Politics

Blagojevich Works To Sell Anti-Violence Plan

$150 Million Plan Would Be Part Of Larger Capital Plan, Paid For By Privatizing Lottery

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Gov. Rod Blagojevich says the state should be able to afford plan to spend $150 million on programs to protect Chicago kids against violence, as part of a larger capital plan which would be funded by privatizing the Lottery.

The plan calls for jobs for young men and women, demolition of abandoned buildings, and after-school services. On Tuesday, he got big applause from the heads of organizations that would get the money and run the programs, but Mayor Richard M. Daley asked how the state would get the money.

In a live interview at CBS 2, Blagojevich said a reorganization of some state operations, specifically partially privatizing the state Lottery, could pay for the program.

"The money comes, at it always does, from the state government; the General Assembly; the legislature. I'm asking them to provide this money," the governor said. "We're suggesting that the way to do it is to privatize the Lottery; a portion of the Lottery, and use that money as part of a larger public works program to build schools, provide money for mass transit trains and buses, build roads, fix bridges, and invest in our universities."

Blagojevich emphasized that the plan would not be funded by a tax hike.

"I think one of the worst things that the General Assembly, or I, could do is to raise taxes on working families; middle class families and people," he said.

Blagojevich pointed out that State Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) is already backing the capital plan that would fund the anti-violence initiative, and said he believes he can get House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) behind it also. He disagreed with a frequent characterization that he and Madigan do not get along.

"We'd like him, and others in the General Assembly, to look at the epidemic that's occurring today in Chicago. Twenty-four school kids, since the beginning of the year, have been gunned down. A 3-year-old boy in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood was playing in front of his home and was caught in front of the crossfire. Now he's fighting for his life; he was shot in the neck. How can you possibly – those of us who make the rules – simply not do anything?" Blagojevich said.

"I will prevail upon Speaker Madigan and the House Democrats and others, to recognize that this is a crisis, and that we have a responsibility to help Mayor Daley and the leaders of Chicago fight this. The mayor can't do it by himself. He needs help," Blagojevich said. "After-school programs, summer job programs, giving kids constructive things to do, keeping them out of trouble. I'm a product of those kind of things when I was growing up, and but for that, who knows where I'd have been?"

On Tuesday, community organizer Tio Hardiman, who watched the state cancel funding for his gangs prevention program, CeaseFire, last year, is not convinced lawmakers will pass a bill to fund jobs this year.

Hardiman and others believe state law makers will never reach an agreement on how to fund the program. The governor wants to lease the state lottery in order to raise the money, and some state representatives have already said they don't like that idea.

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