Well, old King Rod didn't bother to PERSONALLY attend any of the town meetings held this week in three (downstate) communities, where virtually everyone - and I stress everyone - blasted his action at canceling nearly every single downstate improvement project that had been included in the Legislature's budget.

Oh no, King Rod sent his cronies, his henchman, his thought police and PR hacks to the meetings, and held meetings earlier in the day.

And I'm sure, the commute for these political piggies feeding at the teat of King Rod's largess from their ivory tower known as the Thompson Center in the Loop was paid for by us, the hapless taxpayers.

Officials sound off on Blagojevich's cuts (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) - DECATUR, Ill. — In three hearings around the state Wednesday, state legislators, mayors and others ripped Gov. Rod Blagojevich's cuts in the state budget. The hearings were the first in a series of such meetings aimed at reviving hundreds of scuttled local projects. [King Rod - Yahoo]