Thread: Jury convicts Blagojevich at retrial

Jury convicts Blagojevich at retrial

Updated 3m ago

CHICAGO (AP) — A jury has convicted Rod Blagojevich of trying to sell or trade President Obama's old Senate seat and other corruption charges.

Jurors delivered their verdicts Monday after deliberating for nine days.

Blagojevich had faced 20 charges, including that he sought to sell or trade an appointment to Obama's vacated Senate seat and schemed to shake down executives for campaign donations.

Blagojevich testified for seven days, denying wrongdoing. Prosecutors said he lied and the proof was on FBI wiretaps. Those included a widely parodied clip in which Blagojevich calls the Senate opportunity "f------ golden."

BLOG: Blagojevich found guilty

Jurors in his first trial deadlocked on all but one charge, convicting Blagojevich of lying to the FBI. Prosecutors opted to try him again.

Blagojevich already faces up to five years for the lying conviction.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/201 ... dict_n.htm

[b]Illinois Spends $55 Mil To Insure Illegal Immigrants

June 08, 2010

Judicial Watch, Corruption Chronicles[b/]

A universal children’s health insurance program created by Illinois’ corrupt former governor is covering mostly illegal immigrants and costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars amid a perplexing $13 billion state budget deficit.

About 75% of the children enrolled in the All Kids Health Care program (also known as KidCare) are illegal aliens and the annual cost of covering them is nearly $55 million, according to a state audit of the 5-year-old insurance program. The findings, issued recently by the Illinois State Auditor General, are detailed in a 14-page report that’s been largely ignored by the mainstream media.

It reveals that two-thirds of the 71,665 children enrolled in the program in 2009 are undocumented immigrants. Illinois taxpayers dished out an astounding $54.9 million to provide them with medical insurance that year alone and there’s no telling what future tabs will be as the enrollees grow.

When former Governor Rod Blagojevich, whose federal corruption trial is set to begin this week, proudly signed legislation to create the insurance program, he assured it would help families who can’t afford health insurance but “are doing everything they’re supposed to do—working hard, paying their taxes.â€

Illinois tax increase: why lawmakers passed 66 percent income-tax hike

No other state has successfully raised income taxes to balance its 2011 budget. The Illinois tax increase would push the personal income tax rate from 3 percent to 5 percent.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn speaks with reporters in his office at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 12. Quinn defended a massive increase in state income taxes passed by lawmakers Wednesday and promised to quickly sign the measure to help heal the state's ailing finances.

By Mark Guarino, Staff writer / January 12, 2011
Chicago

The Illinois legislature has passed personal income-tax increases of 66 percent and corporate income-tax in creases of 45 percent, designed to address a $15 billion state budget deficit that lawmakers said was leading the state into insolvency.

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By the early hours of Wednesday, Senate and House lawmakers had voted to raise the personal income tax rate from 3 percent to 5 percent and the corporate tax rate from 4.8 percent to 7 percent. Both rates were adjusted to carry through until 2015, when they would drop to 3.25 percent and 5.25 percent, respectively.

The Illinois tax increase, which is waiting to be signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn (D), who supports the package, would take effect retroactively Jan. 1. The package was passed without a single Republican vote in either chamber.

Pensions around the world

No other state has successfully raised income taxes to balance its 2011 budget, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures in Washington. Most states have turned to less politically risky measures to shore up state budgets, such as raising sales taxes for vending-machine purchases or delaying corporate-tax refunds for a year.

“No other state had to [raise taxes],â€