Ryan-Levine ties call for scrutiny

A few years after Rod Blagojevich was first elected governor, Republicans rightly showed concern for what seemed to be a smorgasbord of disreputable conduct surrounding the state's executive.

Whispers swirled in some of the GOP circles that Blagojevich's final days were near, and that an impending indictment just had to be right around the corner. Eventually, after all the chatter fell to rest and Blagojevich was elected again in 2006, it seemed that "Public Official A" might never be identified.

Fast forward to April 2009 and what seemed like GOP rumors quickly turned to on-the-mark forecasts of Blagojevich's future. Blagojevich fell, as some of his close associates had before him, and the top deal maker in Illinois was finally put out of business.

But if we look at the pattern of colossal Illinois corruption before the demise of Blagojevich, we see a name close to the GOP that was part of the governor's game - Stuart Levine. Levine was a self-professed shakedown artist of massive proportions, and a major political contributor to current GOP Gubernatorial hopeful, Jim Ryan. Although there has been no indication of Ryan's involvement in any illicit activities, Illinois voters simply cannot take anymore chances.

We can no longer afford to bet all our chips on the possibility that a bad-looking situation is not what it seems. This is the first time that we've had in a while to move past the business as usual. Any Republicans who choose to vote for Ryan will be guilty of hypocrisy.

My father often tells me to never be too judgmental because nobody survives the microscope. I agree, but when a legitimate cause for concern arises, its time to move along to the next examination.

Aaron Jacobs

Lisle