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PI Original
by Matthew Blake
4:48pm
Thu Jan 26

G8's Actual Purpose, Relevance Overlooked In Protest Debate

Chicago’s political and business leadership and some local social activists have focused much attention on the upcoming NATO and G8 summits, held May 19 to May 21 at McCormick Place Convention Center. But the focus has been on summit-related issues, like much anticipated protests, security costs, and what the summit might do for the city’s tourism and global reputation.

Quick Hit
by Adam Doster
2:27pm
Mon Oct 25, 2010

Brady's Bad Weekend In The Sun-Times

Gov. Pat Quinn generated some bad press this weekend when State Sen. Ricky Hendon (D-Chicago) went off script and characterized GOP gubernatorial nominee Bill Brady as sexist and racist. But Brady himself didn't have a great media weekend, either, particularly in the Sun-Times.

Yesterday, Mark Brown published a pointed column about the $6.8 million in campaign contributions Brady has taken in from the Republican Governors Association. According to Brown, the money game "makes a mockery" of campaign finance disclosure laws. (Read the full piece here.)

In an editorial this morning, meanwhile, the paper's editors accuse the Republican of playing "dodgeball" with his socially conservative views on gun control, creationism, birth control, and gay rights. While he's tried to pull back his conservative rhetoric this cycle, the AP helpfully notes that Brady has "displayed a more activist streak" in Springfield when those issues were being debated. In other words, Brady's tenure in the state capitol has focused on his social agenda ... and not much else.

Quick Hit
by Adam Doster
11:05am
Fri Sep 17, 2010

"Me And My Mayor"

The Reader's Ben Joravksy, who has doggedly reported on Richard Daley's career for nearly three decades, explains his reaction to the retirement bombshell:

But I wasn't nearly so jubilant on September 7, when Mayor Daley announced he wasn't running for reelection. In fact, I was a little disappointed. I didn't want him to leave this way. I wanted him driven from office in a massive grassroots uprising, sort of like the one that swept Jane Byrne into office back in 1979. I wanted the election to come down to the wire, with the crucial votes coming from the poor west- and south-side wards he's been neglecting all these years.

Oh, well—Mayor Daley wins again.

Read the full column, which includes a charming story about Joravsky's first (well, second) meeting with Hizzoner.

Quick Hit
by Adam Doster
11:14am
Thu Sep 2, 2010

The Speaker And Payday Loan Reform

When we expressed some concern that the Sun-Times' piece earlier this week on the Madigan family and the recently passed payday loan reform bill didn't include enough context about the substance of the legislation, this is the exact problem we had in mind. In his column this morning, the Tribune's John Kass talks to GOP chairman Pat Brady, who says it's "time for a clean break" from the Democratic Party in Illinois because House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) "uses his position ... to help out his new son-in-law." To recap: while Madigan should be forced to disclose his familial relationship with lobbyist Jordan Matyas, whose business will benefit from the passage of HB 537, this bill was a very good bill! There's a reason that only two members in the entire General Assembly voted against it. Attorney General Lisa Madigan, her dad, and the consumer advocates who lobbied vigorously for it should be applauded, not criticized. We know it's rare, but this is a great example of state government working in the interest of its citizens.

If the GOP is serious about reducing the Speaker's power in the General Assembly, there are serious ways to approach that problem. Tossing around uninformed political talking points doesn't help.

Quick Hit
by Adam Doster
9:11am
Tue Aug 31, 2010

Missing The Forest For The Trees On Payday Loan Reform

Sun-Times' reporters Tim Novak and Dave McKinney did the voting public a service by exposing a loophole in Illinois' "statement of economic interest" disclosure form that allows political candidates to hide familial relationships with registered lobbyists. As the paper's editorial board writes, it's crucial that the state forces lawmakers to admit publicly who in their families could benefit from state laws. Unfortunately, the example they use to illustrate the problem is more complicated than they let on.

The reporters focus on the passage of HB 537, legislation that closed a major loophole in the 2005 Payday Loan Reform Act. Their narrative suggests that the Madigan family -- Attorney General Lisa Madigan, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), and lobbyist Jordan Matyas (who is married to the speaker's daughter Tiffany) -- concocted a diabolical scheme to create new business for Matyas, whose firm will soon track unsecured consumer installment loans for the state. It's true that Matyas' business will receive a boost from the regulatory change. It's also true that the Madigans should be forced to disclose that relationship. But the passage of the legislation was the culmination of a decade-long fight by consumer advocates to close up a loophole that predatory lenders had exploited egregiously at the expense of the state's working poor. Only in passing does the piece recognize that consumer advocates lobbied extremely hard for the bill. (It also passed the General Assembly almost unanimously.) Leaving out that side of the story does a disservice to the readers learning about the important (if watered-down) new law for the first time.

Quick Hit
by Adam Doster
9:33am
Tue Aug 24, 2010

Savage: Illinois' Low Income Tax Way Too High

In a piece that leans heavily on analysis from the Institute for Truth in Accounting, Sun-Times financial columnist Terry Savage provides readers with some useful data about how much debt Illinois has accrued in recent years and how that might impact the average taxpayer. Her off-handed comment near the end of the article about the state's income tax, however, is a bit questionable:

Expect an increase in state income taxes. I'm not saying that's a good solution. In fact, I think it will be counterproductive in the long run. I actually believe that if we cut our state income tax in half, we'd create enough economic growth, and more, to make up for the difference.

On what data is Savage relying to make that bold prediction? Of the 41 states that impose an individual income tax, Illinois' 3 percent rate is the lowest in the nation. Only in supply-side fantasy land would dropping that rate even further lead to massive gains in economic growth. For more context about Illinois' income tax debate, check out the primer we published earlier this month.

Quick Hit
by Josh Kalven
10:55am
Wed Aug 18, 2010

Rupert Murdoch Dough Heading To IL-GOV Race?

Back in June, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp made a $1 million contribution to the Republican Governors Association via its News America Holdings political action committee.  The New York Times described it as "one of the biggest [political donations] ever given by a media organization." News Corp explained the decision to Yahoo's Upshot this way: "[O]rganizations like the RGA, which have a pro-business agenda, support our priorities at this most critical time for our economy."  (Illinois Republican Congressmen Peter Roskam and John Shimkus have also received contributions from the PAC this cycle.)

Looking forward, some of that $1 million will most likely make its way to the Illinois' governors race, where the RGA has already run ads slamming incumbent Pat Quinn.  Which raises a question for Fox Chicago (and other affiliates across the country): When covering the local gubernatorial races, will they disclose that their parent company is backing the Republican ticket? 

So far, Fox Chicago has responded online by posting a News Corp. press release on the donation.  Meanwhile, Fox News Channel has been silent on the issue.