Is It Snowing In H-E Double Hockey Sticks

The following is an excerpt from a Letter to the Editor in this week's INSIDE Publication by Illinois State Rep. John Fritchey I thought everyone should see.

Three years of effort and countless obstacles along the way caused me to lead off the press conference announcing the agreement by stating that “it must be snowing in Hell”.
On the last scheduled day of this legislative session, the Illinois General Assembly unanimously passed what the Chicago Tribune described as “the strongest campaign fundraising restrictions state lawmakers have ever approved.” It must be noted that as of the time of writing this article, it remains to be seen what action Governor Blagojevich will take with respect to the bill.
I have now served in the Illinois General Assembly for twelve years, and am proud to count passage of this measure among the achievements of my tenure. Public confidence in government, once shaken, is very difficult to rebuild. But through the passage of this bill, we have taken a significant step in the right direction.

State Rep. John Fritchey
(D-11)

Obama-Clinton Ticket, No Chance

Lucky enough to be invited to a small reception for greatly respected Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, I waited for the opportunity to ask about the possibility of a Obama-Clinton ticket in November. Another curious political mover-n-shaker beat me to the punch. Sen. Harkin put it in clear terms, "No way." Good enough for the Honorable Tom Harkin, good enough for me. While the search continues to Obama's VP, there are a few names ranking at the top and time will be telling all very soon.

Obama Clinton Ticket A Sure Winner

Sen. Hillary Clinton's almost concession speech after Tuesday's Primaries certainly highlighted the fact that she was the winner in the key swing states that Sen. Barack Obama will need to win the Presidential election in November. If Obama chooses another running mate, Hillary could sit out and hope for an Obama loss which would set her up as the candidate to beat Sen. John McCain (R) in four years. I urge Obama to accept Hillary's obvious willingness to be his VP. She can be the attack dog and secure those voters on the fence that he has not been able to carry with his appeal and momentum. This could be a Presidential election that hinges on the choice of running mate. One other plus will be Hillary's sharpened edge over any VP choice McCain will bring to the table. The hard part will be coming up with catchy name like "Bennifer" or Bradjolina." How about "Barackary" or "Obamaton"? Yikes.....

Hillary Is Out... No She's In... Maybe She Wants V.P.

It's been kind of one of those back and forth Tuesdays for Sen. Hillary Clinton. With Sen. Barack Obama all but announcing he has all the delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination, the math is complete but the jocking is not. Sen. Clinton has had to do some damage control today because the press blasted reports that she would give her concession speech tonight. Now reports are saying she's open for the V.P. if that would help the Democratic cause.

The day's not over....

Obama's Our Candidate

Watching the tickers on the local and national TV news sources viewers are able to read that all the momentum in the Democratic Presidential race is in favor of Barack Obama. Tuesday's primary in North Carolina said it all, a double digit win over the once heavily favored Hillary Clinton. The scrappy Clinton has vowed to battle on and that is a respectful way to go out, but the writing and the math to back it up is on more than TV screens around the world. It's time for unification, so it is in the Democratic party's best interest that the upcoming contests leave out the negative attacks and rhetoric. There will be enough of that after the conventions on the path to the November election.

Latin Soccer Field; Courts and Corner Kicks

Now that the Latin Soccer Field court case is in full swing, I thought it would be great to open some dialogue on the subject. I posted the following on the Chicago Tribune's website and am awaiting some spirited responses...

Funny thing about law suits, somebody wins and someone loses. Great thing about open process and compromise, all parties can walk away from the table with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. This field is going to be built, now with the blessing of the court. If Latin is not the entity that finances the deal, it is another burden on the tax payer. Who has won and who has lost is certainly in the eye of those beholden.

Please let us know how you feel.

Holy Name Mass Invasion

As a father of two who attend class at Holy Name Cathedral, I am incensed about the absolutely inappropriate war protest that attendees of Easter mass had to endure on Sunday, March 23rd. This incident goes beyond the boundaries of sane taste and now these young war protesters will most likely carry a felony arrest on their records for the rest of their lives. What would have happened had these protesters chosen another holiday and another venue for their protest, like maybe the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Do you think fair justice would have been handed out right then and there had these protesters chosen to squirt fake blood and lie down on Columbus the Saturday a week before Easter?
Thoughts......