Sweeny Report
The Sweeny Report takes you into the murky world of local, state and national politics. Political Editor Chuck Sweeny will try to de-mystify things for you — once he figures it out himself, that is. |
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Add comment September 24th, 2008
Great Jay Leno joke from Thursday’s show:
“Sarah Palin came to New York yesterday. She went to the Bronx Zoo. Took her five hours to get through it, though, because it takes time to reload.”
Explaining the principle behind the proposed $700 billion bailout of failed investment banks:
“When you screw up, YOU pay. When they screw up, YOU pay.”
1 comment September 24th, 2008
Do you think we’re really serious in this country about conserving energy, saving on gas and reconsidering our practice of sprawl development, which wastes energy and raises the cost of local government enormously.
No, of course we’re not serious! I give you two examples:
The U.S. has just awarded Denny Hastert his “Prairie Parkway,” a superhighway linking I-88 with I-80. Cost for the short highway: a cool $1 billion.
And in Winnebago County, there’s a move afoot to make Meridian Road into Perryville West. I call it the road to nowhere.
This would be to encourage sprawl development, to make the far west side of Rockford just like the far east side. Who benefits? Why, the road builders and land developers, the fellows who contribute big bucks to politicians.
Is anybody asking taxpayers if they want the road? Or if they want to plow up thousands more acres of farmland for worthless strip malls and tinker-toy houses? Of course not.
American democracy is a fine concept. But it exists mainly in textbooks. In reality, it’s pay to play.
Add comment September 24th, 2008
Now that we taxpayers are taking over the financial industry, the auto industry is next. Maybe we’ll back into universal health care this way, too. Hey, you never know.
The the U.S. House has passed $25 billion for the domestic auto industry to use to develop fuel efficient and new technology cars. Hint: Why not buy a Toyota Prius and dissect it?
The vote wasn’t close, 370 to 58. Read more about it in the Financial Times
Add comment September 24th, 2008
Following is my Thursday column. To read it, click this link to rrstar.com.
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