Officials, please prove the fix isn't in

A law that takes effect next year will limit how much individuals, groups and political action committees can give to candidates in Illinois.

Its huge flaw, however, is that it does not limit how much legislative leaders and political parties can give to state candidates during general election cycles. That only increases the already considerable power of the four legislative leaders at the expense of regular citizens.

Now, some legislators are offering plans to fix that flaw and the Democratic powers again appear to be flushing the fix right down the drain. Two House and two Senate bills would impose limits on leaders and parties. Some bills suggest no more than $125,000 be given to Senate candidates by leaders and no more than $75,000 be given to House candidates. Others suggest a $175,000 limit for the Senate and $125,000 for the House.

In the House, Democratic Speaker Michael J. Madigan of Chicago already blocked a move by Republican Leader Tom Cross of Oswego to get his bill to the floor. A plan by Democratic state Rep. Karen May of Highland Park remains stalled in the House Rules Committee.

Senate Democrats quickly created the Senate Executive Subcommittee on Campaign Finance Reform and assigned its two bills to it. But two of the subcommittee's three members are the very Democrats who deep-sixed leader limits last year: Democratic Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago and state Sen. Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat whose district reaches into parts of Rosemont and Bensenville.

And sure enough, neither seemed any more inclined to limit leaders at two hearings this week. Harmon suggested last year's flawed bill "largely settled most of the questions." Cullerton argued leaders and parties will have less to spend because those who contribute to them now will be limited. He argued party committees were formed to "elect the majority of its members."

We don't dispute that political parties serve a purpose, nor that leaders should be working to elect members who share their core values.

But it remains to be seen whether Cullerton, Madigan, Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno of Lemont and Cross will spend less under the new system. Before the law takes effect, they already are the biggest donors, by far, to candidates in hotly contested legislative races. With everyone else but them limited, their dominance is bound to increase. And the leverage and voice of the citizens legislators are supposed to represent will only decrease. Peter Bensinger, co-chairman of the reform group Change Illinois!, said limiting everyone but leaders and parties "will breed conformity among rank-and-file state lawmakers and will discourage independence, creativity and innovation."

We suggest independence and innovation already are stymied and stifled in Springfield.

Rank-and-file lawmakers, prove us wrong and demand a full vote. Speaker Madigan, Senators Cullerton and Harmon, please, prove us wrong. Allow at least one of these plans to get a full floor debate and recorded vote.