Rants from a too-long too-cold week

* Okay, I'm done with winter. A ubiquitous opinion, I know, and I am stating the obvious. At least the sun was out today.

* Gov. Blago is now ex-governor. Thankfully. As a native of the great state that bills itself as the "Land of Lincoln," I would like our local newsreaders on both radio and television to make note of the following: it is pronounced ILL-inois, NOT ELL-inois. (And I do love to hear you try to say "Blagojevich.")

* I'm sick to death of egos. I witnessed - and was unable to do anything about - a pissing contest today between two people whose egos were in overdrive. There was a third person involved - the one caught in the rainfall of urea. These two so-called adults were really pissing on each other, but from a distance, with #3 in a position of trying to accomodate both and catching the spray. Some people really need to get over themselves.

* On the other hand, I'm feeling really good about the goings-on in Washington. Well, not in Washington as a whole - just in the White H0use. (Congress - at least on the House side - continues to act like children - Democrats and Republicans alike. We'll see how the Senate behaves on the economic stimulus bill.)

I know it's fashionable to be cynical; disdainful is cool. (I've often been both myself - and probably will be again.) But I've been reading a lot of history lately about the start of this messed-up country in which we reside - biographies of Ben Franklin and Alexander Hamilton the two latest - and it's amazing we survived. (The Articles of Confederation almost did us in long before the Civil War.) It's been a dysfunctional journey, to be sure, but look at those 200+ years of (often painfully slow) progress, then look around at the rest of the world, and you realize the truth of Winston Churchill's words:

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government

(pause)

except all the others that have been tried.

So to those of you who looked down your nose at those of us misting up at the Obama inauguration: up yours.

Nothing New in Illinois

I've always wondered why my home state of Illinois hasn't been lumped with Louisiana and Texas when the on-screen bloviators talk about political corruption. Governor however-you-spell-and-pronounce-his name appears to be just another in a long line of pols caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Now the "Land of Lincoln" is serving as the prime national example of our too-often venal politics.

This is nothing new, boys and girls. There's been a whole series of Illinois governors sent off to do time, but my favorite story involves a former (and long-dead) Illinois secretary of state.

I still remember his name, even though it's been several decades since his posthumous fall from grace: Paul Powell.

Paul was an old fart who died in the arms of his mistress while in the throes of passion (what a way to go, though, huh?) Upon investigation, they found a shoebox in his closet stuffed with thousands and thousands of dollars.

Now that's Illinois politics.

If you'd like to walk down memory lane, the '60's era book Boss by Mike Royko is one of the best reads on Chicago politics and the late Mayor Richard J. (bash those hippies in the head) Daley.