From the Belleville News Democrat (Editorial):
Posted on Wed, Apr. 09, 2008
Not so amicable in Springfield
It's not often that people paint lawsuits as an "amicable process,"
but leave it to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's minions to try to spin it that way.
The governor has filed suit against Secretary of State Jesse White to force
him to publish rules to expand the state's FamilyCare health insurance program.
White won't do it because lawmakers refused to sign off on the expansion. The
lawmakers say, correctly, that the state can't afford the programs it already
has, much less this expansion.
But Blagojevich doesn't know the meaning of the word "no." So, as
his spokeswoman put it, they have begun this "amicable process." Wonder
how many tens of thousands of dollars taxpayers will get to spend on it?
Here's the real irony. Blagojevich's administration went to the legislative
Joint Committee on Administrative Rules -- twice --to get permission for the
expansion. But now because it suits his purpose, he's arguing in the lawsuit
that he doesn't need lawmakers' permission.
That'd be true if this were a monarchy and Blagojevich were king. Thankfully,
he's not. Now if he'd just accept that reality.