Today was the long-awaited (?) State of the State address by Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker.
Typical political blah blah blah blah.
Full text is here:
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/full-text-gov-j-b-pritzker-s-state-of-the/article_1df3ec78-42c4-11ea-952a-438b876067f0.html
A couple sections that I'll highlight:
And now we have to work together to confront a scourge that has been plaguing our political system for far too long. We must root out the purveyors of greed and corruption — in both parties — whose presence infects the bloodstream of government. It’s no longer enough to sit idle while under-the-table deals, extortion, or bribery persist. Protecting that culture or tolerating it is no longer acceptable. We must take urgent action to restore the public’s trust in our government. That’s why we need to pass real, lasting ethics reform this legislative session.
It’s time to end the practice of legislators serving as paid lobbyists. In fact it’s time to end the for-profit influence peddling among all elected officials at every level of government in Illinois. Disclosure of conflicts of interest and punishment for breaching them must be included in any ethics package for us to truly clean up government. Most states have a revolving door provision for legislators, and it’s time for Illinois to join them. Elected officials shouldn’t be allowed to retire and immediately start lobbying their former colleagues. It’s wrong, and it’s got to stop.
Change needs to happen. And much of this change needs to happen outside of the scope of legislation. It’s about how we, as public officials, conduct ourselves in private that also matters. Common sense and basic decency need to prevail in the everyday interactions that make government work. People need to treat disgusting suggestions with disgust. The old patronage system needs to die...finally and completely.
YES! YES! and YES!!
If GovJB is serious about this and truly takes a firm stand as a leader to fight those within his own party to root out chaff and losers on both sides of the aisle, WOW, WHAT AN INCREDIBLE DEAL THAT WOULD BE!
I'm not optimistic because I'm burnt-out from the lack of effort the last 4 governors (Ryan, Blago, Quinn, Rauner) gave to this area.
Time will tell if Pritzker is true to his word. Or if this was just fake leadership talk.
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt
Typical political blah blah blah blah.
Full text is here:
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/full-text-gov-j-b-pritzker-s-state-of-the/article_1df3ec78-42c4-11ea-952a-438b876067f0.html
A couple sections that I'll highlight:
And now we have to work together to confront a scourge that has been plaguing our political system for far too long. We must root out the purveyors of greed and corruption — in both parties — whose presence infects the bloodstream of government. It’s no longer enough to sit idle while under-the-table deals, extortion, or bribery persist. Protecting that culture or tolerating it is no longer acceptable. We must take urgent action to restore the public’s trust in our government. That’s why we need to pass real, lasting ethics reform this legislative session.
It’s time to end the practice of legislators serving as paid lobbyists. In fact it’s time to end the for-profit influence peddling among all elected officials at every level of government in Illinois. Disclosure of conflicts of interest and punishment for breaching them must be included in any ethics package for us to truly clean up government. Most states have a revolving door provision for legislators, and it’s time for Illinois to join them. Elected officials shouldn’t be allowed to retire and immediately start lobbying their former colleagues. It’s wrong, and it’s got to stop.
Change needs to happen. And much of this change needs to happen outside of the scope of legislation. It’s about how we, as public officials, conduct ourselves in private that also matters. Common sense and basic decency need to prevail in the everyday interactions that make government work. People need to treat disgusting suggestions with disgust. The old patronage system needs to die...finally and completely.
YES! YES! and YES!!
If GovJB is serious about this and truly takes a firm stand as a leader to fight those within his own party to root out chaff and losers on both sides of the aisle, WOW, WHAT AN INCREDIBLE DEAL THAT WOULD BE!
I'm not optimistic because I'm burnt-out from the lack of effort the last 4 governors (Ryan, Blago, Quinn, Rauner) gave to this area.
Time will tell if Pritzker is true to his word. Or if this was just fake leadership talk.
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt