Illinois gun laws need all of your help...Please!

[Jeff White]

Keep up the fire. I wouldn't trust Emil Jones as far as I could throw the Capitol building.

Blagojevich wouldn't have made a big deal of it in the state of the state speech if he didn't think they could pass it. Remember, he's taken heat from the Daley camp for not pushing hard enough for gun control. He knows that this is a killer for his re-election in Southern Illinois. Something is up. I wouldn't doubt that he plans on buying votes on this issue with the road program:
http://www.wjbdradio.com/news_view.asp?WEBID=4757

02/25/06 Governor Announces State Road Program
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Governor Rod Blagojevich is increasing the pressure on Republican lawmakers to support his call for a new construction program. The Democratic governor's administration says that without the new construction money, it will delay up to 80 (m) million dollars worth of road projects.

The state Transportation Department would decide which projects are put on hold. Transportation Secretary Timothy Martin made the announcement today when he released the annual update to the Illinois road program.

Blagojevich wants to borrow about three-point-two billion dollars to help build roads, schools and mass transit systems, but Republicans won't go along. They say he doesn't have a solid plan to pay off the debt.

So the administration is now linking that construction plan to ordinary highway upgrades and maintenance.

http://www.wjbdradio.com/news_view.asp?WEBID=4761

2/26/06 Republicans Blast Governor at Marion County Lincoln Day Dinner
State Senator John O. Jones told the Marion County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday night that Governor Rod Blagojevich is doling out pork projects in order to get needed votes for his proposed $3.2 million capital bonding bill.

Jones says only $1.1 million dollars in road projects are currently earmarked, with the rest available for pet projects of legislators in their districts.

Jones also questions whether the state should be spending money on new road and school construction projects when Salem has a major sewer project to be done and there are needed water projects across the state. He says without those water and sewer projects, no industries will be attracted to the area.

Jones also warned the Governor's proposed budget would increase state spending $1.4 billion. He notes there's nothing the Republicans can do about the budget if all the Democrats stick with the Governor because the Democrats hold the majority in both the house and senate.

The Governor also came under attack by two Lieutenant Governor candidates, Steven Raushenberger and Joe Burkett, as well as Congressman John Shimkus and the Republican candidate for Attorney General Stewart Umholtz.

State Representative candidate John Cavelletto added criticism to incumbent State Rep Kurt Granberg. Cavelletto said Granberg was voting with the Chicago Democrats and Blagojevich. Cavelletto promised to represent all the people in the district, and not just some of them, if elected in November.

About 150 attended the dinner at the Salem Community Activity Center.

There is also a huge capitol improvements program. Plenty of programs out there to buy votes with. In much of Southern Illinois, government jobs are the only ones that pay a middle class wage and benefits. It's not a far stretch to see a vote or two bought from a pro gun Southern Illinois legislator in return for the reopening of a prison in his district. If ISRA is right and Blagojevich thinks that they are a couple votes away from passing it in the house, we have to look at the buying of a pro gun legislator as a possibility.

Jeff