New Jersey moves to stake claim as nation's most corrupt state

It's a constant struggle between the top corrupt states in our fair nation. Is it my own Illinois? Rhode Island? Louisiana? Which state is the most crooked?

Or could it be New Jersey?

Today the Garden State, in an awe inspiring performance, saw two of its mayors, two state legislators, and seven other public officials indicted today on bribery charges.

And I don't think there is a Republican among the bunch.

Because Democrats and Republicans (such as disgraced former Gov. George Ryan of the latter group) have not been shy in taking part in Illinois graft, I still have to declare, with shame, that Illinois is still the most corrupt of America's 50 states.

However, if New Jersey continues to run up the score on indictments, Bobby Bowden style, I might reconsider. But Illinois will probably still come up on top in the end, since US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is still very busy investigating all kinds of things going on in Illinois state government, many of them involving Barack Obama's indicted pal, Tony Rezko.

Since 2003, the Democratic Party has dominated Illinois government, the sole exception was that a Republican served as state treasurer. She ran for governor last year and lost; now a Democrat, another Obama pal with a questionable background no less, is the state's chief investor. Alexi Giannoulias, whose bank his family owns lent money to a convicted mobster, has pledged to raise $100,000 for Barack "New Kind of Politics" Obama.

Let me be real clear on this: Giannoulias came from nowhere to win the Democratic primary for state treasurer last year. Obama's endorsement, and his appearance in a Giannoulias television spot, are the only reasons he won that race, which last year was the only election Alexi needed to win. The Illinois GOP fared much worse than the national GOP in 2006.

Woodrow Wilson was the last man from New Jersey to move into the White House. As for Illinois, my state has to reach back to Ulysses S. Grant for its last Illinos-to-1600 Pennsylvania Avenue transition.

Bad luck? Maybe. But both are populous states where it's pretty easy to raise money. But it could be that both states are tainted with corruption that keeps top state politicos from claiming the top prize in American politics

As far Illinois' Republican Party, now is a good time to get involved. If the party focuses on the basics, which is what I think they should: Clean and efficient governrment, there's no where to go but up.

Start here, at the Illinois GOP Network.

To comment on this post, please visit Marathon Pundit.

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Introducing the Illinois GOP Network

The Illinois Republican Party is down, but a long way from being out. As the party rebuilds from the ground up, after a string of disappointing election days, now is the time for bloggers and other interested individuals to take part in the growth process. Illinois is the home state of Abraham Lincoln, and the birthplace of Ronald Reagan, two great Republican presidents. And remember, it wasn't so long ago, 1995 to be exact, when the Illinois GOP controlled each statewide office, both chambers of the General Assembly, and the Governor's Mansion.

And the governor at the time, Jim Edgar, actually lived in the mansion.

As James Thurber once wrote, "You could look it up!"

The good old days were not that long ago, and they could be back sooner than you think.

Where does one start? By networking and building, and the place to do it is at the new Illinois GOP Network Forum.

Click on the above link to get started. I'm already there.

Crossposted on Marathon Pundit.

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One-month budget by Friday

BY BETHANY CARSON and DEANESE WILLIAMS-HARRIS
Whatever needed to be worked out among the Republican and Democratic caucuses of each chamber appears to be worked out. At least, there’s enough of an agreement for the legislative leaders to publicly say that the House is expected to approve it Wednesday and the Senate to consider it Friday.

The summary from House Speaker Michael Madigan and House Minority Leader Tom Cross: It’s a maintenance budget that simply extends the fiscal year 2007 budget with some changes. But it has no new revenue and no “member initiatives,” or “pork barrel spending” that pays for special projects in legislators’ districts.

Next on the discussion table: new revenue to support a full, 12-month state budget. “We haven’t had a discussion on available revenue,” Cross said outside of the governor’s Capitol office Tuesday afternoon, “and we had no discussion about electricity.”

Electric rate freeze action is still possible in the next couple of days — Senate President Emil Jones Jr. said he’s just about fed up. “I resent all the stalling that’s been taking place as it relates to those negotiations,” he said after budget talks. “We may, even though I’m opposed to it, let them go ahead and have the freeze.”

He said he could call the measure as early as Wednesday once he talks to his members. He added that after several meetings to discuss rate relief, the people who advocated for extending a 10-year rate freeze that expired in January are suddenly starting to change their minds. “Now they’re saying exactly what I’ve been telling them all along: The freeze does not solve the problem,” Jones said. “But now they’re throwing different things into play, so therefore, maybe I’ll go ahead and let [Sen. Gary Forby] call the freeze. I’ll find out tomorrow.”

Recap:
- The House is expected to vote on the one-month budget Wednesday, adjourn Friday and come back for more overtime session the second week of July.
- The Senate will get the budget and have to follow the rules to hear it three times before they can consider it for good on Friday.
- Senate President Emil Jones may let his chamber debate an electricity rate freeze, depending on how his caucus feels about it Wednesday morning.
- The next leaders’ meeting, whenever it’s scheduled, could likely talk about revenue ideas.

Rep. Froehlich changes from an R to a D
State Rep. Paul Froehlich of Schaumburg will join the Democrats Wednesday after considering himself a “lifelong Republican,” according to a press release. He served as Schaumburg Township Republican Committeeman since 1998, so he’s also resigning from that panel.

“I became a Republican because the party permitted a broad range of views and welcomed moderates with open arms,” he said in the release. “Over the last six years, that has changed. I, however, have not. The same beliefs I held last week, I hold today.” He said he thought he could best serve his constituents as a Democrat, and his constituents in the northwest suburbs of Chicago are leaning more Democratic these days.

House Minority Leader Tom Cross said he’s unhappy about Froehlich’s switch, but there’s nothing he can do about it. “This is a guy that decided that he wanted to do what was best for him, unfortunately at the expense, perhaps, of his constituents,” Cross said before entering the governor’s office for budget talks Tuesday. “I’m not going to comment on what he did or didn’t do. I think he did what was best for his own political future.”

After budget talks, Cross said he’s likely to target Froehlich in the fall election campaigns, “just like I will in all the races where I think that we have a chance, and clearly I think we have a chance there. He will be on a list with others [where] we think we can have success in the fall of ’08.”

House Speaker Michael Madigan said he did not recruit Froehlich, who supported another Schaumburg official, now state Rep. Fred Crespo. He won a seat on a local board with Republican support but ran as a Democrat to win a House district seat last fall.

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Incumbent Protection Act of 2007 Passes

The Illinois primary election will be held on February 5, 2008.

On February 7, 2007, I outlined some of the obvious results.

The most obvious is that it increases the chances of incumbents to win re-election in their own primary elections.

Senate Republicans Dale Righter (R-Charleston) and Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) made the same point in debate, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Except for liberal Republicans.

As in 1992 with Carol Mosley Braun, Republican women will gravitate to the Democratic Party primary.

That will make it easier for conservative Republicans to win primary elections.

Next most obvious is that it decreases the chances that incumbents will get credible general election challengers.

If the Chicago Bears are in the Super Bowl, there will be another great sucking sound as this sport draws a disproportionate amount of television airtime.

Challengers will have hard time getting on TV.

Will this embolden incumbent legislators to vote for tax increases?

And, if you are interested in First Amendment issues, there's an article about what the McHenry County Board did about banning flash photography on McHenry County Blog.

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