Governor's legal battle costly to taxpayers

It's maddening when an elected official withholds information from us that we believe we are entitled to. Even more so when our state's highest attorney and a judge have sided with us. It's infuriating when we are paying for that elected official's court battle to keep that information secret.

That's where Illinois residents find themselves today in the case of subpoenas served to Gov. Rod Blagojevich by federal investigators looking into corruption in his administration. So far, we have shelled out more than $150,000 to private law firms so Blagojevich can fight to keep the subpoenas secret.

But wait; doesn't the state have an attorney general to render legal advice in these sorts of matters? Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office gave its opinion in October 2006. It said in a letter to Blagojevich that the subpoenas were public documents…

"It's precisely what I expected to happen," said Paul Orfanedes, attorney for Judicial Watch, one of the government watchdog groups that sued to get the subpoenas released. "The governor didn't want the advice of the attorney general. He wanted to get the advice he wanted to hear, so it's cost the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars and taken up the court's time. It's disgraceful."

Justice was served

For causing the death of their friend, though unintentionally, four local young men will spend the next six months in the Peoria County Jail, plus pay $21,000 in restitution. Some in central Illinois will think that punishment too lenient, others too harsh. We believe it's about right for a crime that struck an emotional chord…

It was important that these four 20-somethings get jail time for their role in the Aug. 12, 2007, death of 19-year-old Danny Dahlquist following an evening of drinking and pranks, the lethal one being their decision to set off Roman candles under Dahlquist's bedroom door, which then started the fire that took his life. Is it really an "accident" when you tempt a terrible fate so blatantly?

To those who feel this bargained sentence is too soft, we'd say that in pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter, all four became felons, a label that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. To those who feel it's too severe, who suggest the guilt they carry with them is punishment enough, well, that's an argument for having no criminal justice system at all.