It's time for an end to self preservation
Note: This editorial has been altered from its original form to correct some inaccurate information.
The next three days represent our final chances this year to fix the Springfield system that puts nearly all the control in the hands of the majority leaders in the House and Senate, currently Speaker Michael Madigan and President John Cullerton.
And today's news analysis of campaign contribution limits makes clear that many suburban Democrats still believe that preserving their status and doing their leaders' bidding is more important than doing yours.
Yes, they're between a rock and a hard place. Democrat Madigan is likely to push through a bill that limits donations from everyone but himself, his fellow legislative leaders and the political parties they control. There are many other good attempts at reform in this bill, so, do legislators risk voting against that flawed bill, giving their opponents a chance to claim they were against reform? Or do they stand up for leader limits and irritate their legislative boss who gives them, in many cases, a majority of the money they need to win re-election?
Ponder that dilemma for a moment and it's easy to see why the current system in Springfield is such a mess. Actually, every suburban voter should spend time pondering and studying the survey results and analysis in our news report today. The results show far too many elected officials still do not accept that the system is broken.
Freshman state Rep. Keith Farnham, an Elgin Democrat, got nearly two-thirds of his campaign money from Madigan last year and he does not support making Madigan subject to the caps that would be applied to everyone else. Freshman state Rep. Mark Walker, an Arlington Heights Democrat, got two-thirds of his money from Madigan and he, too, says he doesn't support caps on the leader who paid for his election. Both state Rep. Bob Biggins, an Elmhurst Republican, and state Rep. Paul Froehlich, a Schaumburg Democrat, are lame ducks who will not face voters again. Froehlich got more than half of his campaign money last year from Madigan and the Democratic party. Neither Biggins nor Froehlich support limits on leaders.
And then there's brand new state Rep. Carol Sente, a Vernon Hills Democrat who recently was named to replace Kathy Ryg. Sente declined to give Daily Herald reporters a simple "yes" or "no" answer as to how she viewed limits on leaders or whether she'd vote for the bill that does not limit them. More than a dozen legislators declined to tell us if they'll vote for a reform bill that does not cap contributions from their leaders.
Nearly $11 million was spent on 10 hot suburban legislative races last year, an obscene amount in and of itself. More than half of that money came from legislative leaders and political parties. No wonder we have to take back our government. We must tell these elected public officials they still answer to us. We need contribution and term limits on legislative leaders. It's never been clearer. Call or write these legislators now. Contact information is on the Daily Herald's Web site, or call the Change Illinois! hotline, (800) 719-3020.
<div style="float:left;margin:6px 9px 6px 0px;"> <img src="/graphics/corruptionlogo.jpg" width="300" height="160" border="0"></a></p> </div> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Contacts</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="/story/?id=329206">Contact information for suburban Democrats</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=292269">How to contact your lawmakers</a></li> </ul> <h2>Editorials</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=331049">We need some examples of courage<span class="date">[10/23/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=329213">Contact suburban Democrats now <span class="date">[10/16/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=327535">Demand tightening of money spigot <span class="date">[10/09/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=327227">Our challenge: Don't wait for a law <span class="date">[10/08/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=317156">Don't waste redo on campaign finance reform <span class="date">[08/28/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=293839">Good ideas, limits help democracy <span class="date">[05/15/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=292278">Fed up with graft? You're obligated to weigh in <span class="date">[05/11/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=290368">It's time to call for the change Illinois needs <span class="date">[05/01/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=288715">A better way to watch our tax money <span class="date">[04/24/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=287658">Rank projects before spending our tax money <span class="date">[04/20/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=287077">Limiting contributions a good start <span class="date">[04/17/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>