The Great Proposer
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Marin points out that with unified Democratic control, we still cannot get campaign finance reform–though I’m inclined to spread the blame around to the Speaker and Jones, she has a very good point.
Make it start on January 1st and let’s get rid of direct union and corporation donations and limit the amount from PACs and Individuals.
Hynes gets it as does Fritchey:
State Comptroller Dan Hynes, first of all, didn’t even need a law to issue an executive order banning campaign contributions from contractors doing more than $10,000 in business with his office. He unilaterally did that more than a year ago.
And now, he’s pushing legislation that would ban pay-to-play politics, close the revolving door for officeholders who become lobbyists and provide public funding for judicial races.
He’s calling it the Government Integrity Initiative. And right now it’s deader than a doornail, buried in the graveyards of the House and Senate rules committees.
Hynes has been barnstorming the state trying to drum up support. “It’s not just the right thing to do,” he said Tuesday, “it’s the politically smart thing to do.”
If we cannot pass the full bill, let’s pass the Hynes-Fritchey bill. Democrats are in control–we can’t blame Republicans for local problems. Certainly Bush has created a vast number of longterm financial problems, but when it comes to the State of Illinois and ethics, he’s done the right thing though it’s probably the thing he regrets most–appointing Patrick Fitzgerald. Let’s start to make Fitzgerald have some free time at the state level and reduce the opportunities for corruption.