Question for Governor Pat Quinn: How Do You Create Jobs?

Answer: "It is easy."

The problem?  Those 'dollar, dollar bills' are yours - the taxpayer's.

#IsItACrime?

Breaking: Footage Of Amazon.com Negotiations With State Of Illinois

We were just shared this breaking footage of the folks over at Amazon.com from late last week after Governor Pat Quinn brazenly shelled out taxpayer cash to make it look like he's generating jobs.

Can you blame Amazon?  Someone 'makes it rain' like Illinois Governor Pat Quinn does ahead of his re-election effort, don't you dance, too?

Governor Pat Quinn Asks If Buying Votes With Taxpayer Money Is A Crime?

Here's a breaking statement from the guys in charge to voters:  "Please don't waste your time reading this stuff."

We think that's terrible advice.

The Mount Rushmore of Illinois Corruption

Another day, another political scandal for Illinois and we have these guys - plus a few more - to thank for that.

Pat Quinn wants four more years?  Let's get real here.  He's just not equipped to be the Governor of Illinois that can help bring our state back.

'Fine Line' By Dan Proft On Chicago Red Light Tickets

Courtesy of Dan Proft's Facebook Wall comes this mighty fine line:

Pretty clever.  Wouldn't expect anything less from Dan, though.

It used to be your alderman would fix a ticket for you. Now Chicago fixes tickets against you. ‪#‎BringBacktheOldCorruption‬

Dem Watch: How About That Benton Cook III?!?

Photo via the Sun-Times

Let's call it his third bit of bad luck, shall we?

First,  Benton Cook III - the husband of Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown - got wrapped up in Governor Pat Quinn's Neighborhood Recovery Initiative.  You remember that crooked program, right?

Cook became a lightning rod for criticism of Quinn’s Neighborhood Recovery Initiative following Chicago Sun-Times reports that he was hired to help supervise $2.1 million in anti-violence grants despite having a felony conviction for writing bad checks. Cook didn’t work directly for the state, but for a not-for-profit group that paid him $146,401 in salary and benefits over 22 months out of the state anti-violence funds.

His second bit of bad luck? Benton Cook III has been telling tall tales about his credentials:

Separately, state regulators filed a complaint against Cook last month accusing him of misrepresenting himself as a licensed clinical psychotherapist and offering psychotherapy services on a website. Cook is fighting that complaint, saying he never offered such services. 

On his resume, “Benton Cook III PH.D” says he did “doctoral studies in clinical psychology” at the Jacksonville Theological Seminary and was a “professor of psychology” there between May 1999 and May 2004. He also says he has a “masters of humanities in psychological counseling” and a bachelor’s degree in “religion and biblical studies” from Aspen Theological Seminary.

And now?  His third bit of bad luck?  He's been on the dime of his wife's campaign for years:

Before he was paid more than $146,000 for work on Gov. Pat Quinn’s scandal-plagued anti-violence initiative, Benton Cook III says he spent four years as a “media production director” for political candidates. 

His biggest client, as it turns out, was his wife, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, records show. 

Brown’s campaign fund paid the video production company based at her husband’s then-South Side home nearly $90,000 over a four-year period ending in 2010, according to Illinois State Board of Elections records. The business, Gideon Video Productions, doesn’t appear to have been licensed with the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago or Cook County.

Just a string of bad luck, right?  Those pesky reporters from the Chicago Sun-Times should stop digging around on him.  

Same as it ever was.

DuPage Forest Preserve President Dewey Pierotti To Cover his....

Looks like the DuPage Forest Preserve Board, lead by Republican Dewey Pierotti is looking to try to recover some of the dough they lost when employees pilfered the agency while the board was asleep:

The day after two ex-employees were charged with scamming the DuPage Forest Preserve District out of more than $150,000, the district filed a civil suit Thursday seeking to recover the lost funds. 

The complaint was filed in DuPage County Circuit Court. Officials say they were waiting for the state’s attorney’s office to complete its investigation. 

“We want to make sure we take every step possible to recover every dollar possible for taxpayers,” said forest preserve board President D. “Dewey” Pierotti Jr.

Every possible step, Dewey?  Well...that would have meant that you guys should have paid attention *while* the theft was going on.  Not just after.

And, yes....Dewey is a Republican.  Poor leadership in government isn't about one party or one individual.  It happens all the time - across both parties.  We're here to sniff it out.

Now...what about that website?  You're still confident that spending $175K is a good idea?