More McHenry County Blog

Here is the rest of the press release:

While Blagojevich started a two day sweep of the state, GOP primary candidate Judy Baar Topinka announced a proposal for campaign finance reform that does not address the root cause fueling “pay to play” politics in Illinois – political contributions.

“Until we prohibit contributions from all corporations and unions and limit donations from individuals and political committees, we are going to have loopholes that will allow people to profit at the taxpayers’ expense,” stated Brady.

“I have introduced legislation for strict limitations on campaign contributions to eliminate the incentive for corruption in government. My campaign finance reform prohibits all donations from corporations and unions and limits contributions from individuals to $2,000 and donations from political action committees to $5,000 per election cycle.

“I have proposed a requirement that all state bond sales be competitively bid. I have proposed awarding no-bid contracts to political contributors and likewise banning holders of no-bid contracts from making political donations, and I am glad to see that Judy has embraced at least that part of my ethics reforms,” Brady explained

“Both Rod Blagojevich and Judy Baar Topinka want to hide behind blame shifting and political rhetoric while avoiding public debates which would allow the people of Illinois to really see what they stand for and would bring to the table.

“If they really want to let Illinoisans know where they stand, they should agree to debate their opponents in every media market and every university town in the state. Then, everyone from Waukegan to East St Louis would have a chance to hear how Rod plans to dig us out of the fiscal nightmare he’s created and why Judy is considering tax increases.

“It's going to take more than populist platitudes to bring reform to Illinois. I offer real change for Illinois, change that will improve our business climate, better educate our children and eliminate the Blagojevich Administration's pay-to-play politics.

“Rod Blagojevich fooled the people of Illinois four years ago, and they're paying the price today. I don't think they're going to let themselves be fooled again by him or by a treasurer unwilling to make decisions unpopular to her donors. Throughout my campaign, I have offered real answers to the challenges facing Illinois, from tax relief to campaign ethics reform.”

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