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Censorship Government The Almighty Buck Entertainment Games Politics

Illinois Raids Welfare for Videogame Legislation 157

Posted by Zonk from the glad-they're-prioritizing dept.
jcgam69 writes "Recent hearings revealed that the State of Illinois spent $1 million defending their unconstitutional video games legislation. The story gets even worse when you learn where the money came from. 'Some of the areas money was taken from included the public health department, the state's welfare agency and even the economic development department. A state representative who attended recent hearings on the issue said that Gov. Blagojevich's staff simply spread the legal bills around by sticking them to agencies which had funds left in their budgets--even if the agencies had nothing to do with the issue or the litigation.'"
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Illinois Raids Welfare for Videogame Legislation More

Illinois Raids Welfare for Videogame Legislation

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  • Obligatory (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:38AM (#19310529)
    Elwood: Illinois Nazis.
    Jake: I hate Illinois Nazis.

  • This really isn't a surprise. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by PixieDust ( 971386 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:39AM (#19310539)
    And anyone who is surprised by this hasn't been paying attention tot he level of corruption at higher levels. This government is rotting from the inside out. One look at the myriad of scandals and corruption at the top is all that's needed to deduce that at lower levels, it's going to be just as bad, albeit potentially not as well known, because it's not as sensational. Doesn't make for news quite as good as a Lawyer testifying before congress that she doesn't want to incriminate herself with her testimony over attorney's being fired. Apparently she didn't understand what being granted Immunity meant.

    C'mon, with idiocy like that rampant, is anyone really shocked by this?

    On the other hand, I can see exactly why this was done, and why it might be ok. It is the taxpayer's money, and it's expectd to be used. They spent it very poorly yes, but it's there to be spent. If the public is upset about it, they need to make that known, by tossing those dips out of office. If they don't do that, then no bitching from you. Either change it or stfu.

    • Re:This really isn't a surprise. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ravenshrike ( 808508 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:52AM (#19310751)
      Really the headline should read: Just another day of corruption in Illinois politics, move along.

    • Re:This really isn't a surprise. (Score:5, Interesting)

      by XxtraLarGe ( 551297 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:55AM (#19310791) Journal

      On the other hand, I can see exactly why this was done, and why it might be ok. It is the taxpayer's money, and it's expectd to be used. They spent it very poorly yes, but it's there to be spent. If the public is upset about it, they need to make that known, by tossing those dips out of office. If they don't do that, then no bitching from you. Either change it or stfu.
      You're right, it isn't a surprise. In another story about how Municipal Wi-Fi is failing, I posted "Harry Browne said it best... Government Doesn't Work!" and I got modded -1 off-topic. This is another example of government not working. There are tens of thousands of instances of government not working that are in the news every year, doesn't matter if it's democrats or republicans in charge. Then the people go to the polls, bend over and say "Thank you, sir! May I have another?" We really need to get away from the two-party Big Brother mentality. If you want to save this democracy, vote against the incumbent, and vote for 3rd party candidates whenever possible.

      • Re:This really isn't a surprise. (Score:4, Insightful)

        by edwdig ( 47888 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @12:18PM (#19311091)
        There are tens of thousands of instances of government not working that are in the news every year, doesn't matter if it's democrats or republicans in charge.

        Your comment just prompted the following thought:

        Ever think about how many things they do get right? Remember, something is only news if it's out of the ordinary.

        • Re:This really isn't a surprise. (Score:4, Interesting)

          by XxtraLarGe ( 551297 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @12:50PM (#19311507) Journal

          Ever think about how many things they do get right? Remember, something is only news if it's out of the ordinary.
          Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. In fact, I know that millions of drivers licenses are renewed successfully each year and billions of pieces of mail are delivered successfully every day, etc.

          Now I have to ask you "Do you think about how many things they do wrong that you never hear about?" I used to be a contractor on a government project for nearly 3 years. Lots of good people doing the work they were supposed to. But there was also A LOT of poor decision making, especially when it came to spending--I'm talking $800 toilet seat type spending. When you'd point out that we could get what they needed for far less, the reply was often "it's not my money". Also, it seemed that many people in the top of the bureaucracy were quite incompetent. It was usually all of the small stuff was o.k., but when bad decisions were made, they were show-stoppers. Of course, most of the stuff they did didn't make the news, but when a whole group of people didn't get the child support checks they were expecting for over a week because somebody forgot to see if our new system was compatible with another agency's system, it did. Now maybe my experience is atypical, but I'd be willing to bet that it is not.

          • Ever think about how many things they do get right? Remember, something is only news if it's out of the ordinary.
            Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. In fact, I know that millions of drivers licenses are renewed successfully each year and billions of pieces of mail are delivered successfully every day, etc.

            Any suitably large organization will make really dumb mistakes. It's not just because it's the government, it's because they are large. Once direct responsibility of a organization cannot be pinned down to one or a few people then you have all sorts of rampant stupidity such as the short sighted of corprate america, the inefficiency of large government, and the almost pure evil of some corporations (Haliburton).

          • Frankly, from my experience working in both the private and the public sector, you're just as likely to run into incompetence in either one. In theory, the private sector should be more efficient than the public sector, but that only works as long as no people are involved. Both government and industry are made up of people and both reflect the strengths of weaknesses of people.
        • That'd be why nobody cares about government corruption or stupidity as news anymore. We're so used to it that we just don't think much of it. Most of the voting population thinks that is just how government is and that there is nothing we can do about it. No doubt why fewer and fewer people vote.

          If only people could be motivated to revolt before our government, and civilization, collapses. The scary thing to me is that the American population has no will to survive. We'd rather watch a spectacle and whine a
      • If you want to save this democracy, vote against the incumbent, and vote for 3rd party candidates whenever possible.

        Just as a general FYI, in Illinois' last governor election, the Green Party candidate got double digits. A daily paper in Rockford actually endorsed him as their choice candidate.
    • I'm tempted to jump over the border, but Michigan and Indiana are nearly as bad. Things are looking very grim when we couple this with the impending property tax hike and the gross receipts tax. I'd like to give a big "Thanks for screwing us over!" to all politicians.

    • It is the taxpayer's money, and it's expectd to be used.

      If it's Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF, or welfare if you will) money, a lot of it comes from federal block grants. I'm not familiar with Illinois TANF policy, but according to my state, Oklahoma: "Federal money is provided by block grant funding in accordance with federal laws and regulations relating to the TANF program. These state and federal funds are used for assistance and administration under the plan."

      IANAL or work in auditi

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Sj0 ( 472011 )
      You're right.

      But you know what I love most? By reducing funding for the poor and reducing funding for economic development, socio-economic factors will lead to greater violence in the lower classes.

      TRYING TO BAN VIDEO GAMES CAUSES VIOLENCE! I love it.

  • Welfare (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    God forbid the sacred vote buying fund be tapped to protect censorship.

  • Remember, kids... (Score:3, Informative)

    by brian0918 ( 638904 ) <[brian0918] [at] [gmail.com]> on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:41AM (#19310575)
    Never trust strangers, authorities, or people named Milorad Blagojevich.

  • As long as it's for the children!! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by faloi ( 738831 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:43AM (#19310597)
    This shouldn't come as a big surprise. I expect a lot of government offices/officials snake money from areas that still have some cash to pay for other interests. It's one of the biggest reasons agencies tend to spend all their money...if they have some left over, there's a chance someone will decide they don't really need that budget money and shift it to some other agency.

    • Well, yes and no (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Normally you try to spend all of your budget in a given year so that the "powers that be" don't cut next year's budget because you obviously didn't need all that money. This is the first I've heard where (apparently) they took already-allocated money back to pay for their stupidity. That sucks even more because you can't even count on the money you already have - you never know when the higher-ups will just change their mind and give it to someone else.

  • Halo 3 or food? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by 192939495969798999 ( 58312 ) <info AT devinmoore DOT com> on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:45AM (#19310625) Homepage Journal

    Which would make you want to commit violence more, playing a video game or not getting a welfare check? Their priorities are completely messed up.

    • Re:Halo 3 or food? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Quiet_Desperation ( 858215 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @12:17PM (#19311079)

      Which would make you want to commit violence more, playing a video game or not getting a welfare check?

      Someone spending a welfare check on a video game.

      • Re:Halo 3 or food? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by ef738 ( 1005189 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @01:19PM (#19311837)
        Taking money I've earned to encourage others not to work makes me want to commit violence.
        • You don't like Social Security?

          It's a good thing we "pay people not to work". We don't have enough jobs for everyone as it is. The more people in the workforce, the lower wages are.
          • > The more people in the workforce, the lower wages are.

            Possibly, but reduced wages could be more than offset by the decreased spending on leechers and thus lower taxes* ;-)

            *Not that those bastards would actually decrease taxes...

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Sj0 ( 472011 )
              Tax cuts are a red herring. You guys are just selling your grand kids to China to buy all this anyway by running up 500 billion dollar deficits. Even better, doing so causes inflation which reduces the value of your money by introducing a bunch more. Doesn't it feel great to know you're screwing yourselves AND your grandkids AND you still get to complain about taxes for some reason?

          • We don't have enough jobs for everyone as it is.

            According to the Department of Labor [bls.gov], the current unemployment rate is 4.5%. In the last 59 years [bls.gov], the average has been 5.6%. Of those 59 years, it was less than 4.5% 13 times and greater 44 times, with a maximum of 9.7% just after Carter left office and a general downward trend since then.

            We have all the jobs we need. Any more and you can expect inflation to start kicking in pretty seriously.

        • Ever think about how many things they do get right? Remember, something is only news if it's out of the ordinary.
          Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. In fact, I know that millions of drivers licenses are renewed successfully each year and billions of pieces of mail are delivered successfully every day, etc.

          Although it grates on your sense of fairness, money spent on welfare now will save you on money spent on law enforcement/ incarceration later. One of the principal causes of crime is disparity in wealth. So h
        • Taking money I've earned to encourage others not to work makes me want to commit violence.

          Right on! Its about time we did something about those extravagant CEO bonuses!
    • I think the heart of the debate about violence in video games comes when you contrast TFA with this [childsplaycharity.org].

      Really, is there anything left to discuss about the issue?

  • Obviously (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rob T Firefly ( 844560 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:46AM (#19310643) Homepage Journal
    They are far too busy thinking of the children to think of the children.

  • Take it from the legislative budget. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by daeg ( 828071 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:48AM (#19310671)
    That bites. The funds should come from the legislative budget, even if they have no funds left. The Legislature would be hard-pressed to pass more bills that could result in massive legal bills if their pay check was directly at risk.

    Either that or create a discretionary fund that is 100% disclosed to voters at voting time, included in clear wording direct in the ballot.
    • The problem is (as an Illinois native) elected officials in Illinois have a history of using their current elected position to campaign for the next one. A good example of this is the Secretary of State - the first thing the guy elected Secretary of State does is plaster "John Doe, Secretary of State" on EVERYTHING in the state. Tollway signs. DMV. Courthouses. Whatever. You can't go into a state building in Illinois without knowing who the secretary of state is.

      And Blagojevich is a just plain corrupt

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by ShadowsHawk ( 916454 )
        It's not all bad. With any luck, he'll end up just like our last one.
      • The guy seriously has "Blag" in his name? I knew xkcd had influence on the real world but this was unexpected...

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jZnat ( 793348 ) *
        The Green Party candidate got about 10% of the vote in the 2006 governor election. Just saying...

  • Think of the children! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by kidcharles ( 908072 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:49AM (#19310695)
    Think of the children! No, seriously, think of the children who need government assistance to eat.

    • Re:Think of the children! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ab0mb88 ( 541388 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @12:18PM (#19311085)
      I have found it to be universally true that if you have to be reminded to think about the children, the larger issue probably does not have that much to do with the children in the first place.
      • I have found it to be universally true that if you have to be reminded to think about the children, the larger issue probably does not have that much to do with the children in the first place.

        How could you say something like that?! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!
  • If the legislation was important enough to enact, then it's important enough to defend.

    If you thought the legislation exceeded the scope of government, then you think paying to defend it is bad too. No wonder non-binding legislation is catching on, as it makes both sides happy, or... is that unhappy.

    • Re:Where'e the problem? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by gstoddart ( 321705 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @12:01PM (#19310879) Homepage

      If the legislation was important enough to enact, then it's important enough to defend.

      If you thought the legislation exceeded the scope of government, then you think paying to defend it is bad too.

      The problem is, similar legislation had been thrown out in other states as being unconstitutional. So spending money on a bill you already know is going to get shot down by the courts is just stupid. Using budgets from other departments to pay for it is absurd.

      From TFA:

      Spending this sort of money on important causes is one thing; spending it on video game regulation approaches that have been repeatedly ruled unconstitutional in other states is quite another. The situation might be more understandable were it not for the fact that Illinois could have easily seen this coming, either by paying attention to what other states are encountering or by opening a dialogue with the likes of the ESA. Instead of taking that cautious approach, the Governor decided to press on, and now the taxpayers will bear that burden. The fact that some of the money was pulled from public health and welfare only makes the situation worse.


      They knew their law wouldn't hold up in court. They spent tax payers money to defend a position they couldn't defend. They did some creative accounting to pay for it. You don't find that a little irresponsible?

      Cheers
  • Ever since the demise of the American union from a salient revolutionary forum into an overwrought political machine, Illinois and its princely city Chicago have been irrelevant in national politics. It really could of been a different world if greed and corruption had not become the bread and butter of union bosses, Chicago's mayors and eventually most of the Illinois government.
  • depressing. It shows you how your money, not the governments, yours, gets wasted every day by a bunch of un-accountable megalomaniacs. And its true of both parties.

  • How it really shakes out. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by landimal_adurotune ( 824425 ) on Tuesday May 29, 2007 @11:54AM (#19310771) Homepage
    The games in question are almost always rated M for mature and most chains require ID to buy them anyway. So Illonois spent $1,000,000 trying to protect 17 year old children from exposed breasts. There is far more titilation (pun intended) to be had in a no-age-limit Maxim/Stuff/etc. magazine than in nearly all of these video games. Heck the kids could just go to the art museum for far more nudity, and read Genesis and Leviticus for rape/murder/genocide/incest.
  • I constantly hear stories about how politicians took money from place A and spent it on place B. I suspect this varies between states, but can someone explain to me how this works? As far as I know, there's no special bank account where money is deposited for each organization: the budget is set by law - so if the law says "$50 goes here and $100 goes here" I don't see how it is possible to take it from any one of those buckets without passing another law that overrides it. Can someone please explain thi

    • the budget is set by law - so if the law says "$50 goes here and $100 goes here" I don't see how it is possible to take it from any one of those buckets without passing another law that overrides it. Can someone please explain this?

      For federal agencies, the law specifies that per fiscal quarter, a particular division will have a specific amount of money available. If, in a quarter, all that money isn't spent, it will sometimes be allowed to carry over to the next quarter. There's usually a 'cushion'

  • I find this incredibly interesting the class warfare going on in Illinois. Video games are an item that falls into the discretionary spending category. You have extra money and you get the new game for your kid. The people who buy these games, at least for the most part, have the money to cover the necessities in life and then some. So in order to protect these reasonably well off people you are going to take money away from the downtrodden and underprivileged? "We need to protect all of these suburban

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