Romney video: These Hands--Virginia

President Obama will be campaigning in Virginia today. Acting as an unofficial warm-up act will be this Mitt Romney web ad, which also condemns Obama's infamous "You didn't build that" comment.



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Virginia Tea Party T-Shirt

Illinois corruption 8/1/12: Indicted ex-public officials say they can't afford lawyers

Yesterday was a rare slow day for graft in Illinois, I didn't have a corruption update. August offers hope as I have an update today.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

He was once the commodore of the Diversey Yacht Club — expensively suited, smooth-talking, the owner of a $1 million home in University Village.

Now under federal indictment for corruption, former Cook County Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno has fallen on such hard times that he can’t afford to pay for his own legal defense, his lawyer said in court Wednesday.

Appearing alongside Moreno in federal court, his co-defendant, former Ald. Ambrosio Medrano, said he, too, is broke and needs the government to cover his legal fees.

Both are accused of taking bribes and kickbacks to sell bandages to public hospitals including Stroger Hospital.

Both men are Democrats. Stroger Hospital, formerly Cook County Hospital, is named for the late John Stroger, a Machine pol who viewed county government as a tool to enrich his friends and cronies.

As I've noted before, Medrano is an interesting case. A former West Side Chicago alderman, he was convicted on bribery charges in the 1990s. Yet he ended up back on the public payroll--he worked for Moreno.

Illinois is a cesspool.

Technorati tags: news government chicago illinois politics Cook County Illinois Politics corruption democrat

Corrupt Illinois T-Shirt

Bad kind of change: Gas over $4 in Chicago area

Gasoline prices are headed back up again. A few minutes ago I drove past this Marathon station in Morton Grove. Yep, regular is selling for $4.09 a gallon.

Meanwhile, President Obama refuses to allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be built and he's dragging his feet in regards to approving new oil drilling permits on federally-owned lands.

Once again, I have to repeat: Drill here, drill now, pay less, and build the Keystone pipeline.

It's that simple.

Technorati tags: politics energy Drill here, drill now Democrats oil economy Chicago Obama Barack Obama morton grove

Obama Gas Prices button

Compass plant in Morton Grove

The compass plant, a member of the aster family, is a wonder. It can grow to 11 feet high and it can live up to 100 years. The name comes from the way the plant aligns itself north to south to minimize the effects of the noon-time sun.

I photographed this compass plant in Morton Grove's restored tall-grass prairie in the Miami Woods forest preserve.

Technorati tags: photos photography nature wildflowers Morton Grove botany chicago outdoors

"Wildflowers & Butterfly Pillow"

Romney web ad: Time for a Change

The Romney campaign released a new web video this morning, "Time for Change."

With 41 months--soon to be 42 months--of an unemployment rate of over 8 percent, yes, it's time for a change and time for a new president.



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"Mitt Romney President 12 Shirt"

Romney's rapid response team launches Twitter and tumblr pages

From zero to 60 mph in one second

There is no hope that the mainstream media--which with the exception of the Wall Street Journal and Fox News is in the tank for President Obama--will provide unbiased coverage of the general election. So the Mitt Romney rapid response team is fighting back with an @RomneyResponse Twitter page and a corresponding tumblr page.

Click on the appropriate links to follow.

Technorati tags: politics news elections 2012politics conservative Mitt Romney Republican

Mitt Romney car magnet