Transportation Sec. LaHood discusses stimulus package (for IL +Daley wants a bunch, too)

Pantagraph ^ | 2-5-09 | Jason Nevel

[STARWISE]

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois is lining up with other states begging for potential federal stimulus dollars, but only projects that can begin quickly will be eligible, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday.

“The goal is to help jumpstart the economy by getting money out the door to projects that are ready to go,” said LaHood, a former Republican congressman from Peoria.

To decide who gets what share of the potential $1.8 billion pie from the federal government, Illinois lawmakers created a task force to distribute the money.

State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, is on the committee.

“We’re looking for shovel-ready projects that are ready to go in 60 to 120 days,” Brady said. “We’re hoping not everything goes north of I-80, and we’re going what federal stimulus package?”

Brady pointed to Normal Transportation Center as a project eligible for funds.

Backed by President Barack Obama, the nearly $1 trillion stimulus package was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives but is being held up by Senate Republicans.

LaHood, who represented Central Illinois' 18th Congressional District for 14 years, said he is doing whatever he can to urge support for the bill.

“I’m a part of the team who wants to see this pass, so I’m doing what I can to be helpful to make sure it passes the Senate,” he said.

Gov. Pat Quinn, who took office last week when Rod Blagojevich was removed from office, met with LaHood Tuesday to help secure funds for Illinois.

“We feel the governor and his people have projects that will be ready to go,” LaHood said.

[STARWISE]

Daley refuses to release stimulus project list

Mayor Richard Daley said today Chicago has compiled a wish list of "shovel-ready projects" to spend federal economic stimulus funds on should Congress approve a plan.

Unlike hundreds of other cities, however, Daley said Chicago won't make its list public.

"Yes, we do, we have our list, we've been talking to people. We did not put that out publicly because once you start putting it out publicly, you know, the newspapers, the media is going to be ripping it apart," Daley said.

"It's very controversial. Yes, we have ready projects from the Board of Education to the City Colleges to the Park District to the CTA and the city of Chicago.

*snip*

Later, Daley was asked why he wasn't being more transparent.

"Read some of your newspapers. Heh heh," he replied.

[GerardKempf]

LaHood is a stand up guy as is Brady

[STARWISE]

~~~Watching for what IL and Chicago get in stimmy $$$ ..PING!

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... and skirting ‘scrootens’

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“We are looking at it, yes, we are,” Daley said. “We brought the Law Department, the Purchasing Department. We have brought all the agencies together. . . . It’s very complicated.”

Wow. Controversial and complicated. But that doesn’t explain why these public plans to spend public money have to remain hidden from, um, the public. So the Tribune’s Dan Mihalopoulos had the temerity to inquire, “Why not be more transparent?”

This foreign concept, transparency, evidently amused the mayor. “Read some of your newspapers,” he said. “Heh, heh.”

Here we sit, surrounded by piles of newspapers, reading and reading to learn whatever it is the mayor divines. Our guess is that he doesn’t want anybody to “scrooten”—that’s a Daley term of art—his list of projects.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0206edit2feb06,0,4849605.story

[freekitty]

Got to pay the guy that put you up there and taught you how to be a crook and rape the public.

[penelopesire]

It is amazing that the people of Chicago vote these thugs in year after year after year. I betcha he is protecting Zero as well. Probably money in there for Ayers, Wright and all his ole thug buds.

[KeyLargo]

Looks like one of Daley’s finest police leaders started one of her own stimulus packages!

Weapons, drugs seized at police official’s home

February 6, 2009 8:15 AM

A search warrant was executed this morning at the home of a high-ranking Chicago police official, and drugs and weapons were seized, according to a police source.

Details to come.

http://www.wbbm780.com/Report-—Weapons—Drugs-Seized-At-Police-Official-/3803071