Reboot IllinoisNew York Magazine goes deep on Jesse Jackson Jr.’s decline and gives a detailed look into Illinois’ pay-to-play political culture. Despite the piece’s tale of political intrigue and the health problems that have kept Jackson away from his public duties since June, a landslide victory tomorrow is almost assured for the Democrat with the famous name.
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For Illinois lawmakers, leadership stipends can add as much as 40 percent to a legislator’s base salary of $64,717 for what is considered a part-time job. Nearly three-quarters of the General Assembly received leadership stipends ranging from $1,600 to $26,000 for holding a committee or party leadership position. Illinois Comptroller’s Office, cited by the Daily Herald.
The Chicago Tribune editorial board says anyone who votes for the pension amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot is a chump. “Don’t be a chump,” says the Trib. It adds that what we really need is a constitutional amendment that gives lawmakers some guidelines for what can and can’t be done to fix the pension disaster Illinois faces. Rival The Chicago Sun-Times agrees: “Voters should say no to the constitutional amendment and send the message that Illinois residents want real pension reform, not potentially harmful window dressing.”
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68.5% of Illinoisans agree that to reduce the likelihood or the perception of corruption, or trading votes for money, politicians should be prohibited from lobbying their former colleagues for one year after leaving office. (Paul Simon Public Policy Institute survey, September 2012)
Illinoisans aren’t stupid when it comes to the cause of the pension crisis: They blame the politicians, not the unions. And they’re right. It was lawmakers who skipped nearly $30 billion in payments to pension systems over the years and failed to take any action as the state’s liability exceeded $83 billion. Your thoughts?
Reboot Illinois 