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We're writing an editorial today about Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's appointment of former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Obama. Many in the Senate do not wish to seat him. There's good reason to think they don't have a choice, but they could then expel him on a two-thirds vote. They shouldn't do that either.

Blagojevich might has been accused of morally reprehensible and probably illegal actions, but he has not been convicted of anything yet. He remains the governor of Illinois and has the responsibility to appoint a senator. The legislature could have usurped that, but failed to do so.

Burris is a bland, non-controversial selection who is not wrapped up in the scandals plaguing the governor. Not seating him would deny the citizens of Illinois full representation in the Senate. The Senate should not punish them because their governor is a dirtbag. When the new congressional session convenes, Illinois deserves two senators.

The lengthy dispute over where to put a prison proposed for Grayson County is over: Land along the New River once selected for the prison has been permanently protected by a conservation easement.

In an editorial for next week, we'll celebrate that outcome.

No threat to Virginia's union rules

Leave the state constitution out of the fight over labor organizing procedures.

No commentaries today - we ran a special 2008 retrospective of cartoons from Chris Obrion on the commentary page. But you can read Wednesday's letters here.

"Nothing changes on New Year's Day."

Or does it? What do you want to talk about?

Wonder how the guys at the top of the financial collapse are doing, now that the house of cards has fallen? Quite well, it turns out, unsurprisingly.

The New York Post reports today that Peter Kraus, a former top executive with Merrill Lynch, just bought a $37 million Park Avenue apartment -- "featuring 11-foot-high ceilings, three fireplaces, three maid's rooms, a library, a gallery and a family room/gym." In September, Kraus got a $25 million golden parachute from Merrill when it was sold to Bank of America, even though he had only started work there that month. B of A received $25 billion in taxpayer money as part of the bailout.

I don't want to hear anyone complaining about the salaries of autoworkers ever again. What's the hourly rate for $25 million in a month?

Though Senate Democrats warned Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich that they would refuse to seat anyone he appointed to fill President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat, Blago thumbed his nose and announced his appointment today. Amazingly, he found someone with an impecable reputation to accept the tainted nomination: Former Attorney General Roland Burris, a 71-year-old African-American who is well liked and respected through much of the state.

I worked in Illinois during Burris' term as AG, and he did seem like an honorable public servant. Why he'd want his final curtain call to be associated with a slimeball like Blago is beyond me.

I'm all for public protests. As long as they don't turn all Kent State, they can be a good way to spread a message. You have to choose your place, though, and I'm just not buying this one.

From: xxxx
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 10:51 AM
Subject: Peace Protest in Christiansburg

Community members and members of the Virginia Tech Muslim Student Association will hold a vigil to call for peace in the Middle East:

WHEN: December 31 (Wednesday), 1-3 pm

WHERE: On the sidewalk that runs along the main road (North Franklin Street) in the area in front of Panera Bread and Olive Garden in Christiansburg.

PLEASE MAKE YOUR OWN SIGNS and we hope you can join the call to end the violence in the Middle East.

Questions? Contact Autumn Taylor at taylorbeji@msn.com

The organizers have been given a permit to hold this vigil.

Who do they think they are going to reach in Christiansburg? I'd buy this one on the Virginia Tech campus where international students might hear the message, but I don't think Israeli Prime MInister Ehud Olmert, breadstick fiend that he is, has scheduled a late lunch at the OG.

It's not exactly a scandal, but sheesh.   New York Rep. Charles Rangel has used campaign funds to pay $1,540 in parking tickets in the District of Columbia in the last two years. Technically it's legal to use campaign funds that way if he was parking at a campaign or other official event, but it sure leaves a bad taste. I doubt that's what his donors had in mind for the money.

And $1,540 in fines?! How many tickets is that? When do poor parking skills become flagrant disregard for the law?

Del. Chris Saxman doesn't like the card-check law Congress is considering. It would change the rules for forming unions, ending secret ballots. We don't like it either, but we don't think Saxman should try to ram an unrelated provision into the state constitution as a form of protest.

Virginia is a right-to-work state. That means no worker can be forced to join a union. Saxman worries that Virginia needs to protect that law from the card-check law.  But the two are related only in so far as they are both about unions. If the federal government changes union forming rules, that won't effect Virginia's law one bit. The commonwealth would remain a right-to-work state.

Really, Saxman is just making a political point in opposition to the card-check law and unions generally. In an editorial to run some time soon, we'll remind him that there are better ways to do that than cluttering up the constitution.