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 job. Making the matter more insane is the fact that for this referendum to appear on the ballot, it has to be approved not by a simple majority, but by a three-fifths majority.

Of course any measure that gives power to the citizens and forces elected officials to be accountable to their constituents is going to be met with great resistance from politicians who don’t believe in accountability and the power of the electorate. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) is a strong opponent of the measure as well as the state Comptroller Dan Hynes (D) and Governor Blagojevich’s most vocal advocate in the state legislature, Rep. Jay Hoffman (D).

Strongly supporting the amendment is Lt. Governor Pat Quinn (D), who has been an advocate of recall for over thirty years. Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna has recently applauded Recall efforts. Last week the Illinois House by a bipartisan effort approved HJRCA0028 by an overwhelming 80–25 margin in what is simply a test vote.

This week all eyes are on the Illinois Senate as SJRCA0070 could be called to the floor for a vote. If the measure passes, Illinois voters will have their opportunity to support or deny recall for elected officials. However the senate may be tougher nut to crack for accountable government advocates.

The current senate bill has only garnered GOP sponsorship, while the house resolution was a bipartisan effort. Democrats control both legislative bodies and with no Democrats willing to sign their name to the senate bill, it will undoubtedly have a tough time receiving majority support, let alone three-fifths. This revelation is not surprising since most senate Democrats don’t go to the bathroom without first asking permission from senate President Emil Jones (D). The entire recall debate may be a moot point if Jones refuses to permit the bill to come to the floor for a vote. Jones has refused to publicly take a position regarding recall, which may be an indicator that he may try to delay the measure until after May 4, the deadline for the referendum to be placed on the November ballot.

The idea behind recall can be classified as a no-brainer. In the “Land of Lincoln” it would be a good idea to listen to the words of our 16Th President, when he said during the Gettysburg Address, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” It may not perish from the earth, but it sure perished from Illinois a long time ago. It would be nice to get it back.

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Paul Miller is a writer; consultant and activist dedicated to issues concerning Israel, limited government and free market ideas. You can read his opinions at http://pauliespoint.blogspot.com.