The Chicago Tribune ran a follow-up to their Sunday editorial where they asked readers if Illinois should amend its constitution to allow the governor to be recalled. I found it interesting that the responses the Tribune got were remarkably similar to the responses Chronicle readers left here, showing that upstate, downstate, Republicans and Democrats are all more or less united on this one.
In a remarkable outpouring of exasperation and disgust, readers lashed out against the cascade of new tax increase proposals and the failure of elected officials to cut spending or trim patronage workers from their bloated staffs. You railed about broken campaign promises, gridlock in Springfield, legislative indifference to critical needs such as education or pension reform and the uncertainty over whether we’ll have a mass transit system come Monday. Yes, you’d like the opportunity to recall Blagojevich, you said, but why stop there? Good question.
Chronicle readers weren’t the only ones who felt that recall ability should be extended to more public officials than just the Governor. Whereas Chicago readers lashed out at “[Cook County President Todd] Stroger, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, House Speaker Mike Madigan, House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Emil Jones, ‘self-appointed King of the Illinois Senate,'” Peoria commentators did not mention any specific public officer they would want to recall. But I think it’s safe to say they each had a person or persons in mind.
What, if any, action will come out of this public pressure only time will tell.
Despite all the “diversity” bilge that comes out of the political correctness crowd, Illinoisans (and all Americans) have more in common than we are different. Most people are willing to sacrifice for worthy causes (often through voluntary contributions), but don’t like being robbed by crooks in suits, to support their little empires. We want a few basic things from state government: a good education, police/fire/disaster protection, an honest court system, reasonable transportation, reasonable economic stability. Otherwise we pretty much want to be left alone to lead our lives. Arrogant, grand-standing, tax-and-spend politicians serve no one’s interests but themselves.
Since this has been the game in Illinois politics since the 1800s, I’m not full of a lot of hope that getting rid of the current crop would fix anything.
The best I hope for is that we get someone who’s corrupt and efficient. Because Illinois voters will put up with non-corrupt and inefficient, or corrupt and efficient (*coughDaleyscough*), but not with someone corrupt and inefficient, which is Blago’s problem.
Besides, corrupt machine politics frequently save taxpayers money anyway, when the machine is well run (see: Daley Sr.).