Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner ran for his state’s highest office while simultaneously spearheading a wildly popular initiative — a proposed constitutional amendment to place state legislators under term limits.
Unfortunately, the amendment was blocked from voters. An appeals court ruled it outside the scope of the state’s initiative process, and the cowardly state supreme court dodged the case.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rauner’s campaign as an outsider — opposed to both Chicago and Springfield political machines — earned him the governorship.
Most politicians would cry crocodile tears for term limits and claim, aw shucks, there’s just no way to get them enacted … especially with the Malevolent Monarch, Mr. Michael Madigan, the state’s longest corruption-serving Speaker of the House, as term limits enemy #1.
But Rauner isn’t backing off. “Rauner has at least one non-negotiable item on his wish list for the spring legislative session,” writes Matthew Dietrich of Reboot Illinois in the Huffington Post: “passing legislative term limits.”
Rich Miller of Capitol Fax reports that “Democrats were shocked,” when an “administration official … more than implied that if the [term limits] constitutional amendment isn’t passed by May 31st, then the governor would not support any revenue increases to patch next fiscal year’s massive $6 billion hole.”
“Would the governor really threaten to crash the entire government over a term limits bill?” asks Miller … answering, “Yep.”
Goodness, Gov. Rauner is absolutely serious about enacting the reform the people of Illinois know is Step 1 in fighting the state’s rampant corruption: term limits.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
3 replies on “Is He Serious?”
There is one other method to reduce corruption in the state of Illinois that does not involve term limits. Open season and no bag limit.
If the people of Illinois really DO care about their state and want to fight rampant corruption, then let them enact term limits by going to the polls and voting against incumbents of both parties. Term limits laws take the responsibility for bad government out of the hands of the people who make it possible and who have the power to do something about it: voters.
And if the governor cares about state spending then maybe he can try patching that six billion dollar hole with spending cuts. That’s another way to take corruption out of government — put it on a diet.
Finally an Illinois politician who has some manly parts on his body. To bad all the others are just interested in keeping their offices rather than finding real jobs and letting someone else have a turn in office. Imagine Madigan working for a living Lots of luck Bruce. You remember what Madigan and the others did to us after volunteers spent hundreds of hours getting petitions signed just to get the issue on the ballot. Shows that they are afraid of us voters because they know we will vote to have term limits. Too bad the courts also are on their side. Good Luck with the newest idea Bruce.