and-control types who believe that if there is a market failure then you need a mandate." That debate has been exhausted, he says.

"The laissez-faire types are right that … government can blunder, so opt-outs are important," he says. "The mandate types are right that people are fallible, and they make mistakes, and sometimes people who are specialists know better and can steer people in directions that will make their lives better."

Sunstein argues that understanding human irrationality can improve how public and private institutions shape policy by increasing the likelihood that people will make decisions that are in their own self-interest. Most important, he and Thaler insist, such nudges can be executed while protecting freedom of choice.

Take two examples in their book. Studies show that placing fruit at eye level in school cafeterias enhances its popularity by as much as 25 percent. Or consider this stroke of creativity by an economist in Amsterdam charged with cleaning up the restrooms at the Schiphol Airport: He had a fly etched into the wells of urinals, giving male patrons something to aim at. Spillage was reduced by 80 percent. The problems of childhood obesity and foul restrooms are remedied with very little inconvenience to people — or cost. Children remain free to grab that piece of chocolate cake, and there is nothing preventing visitors to Schiphol's restrooms from ignoring the fly and aiming elsewhere. It is merely less likely that either group will do so.

Obama team talking points memo on Tuesday election. A Limbaugh scheme?

It could have just as easily have been the other way around.

If you take Rush seriously here, then he'll be taken seriously elsewhere.  What's good for the goose is good for the gander.   And I say all this as a Rush fan. My political regret is that I wish I had more time to listen. 

Rush Limbaugh must be having the time of his llfe, right now.

Taxes & Organized Crime

Cigarette Taxes Are Fueling Organized Crime in New York:

Last month, New York law enforcement authorities announced the arrest of Queens resident Rafea al-Nablisi for smuggling 12,000 cartons of cigarettes a week. It was not the first such arrest, and thanks to New York's latest cigarette tax hike, it will not be the last.

On April 23, less than two weeks after Mr. Nablisi's arrest was made public, Gov. David Paterson signed into law a $1.25 per-pack tax hike on top of the state's $1.50 per-pack tax. That's in addition to New York City's own $1.50 per-pack tax. Come July 1, New York City's smokers will be paying on average $9 a pack for legal cigarettes.

One can only imagine what is happening in Cook County.  Somebody should look into it.

Making the Case For Emil's Raise

Dave Mckiney slaps Sen. President Emil Jones... and slaps him real good:

"Thousands of Illinoisans may be hurting because they lost their jobs or can't pay their mortgages, but the top Senate Democrat is looking out for himself in these tough economic times.

"I need a pay raise," Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) said."

Given the performance of state government in recent years, this shouldn't come as a shock.   Not passing a budget in a state government that's designed to get things done is hard work.  Not making pension payments and Medicaid payments isn't easy.  Think of the hard work he's done getting his family on the state payroll and taking care friends at Chicago State.

None of this stuff is easy and in a just world Sen. President Jones would receive his just rewards. 

Now He's Outraged

Via Drudge: Obama says he's outraged by former pastor's comments.

Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday he was outraged by the latest assertion by his former pastor that criticism of his fiery sermons is an attack on the black church.

"The presidential candidate is seeking to tamp down the growing fury over Rev. Jeremiah Wright and his incendiary remarks that threaten to undermine his campaign.

"I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday," Obama told reporters at a news conference.

After weeks of staying out of the public eye while critics lambasted his sermons, Wright made three public appearances in four days to defend himself. The former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago has been combative, providing colorful commentary and feeding the story Obama had hoped was dying down."

The Fed's Bender

Want to know why the price of everything is going up?  His initials are Ben Berhnanke.

SB2288: HB750 Redux?

posted by Collin Hitt

From Lennie Jarratt:

"The yearly effort by Illinois Legislators to raise your taxes under the guise of Education Reform has returned. this time it is under a new name SB2288."

I'll have to read this new bill, sigh.  But if Lennie is right and if this is merely HB750 renamed, taxpayers are in trouble.  During previous General Assemblies, the Illinois Policy Institute has been a leading opponent of "tax swap" (i.e. tax hike) policies.  Read Mike Van Winkle's Critical Analysis of Education Funding Reform.

Here are some shorter reads my Mike and myself here and here.

Adventures in Govt. Run Health Care

Patients left in ambulances for up to FIVE hours 'so trusts can meet government targets', is the headline in the Daily Mail.

'Seriously ill patients are being kept in ambulances outside hospitals for hours so NHS trusts do not miss Government targets.

Thousands of people a year are having to wait outside accident and emergency departments because trusts will not let them in until they can treat them within four hours, in line with a Labour pledge.

The hold-ups mean ambulances are not available to answer fresh 999 calls."

On the Blagojevich Bait & Switch

Here is my interview this morning on WTAX's Morning News Watch with Bob Murray.

original_1203610177__.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object).

One thing that I think critical, but no one is commenting on, is the fact that both Andy McKenna from IL GOP and Gov. Blagojevich were talking tax cuts this week.  This is verboten  at the statehouse.  I've been told more than once that if you want to be taken seriously at the statehouse, you don't promote tax cuts. 

Say what you will about whether these two are serious, but one is the highest elected official in Illinois and the other a major party chairman.  They are bringing the subject up and so I will too.