"I've researched this pretty carefully," confided a very high-level Blagojevich administration official this spring over late-night cocktails. "For any of this to be illegal, somebody has to profit. There has to be money involved."

The official was responding to my questions about the swirling allegations of state contracts and jobs handed out to political insiders. Since there was no personal profit, nobody was in any serious legal danger, he claimed.

This month's verdict in Robert Sorich's trial, however, proved that person to be dead wrong.

Kenny on "Hardware Wars," River Cities' Reader Issue 588, July 5-11, 2006:

What is interesting here is the reasons they need the incentive. The developer, Mr. Raufeisen, stated that in order to get these business (Panera and Ace) into the property, they needed lower rental rates than he could offer, given the price of the land. The land price is clearly over-inflated by the land owner, who in Mr. Raufeisen's words "knows what he has."

So, it seems, to get this deal closed, and keep all the developers in profit, the City of Rock Island will spend our tax dollars to pay the difference. That difference is the fat profit to the landowner, and the developer.

Maybe the site business case doesn't wash?

The developer could not care less what happens after the deal goes down. He will have made his money in one shot. While there is nothing wrong with making money, I do have a problem with Rock Island favoring this developer at the expense of two established businesses. Why do it?

It also seems that the city will need to circumvent the law to even make it happen. That is not right.

If this is such a good thing for Rock Island, and Mr. Raufeisen is concerned at all about the future of the city, let him or the landowner take less profit and make it happen without spending tax money that is needed for schools and firefighters.

Mike Creger, at the front counter of M&M Hardware in Rock Island, warned a customer this past Friday: "I need big bucks from you."

The total: $2.73.

This year, the Iowa legislature approved and Governor Tom Vilsack signed an additional $15 million to address health, parent education, and preschool needs for our youngest Iowans.