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BY KURT ERICKSON and MIKE RIOPELL
Lee News Service | Sunday, August 26, 2007 | (1 comment(s))
SPRINGFIELD | Gov. Rod Blagojevich sent a stinging message to Democrats in the Illinois House on Thursday by vetoing their projects in the 2008 budget, while leaving Republican requests for cash untouched.
The move, an apparent outgrowth of the feuding between Blagojevich and House Speaker Michael Madigan, had rank-and-file lawmakers incensed.
"It makes me furious because it's bad policy no matter how you look at it," said state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion.
Instead of seeing cities and social service agencies in his Southern Illinois district divvy up more than $600,000 in state funding, residents will be penalized because of a rift between two Chicago politicians, Bradley said.
Blagojevich and Madigan went tit-for-tat much of the spring.
On Chicago's south side, Democratic lawmakers saw their requests for funding also get cut.
Police and fire officials in Monee and Peotone, for example, were in line to receive grants for new laptop computers. They also had wanted $100,000 to repair the roof and parking lot at the Will County Senior Services center. All were cut by the governor.
Even though the veto details were released Thursday, state Rep. David Miller, D-Calumet City, said Friday he hadn't yet reviewed which of his projects survived or were cut.
But he said the controversial budget cuts this week resembled the months-long state budget impasse that was marked by name-calling and political deals among Blagojevich and top lawmakers.
"I think this whole process has been very divisive," Miller said, who had $70,000 for lighting at the Calumet City Public Library cut.
-- Contact the Lee Springfield Bureau at (217) 789-0865.
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Discust4ed wrote on Aug 26, 2007 6:39 AM: