Lawfulness vs. Illinois Government

January 2, 2008
Adam Andrzejewski

In Illinois, our dominant institutions operate by ethical standards that our government refuses to honor.  Family, business, education and religious institutions are all operated within a culture of lawfulness.  In stark contrast, Illinois government has an imbedded culture of corruption.

Most families in Illinois live fairly decently- within the bounds of sacrifice, hard work, service and principle.  Most businesses and charities serve the public well and their reputations are on the line every day.  In education, Illinois is home to world-renown schools with demanding requirements and standards. Religious institutions of all types form the foundation of private and public morality.  In fact, all these institutions perform so well that any impropriety is a huge newspaper headline.  These institutions operate within a culture of lawfulness.

However, Illinois government- at all levels- maneuvers outside of conventional standards.  Illinois government with pay-to-play politics, systemic patronage systems, debt financing, gerrymandered political power, and with outright waste, fraud and abuse operates in a culture of corruption. Illinois government is the gross aberration among Illinois institutions in this regard.

As an important example of one institution, the family is constituted very deeply within Illinois society.  Reflecting personal commitment, measurable growth, and hope for the future, in 2006, there were 80,000 couples married and nearly 200,000 babies born.  Most of the 13 million Illinois citizens hold a familial identity.  As in any civilization, the Illinois family is the bedrock of the culture.

The family has the primary responsibility to grow children into productive adults.  In fact, this daily acculturation of offspring is a tremendous challenge; so, the family must set rules of conduct.  Living by the rules teaches youngsters manners, courtesies and all the virtues of development that constitute character. A family that does not succeed in passing on these qualities is a family with a stunted future.

By vigorous contrast, Illinois government has little of the merit, manners, and virtue of Illinois families.  Where in Springfield is a public figure in an important position of power who also has moral authority?  Illinois government is in a Dark Age. 

Over the last 50 years, four Illinois governors have been indicted or have served time in prison.  In the last five years alone, over $90 million of waste, scandal, fraud, and abuses have been uncovered in Chicago.  Statewide, the Illinois Auditor General can not even identify all the different state ‘agencies’.  Last year in Illinois, 569 public officials were convicted of corruption.    Currently, Illinois is the only state in the nation where the feds have concurrent investigations of the state, county and local government. 

The manners of the elite Illinois public officials are even worse:  public name-calling, in-fighting and the hurling of lawsuits.  The level of public discourse to solve real Illinois problems is at a low point, exemplified by the record length of the legislative special session.  It may certainly be ‘morning in America’, but it is nighttime in Illinois government.

The Illinois institutions of family, business, education and religion and the institution of Illinois government are on a collision course.  The inherent tension of diametrically opposite ethics makes the clash inevitable.  The fight is between institutions of historic lawfulness and an institution of historic corruption. 

The policies of Illinois government are intruding further into the lives of Illinois citizens.  In a zero sum game, as power accrues to one institution, power is lost from other institutions.  In order for corruption to maintain and expand power, Illinois government continues to take away from the lawful institutions.  In 2007, examples of government power grabs are easy to spot:  proposed $6 billion gross receipts tax on the private sector, the governor’s unilateral expansion of government run healthcare, and the proposed billion dollar increase in state gambling.  All of these programs would harm Illinois.

The lawful people must resist government attempts to corrupt our lives. 

Our character, values, virtue, manners and morals must influence Illinois government.  Over the long run, we must rekindle the spirit of forthright public service among our elected officials.  In the short run, we must vigorously inspect, review, and restrain our government.  

Citizens must demand the right to inspect and review our government.  Currently, transparency in Illinois is only one way:  the government, through the tax systems, reviews ‘the books’ of every family, business, charity, for-profit entity and non-profit entity.  Equal treatment demands that the Illinois government must open their book! 

Full and transparent review of all Illinois government budgets, audits, revenues, and expenditures is a reasonable request.

Most Illinois institutions have a culture of lawfulness.  Illinois government has an imbedded culture of corruption. 

Open the books!

For The Good Of Illinois.