Thursday, January 12, 2006
What do Illinois Campaign Reformers Want?
For starters, they want to prohibit most of the entities that now contribute to campaigns from doing so in the future. Specifically, corporations and unions would be out. Presumably, they could use political action committees.
Next, they want limits on the amount that can be contributed by individuals and PACs. While unmentioned, this would have the effect of making candidates for public office more dependent on the Left Stream Media.
The group also wants to know if the candidates support limiting transfers among political committees. This is undoubtedly aimed at the four legislative leaders, who not only have personal campaign funds, but also control their caucus’ campaign fund. The extent to which the collection of money has been centralized under the control of the legislative leaders cannot be underestimated.
And, what answer do you think the group wants to this question:
Do you support ending pay-to-play by banning state contractors, including owners, directors and officers, form making campaign contributions to the constitutional officer who issues the contracts and oversees the work they do?
The corrupting influence of “heavily regulated industries, such as gaming interests and utilities” is the topic of the next query. Should they be prohibited from contributing.
When I first elected, the horse racing industry and liquor license holders were not allowed to contribute. They can now, so I guess Illinois has moved backward, according to this line of thinking.
Do you support voluntary public funding of campaigns, tied to spending limits for candidates for the Illinois Supreme Court?
Let’s see, the Republicans finally win a hotly contested race and now it’s time to limit spending. Anyone with political sense can figure out that a corrupt machine—as the Democrats ran for years in the southern-most Illinois Supreme Court district—will not be overcome by limiting spending. That virtually always helps the incumbent candidate or party. And, I’ll mention again that it has to give the Left Stream Media more power.
Next, the Campaign for Political Reform seeks “sunshine on the state’s two ethics commissions.” Gee. Are there two ethics commissions? Anyone ever remember hearing about even one ethics commission?
In any event, the group wants to know if the public should be able to receive some information on allegations of corruption and the status of investigations by the inspector generals.
The group, which feeds on campaign disclosure reports wants to know if they should be required four, rather than two times a year. It would be extremely helpful to know who is giving to legislators while they are in session. Requiring a report by end of April would allow those interested to see if there are “pay-to-pass” indications in the contributions to legislators.
Should the State Board of Elections get more money and the power to do random audits? The Board does no audits now…unless a complaint is made. Then, books and records are reviewed, not, perhaps, in the sense a CPA would define an audit.
But the Elections Board took enough of a look at the House Republican Campaign Committee front committee that attacked me prior to my unsuccessful 2000 primary to allow the U.S. Attorney’s Office to put Donald Udstuen’s and Lee Daniels’ mail house guru and former State Rep. Roger Stanley in jail.
The final question is whether reapportionment reform is favored “that would result in the greatest possible number of competitive legislative and congressional districts?
This, the questionnaire notes would “require that district boundary lines be drawn without favoritism to any political party or incumbent.”
Not only that, but district boundaries would have to “respect the boundaries of counties, cities and neighborhoods as much as possible.”
It should be noted that in Cook County village presidents and mayors often have strong organizations, so whether this change would be a real “reform” or not is not certain.
The group was founded by former U.S. Senator Paul Simon.
Almost forgot. The group also wants candidates to sign the “Code of Fair Campaign Practices.” More on that "code" in another story.
To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.
Next, they want limits on the amount that can be contributed by individuals and PACs. While unmentioned, this would have the effect of making candidates for public office more dependent on the Left Stream Media.
The group also wants to know if the candidates support limiting transfers among political committees. This is undoubtedly aimed at the four legislative leaders, who not only have personal campaign funds, but also control their caucus’ campaign fund. The extent to which the collection of money has been centralized under the control of the legislative leaders cannot be underestimated.
And, what answer do you think the group wants to this question:
Do you support ending pay-to-play by banning state contractors, including owners, directors and officers, form making campaign contributions to the constitutional officer who issues the contracts and oversees the work they do?
The corrupting influence of “heavily regulated industries, such as gaming interests and utilities” is the topic of the next query. Should they be prohibited from contributing.
When I first elected, the horse racing industry and liquor license holders were not allowed to contribute. They can now, so I guess Illinois has moved backward, according to this line of thinking.
Do you support voluntary public funding of campaigns, tied to spending limits for candidates for the Illinois Supreme Court?
Let’s see, the Republicans finally win a hotly contested race and now it’s time to limit spending. Anyone with political sense can figure out that a corrupt machine—as the Democrats ran for years in the southern-most Illinois Supreme Court district—will not be overcome by limiting spending. That virtually always helps the incumbent candidate or party. And, I’ll mention again that it has to give the Left Stream Media more power.
Next, the Campaign for Political Reform seeks “sunshine on the state’s two ethics commissions.” Gee. Are there two ethics commissions? Anyone ever remember hearing about even one ethics commission?
In any event, the group wants to know if the public should be able to receive some information on allegations of corruption and the status of investigations by the inspector generals.
The group, which feeds on campaign disclosure reports wants to know if they should be required four, rather than two times a year. It would be extremely helpful to know who is giving to legislators while they are in session. Requiring a report by end of April would allow those interested to see if there are “pay-to-pass” indications in the contributions to legislators.
Should the State Board of Elections get more money and the power to do random audits? The Board does no audits now…unless a complaint is made. Then, books and records are reviewed, not, perhaps, in the sense a CPA would define an audit.
But the Elections Board took enough of a look at the House Republican Campaign Committee front committee that attacked me prior to my unsuccessful 2000 primary to allow the U.S. Attorney’s Office to put Donald Udstuen’s and Lee Daniels’ mail house guru and former State Rep. Roger Stanley in jail.
The final question is whether reapportionment reform is favored “that would result in the greatest possible number of competitive legislative and congressional districts?
This, the questionnaire notes would “require that district boundary lines be drawn without favoritism to any political party or incumbent.”
Not only that, but district boundaries would have to “respect the boundaries of counties, cities and neighborhoods as much as possible.”
It should be noted that in Cook County village presidents and mayors often have strong organizations, so whether this change would be a real “reform” or not is not certain.
The group was founded by former U.S. Senator Paul Simon.
Almost forgot. The group also wants candidates to sign the “Code of Fair Campaign Practices.” More on that "code" in another story.
To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.
# posted by Cal Skinner : 2:39 PM
