By The Beachwood Illinois Reform Commission Affairs Desk
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth and final part of a series excerpting the final report from the Illinois Reform Commission. The legislative session has ended with your elected officials making a mockery of their work.
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Over the past one hundred days, the Illinois Reform Commission traveled across the state to learn about and promote government reform. Throughout our short tenure, we have been humbled and awed by the number of Illinoisans who have dedicated their time and energy to reform efforts.
Many people have asked why previous reform efforts have failed. One common answer is that those in power fight to maintain the status quo. But this is only part of the answer. The truth is, past reform efforts have met with forces just as destructive as self-interest or corruption: apathy, inertia, and cynicism. Despite the Commission’s best efforts to bring attention to areas in dire need of reform, we can only be as effective as the people of Illinois allow us to be. Yet, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the critical role the media have played throughout our journey, which they must continue to play, to keep this discussion before the public.
In our one hundred days as a Commission, we have listened to the voice of our citizens. The message we have heard time and time is clear: Illinoisans want prompt, comprehensive and effective reform. While we provide the blueprint for these long-overdue reforms, their enactment into law will require citizen action and commitment to ensure that elected officials follow through and finally give the citizens of Illinois the honest, effective, and transparent government they deserve.
The endemic corruption in this state has been a source of much embarrassment and frustration in recent years. There are cynics who believe it will never change, but we take strong exception to that view. In spite of the embarrassments of recent years, this state has a proud political history and has elected many honest and dedicated public servants, many of whom serve today.
Moreover, we have been encouraged by the sentiment among so many in this state that these problems are not insurmountable.
The recent scandals in this state have reawakened interest in governmental reform. Many in the State, including our political leaders, are asking the same question, “What is wrong with our system and how can we fix it?” We have done our best to propose meaningful answers to that question. We encourage citizens and legislators to consider, discuss and debate our proposals. We are fully aware that some may feel our proposals go too far; others may feel they do not go far enough.
We believe such a debate will be healthy and, ideally, lead to the enactment of comprehensive reform that will set this State on the right track. Throughout this country’s history, we have repeatedly seen how a crisis often provides the seeds for change or reform. The current political crisis in our State has disillusioned many of our citizens, but we owe it to our children to use this crisis as an opportunity to reform a system long overdue for reform.
The time for change is now.
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See also:
* Ready For Reform: Chapter One/Executive Summary.
* Ready For Reform: Chapter Two/Campaign Finance.
* Ready For Reform: Chapter Three/Procurement.
* Ready For Reform: Chapter Four/Enforcement.
* Ready For Reform: Not Loopholes.
* Changing Illinois: The Four Tops And Their Money.
Posted on June 2, 2009