Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Better than Dellimore w/ Ald. Toni Preckwinkle: Berkowitz w/ President Todd Stroger, Cable and Streaming Now; Taxes, Media Bias, Olympics& Healthcare

Jeff Berkowitz: I thought you were saying [now] you would favor a repeal of a quarter of that penny increase [in taxes], right?

President Todd Stroger: You know, I said that at first, but now I see that we’re having more costs. [Watch the show with President Todd Stroger]
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Jeff Berkowitz: So, is [Warner Saunders] part of the media bias, would you say?

President Todd Stroger: No, he is actually someone who I know and who knows me, so that works much better because he is not going to say anything negative about me—unless it’s true.

Jeff Berkowitz: But, the political editors, Mike Flannery, CBS-2 News. Would you say he is fair, or is there bias there, as well?
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Jeff Berkowitz:... Mayor Daley wants to [relocate] the African-Americans there [they say], acquire a lot of this valuable lake front property and move those folks somewhere else. People are also saying the Mayor is going with Ald. Toni Preckwinkle for Cook County Board President. I don’t know that that’s the case- that’s just the rumor. Is the Mayor turning on you and might you turn back on him and say you’re not supporting the Olympics?

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger: Ah.

Jeff Berkowitz: For the reasons I mentioned?

Is the Mayor turning on President Stroger

President Todd Stroger: No, I think the Olympics is a good idea and it’s got nothing to do with the Mayor.

Jeff Berkowitz: But, is the Mayor turning on you?
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This week’s suburban edition of Public Affairs features Cook County Board President Todd Stroger (D-Chicago). Topics discussed with Jeff Berkowitz, show host and Executive Legal Recruiter, include allegations by Pres. Stroger of media bias against President Stroger and other politicians who are from the South Side of Chicago and who often are African-American, 2016 Chicago Olympics, Cook County's 1% increase in the sales tax and repeal of same; healthcare provided by the Cook County Health Bureau, allegations of scandal, corruption and inefficiency in various operations of Cook County Government, the politics of the Cook County Board President Democratic Primary and many other Cook County governmental and political issues.
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Media Bias against President Todd Stroger?

President Todd Stroger: …the media doesn’t come from our area. So, you’re not going to find the anchors living in that area [south side of Chicago]. You’re definitely not going to find the producers who make a lot of the decisions living in that area. You’re not going to find the publishers—

Jeff Berkowitz: Anchors like Warner Saunders? Where did he live?

President Todd Stroger: I believe he lives downtown.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, is [Warner Saunders] part of the media bias, would you say?

President Todd Stroger: No, he is actually someone who I know and who knows me, so that works much better because he is not going to say anything negative about me—unless it’s true.

Jeff Berkowitz: But, the political editors, Mike Flannery, CBS-2 News. Would you say he is fair, or is there bias there, as well?
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The Olympics, Urban Renewal and the African-American community

Jeff Berkowitz: …Martin Anderson, an economist, wrote… the “The Federal Bulldozer,” about 50 years ago, talking about urban renewal—he said urban renewal was Negro removal—that’s what was happening at that time on the south side [of Chicago]. Some people say that’s what’s happening here [with Olympics 2016]. Mayor Daley wants to [relocate] the African-Americans there [they say], acquire a lot of this valuable lake front property and move those folks somewhere else. People are also saying the Mayor is going with Ald. Toni Preckwinkle for Cook County Board President. I don’t know that that’s the case- that’s just the rumor. Is the Mayor turning on you and might you turn back on him and say you’re not supporting the Olympics?

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger: Ah.

Jeff Berkowitz: For the reasons I mentioned?

Is the Mayor turning on President Stroger

President Todd Stroger: No, I think the Olympics is a good idea and it’s got nothing to do with the Mayor.

Jeff Berkowitz: But, is the Mayor turning on you?

President Todd Stroger: I don’t know.

Jeff Berkowitz: And, if he does, will you turn back on him?

President Todd Stroger: When we come to that bridge in the road, I’ll handle it but at this point the Mayor hasn’t spoken to me saying that he was for or against.
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The 500 million dollar Cook County sales tax increase

President Todd Stroger: …We, the County, have done the right things, because we come in at zero. Our last budget we came in over 3 million dollars. 3 million dollars is like zero out of three billion. So, no, we’ve done the right things.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, you defend that whole tax increase—

President Todd Stroger: You know, we’re not—

Jeff Berkowitz: I thought you were saying [now] you would favor a repeal of a quarter of that penny increase [in taxes], right?

President Todd Stroger: You know, I said that at first, but now I see that we’re having more costs.

Has John Daley turned on President Stroger?

Jeff Berkowitz: Twelve board members said to you they want to repeal the whole thing. Have you lost support—that’s twelve board members. Even John Daley is turning on you.

President Todd Stroger: That’s because they don’t have to run the whole county. I have to look at the whole picture…He [the Sheriff] is asking for $200,000 to help do the investigation at the Cemetery. They don’t have to worry about things like that…

Will race be an issue in the 2010 Cook County Board President Dem Primary?

Jeff Berkowitz: If Terry O’Brien [President, MWRDGC] and Cmsr. Larry Suffredin run in the Cook County Board race [for President], is there going to be a race issue? White and Black?

President Todd Stroger: I have no idea. All I can tell you is that I’ve done a good job as President. That’s what I’ll be running on.

Jeff Berkowitz: You’re not going to raise the race issue, at all?

President Todd Stroger: No, I don’t care if they run…

Jeff Berkowitz: But, you’ve raised the race issue before, right? In terms of the media and other people criticizing you?

President Todd Stroger: I know bias in the media but I don’t care about anybody else running. They can run all they want. That’s America.

Jeff Berkowitz: But, is race going to be an issue if Larry Suffredin is in?

President Todd Stroger: I have no idea.

Will African-American candidates for President split the vote?

Jeff Berkowitz: Or, if you’ve got three or four African-Americans splitting the African-American vote?

President Todd Stroger: I don’t know.

Jeff Berkowitz: Are you concerned about that?

President Todd Stroger: I’ve done everything I’ve said I’d do. The government’s in great shape…I’m not running on they didn’t like Donna [Dunnings] and they didn’t like that Tony Cole was hired and fired…I don’t care about that stuff. That’s little stuff. We’re talking about 24,000 employees and three billion dollars…
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The "Public Affairs," show with President Stroger can now be watched here.
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The "Public Affairs," show with President Stroger was taped on July 12, 2009
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Public Affairs Chicago Metro suburban airing schedule:

The show featuring Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is airing this week in the North and Northwest Chicago Metro suburbs in its regular slot:

Tuesday night (tonight) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette

and Tuesday night(tonight) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.

and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
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Chicago and Aurora:

The "Public Affairs," show featuring Todd Stroger, Cook County Board President, will also air throughout the City of Chicago this coming Monday night i.e., July 20 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV) and on that same night on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
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A sampling of shows and clips from those posted during the last seven months on the Public Affairs YouTube page include a show with Cook County Board President Todd Stroger (D-Chicago), a show with Chicago Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, a candidate for Cook County Board President in the 2010 Democratic Primary, a show with economist Art Laffer [inventor of the Laffer Curve] and FNC's Steve Moore about their book, "The end of Prosperity," and the Obama Administration's economic policies; the fastest five minutes on the web- a New York Times video about Obama-Berkowitz, a show with State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), a show with Professor Stephen Presser, a Northwestern University Law School Professor, about Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U. S. Supreme Court, , the second fastest five minutes on the web- a segment of Bill O'Reilly with Berkowitz discussing a clip of Obama from 2002 on Blagojevich and many more shows.
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