by John Bambenek
The Illinois Senate has approved HJCRA 31that provides for the ability to recall the governor. This was a hot topic during Blagojevich and a pet project of Governor Quinn. I support recall. It makes sense to have voters be able to fire a politician that no longer servers the public interest (like Blagojevich). In the history of this country, only two recalls happened. One was aborted because the governor was impeached before the recall vote. The other was Gray Davis, a magnificient failure.
The devil is, of course, in the details. 15% of voters need to sign, 100 signatures (at least) from 25 counties (at least). 15% is a little high, but the county number I agree with (we don't want Chicago recalling politicians, after all. However, it requires 20 state representatives (10 from each party) and 10 state senators (5 from each party) to sign on before a recall petition can be circulated. What good is a recall provision if it wouldn't have been able to get rid of Rod Blagojevich?
Once again, we have good reform ideas perverted by established politicians who will give you the illusion of reform often while solidifying their own power. It is time for the people to take back their state government and realize that politicians simply will not reform themselves. We've given them the chance and not only have they failed to reform, they've tried to make things WORSE.
Join me on November 7th in having a statewide "Rally for Reform" where we begin the process of reforming our state government. If interested in organizing a rally in your community on November 7th, contact me at jcb@putbackamendment.com.
