Concern About Corruption in Illinois
Politics may be local for politicians, but is it for citizens? The <a href="http://ilcampaign.org/PDF/Jan09Poll.pdf" target="”_blank”">2009 Joyce Foundation
Illinois Survey</a> shows that in January the people of Illinois were
more concerned about corruption in government than about the economy.
Last January only 49% of those polled were extremely concerned about
corruption; now 61% are (and 50% are extremely concerned about the
economy, as opposed to 45% the year before).<br>
<br>
What changed?<br>
<br>
According to <a href="http://www.uic.edu/depts/pols/ChicagoPolitics/Anti-corruptionReport.pdf…; target="”_blank”">a
recent anti-corruption report</a>, since 1970, 1,000 politicians and
business people in Illinois have been convicted of public corruption
crimes, an average of 26 a year. That includes 3 governors and 30
Chicago aldermen (the report gives at least a page to each of the
aldermen).<br>
<br>
So what's new in Illinois? National media attention to former governor
Rod Blagojevich. Local media coverage, not to mention common knowledge,
was not enough to get Illinois citizens to be overly concerned with
corruption, not to mention vote the bums out of office (although it
might have been hard to find non-bums to vote in; Blagojevich was,
after all, a reform candidate).<br>
<br>
Here's an interesting question that was asked relating to this: Do you
think Governor Blagojevich’s alleged behavior is an unusual and extreme
case of corruption or do you think this type of behavior is common
among public officials in Illinois? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) Do you believe
this strongly or somewhat?<br>
<br>
And the answers:<br>
<br>
Strongly Unusual & Extreme 23%<br>
Somewhat Unusual & Extreme 16%<br>
Somewhat Common 20%<br>
Strongly Common 38%<br>
DK/ REF 3%<br>
<br>
So most people believed that Blagojevich was not off the charts, at
least in terms of his values, e.g., What's in it for me? But national
media coverage was enough to make a substantial difference in the
public's attitude toward corruption.<br>
<br>
The question is, is the concern with corruption enough to get better
ethics, lobbying, open government, and campaign finance laws in
Illinois?<br>
<br>
For more on ethics issues in Illinois, see the following blog entries:<br>
<a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/117" target="”_blank”">A City Where "We Don't
Want Nobody Nobody Sent"</a><br>
<a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/512" target="”_blank”">A New Punch Line in Cook
County's Patronage Joke</a><br>
<a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/589" target="”_blank”">A Must-Read Editorial</a><br>
<a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/579" target="”_blank”">Blagojevich's Realtor Wife
and Lobbyist Tipper<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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