Illinois Legislature: Daily Herald Flashing Red on Senate President John Cullerton’s Red Light Cameras Moves

(Chicago, IL) — March 22, 2010. It was an odd rant.

A few days ago, the Daily Herald editorial board was flashing red over Illinois Senate President John Cullerton‘s exposure of a lawmaker’s lie and exposure to information in a routine meeting regarding pending red-light-camera legislation.

“Democratic Senate President John Cullerton has turned fixing red-light-camera laws into a shameful game of public humiliation and private policymaking,” a recent editorial belched.

Cullerton’s exposed the story that State Senator Dan Duffy (R-Barrington Hills) was peddling as a lie.

Duffy, crusading against red-light-cameras, claimed that he had been earlier unfairly ticketed by a red-light-camera even though he had come to full stop. Cullerton’s staff secured a video that revealed that Duffy had lied. He rolled right through the light. Cullerton exposed Duffy’s campaign against red-light-cameras rested on a big, fat, fib.

In addition to the Duffy defrocking, the Daily Herald editorial board fumed over a private meeting among camera supporters, camera opponents, and camera company lobbyists.”This is outrageous …”

Huh?

Meeting with all parties that have an interest in a legislative issue is routine, and, well, normal. How the heck does a lawmaker achieve a technical grasp of issue without such a meeting? And that the gathering must be somehow nefarious unless it is held on the capitol’s front lawn is just plain goofy.

The General Assembly’s 177 lawmakers hold hundreds of meetings daily on legislation in their offices. Some last three hours, some 30 minutes, some three minutes. Hauling John Q. Public from meeting-to-meeting is one of looniest suggestions yet to come billowing out of an editorial board.

The Daily Herald‘s silliness is just another outgrowth of the freak show that was Rod Blagojevich.

Take a breath everybody.