Enough of pay-to-play already

Too bad we can't have a "Pay-to-Play Registration Day" in Illinois. Here's how it would work: All the companies that want to fatten candidates' campaign treasuries in hopes of landing, in return, contracts that make them richer, at a loss to taxpayers, would have only one day to make those contributions.

And -- in this scenario -- they'd have to line up at the offices of every state legislator and state elected official to make their contributions. The public and press, notebooks and tape recorders in hand, would take full advantage of all these folks being out in the open to ask: Why are you donating? How much are you going to give? Did you donate before, and did you get state business?

Elected officials, once all the begging for business through campaign bucks is over, would have to report how much they collected and what promises they made.

And just to keep things honest, U.S. Attorney and corruption-buster Patrick Fitzgerald would be on hand to moderate the disclosures.

Maybe then pay-to-play, which can corrupt and drive up the cost of government to taxpayers, would go away. What business or public official would want to go through such an excruciatingly embarrassing public inspection when it's always better to do their nodding and winking in more clandestine surroundings?

Of course, the above mentioned won't happen. But full disclosure of donors and donations is key to at least gaining some control over pay- to-play. Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes agrees. He has unveiled a new Web site called "Open Book" -- it can be accessed at www.openbook.illinoiscomptroller.com/ -- a searchable database of state contracts and campaign contributions. It can be tricky to use, but it's a valuable tool in finding the payers and players. Hynes hopes it puts pressure on Gov. Rod Blagojevich and state Senate President Emil Jones to stop stalling on ethics reform legislation.

And, by the way, has Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn been reading his press clippings from 10 years ago, when he was lauded as a government reformer? He hasn't always been one since joining the government. Did he get lonely for the battle in suddenly insisting that the governor and Jones get behind legislation that attacks pay-to-play?

Still, good for Quinn, though the governor and Jones would sooner pick up a porcupine. They say they want a bigger and better ethics law, whatever that is. What it is, so far, is nowhere to be seen.

The bill referred to by Quinn is HB 1, which would prohibit vendors who have state contracts exceeding $25,000 from making contributions to the campaigns of the elected officials whose departments award the contract. It passed unanimously in the Illinois House, but Jones won't let the members in his chamber have a crack at it.

Jones should let the measure come to a vote. Or stun the state of Illinois into delightful disbelief by putting forth his own reform measure that would at last give the corrupt something more to worry about than Patrick Fitzgerald.