Four Illinois Reforms

The Illinois primary election has all but concluded and still there is not a declared victor in the race for the Republican nomination for Governor. As provisional and absentee ballots are fully counted, a winner between State Senator Bill Brady and State Senator Kirk Dillard will emerge. It is more than likely that this will be a Republican year and the new governor will have significant challenges before him. There are four reforms that he should work on to make a better Illinois.



Illinois Pension Fund Reform
During the Republican primary campaign much was said and written about Illinois pension fund reform. There are too many people that have wallowed in the public trough throughout their adult life only to retire with bountiful benefits on the taxpayer’s dime. This has to end. Double dipping and layering of pension benefits must end if Illinois is to get back to fiscal sanity. The system must be reformed. Beneficiaries should only get 75% of their average public earnings as a state employee. The politicians have gamed the system and are guilty of taxpayer abuse.


Forensic Audit of State Expenditures
A forensic audit of all state expenditures is needed. This was one of the hallmarks of Adam Andrzejewski’s terrific campaign for the Republican nomination for governor. The new governor ought to heed his advice. Taken a step further, he ought to appoint Mr. Andrzejewski as head of a commission that can study state spending and make recommendations on cuts that have to be made as well as finding greater efficiencies in state government. Think the Grace Commission during the Reagan era. It made thousands of recommendations to root out governmental waste and fraud on the federal level. An “Andrzejewski Commission” on the state level could do the same.


Citizen Legislature
This is an idea whose time has come. The great political columnist and talk show host, Thomas Roeser, floated this idea in a recent column. It makes superb sense. My political education was received in the tumbleweed landscape of New Mexico politics. In New Mexico they have a citizen legislature. That is to say that legislators serve part-time and have regular occupations. During election years (even numbered years) the legislature met for 30 days. In odd numbered years the legislature met for 60 days. The interesting facet to this was that if a piece of legislation did not gain passage by both chambers, it died. Prompting the bill sponsor to introduce it in the next year. At the time legislators received only $75 per Diem for legislative matters. Illinois ought to dump the full-time legislative process and begin anew with a part-time legislature. When it is not in session we will all be safe.


Judges Should Be Appointed
This past primary season we witnessed a number of television ads touting the judicial temperament of judges running for the appellate court. I found this demeaning. The Governor should appoint Judges at this level and above. Local judges could continue to run for office. This was a heated discussion during the founding of our nation. The new governor should engage our modern day aristocracy (the legal community) to figure out away this can be achieved. One only has to look at the election of the democrat’s Scott Lee Cohen to the nomination of Lieutenant Governor to see that the voters do not have the necessary time to study judicial nominations. Let the legal community provide judgeship recommendations to our Governor.


Aside from the tremendous budgetary issues a new Governor will have to face, he will need to move forward on a number of reforms to create a solid economic environment here in Illinois. Our new governor should also consider the four reforms above.

Pondering the February 2nd Illinois GOP Primary

The State of Illinois has almost deeper problems than the good old USA. We are a week away from the GOP primary on February 2, 2010. As the euphoria wears off from the Senator-elect, Scott Brown, victory in Massachusetts, the Illinois GOP has some huge mountains to climb before that same type of victory can be duplicated here. Just as in Massachusetts, there is a growing movement that seeks to throw out the incumbents during this election cycle. To a certain extent, I agree. My sentiment is that we should follow in the footsteps of our fellow Americans in Massachusetts and throw out the establishment within the party brands. It is time to send the old guard on a barge down the Mississippi River into the delta where they can retire in splendor to spin yarns about election battles of years past, won and lost. With that thought, here is where I have cast my votes (through early voting) for contested primary races.



Governor: Adam Andrzejewski
He is an entrepreneur who has met a payroll and is intent on shaking the Springfield combine up with new ideas. He is NOT part of the modern day aristocracy, a lawyer. To those who say that he is not experienced enough is a true canard. Anyone who puts together a successful business enterprise is quite capable of running Illinois State Government. Adam is such a person. As Abraham Lincoln once said “The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present.” With that in mind, it is time to throw out the old and bring in new, fresh leadership to dramatically change state government.


Lieutenant Governor: Jason Plummer
Young and full of energy. Just the type of person that can assist the Governor’s team in weeding out wasteful spending and bringing in fiscal sanity to an over bloated state government.


U.S. Senate: Patrick Hughes
We are on the verge of an election revolution across the United States. He would joint the conservative block in the U.S. Senate and work for additional tax cuts and reduce government spending.


U.S. Congress—14th District: Randy Hultgren
He is the better of the two GOP candidates in replacing Congressman Foster.
More seasoned than Ethan Hastert, Hultgren will represent this district well. He most assuredly will take a stand against the porky earmarks that Congress has attached to legislation for the last decade.


State Comptroller: William Kelly
He would be a valued member of a GOP team that will shake up state government and push for transparency. Not to mention he could add a little pizzazz to the overall GOP ticket.


State Senate—25th: State Senator Chris Lauzen
Part of the fab five elected to the state Senate in the 1990’s. He has always been responsive with his constituents. You can count on Chris to cut through the budget nonsense and work with a new Republican Governor to get the State of Illinois on firmer financial footing.


While I have already voted, I encourage you to request a Republican ballot in this Tuesday’s Illinois Primary and exercise your franchise.