Posts Tagged: federal transportation funding

Mark Kirk: Not, perhaps, a great senator, but not Roland Burris

By Matthew Blake | Jun 14 2011 at 14:37 | Your take

Sen. Mark Kirk

Rick Pearson of the Chicago Tribune has a pretty lengthy piece on the early record of Mark Kirk, who was elected from Illinois to the U.S. Senate in November. Kirk is far and away the most prominent Republican in a largely Democratic state and so he spends much of his time raising money for the state GOP. Kirk’s also strangely preoccupied with passing federal legislation that would prevent the Obama administration from bailing out state governments, even though, (a) the chances of this happening are next to impossible, and (b) a bailout would actually be a lifesaver for deficit-wracked Illinois.

Kirk, however, is a more legit representative of Illinois than erstwhile temp Senator Roland Burris.  For example, he has helped get money for the state, including funds from the Dept. of Transportation for the delayed O’Hare Airport expansion.

Topics: Beltway Outsider, Dept. of Transportation, Government in My Backyard (GIMBY)
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After the stimulus…nothing

By Matthew Blake | Jun 30 2010 at 10:02 | Your take

Jon Pletz of Crain’s Chicago Business has a piece on how the Illinois construction industry has depended on $936 million in federal stimulus money. Now that the stimulus cash is mostly gone, construction has ground to a halt. (more…)

Topics: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Beltway Outsider, Dept. of Transportation, Government in My Backyard (GIMBY)
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