The [Tuesday] Papers

Average gas prices in Chicago are the highest in the nation.

But don't blame the oil companies, the Sun-Times helpfully advises us this morning. In a news story. Instead, blame taxes.

Even though it's not taxes that are rising. It's gas prices.

But then, what do you expect when you build a story around a spokesman from the Illinois Petroleum Council?

Just the latest Sun-Times story that wouldn't have met the standards of my high school paper.

Big Box B.S.
"A South Side alderman who voted for the controversial big-box ordinance said Monday she plans to change her vote if Mayor Daley flexes his veto muscle," the Sun-Times reports.

"Ald. Shirley Coleman (16th) said she changed her mind about requiring retail stores with more than 90,000 square feet of space to pay their employees at least $10 an hour and $3 in benefits by 2010 after learning that Wal-Mart was seriously considering building a store in her impoverished ward."

So Coleman just learned that Wal-Mart was "seriously considering" building in her ward? That fact somehow escaped her until now? Will reporters try to nail down what really changed Coleman's mind? A nice little campaign donation from Wal-Mart next time around? Some goodies from the mayor? Or maybe Wal-Mart is playing her.

But Ald. Coleman, are you saying that the ordinance was fine as long as it applied to retailers in other wards, but not when it came to your own?

Behind The Box
As the mayor's veto of the big-box ordinance nears, and aldermen cave like little children, it's a good time to catch up with "Who's The Boss?," Mick Dumke's piece in the Reader that captures the council debate better than anything you read in the dailies. Plus, it includes yet another instance of Bill Beavers being a total ass.

Reader Recommendations
As long as we're catching up with the Reader, check out Ben Joravsky's "Who Is Tony Peraica?"

(It turns out Peraica is a former Democrat who got his start in the Lipinski organization. Joravsky also reports a Peraica story about meeting with House Speaker Michael Madigan that Madigan mouthpiece Steve Brown suggests never happened.)

Finally, reading about TIFs (tax-increment financing districts) can be tough-going, but Joravsky's "MIllion-Dollar Lies" uses a single downtown building to explain an important issue that no one else is writing about.

Negro Culpa
A Beachwood reader on Daley's appearance last week on The Crazy Howard McGee Morning Show:

"Negro Culpa (n): A staged public act involving the literal or symbolic embracing of African Americans by a white politician who is in the heat of scandal, crime or other misdeeds. The act is designed to show contrition and humanity on the part of the white politician and is often performed at a risk-free environment such as a community rally, civil rights group meeting, public hospital, church or public school. I guess we can add 'radio station' now."

School Reform
The mayor's school system is happy to be out from under the bulk of federal court rules that arose out of a desegregation consent decree 26 years ago, the Sun-Times reports.

Because segregation is no longer an issue in Chicago's public schools?

No. Because segregation is nearly complete. The percentage of white students in the system has fallen from 17 to 9, "making systemwide desegregation virtually impossible, the judge said."

Editorial Surveillance
Robert Fredian of Arlington Heights writes to the Tribune editorial board:

"In an Aug. 3 editorial you asked, 'Should the National Security Agency be allowed to intercept telephone calls in the U.S.?' This is an incomplete question.

"The complete question would end with the phrase '. . . without a court-approved warrant.'

"The complete question would be answered by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which provides the exclusive means by which the federal government can spy on U.S. citizens. The FISA expressly requires a court-approved warrant before the NSA can spy on Americans.

"The Tribune's assertion that the NSA surveillance doesn't 'fall neatly under the special court created by Congress' (i.e. the FISA court) is unsupported by any fact."

Typecast
Helvetica, The Film.

Blago's Base
David Morrison at The Race Is On! writes that the Gov. Rod Blagojevich is benefitting from the state's lax campaign finance laws by accepting contributions from out-of-state donors that would be illegal where they would live, but are acceptable in Illinois.

"Illinois, as is widely recognized, has the loosest campaign finance regulations in the country," Morrison explains. "Where most states limit individuals and ban corporations and unions, or rely on targeted limits as between a regulated company and the public official who regulates it, Illinois' law is anything goes. Since the laws apply to the candidates' PAC and not to the donors, Illinois candidates can take far more money from donors in other states than those states' officials can take from those donors.

"For instance, Gov. Blagojevich raised $1,139,674 in itemized giving from outside of Illinois. Much of this giving would have been illegal if the donors had tried to give it to their own governors. Donors in California gave $117K, including $25K from ACC Capital Holdings. Donors in California can't give more than $20K to their own gubernatorial candidates. Wisconsin accounted for $92K in giving, including $39K from Bulk Petroleum, $25K from Edison Liquors (a Wirtz company), and $20K from Miller Brewing. All of that giving would be illegal under Wisconsin law, which bars direct contributions from corporations to candidates. Likewise the $50K from Chess Financial in Ohio, the largest donor from that state, where direct corporate giving is barred. Indiana-based Bernardin Lochmueller and Associates gave the governor $25K. Of that, $7,500 came directly from the corporation, which is $2,500 more than Indiana law would allows corporations to give to its own candidates. The rest came from individuals, in amounts allowed under Indiana law for Indiana candidates."

The Beachwood Tip Line: Legal in all states.

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