Month: February 2016

Ald. Ed Burke hired vassals to administer someone else’s fiefdom, says complaint to IG

Comparable to when IDOT leaders jiggled job titles, allowing them to move hires from forbidden to permitted, says complainer.

The late alderman’s son [Jay Stone, son of former longtime Ald. Bernard Stone (50th)] likened Burke’s alleged hiring violations to the Illinois Department of Transportation’s decision to “wrongfully classify” hundreds of jobs as “staff assistants.”

That paved the way for the hiring of political appointees under two former governors, Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn.

“The Chicago municipal code has allowed Burke to do the same. [It] . . . has turned obvious Shakman non-exempt jobs into Shakman-exempt jobs,” Stone wrote.

The IDOT business included its director’s hiring and promoting her stepdaughter. The matter is be recounted in my soon-to-be-published Illinois Blues: How the Ruling Party Talks to Voters. For now go here and here.

Source: Ald. Burke accused of hiring ‘political hacks’ to run $100M-a-year workers’ comp program

56 jobs a workday lost in Illinois in 2015

Not a good year, my hearties:

Though neighboring and Great Lakes states added a combined 200 factory jobs per workday on net in 2015, an average of 56 Illinois manufacturing workers, on net, received pink slips each workday during the same time.

Another feather in the cap of the Ruling Party.

Source: Illinois lost 56 manufacturing jobs per workday in 2015 | Illinois Policy | An independent government watchdog

The Trumpkins’ Lament – WSJ

Wall St. Jnl’s Bret Stephens wonders where Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh were months ago, approving Donald Trump but now not so sure.

Mr. Levin has since become more critical of Mr. Trump, though Mr. Limbaugh seems to be hedging his bets. But both men provided Mr. Trump with the margin of respectability he needed in the early months to make his campaign credible with Republican voters.

Stephens in general gives one pause, but this saying Trump needed Levin and Limbaugh respectability is something else, assuming as it does that L&L lifted T out of danger, when Trump’s rise to seeming invulnerability at least seems to be a bigger thing than that.

Source: The Trumpkins’ Lament – WSJ

One Hillary Clinton speech more than average CEO salary

Worth every nickel if you count in the expected favors from a Hillary presidency:

The average CEO, using Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, makes $216,100. Clinton’s speaking agent, the Harry Walker Agency Inc., charged about $275,000 a speech and packaged three for Wall Street’s Goldman Sachs at $675,000.

Source: Wage gap: One Hillary Clinton speech more than average CEO salary | Washington Examiner

Trump: As president, I would prosecute Clinton. Oh?

If there’s redder meat for the faithful, what would it be? But the headline?

How’s “Asked by Hannity . . . ‘I wouldn’t say’ she ‘seems to be guilty,’ said Trump”?

Read past the headline, people.

Donald Trump said Monday night that he believes Hillary Clinton will likely get away with her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, but said that as president, he said it’s only fair that he’d look to prosecute Clinton.

Fox News’ Sean Hannity asked Trump in front of a live Nevada audience if his attorney general would go after Clinton should an investigation find she broke the law while serving in the Obama administration.

You have no choice, Trump replied. In fairness, you have to look into that.She seems to be guilty, he said. But you know what, I wouldn’t even say that.

Source: Trump: As president, I would prosecute Clinton | Washington Examiner