Bad Impressions

Unless you've been living in a cave for, oh about the last couple decades, you are keenly aware that the public has about had it with the political process in our state. It's probably one of the few issues that you on which you can find agreement across party lines and from one end of the state to the other.

The latest effort to drive that point home is a column 'to the General Assembly' in the Southern Illinoisan by Jim Muir, in which he essentially gives the Governor and the General Assembly a Happy New Year slap upside the head.

In discussing the upcoming session schedule which has us scheduled to adjourn in early April, Muir says:

You see, politicians are keenly aware these days that voters have a short attention span and an even shorter memory. So, those of you up for re-election believe that it will send a positive message to voters as they head off to the polls if you work together like a well-oiled machine during this legislative session. It's all about perception, right?

Well, in the case of this memo ¦ the answer to that question is "wrong."

I want to remind some of you that regardless of the love, adulation and BS that will soon be flying out of the hallowed halls of the state Capitol in Springfield, some of us have not forgotten the embarrassment of past legislative sessions that has turned Illinois into the poster child for corrupt politics.

Now some may try to dismiss this as 'more of the same', but I still believe that elected officials at every level of government are going to be in for a rude awakening if there is not some serious housekeeping done ASAP. And I would suggest that it's both just and preferable for the housekeeping to be done internally rather than waiting for the clean-up to come via pitchforks or indictments.

But let me be clear, for better or worse, this is not solely an Illinois issue. According to a poll reported on CNN.com, public opinion of Congress is down the tubes as well:

According to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, 49 percent of respondents said most members of Congress are corrupt. Although 46 percent of respondents said most aren't, the margin of sampling error -- plus or minus 4.5 percent -- makes it clear that the perception of congressional politicians is largely negative.

Congress' image could emerge as an election topic, with 55 percent of respondents saying corruption will be "the most important" or a "very important" issue to consider when voting in November. (emphasis added)

At the end of the day, what the public wants, and deserves, is pretty straightforward. An efficient, honest and hard-working government that puts public interest first and foremost. Now there are obviously legitimate differences of opinion as to what the 'public interest' is when it comes to issues of social services, education, etc. But there should be little room for disagreement about the concepts of an honest and hard-working government.

What is surprising is how easy it would be to give the public what it craves and deserves. A bill such as HB4073 (Fritchey-Black) would essentially elmimate the 'pay to play' issue in our state. But as much practical and political sense as it would make to pass this measure and sign it into law, we have thus far been unable to get a vote on the bill.

But I do believe that some electeds see the writing on the wall. To his credit, Comptroller Dan Hynes, the originator of HB4037, isn't waiting for action on the bill. He unilaterally imposed the restrictions on his office when we announced the bill. Good move. And smart too.

People that I speak with seem to have finally gone from being desensitized to corruption stories to being fed up with them. And like the CNN article, I think that, for a number of reasons, the issue of corruption will be a dominant one when voters go to the polls this year, especially in Illinois this November and Chicago for local elections in early 2007.

So to Jim Muir, and the millions out there of the same mindset, keep it up. It should be an interesting election year everywhere.