For what seems like eons, politics in Davenport have been stigmatized by uncommon divisiveness. The current leadership would have citizens believe it is mostly the fault of Third Ward Alderman Keith Meyer. It blames Meyer for his relentless pursuit of need-to-know information that it would rather not disclose.

Congress is soon expected to consider whether U.S. consumers should be able to purchase medicines from abroad. The legislation to allow drug re-importation is expected to include a provision that represents one of the most destructive government interventions into free markets since the New Deal.

Your article "Building a Better Promise" was informative and timely. (See River Cities' Reader Issue 654, October 10-16, 2007.) I had a general sense that the idea has potential as an economic-development tool, but didn't know any of the specifics. Your article helped fill in the specifics (as they are known) and pointed out the serious questions about funding, timing, and applicability.

There is no shortage of goofiness at the Illinois Statehouse these days. Some players are goofier than others, but Governor Rod Blagojevich usually gets most of the coverage.