Crazy Politico's ideas on fixing Illinois
Over 200 years ago, Thomas Jefferson came up with the idea of dividing the largely undeveloped Northwest Territory, an area that later became the states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota, into six-mile by six-mile parcels. Those parcels were further subdivided into affordable lots for future settlers.
In Illinois, the legacy of those 36 square-mile pieces of land is the joke known as township government. When Illinois was being settled, township government made sense. In 2006, township government in the state, particularly in areas such as Cook and DuPage Counties with few unincorporated areas, it makes no sense. This little-seen, little-heard-from unit of the public sector does virtually nothing other than stock local food pantries and provide sinecures for otherwise unemployable friends and relatives of various elected officials of both parties.
The food pantry obligation can easily be absorbed by another division of government.
The way to "fix" Illinois, according to Bob over at Crazy Politico's Rantings, is to eliminate or consolidate the multiple layers of government strangling the nation's fifth-most populous state.
From his blog:
There isn't an easy answer to making the state fiscally healthy, but there is an easy starting point; reduce the number of government taxing bodies. In this article I'll only concentrate on local bodies, not those run by the State, that's another bag of worms for someone with much more research time than I have.
Such a review is underway in Springfield, but I'm pretty sure that with the Democrats pretty well controlling everything in the capital, it will be ignored. The number of taxing and government bodies in the state is amazing, frustrating, and horribly redundant.
For instance, if you live in Gurnee, IL you have most the following taxing bodies showing up on your property tax bill, though only two of the school districts will (the High School) and either district 50 or 56 for (elementary and middle school):
Village of Gurnee, Lake County, Lake County Forest Preserve District, Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency, Warren Township, Warren Township Road and Bridge, Warren Gravel, School District 56, School District 50, High School District 121, Community College District 532, Gurnee Park District.
Where I live, in Morton Grove, the situation is the same. Only I have the misfortune of having to pay for that boondoggle known as Cook County Government, which in reality is a patronage army that legendary Boston Mayor James Curley would envy.
To comment on this and other posts, kindly visit Marathon Pundit.
8 comments:
The only way to reduce the number of governmental entities is to get a new Constitution.
A vote for a Convention is up in 2008, and represents a last ditch opportunity for reformers, the center-right, and progressives to come together and improve the state.
In this state, a constitutional convention would probably have as its major legacy a progressive income tax.
We ended up with the General Assembly's bring able to sell bonds without referendum approval in 1970's and look how deeply in debt we are now.
The way to fix it all is to get honest, forthright people to run for government on a limited term basis. This governing was never meant to be a profession. There is a reason almost all politicians retire as millionaires. The skim is too tempting to ignore.
Disgusted, be careful what you wish for.
When state legislators are term limited, the power of lobbyists is intensified, because then, in addition to money, they are the only ones with any real institutional knowledge.
EW, while a statewide elimination would require a new constitution, elimination on a local basis is provided for in the current constitution. The best course might be to find a county that could serve as a model, and start there.
Cal, you are probably right about a progressive tax coming out of the convention, as well as an elimination of the cap on corporate taxes. However, the voters still have to vote 3-2 to approve such measures, so education of that group would be required.
Jerry I couldn't agree with you more, again, we need to change that state constitution though, unless we are willing to try to make these changes county by county.
I can't for the life of me understand why right and center-right people shrug off the Constitutional Convention as an opportunity for positive reforms.
Honest Dems and Progressives have a stake in the process as well.
Though I have a deep respect for Cal's knowledge of state workings, the fact remains that IL is beyond repair or reform absent a restructuring of the Constitution.
As "impossible" as it may be, it is the only option left. After a tax debacle (HB750), higher (not lower) property taxes, and looming bankruptcy, the idea that voters would approve an even more onerous Government is pretty far-fetched.
The probability of a back lash more likely.
Lest one forget, the Cons. Conv. is really three elections. First the vote on the convention, then the 'election' of the delegates, (some one clarify the process) and then the referendum on approval of any changes.
The fear on the part of conservatives to even attempt a change is embarrassing. On another blog, I compared IL Republicans to the proverbial fleas that once trained that there is a cover on their jar, refuse to even jump once the cover is removed.
In such an environment, the only thing a rational person can consider is moving to another state.
BTW CP,
The vote to HAVE a convention requires a 3/5th majority, while the vote to approve the changes is a mere majority.
As usual, our silly constitution gets another important process backwards.
The state needs a reduction in Gov. entities.
It needs a hard cap on spending growth in ALL entities - to be busted only by a supermajority on a NOV election only.
IL citizens need the right to initiatives.
IL needs "Blue Sky Budgeting" to every government account and budget to citizen review - preferably on-line and not behind a FOIA smoke screen.
We need to equalize signature requirements to open up the legislature to people other than the brainless drones approved by the 4 tops.
The fact there isn't a single Republican in the state to propose a single incremental or substantive reform is merely another piece of strong evidence that the party is a non-factor in IL.
Post a Comment