Illinois Review

A Message from Dick

by Sam Pierce

I was fortunate to have received the great news from our illustrious Senator Dick (Durbin), having voted in his little poll on the "public option". Here is the message from Senator Dick:

Dear sam,

We already knew that a majority of Americans support the inclusion of a public health insurance option in the final health care reform bill.

But now that the results of our online poll are in, something else is now clear: the American people who voted for change last November will settle for nothing less than a robust public option.

Ever wanna tell Durbin what you think?

Our not-so-esteemed U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is rarely out among the commoners like us, but he has opened his website up for an opinion survey on health care reform.  Ignore his intro, and proceed to tell him what you think. .... Here's your chance.

Spending, Debt and an Alternate Engine (?) for F-35

by Chris Robling

The newest spending outrage I have heard is this:

Congresspeople with clout are forcing development of an unneeded and unwanted alternate engine for the F-35.

Cost? $5 billion.

F-35 has an engine. It does not need an "alternate. Who agrees? George Bush and Barack Obama, for instance.  Robert Gates (under Bush) and Robert Gates (under Obama). All three have tried to stop this to save the $5 billion, so this is not partisan.  It is just the same old story: special interests with buddies in high Congressional places.

Durbin and Burris vote to protect ACORN funding

Below is the YouTube of a recent undercover interview with ACORN employees in New York City.  The two mortage application counselors give specific instructions to a pimp and prostitute on how to illegally qualify for a home mortgage. The two investigative reporters received the same type of illegal counsel from ACORN workers in Maryland. Their advice was same counsel many are beginning to believe may have led to the collapse of the mortgage industry and the historical taxpayer dollar bailout of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac earlier this year. 

Last night in DC, the U.S. Senate voted 83 to 7 to end federal funding to ACORN, based on the concerns raised in this YouTube and the one from the Maryland ACORN office  Only seven senators voted 'NO' to protect ACORN's taxpayer funding.

Durbin answers about health care

The far southern Carmi Times nabbed some answers about health care legislation from U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, and has published them on their website.  The website's current format makes it almost impossible to read, so we've duplicated the answers with a few changes in formatting for readability.  The gist is Durbin supports the public option, plans to offer health insurance options online, says doctors who make errors in care will have to eat the cost of mistakes, thinks the reform can happen this year if Congress can stay focused.  The questions: 

Q. Do you support a public option for government-funded health care coverage? Why or why not?

A. Durbin says two of the most important elements of the debate are finding a way to keep costs controlled for families with insurance and making sure people who don't have coverage now can afford it in the future. He supports a public option as a way to help accomplish both goals but is willing to compromise for a "meaningful health care bill."

Durbin says a public option would simply be offered as a choice among several others in the health insurance market and would provide a "valuable alternative" for those who want different coverage or can't afford coverage now. Durbin points to the competition provided by private schools and shipping companies with public suppliers. "A public option will provide competition that will hold private plans accountable and help moderate the price of health insurance," Durbin said in a written response sent by his office.

Townhall Meeting at Durbin's office Saturday

This Saturday, AM 560 WIND’s Cisco Cotto will moderate a special townhall meeting outside the Chicago offices of Sen. Dick Durbin where citizens can voice their opinions on the issue of health care reform. Durbin told reporters earlier this month that he doesn’t see value in holding townhall meetings. “I don't think that's a productive use of my time.”

“The people Dick Durbin represents deserve to be heard before he votes on such a radical change to our health care,” said Cisco Cotto, co-host of the John Howell and Cisco Cotto morning show on AM 560.

What's Dick Durbin Thinking?

from Bill Brady for Governor's campaign

Senator Durbin's pronouncement last week that town hall meetings on the controversial federal care proposal are not a productive use of his time leaves no doubt that he's only a fair weather politician who ducks the hard questions and likes to talk only to friendly crowds.

"The people who are showing up at these town meetings are not looking for dialogue. They're looking for diatribe. I don't think that's a productive use of my time," Durbin said.

Be sure of one thing. When I'm Governor, I will talk with any group of people concerned about the future of Illinois, whether they and I agree or not. The people of Illinois deserve no less.

Read Durbin's full comments at http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/article_092c062a-8832-11de-913c-001cc4c03286.html

Public opinion split on Sotomayor

Despite the fact Illinois' two U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Roland Burris will support Obama's nominee, they still need to hear from Illinoisans on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. On Monday, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch O'Connell will announce his opposition to her joining our U.S. Supreme Court. Rasmussen reports the nation's divided on Obama's choice:

Sotomayor is now viewed favorably by 48% of voters and unfavorably by 44%. Fifty percent (50%) of voters believe Sotomayor is politically liberal while 33% say she's moderate. Just three percent (3%) view her as politically conservative while 14% are not sure.

Democrats and liberals are more likely to see the nominee as politically moderate. Republicans, unaffiliated voters and conservatives see her as politically liberal. Among voters who consider themselves moderate, 41% see Sotomayor as liberal and 39% say she’s a moderate

Durbin says taxpayers should subsidize pols

Yeah, well, the 2008 Republican nominee Dr. Sauerberg against Dick Durbin just wasn't conservative enough for all our fancies, so eww...don't we all feel so much better reading this today?  After all, WE didn't put Durbin into office again last November, did we?

by Heritage Foundation's Hans A. von Spakovski

Sen. Richard J. Durbin's (D-IL) Fair Elections Now Act, introduced on Tuesday, purports to "reform" our political system by using public funds (tax dollars) to finance congressional campaigns. According to Durbin, it will "restore this democracy to its basic values."Odd, as I don't recall the Founding Fathers asserting a basic, democratic value of forcing taxpayers to fund political speech with which they disagree.

Durbin continues assault on First Amendment

Don't think free speech is safe simply because the Fairness Doctrine was blocked from reinstitution last week in Congress.  This morning, Heritage Foundation's all over our own U.S. Senator Dick Durbin's under-reported ongoing assault on free speech:

During the debate over the unconstitutional bill that would give the District of Columbia a vote in the House of Representatives, Sens. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) each sponsored amendments with major implications for the First Amendment. DeMint’s amendment banned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reinstituting the Fairness Doctrine which, prior to 1987, was used by the government to stifle free speech on our nation’s airwaves. DeMint’s amendment passed 87-11. Score one for free speech.