Psssst. Staying informed might be the best way to get even.
In this issue, political scientist Brian Gaines suggests Illinoisans could get — maybe, perhaps — fed up enough with political corruption they would be willing to push for big changes.
He says it happened in Italy, so hey. Not that Gaines, a savvy guy on electoral behavior, thinks this is a given by any stretch. But we assigned him to consider it and he was game.
Gaines, who is an associate professor in the University of Illinois' Institute of Government and Public Affairs, suggests we begin with the ranks of the state's governors — those who have served time behind bars for corruption, been indicted for corruption or investigated for corruption.
In Illinois, they just keep coming.
For comparison purposes, consider Ohio. That state's voters were outraged at their chief executive for accepting a few trifles as gifts. Really.
True, the bar for bad conduct has been set pretty high in the Land of Lincoln. But could Illinois ever be ready for reform? Gaines says we could, and maybe when our leaders least expect it.
So what might reform look like? Gaines argues we could, for instance, push to change the way we choose our state lawmakers. This has happened before. It's not easy, but it can be done. And while we're at it, we could change the way we elect our governors. Gaines suggests an instant runoff where we rank the candidates. This might "command broad appeal."
Or we could bypass the two major political parties altogether. The Green Party paved the way in this election, and there could be other new parties in our electoral future. Then again, we could elect a charismatic political newcomer as governor. We've done that a couple of times over the past three decades, but only one of them turned out well. The other exhibited character flaws that eventually landed him in the pen. It's a toss of the dice.
Perhaps these reforms sound a bit risky and a tad too European (or Californian). In that case, we might simply adjust the system we have — squeeze the campaign cash spigot and the like.
But I suggest another approach: Stay informed. If you're mad as you-know-what about political corruption and don't want to take it any more, pay closer attention. Day in and day out. The cynical and corrupt count on the ignorant and uninformed. We could foil them. Consider the satisfaction in that.
In this issue, we suggest starting close to home. Journalist Stephanie Zimmermann assessed for us the health of community-based media. Turns out it's pretty good. There aren't many locally owned newspapers, television or radio stations left in Illinois in this age of conglomerates, but those that do exist are thriving because they give us information we want and need.
In Chicago, WVON listeners put their local politicians on the spot. In Rockford, viewers of WREX might soon be able to test their opinions about local events on the station's Web site. And in Sullivan, News-Progressreaders get the latest on the sheriff's race and the high school honor roll. Zimmermann notes the paper's Web site has plenty of news locals can use, too.
"[R]eaders can click to find out who's sitting in the Moultrie County Jail and why, or call up the live, 24/7 Webcam to check out who's cruising through the intersection of routes 32 and 121."
Of course, unlike politics, all news isn't local. We'll want to keep up with the activities of Congress and the president. But what goes on in the state Capitol — and we have strong feelings about this — has a direct impact on each of us, as well, whether we pay attention or not.
The fastest route to political reform is to stay informed about all levels of government and keep those public officials on their toes.
"Financial implosion"
Corporate leaders call for hard choices
It's not unusual for business groups to urge government to trim spending. It's not unusual for them to push the state to operate like the private sector. But it is unusual for corporate execs to suggest tax hikes. And that's the surprise in last month's report by the Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago.
Shortly before the new General Assembly is to convene, the committee warned the state faces "financial implosion" and "to avoid collapse, a tax increase may be inevitable."
It's probable that many, if not most, Illinoisans have never heard of The Commercial Club of Chicago. But it's a good bet most state policymakers have — if for no other reason than the heft of the group's roster. Approximately 300 business and civic leaders in the Chicago metropolitan area are members; its Civic Committee is comprised of some 80 CEOs, including Andrew McKenna, father of the state chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.
Among the group's most famous and enduring initiatives is the 1909 Burnham Plan for Chicago's lakefront. Though historically the club hasn't turned its attention to state governance, it did get involved in O'Hare airport expansion and Chicago school reform, issues that were addressed in Springfield.
The fiscal integrity of Chicago schools was the initial draw this time. But the group ended up offering solutions for the state's fiscal crisis — along with this bit of scolding: "Good government in a democracy involves making hard choices," R. Eden Martin, president of the Civic Committee, said in a printed statement. "Citizens who live in Illinois and pay taxes here, and the businesses located here, make hard choices everyday. Their government should do no less."
It might be easy to dis the group's assessment, as some here in Springfield have. Who, really, didn't know the state is spending beyond its means, stacking up unpaid bills, piling on debt and dodging obligations to school kids and retirees? And, sure, it's no surprise business leaders would, as they have before, call on political leaders to reduce spending first, primarily by making public employee pensions and health benefits more like those in the (less generous) private sector, and by switching Medicaid to managed care. For good measure — again, no surprise — the committee wants to halt expensive new programmatic promises.
What politician is willing to go there? And then go on to raise taxes?
Yet the group would increase the state income tax and extend the state sales tax to services and (dismissing their own potential allies) bypass property tax relief in exchange. In Springfield, this meets the definition of a non-starter.
Still. The members of the committee made some hard choices themselves. They clearly are willing to put their money where their mouth is for a stable state government and a solid state economy, long term.
Maybe their ideas deserve more than a not-so-surprising shrug.
Peggy Boyer Long can be reached at Peggyboy@aol.com.
Illinois Issues, January 2007
