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Re: The ever-present feds

Bottom Line — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 17:06:48 -0000

I just talked to a couple of IDOT people and the Deputy Director of Traffic Safety did have a big sign up on her state office door that said "Democrats Rule" somebody should turn Sandy the dem chairwoman of Menard county in to the feds, her salary is federally funded!

Re: The ever-present feds

Guy Fawkes — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:22:44 -0000

William Cellini put the "FIX" in for I.D.O.T. Secretary - Timothy Martin and Illlinois Tollway Chief Engineer - Jeff Dailey.
Two of the most ignorant and stupid individals to ever grace Illinois State government!

Re: The ever-present feds

state worker b — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:15:09 -0000

Got a Chinman lets keep our fingers crossed

Re: The ever-present feds

Tessa — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 08:19:58 -0000

Chinman, if what Rich says this morning is true, that Blago plans to run a third time, then things are going to get much, much worse for every one of us. Services and needs of people don't matter.

Re: The ever-present feds

chinman — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 08:05:57 -0000

to state worker b,
it can get alot worse.

Re: The ever-present feds

Tom — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 01:18:59 -0000

Anyone up for starting an Anti-Corruption party? It's an enormous tent. Republican/Democrat/Green, left/center/right are all welcome.

Re: The ever-present feds

state worker b — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 00:49:34 -0000

State Worker A if this was a game show you won the big prize. The arrogance of this individual we all know who he is, is out of control. Hopefully his hour galss is getting close to empty if anyone else had done the crap he has they would have been gone months ago. Lets keep our fingers crossed at this point it can only get better?

Re: The ever-present feds

Six Degrees of Separation — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 00:40:24 -0000

The state can expand its programs and cut back employees, by farming out a lot of the work to the private sector. Sounds Republican, doesn't it? But Rod is a Dem who borrows Reaganesque ideas when they suit his purpose, not that there's anything wrong with that.

BTW, the private sector is known to make donations to candidates and parties, while the average state employee doesn't unless they are shaken down by their bosses. Another reason to continue the privatization trend.

Re: The ever-present feds

Mom — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 00:34:16 -0000

I talked to an intelligent woman yesterday. She said she really like Judy Tobinka in the beginning but then after all the TV ads she thought she was crooked. I think that's a shame. First of all I can't belive an intelligent person would just look at the ads, and not go further to find out about ther person. I wonder how many people went that route. I love politics. It is so interesting . Why can't people find out things on their own?

How can teacher's unions and other unions endorse someone that doesn't make the pension payments? You can bet your life that no one is shorting the politicians pensions. I think this election is a disgrace.

Re: The ever-present feds

Really Disgusted — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 23:04:50 -0000

Cassandra: You listed a lot of programs and initiatives that have been proposed by the governor and said there isn't enough money to have a lot of state workers because the money is needed for these new programs. Who do you think will be doing the work of establishing and running these programs? I guarantee you it won't be any of the governor's people, because the money won't be good enough for them. Someone has to keep the wheels running and it's not the governor or the people he sends in as supervisors and hacks. It will be the same people who are doing those things now, the same sorry people who were told that he wouldn't balance the budget on their backs. What a liar and hypocrite.

Re: The ever-present feds

Ignatius J. Reily — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:57:08 -0000

Here is something to think about...

The Machine fended off 2 serious assaults on a major property..Cook County... 1 in the primary and the other in the general.

Top priority now is the replacement of that really dangerous US Attorney. With majorities in both houses and the presidency on the near horizon..DA BOYS are totally focused on:

GET FITZ BEFORE HE GETS US... BUT GOOD

Re: The ever-present feds

Bottom Line — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:01:30 -0000

Cassandra,

If you for one minute think that lay-offs mean less employees, you are sadly mistaken. When IDOT laid off an entire traffic safety section June 30, 2004, the very next day a new department was announced (external affairs) which was full of political hacks-absolutely no traffic safety experience, about 6 months ago they did away with external affairs and moved all those people back to traffic safety. The whole lay-off was a way to get rid of republicans, plain and simple and before anyone starts crying "live by the sword, die by the sword, all of the positions were low-level union and non-exempt positions.

Re: The ever-present feds

Tessa — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 21:29:12 -0000

Cassandra, you truly don't understand what it's like to work in the state system, so please stop telling us what to do, and that it's so easy to just do this or that and everything will be better. OEIG reports to the Gov.. We aren't safe. The people who are in charge at a local level frequently won't put things in writing so that they can't be held accountable for things. They won't respond to e-mails to answer questions or put memos out to explain themselves. They have they minions do the work and take the heat when something happens. There is nowhere to turn for help.

Lots of what is going on is hard to cover under the state contract. They use "management rights" as the catch phrase to walk over whoever they please. Staff are scared to stand up for themselves or to have the union stand up for them. Retaliation could mean their job, their means of supporting their family on a single income. This is what we are up against with Blago as Gov. and now that he's won re-election, he'll be gunning for us more than ever. No one, nowhere in state service, unless they are one of his lackeys, is safe. I'm scared for those who work for the state and for those who receive state services. This is no joke.

And I thought it was bad under a republican.

Re: The ever-present feds

fed up dem — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 21:03:49 -0000

That should have been not all upstate dems are idiots.

Re: The ever-present feds

fed up dem — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 21:00:42 -0000

Cassandra, reporting to the executive inspector general who reports directly to blago? sounds like suicide to me. i'm sure the reporting party would be set up for something and be labled another bad apple in an effort to discredit. also i am a 60 year old life long democrat and have lived in chicago for the last 37 years. after the primary i was embarrassed to be a dem and am now embarrassed to be a citizenn of this state. i will move back to the hoosier state just as soon as i can afford to retire. now all upstate dems are idiots.

Re: The ever-present feds

state worker A — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:10:44 -0000

State Worker B Ã¢â‚¬â€œ I think I know who you are referring to: are his initials MS (Director of Traffic Safety)? His wife is VS (Bureau Chief of ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES). I believe he has several kids also on the payroll (imagine that). It is truly unbelievable all the crap that is going on. One of the political hacks refuses to write any memos and when he goes out to a job site to investigate high incident locations, he has to have someone else go with him. His supervisor was told (by a higher political hack) to write all his memos, case closed. Our DE is totally useless (afraid of losing their job) and will not back long-time employees. Our administration manager (another political hack) keeps part-time hours and has hired his mistress, his wifeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s girlfriend (and I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t mean Ã¢â‚¬Ëœjust a friendÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ girlfriend), his friends kids (brothers and sisters) and his employees from his other business.

We are so screwed.

Re: The ever-present feds

Cassandra — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:02:30 -0000

It seems to me that if there are obvious violations of Rutan in state hiring, those who want to do something about it should send the pertinent information to Patrick Fitzgerald's office and/or the Executive Inspector General's Office. And if there was a Democratic victory party going on in a state office after the election, that information should also be reported to the OIG. Take a picture of the Democrats Rule sign and e-mail it to a local newspaper It's not that difficult to stop some of this behavior. And fears of retaliation are generally overstated. Blago's staff aren't that stupid.

As to a massive exodus of Republican state employees, I doubt that scares anyone except perhaps the employees. State government is overstaffed. There are many demands on state financial resources and it may not be possible to sustain a huge state bureacracy in conjunction with universal health care, universal preschool, and other government programs which benefit all the citizens of Illinois. The health care and education needs of Illinois citizens should take precedence over sustaining a plump state bureaucracy.

Re: The ever-present feds

sate worker b — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:07:59 -0000

State worker A what is upsetting at IDOT you are not upset that in the past few months a Director was allowed to take his wife on a state paid for trip she also works for the agency but has nothing to do with his div(looks like a free vacation to me), he also gave a $65,000 job to a 24 yr old daughter of a friend and recently transferred a union officials wife to a job in his div when all other jobs at the div were listed for internal application only. come on whats wrong with this?

Re: The ever-present feds

Angie — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:26:04 -0000

I hear the parking situation is also better in the 'burbs!

Rich is gonna kill me, but so be it.;-P

Re: The ever-present feds

Rich Miller — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:18:33 -0000

This pseudo secession talk is really stupid and childish. People, it's Thursday, get over yourselves.

Re: The ever-present feds

Angie — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 14:55:29 -0000

[Chicago and Cook County are so inbedded with corruption, the voters are accustomed to voting for the politician whom they feel will take care of their neighborhood and not necessarily the most honest person. I really wish we could have two states, North Illinois and South Illinois.]

We do. It just isn't "official."

Again, for everyone who is gravely disappointed, I reiterate from another thread. If you're in the 'burbs, do most of your shopping and stuff there. You didn't win at the polls, but you can always stick it to 'em by watching where you take your wallets and purses.

Choose wisely WHERE you spend your time spending your money.

Some of the local community colleges in GOP-vote territory have programs that grant full tuition waivers to their top students, thus creating a wonderful opportunity for residents to get lower-division courses knocked off for absolutely FREE. That cushy stuff happens when the tax base is relatively affluent, so keep that money in the 'burbs to support those who actually voted for what they perceived to be the opposite of Rod (meaning they weren't under massive investigations).

Support (economically) the areas where the support went to your candidate of choice. It is the least you can do.

Re: The ever-present feds

Little Egypt — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:42:47 -0000

BTW, little little egypt #1 began his travels back to Baghdad this morning. Many of you have been so very kind in expressing concern and gratitude to him, and Mr. and Mrs. sincerely appreciate those thoughts. See Rich, we can be pretty civil here when the need arises.

Re: The ever-present feds

Anon. — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:19:46 -0000

State Worker A - 6:44

IDOT leases the Traffic Safety Building from Cellini. The lease expires in June 07. My thoughts are that any ties to Cellini will be severed, Traffic Safety will be reorged to the IDOT Central Office and several employees will lose their jobs.

Even more disturbing, yesterday the deputy director of Traffic Safety had a sign on her office door that read "Democrats Rule." Party favors sounding off in the morning could be heard by many. What is even more disturbing is the director allowed this childish display. Like Secretary Phelps said...if Blagojevich wins the election there will be a mass exodus of republican state workers.

Re: The ever-present feds

Little Egypt — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:18:00 -0000

Blago was re-elected by Chicago and Cook County. He would not have won the election if only votes south of I-80 were counted. Unfortunately in Illinois we have to take the bad with the good and that means that we must put up with Chicago (the bad in case you can't figure that out). Chicago and Cook County are so inbedded with corruption, the voters are accustomed to voting for the politician whom they feel will take care of their neighborhood and not necessarily the most honest person. I really wish we could have two states, North Illinois and South Illinois. If it works for the Dakotas and the Carolinas, why couldn't it work here?

You all really need to go to the story of the lawsuit against Lon Monk and Bill Cellini. I would bet there is much in this lawsuit that will be in the Federal indictment of these men and the plaintiff in this case is giving all of us a giant preview of what is to come. If this lawsuit goes absolutely nowhere, it is at least a telling history of the Cellini Combine. I would hope that Cellini would be so off limits to politicians after this that he may have to rest of his laurels and be content to live off his interest and dividend payments.

Re: The ever-present feds

Tessa — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:14:32 -0000

I'm truly scared for the department I work in. More scared for the part of it I work in, because the people I work for and vow to care for are going to be screwed. They aren't going to have anywhere to live when Blago is done with DHS. I can find another job, not that I want to. These people don't have enough people truly looking out for there best interests. It's so sad.