Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
Louis Farrakhan is scheduled to hold a press conference today about U.S. involvement in Libya. Should we care what he has to say? While not endorsing his views, I found his take as expressed on WVON with (an obsequious) Cliff Kelley to at least be thought-provoking. Be not afraid – but be aware.
First, here’s the video from his WVON appearance.
Posted on March 31, 2011
By Government Technology
Is this the way of the future? Government Technology magazine visited three Chicago schools to find out.
Posted on March 30, 2011
By AP
There may be less than meets the eye to President Barack Obama’s statements Monday night that NATO is taking over from the U.S. in Libya and that U.S. action is limited to defending people under attack there by Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.
Posted on March 29, 2011
By The Beachwood Race Card Affairs Desk
Geraldine Ferraro died over the weekend, sending the Beachwood news desk into the archives for its coverage of the time when the Obama campaign called her – among many others – a racist. Curiously, Obama later named this so-called racist as America’s ambassador to the United Nation’s Human Rights Commission, a move less boggling, however, than naming his biggest alleged racist Secretary of State. Maybe Sean Wilentz was right.
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March 19, 2008:
“It was a great speech.” writes Lynn Sweet. “And it would have been greater if it were not delivered because Obama was in a jam. But the enduring truths of Obama’s words are important to acknowledge even if they may not provide him with the political cover he desperately needs at this time. His speech, magnificent as it is, offered moral guidance that may influence one’s conscience but not one’s vote . . .
“Obama was forced to give this defining speech because selections of Wright’s sermons – the poisonous parts – burst out in the open a few days ago, and the videos don’t lie.
“Obama is lucky they did not surface earlier. He decided now is not the time to run from Wright, a man he considers family. As charitable as he was toward Wright, he had found no mercy for Geraldine Ferraro, the Clinton supporter and former vice presidential candidate whose ill-chosen racial references were seized on by Obama’s campaign and whipped up into a frenzy until she was forced to exit Clinton’s campaign, her own legacy ruined.
Posted on March 28, 2011
By Brooke Alvarez/FactZone
The most reliable caged Americans in cable news give their trenchant, homespun insight into current events.
Posted on March 22, 2011
By Paul Kiel/ProPublica
The administration has been on a PR offensive in recent months to tell the good news about the TARP. As the Treasury Department official in charge of the TARP is saying at a congressional hearing last week, the bailout won’t cost anywhere near the full $700 billion Congress authorized. In fact, many of its investments have turned a profit, and some of its most infamous bailouts – such as the rescue of AIG – won’t end up being the tax dollar black holes they once seemed sure to be.
But the true picture isn’t so rosy.
At ProPublica, we’ve provided a comprehensive bailout database since TARP’s launch. It shows not only how much money has gone to each recipient, but how much each has paid in interest and dividend payments. With all this data, we’re able to clearly show how deep in the hole the program remains. And the answer as of today is $123 billion.
Posted on March 21, 2011
By The Sunlight Foundation
America’s governors have been rolling back, over, and ignoring transparency laws as soon as they become inconvenient. It’s time to tell them to stop.
Whether or not your governor has taken action against your right to know, if you support open government, now’s the time to write your governor and let them know.
Posted on March 17, 2011
By Andrew Thomason/Illinois Statehouse News
Open government is under attack, at least according to open-government advocates.
At least one piece of legislation in the General Assembly would chip away at the state’s recently rewritten Freedom of Information Act, while another would change the long-standing way governments announce how they’re spending their money.
Senate Bill 2203 would give governmental bodies a longer period to respond to FOIA requests and allow them to charge more money to produce the requested documents. Currently governments in Illinois have five days to respond to request. The new legislation would double that. Also under the current law any petitioner can get the first 50 pages of a request for free, unless there is a statutory fee already in place. The new plan would eliminate that.
Posted on March 16, 2011
By Diane S.W. Lee/Illinois Statehouse News
Illinois law enforcement leaders say the best way to fight crime is by investing money into classrooms to prevent at-risk and low-income children from becoming future troublemakers.
Illinois law enforcement leaders are urging state lawmakers to “make good on promised payments” delayed to preschool programs. They also asked to restore $38 million previously cut from the Early Childhood Block Grant in next year’s state budget. The grant helps fund preschool education for at risk and low-income children, which police said helps keep kids from getting involved in crime.
Posted on March 15, 2011
A Note From Amazon
Enhanced by the Beachwood Linking The News Project.
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Hello,
For well over a decade, the Amazon Associates Program has worked with thousands of Illinois residents. Unfortunately, a new state tax law signed by Governor Quinn compels us to terminate this program for Illinois-based participants. It specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers – including but not limited to those referred by Illinois-based affiliates like you – even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state.
We had opposed this new tax law because it is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It was supported by national retailing chains, most of which are based outside Illinois, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that its enactment forces this action.
Posted on March 11, 2011
