Madigan bluffing on talk of reform

All one has to do to understand Illinois politics and the chances for true meaningful reform is to look at the responses provided to the Daily Herald's ethics survey by House Speaker Michael Madigan.

House Republican leader Tom Cross' answers were clear and unequivocal where Madigan's were either outright in opposition to key ethics reforms or prefaced with, "undecided" or a "no answer." The responses from the two legislators are on Page 18 of the May 22 Daily Herald in a story on reform.

It is safe to say that while Madigan puffs out his chest on restructuring the powers of the governor's office, he is not about to change the power levers that allow him to reign supreme over House Democrats.

In this era of job losses, factories closing and home foreclosures, Mr. Madigan voiced a resounding "NO" when asked about reducing the state's number of political jobs. Taxpayers and voters are going to be taxed to their eyeballs so that bloated state government fiefdoms remain totally intact. Some reform, Mr. Madigan.

Let us all remember this when Lisa Madigan runs for governor in 2010. God forbid that we blindly vote in a Madigan as House Speaker and a Madigan as governor of this state.

If reform doesn't happen now... it won't happen ever.

Steve Sarich

Grayslake