Chicago Daily Observer

If an incarcerated person was up for parole, would you want their fate determined by a board set up to keep the public safe or would you prefer a panel of other inmates to determine who should be set free? Sure, the question is ridiculous; no way would a sane person want Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy deciding if Jack the Ripper should be a free man. However the same common sense does not apply when it comes to the asylum known as the government of Illinois and the inmates who are the elected officials.

In state of Illinois, the legislators are deciding if a constitutional amendment should be on the November ballot, which would permit the recall of elected officials. Please allow me to rephrase that sentence. Politicians are deciding if their constituents have the right to have them fired if they are doing a lousy ... Read More...

In November 2008, Illinois voters will decide whether to have a constitutional convention. A “yes” vote for a convention will allow us to get to the work of cleaning up Illinois government, constitutionally limiting spending, and making it tougher for government to raise your taxes. The changes we have to make to accomplish these goals require amendments to the Illinois Constitution.

The only way to get those amendments now is to go through the legislature. But the legislature is the main obstacle to getting meaningful amendments to the ballot. It never will vote for the kinds of amendments that will get us there because doing so will limit legislative power. And let’s face it: the legislature never will allow the people to vote on any question that might limit legislative power.

The legislature has a sympathetic judiciary to do the heavy, and controversial, lifting. That’s what happened nearly 20 years ... Read More...