Thursday, January 10, 2008
(5:45 PM) | Adam Kotsko:
Governor Blagojevich Remains an Idiot
The Illinois House and Senate both passed the most sensible and sustainable transit funding solution today -- primarily consisting of a marginal sales tax increase -- after 24 hours of negotiations. This summer, Gov. Blagojevich was grand-standing about how he didn't want to raise taxes on "the hard-working people of Illinois," many of whom would be severely impeded from "working hard" if the threatened transit cuts occurred.Today, instead of vetoing the bill outright, Blagojevich used an amendatory veto to demand that senior citizens ride public transit for free. Now the legislature has to reconsider the legislation next week. This requirement comes completely out of left field -- he has never mentioned it at any point in the extremely protracted negotiations over transit funding.
Is he trying to gain a talking point now that he backed down against his idiotic opposition to a minor tax increase? Does he realize that he can't veto the bill, but still want to feel "included" in the negotiation process? Or is it just a completely random idea that popped into his head? The world may never know. One thing I do know: the man is not fit to govern. He's almost like George W. Bush, except in Bush's case, there is at least some type of consistent ideology or agenda at work. Blagojevich appears to embrace no principles or goals whatsoever. He can't even do political opportunism right.
He lives in my neighborhood -- maybe I should go egg his house.
