‘Strong political economy’ key to reform in Illinois

The following editorial appeared in the Daily Herald. The following is a quote from the editorial below "Illinois is the perfect breeding ground for corruption. It shuns openness. It champions pay to play. It has more government than most other states, making it more distant from the public, less transparent. There is a pitiful lack of corruption prosecutions in state courts, and a glaring lack of interest in initiating reform. Even as aggressive and effective as federal prosecutors have been in Illinois, we wonder whether they can detect and pursue all official corruption.

There is no one pill to cure this political sickness, nor will a cure come quickly. But it will not come without a “strong political economy” and public officials who either come by their honestly naturally or are forced to it by reform."

My question is when will newspaper columnists and reporters realize that public schools are nothing more than GOVERNMENT schools with corruption, fraud, waste, patronage and pay to play politics. This group also refuses to reform itself. I look forward to the day when the federal prosecutors investigate Illinois' public education system.


‘Strong political economy’ key to reform in Illinois

After George Ryan’s conviction — and being mindful that so many other Illinois public officials have been sent off to Uncle Sam’s slammer — you might wonder whether we are the most corrupt state in the country.

Well, take heart. We are only the fifth worst when it comes to corruption. That’s according to the Corporate Crime Reporter, in a 2004 report to the National Press Club. Mississippi, North Dakota, Louisiana and Alaska are, respectively, ahead of Illinois in the number of federal corruption convictions.

But being fifth is bad enough. Federal prosecutors remove a bit of muck here and bit there, but the swamp of corruption is not drained. Why can Illinois not shake its well-earned reputation as a crooked state? What will it take to change this culture of corruption?

“Perhaps what matters more than strong laws is a strong political economy — reporters, citizen groups, prosecutors, judges, religious leaders — who are willing to speak out about the rampant corruption in our midst,” concludes the Corporate Crime Reporter, a legal newsletter edited by Russell Mokhiber.

But that community of voices for change can’t grow silent between scandals. It must be persistent in demanding reform, not least of which is opening up government in a state that too often claims entitlement to secrecy.

Consider that residents and journalists in one of the states deemed to be among the least corrupt by the Corporate Crime Reporter — Iowa — have worked tirelessly to open up government. There, the courts can actually oust public officials who are repeat violators of the state’s Open Meetings Act and Public Records Law.

Government in Iowa still can be stubborn about obeying sunshine laws. But a culture of openness has been established there as opposed to Illinois, where toothless open government laws would not even be feared in Beijing.

Leadership on accountability in government is hard to find, but at least Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has been receptive to, and acting on, citizen and media complaints of government in hiding. Those championing open government have an ally in Madigan. Legislators should share her respect for the public’s right to accountability in government and at last enact open government laws that carry real consequences for violators. And then those laws should be vigorously enforced by state and county prosecutors.

But it is not enough to open government. Change must come in the way people get into government.

In the wake of the Ryan verdict, candidates are doubtlessly going to declare themselves to be reformers. But take them as mere speechmakers in search of votes if they are not serious about changing the rotten pay-to-play system that gives special advantages to those who contribute to campaigns — or if they are players seeking pay themselves. The power of the return on a campaign dollar is also one than corrupts.

Beyond this, changing the culture of corruption in Illinois means giving a chance to those who actually believe their honesty, integrity and sincere desire to serve without individual gain — and without having to pay to play — are good enough to get them elected. It means demanding of candidates real answers about how they will change a corrupt state that takes little interest in governing the conduct of its elected officials.

Illinois is the perfect breeding ground for corruption. It shuns openness. It champions pay to play. It has more government than most other states, making it more distant from the public, less transparent. There is a pitiful lack of corruption prosecutions in state courts, and a glaring lack of interest in initiating reform. Even as aggressive and effective as federal prosecutors have been in Illinois, we wonder whether they can detect and pursue all official corruption.

There is no one pill to cure this political sickness, nor will a cure come quickly. But it will not come without a “strong political economy” and public officials who either come by their honestly naturally or are forced to it by reform.

Daily Herald.