Let the billionaires run Illinois - but make them pay
Here's a solution for Illinois to dig out of the financial hole the politicians have put us in: Let's insist that the candidates for governor be among the wealthiest residents of our state. Being a millionaire - even many times over - is not enough.
We must insist that the candidates are billionaires, perhaps many times over.
And we should eliminate any compensation: salary, housing expenses, travel expenses or payroll for them or for staff.
If they expect police protection, that goes on their tab. In fact, all state police costs should go on their tab.
If they want to win votes by promising to do things, like improving education, improving highways, improving law enforcement or any of the many other promises candidates make, they have to show (and sign a binding promise) how much they will pay and on what schedule. Any promise they make during a campaign must be fulfilled within the first six months of their one-year term.
(Did I forget to mention all first terms would be limited to one year? - And an amendment to that policy is that if Illinois voters like what they've done during that one-year term, the voters have the option to re-elect them to another term - a two-year term - and the incumbent governor MUST serve that second term also, under the same conditions as the first term.)
Perhaps this seems harsh, but it seems that the wealthiest of Illinois residents are the ones who want to be governor of our state, The state (among 50) with seemingly the worst financial problems and challenges in the nation. It seems as if they have all the answers, even though it's doubtful they even have all - or half - of the questions.
The difficult - perhaps disastrous - situation Illinois finds itself in is the result of actions by politicians in Illinois who were elected by uninformed or wrongly influenced voters who had no idea their elected leaders would bankrupt the state while at the same time raising the taxes of the unsuspecting (or uncaring) residents.
He's not the governor - thank you for that - but even the mayor of Chicago, one of the most struggling of the major cities in the U.S. is reading the governors' manual of "How To Bankrupt Our State (or City) By Tossing A Bone To The Voters."
The latest Chicago "bone-tossing" was announced last week when the mayor announced that Chicago schools will stay in session until late June (their regular adjournment time) even if they can't afford to pay the teachers.
As a native of Chicago (but not a product of Chicago Public Schools), I've never been able to figure out why the Chicago Public Schools stay in session until mid-to-late June. They start their school year in mid-to-late September.
Kids in private and parochial schools in Chicago have a much better chance for a summer job if they're available to work in late May or early June. Jobs are gone by mid-June, so the kids have nothing to do but hang around on street corners or local parks. And that's what many of them do, trying to stay out of trouble, I guess.
But back to the race for governor. I had high hopes for Rauner, but he has been no match for Speaker Michael Madigan, at least not yet.
His plaid, tieless shirts and roll of duct tape will be no match for Kennedy or Pritzker. It makes no difference how much he, or any of the Democrats spend. The two Democrats need only to avoid major mistakes. My guess (not a bet) at this point is that Kennedy wins the Democrat primary next March.
Of course, we're still a year and a half away from the REAL election in November 2018 - so there's a lot of time for things to happen. We'll wait and see. I reserve the right to waffle.
Ed Murnane, edmurnane@gmail.com, of Arlington Heights, is retired president of the Illinois Civil Justice League and a former staff member for presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.