Liberty Lunch

BREAKING NEWS:  S.E. Cupp to headline our Liberty Lunch on April 20^th
Location:  Carriage Greens Country Club, 8700 Carriage Green Drive, Darien

“If anyone can make conservatism cool again,
it’s S.E. Cupp.” -Tucker Carlson

At Liberty Lunch, come see a young rising conservative star, S.E. Cupp.

Click here to reserve your seat online. Buy her book and have her sign it.

Cupp is a frequent guest of cable news programs including CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.  Her writings have appeared at many of the major national newspapers. Cupp has her own show on GBTV, “S.E. Cupp”.

Sponsored by Tom Sodeika, President of Precision Payroll of America.
Sincerely,
 

HANK KRUSE
Chairman, For The Good of Illinois

In The News

• Liberty Lunch
  Please go to www.forthegoodofillinois/issues/liberty-lunch
• Audit under way at troubled north suburban waste agency
• Illinois should weigh use of Parent Trigger
  As rolled out first in California, the Trigger means that when more than half of a failing school’s parents sign a petition of no confidence in their school’s management, local school authorities are obliged to convert the facility to an independently man
• Chicago mayoral candidate Danny Davis releases tax returns
  U.S. Rep Danny Davis’s mayoral campaign released five years of the congressman’s federal and state income tax returns today, disclosing annual income of more than $200,000 from his congressional salary and pension earnings.
• Kay unseats Jay Hoffman
  Republican Dwight Kay campaigned on the premise that it was time to replace a politician with a businessman.
• McCarter wins state senate seat in own right
  State Sen. Kyle McCarter laid claim to his seat Tuesday, pulling out a win against challenger Tim Dudley in one of the most expensive races in the Illinois General Assembly.
• Kay Beats Hoffman in 112th House District
  During his second time vying to oust his longtime incumbent State Representative Jay Hoffman, businessman Dwight Kay of Glen Carbon emerged victorious Tuesday night.
• Republicans make rare inroads in Madison County
  Republican Dwight Kay was elected to the Illinois House, defeating Democrat Jay Hoffman, who held the 112th District seat most of the time since 1990. Both the Illinois House and Senate retained reduced Democratic majorities.
• Brown, McCarter thank supporters during Chamber of Commerce business breakfast
  State Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, joined Decatur Republican Adam Brown, who ousted state Rep. Bob Flider Tuesday, in speaking before the assembled Chamber members. Both candidates thanked their supporters and families and expressed joy in their triumph
• Kay beats Hoffman in statehouse race
  Republican Dwight Kay was overjoyed Tuesday night at defeating 16-year incumbent Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville by a vote difference of 51 percent to 49 percent in the race for state representative for the 112th District.
• McCann takes state Senate seat held by Demuzios since 1975
  Republican Sam McCann of Carlinville won an Illinois Senate seat long held by the Demuzio family on Tuesday. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, McCann had 34,206 votes to incumbent state Sen. Deanna Demuzio’s 31,725 votes.
• Drawing business Kay's key
  Three state business organizations have endorsed Glen Carbon Republican Dwight Kay in his bid for state representative.
• Hoffman-Kay race exceeds $1 million; contest among costliest in Illinois
  EDWARDSVILLE -- Spending in the race for the 112th House seat has topped $1 million, one of the top 20 legislative races in the state. Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/10/26/1451077/hoffman-kay-race-exceeds-1-million.html#ixzz144QDea54
• Teachers' Retirement System's unfunded liability jumps $5 billion in FY10
  (Crain's) — The Teachers' Retirement System for Illinois said Monday that its unfunded liability swelled by $4.8 billion in fiscal 2010.
• ‘Forensic audit’ sounds so ominous
  Adam Andrzejewski didn’t gain much traction in his maiden run for political office in February, but the Republican businessman from Herscher coined a phrase that continues to reverberate through the 2010 election. Read more: Herald & Review Blogs htt
• Will Co. early voting turnout almost triple compared to last gubernatorial election
  Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots credits turnout to a handful of big races such as the gubernatorial, 11th Congressional, 43rd state Senate and the Will County Sheriff.
• Million Dollar Races
  Since July 1, for example, campaign committees controlled by Democrats gave $447,769 to Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, who's worried about losing his normally safe 43rd District seat to Republican Cedra Crenshaw, a tea party favorite. Republican committees have give
• Associated Builders & Contractors, NFIB, & Illinois Chamber Endorse Sam McCann
  The National Federation of Independent Business, Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. and the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, today endorsed Sam McCann (R) for the 49th State Senate seat currently head by incumbent Deanna Demuzio (D) of Carlinvil
• Comptroller: Budget Deficit Could Reach $15 Billion
  The state’s record budget deficit is likely to get worse before it gets better, according to a recent report released by state Comptroller Dan Hynes. The Comptroller’s report said lawmakers and the next Illinois governor could face “the very real possibil
• McCarter, Brown pick up pro-business endorsements
  Two Decatur-area Republican candidates picked up a raft of endorsements Wednesday from a number of pro-business groups. Representatives of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, National Federation of Independent Business and Illinois Chamber of Commerc
• Fund-raiser: Jesse Jackson Jr. behind $6M Senate-seat scheme
  Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. directed a major political fund-raiser to offer former Gov. Rod Blagojevich millions of dollars in campaign cash in return for an appointment to the U.S. Senate, sources said the fund-raiser has told federal authorities.
• Comptroller candidates seek more transparency for TIF districts
  The Democratic candidate for state comptroller said he wants to shine more light on an economic development tool he contends may be diverting tax dollars from more important programs.
• Illinois SAT Scores Drop
  Average SAT scores in Illinois dropped across all subjects for the class of 2010, but there was good news too: Graduates showed they could outwrite their peers.
• McHenry County state's attorney indicted
  Misconduct allegations that fueled a bitter election two years ago in McHenry County resurfaced Friday when the sitting state's attorney was charged in a 17-page felony indictment.
• Illinois can't even pay office utility bills for legislators
  It's the same story at the district offices of Illinois' elected legislators across the state: Phone, utilities, garbage and rent payments months behind, prompting a monthly flurry of terse late notices and cutoff threats to offices with the state emblem
• Mayor Daley pays felon $40,000.00 in taxpayer money
  Another inspector for the city of Chicago was sentenced to 21 months in prison last Friday. Thomas Ziroli was a ventilation inspector for the city of Chicago's Department of Buildings. A federal jury convicted Ziroli of bribery in March 2010 for accepting
• Ex-Gov. Ryan appeals parts of conviction
  Imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan is seeking to have elements of his conviction thrown out based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year.
• The Telegraph: Letter to the Editor Regarding Sam McCann
  When I read the article in The Telegraph on Aug. 5 titled, "Bill Haine questions statements on Service Record," my heart sank. I was disheartened with the implications in the article and the political attempt to hurt a candidate on the other side of the a
• Is Madison County dragging its feet on putting county checkbook online?
  A Madison County Board member wants to put the county's checkbook online and said the county administration is dragging its feet on doing so. Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/08/24/1374284/is-madison-county-dragging-its.html#ixzz0xdzUKt3Z
• Our state is $120.6 billion short!
  Here's their shocking truth: Even if Illinois used all of its assets -- except for our infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings, land, etc. -- we would not have enough to pay the $140.6 billion of bills when they come due.
• Should our local and state governments be subjected to forensic audits?
  In his Chicago Tribune column today, John Kass reports that Democratic Chicago Alderman - and possible mayoral candidate - Scott Waguespack is calling for a "forensic audit" of the financial records of the City of Chicago.
• Gov. Quinn's chief of staff resigns amid ethics probe
  Gov. Pat Quinn’s chief of staff resigned Sunday after the Chicago Sun-Times posed questions about a probe of three politically oriented correspondences sent from his government e-mail account in possible violation of a state ethics law.
• Potential Mayor Daley challenger calls for forensic audit
  Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, has two terrifying words for Mayor Richard Daley: Forensic Audit.
• Candidates Disappointed by Blago Verdict
  Sudden headlines of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s self-assurance upon the assign of fibbing to the FBI had officials, possibilities for open bureau as well as residents thrown for the double back Tuesday.
• Republican leaders turn out for Hoffman challenger Dwight Kay
  Republican leaders stood by candidate Dwight Kay touting his business experience in his bid to unseat state Rep. Jay Hoffman.
• Can The Illinois Pension Catastrophe Be Stopped?
  A true financial valuation of unfunded pension liabilities reveals a debt of more than $200 billion for the state and local governments. That is around $42,000 per Illinois household and only counts benefits that public employees can claim based on today'
• Macoupin County Miracle!
  This past Friday, well over 500 people attended the McCann/Rosenthal Grand Slam Event in Carlinville, Illinois. The district wide event was an all day fundraiser for Sam McCann, Republican Candidate for the State Senate’s 49th District and Wayne Rosenthal
• Mom 1; Machine 0
  Party leaders brought out the big guns to try to blow Republican challenger Cedra Crenshaw off the November ballot for the 43rd District seat. But a Will County judge ruled Wednesday that Crenshaw's ballot petitions are valid, rejecting the argument contr
• Republican Candidate Vows To Fix Sate's Money Issues
  "I think the people in Springfield owe us an apology," said Kay, of Glen Carbon, referring to what he called Illinois' financial "death spiral." Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/07/30/1346577/kay-vows-to-fix-states-money-issues.html#ixzz0wjoByZnl
• Kay Pledges To Cut Pay If Elected
  Dwight Kay says that if voters elect him as the area’s state representative in the fall, he will take a 10 percent pay cut. First-year legislators in Illinois make $67,836 per year, and Kay’s action would save taxpayers $6,783. In addition, Kay said he wo
• Kay Touts Business Background In Illinois House Race
  Republican Illinois House candidate Dwight Kay made a public pledge Thursday to vote against higher taxes, cut waste, fight corruption and support term limits, among other goals.
• McCarter Recognized For Support Of Free Market Principles
  The Illinois State Chamber of Commerce has awarded State Sen. Kyle McCarter with their Outstanding Freshman award for support of key legislation, ‘in the defense of free enterprise, and the furtherance of economic opportunities for Illinoisans.’
• Both Parties' Candidates Critical Of Income Tax Plan
  Decatur-area lawmakers spoke out Thursday against early news the governor's office will seek to increase the state's income tax from 3 percent to 5 percent.
• GOP Has Fundraising Edge In Decatur-Area Races That Are Expected To Be Expensive
  With fewer than 100 days to go until the election, Republican candidates are leading the fundraising battle over their Democratic opponents in Decatur, according to the most recent campaign contribution reports from the Illinois State Board of Elections.
• Dudley, McCarter Take Shots At Each Other's Gun Rights Record
  Speaking Thursday, McCarter said Dudley did not defend the 2nd Amendment. "Actions speak louder than words," McCarter said. "He voted against a resolution supporting the 2nd Amendment as a member of the Macon County board. It doesn't matter if it's bindin
• Local 9-12 Leader Aids McCann In 49th
  The Jacksonville businessman who heads his local 9-12 group and has arranged for SAMUEL “Joe the Plumber” WURZELBACHER to come to central Illinois this month is also a key contributor to the state Senate campaign of Republican SAM McCANN of Carlinville.
• Tea Party Rally Draws A Crowd
  More than 250 people showed up to the TEA Party "1776 Freedom" rally Saturday at Grafton's Grove Park.
• Dems propose 67% income tax hike to cover budget shortfall
  Illinois budget director talks tax hike with Bloomberg.
• Illinois Has Nation's Largest Budget Deficit
  Study Says Deficits For All States Together Will Total $83.9 Billion Next Year
• Towns pad pensions despite crisis
  Shortly before Tim Baldermann retired as Chicago Ridge's police chief, the town boosted his salary by more than $70,000, handing the 44-year-old as big a paycheck in retirement as he earned full time on the police force.
• Illinois Stops Paying Its Bills, but Can’t Stop Digging Hole
  Even by the standards of this deficit-ridden state, Illinois’s comptroller, Daniel W. Hynes, faces an ugly balance sheet. Precisely how ugly becomes clear when he beckons you into his office to examine his daily briefing memo.
• State set records for failing finances in fiscal 2010, comptroller says
  The last budget year was a record-breaking one for Illinois finances, and all the records were bad.
• Hynes: Fixing Budget Can't Wait for November
  Chicago - The man who keeps tabs on the state of Illinois' checkbook said Friday it's never been in worse shape.
• Senate Seat For Sale--The Chicago Way
  Buying your way into the U.S. Senate is nothing new. The most notorious case took place one hundred years ago. As you'd expect, a Chicago politician was at the middle of it.
• Politics: The Art of the Unbelievable
  In many places, voters become disenchanted when politicians move directly from high offices to lucrative jobs as lobbyists and consultants. Not in Illinois. Here, we are just happy when a politician doesn't go directly from high office to prison.
• The Madigan Rules
  House Speaker Michael Madigan says he follows a personal code of conduct to avoid conflicts of interest. Even so, some clients of his private law firm have benefited from his public actions.
• Madigan's kind of town
  Michael J. Madigan wasn't calling to talk about state issues. Instead, Madigan was drumming up legal business for his property tax appeal firm.
• Madigan's allies get slice of village business
  Michael Madigan calmly sliced his daily apple as he listened to the 40-minute pitch from several leaders of Oak Lawn, long frustrated in their efforts to secure money for a dilapidated water system that supplies much of the south suburbs.
• How Reform Failed in Illinois
  Limits on how much contributors can give to politicians had come to symbolize what reform meant in the post-Blagojevich landscape. But the commissioners assembled that morning at the end of May thought the proposal scheduled for a vote in a few hours fell
• Keeping track of our imprisoned ex-governors
  More than 33 years and 1,600 miles separate Dan Walker from his days in the governor's mansion in Springfield. Yet he's bracing to have his name dragged into the news again when another federal jury renders another verdict in another corruption trial of a
• Gone to Sod
  Meanwhile the Land of Lincoln's political culture -- once renowned for spectacular corruption and amazing efficiency -- has merely become corrupt and incompetent.
• Index of Worker Freedom
  The 2009 Index of Worker Freedom (IWF) is the Alliance for Worker Freedom’s second sate-by-state comparative study that measures the level of worker freedom by analyzing actual policy as well as quantitative state data.
• Crenshaw talks fiscal, social issues with Tribune board
  State Senate candidate Cedra Crenshaw said Monday she supports a complete audit of the state financial records to identify wasteful spending and posting all documents online. “You’ve got to open everything up and reform how we do things,” said Crenshaw,
• Ballot Controversy Helped Campaign: Cedra Crenshaw
  A candidate for State Senate is focusing on her campaign after winning a battle to get on the fall ballot. Cedra Crenshaw is a suburban mom who identifies with the tea party movement, and she's taking on Democratic State Senator A.J. Wilhelmi in the south
• Dems Dirty Tricks
  The Chicago Machine’s desperate and unsuccessful attempt to knock us off the ballot has only rocketed our campaign to the national stage. Thanks to your passionate and pervasive voices, our message is ringing out across the country.
• CPS to use reserve funds to balance budget
  After seven months of dire predictions and the expected layoffs of about 1,200 classroom teachers, Chicago Public Schools finally crossed the final stretch to a balanced budget by completely drawing down its reserve funds.
• Schools give kids a pass on grading homework
  In a break with tradition, many teachers no longer grade homework and prefer instead to calculate a student's grade point average based on how they perform in class. They say homework shows effort more than brains.
• Cedra Crenshaw, Candidate Mom, Escapes Clutches of Chicago Machine
  Cedra Crenshaw proved to be too quick to be the latest victim of the Chicago Machine. She’s running for the Illinois state Senate as a Tea Party Republican, and Democrats did their best to keep her off the ballot. Though the district is reportedly 2-1 De
• Chicago Machine Is Afraid of a… Mom!
  In October, 2009, at an Illinois GOP Governor Candidate Debate, moderator Chris Robling opened the debate with the line, “The on-going concern of the State of Illinois is in question!” He was right, and the primary reasons Illinois is such a mess is the
• Breaking: Chicago Democrat Machine Throws Black Female Candidate Off the Ballot
  As we feared, the Chicago Democrat Machine reached into neighboring Will County and lined up a couple Democrat officials to throw Cedra Crenshaw, GOP candidate for the 43rd State Senate District, off the ballot. The Machine candidate in the district, A.J.
• One Mom Fights the Chicago Machine to Stay On the Ballot
  During the 1996 Illinois Senate race, an aspiring Chicago politician hired skilled attorneys to exploit election rules and challenge his primary opponents’ right to be placed on the ballot. This novice politician was Barack Obama who cut his teeth on Chic
• One Nation against the Obama’s Chicago Machine
  Last week, I reported how the Chicago Democrat machine had injected itself into neighboring Will County in attempt to knock me on the ballot. My candidacy against a legacy politician, the specially appointed AJ Wilhelmi, was too much of a threat to the st
• Chicago Machine Democrats Deserve NAACP Condemnation, Not Tea Party
  As the NAACP prepares to condemn the tea party movement for phantom “explicitly racist behavior”, the Department of Justice and the NAACP overlook actual instances of explicitly racist behavior by the New Black Panther Party. Blatant disregard for actual

Blog

Open The Books

VISIT:                 www.OpenTheBooks.com
DOWNLOAD:  OpenTheBooks iPhone App.

Since our September 2011 website launch, over hundred’s of thousands of people have rendered millions of questions!

SEARCH:  your school, village, township, park district, forest preserve, library, water, police, fire, university, college, community college, county, executive, judical, legislative, transit authority…  all the pay & pensions of virtually all Illinois public employees.  Our portal contains 7 million lines of data and a quarter trillion dollars of government spending.

WHAT WE FOUND: Legal pension corruptions of non-government organizations who have “muscled” themselves into our government pension plans. Because of openthebooks.com, Sen. Matt Murphy (R- Palatine) drafted SB2499- Pension Abuse Loophole Reform.  This legislation would simply codify into law, “Government pensions are for government employees, period.”  Insiders are literally draining tens of millions of dollars from hard working rank-and-file teachers, goverment employees and taxpayers.  This abuse needs to stop. Watch our Thompson Center press conference here.

How many people received a paycheck for a pension check from some level of Illinois government last year?
1 million people

In 2010, how many public employees out earned the governor and collectively what was their total compensation?
3,062 pubic employees- costing taxpayers nearly $1 billion of total compensation.

ACCOUNTABILITY: As US Senator Everett Dirksen said, “When I feel the heat, I see the light.”

Our portal has a unique feature to “salary graph” the ten year history of most public employees. See the massive pay hikes that public employees have experienced over the last ten years.  While, private sector pay increases are up only 27% according to the National Average Wage Index, most Illinois public employees have pay increases of between 60-100% since 2001.

Payroll and pension costs are 70-80% of a local government operating budget.

We believe that 100% transparency of public information is the only way citizens can hold their elected officials accountable.

At For The Good of Illinois, our Open The Books Project has set a national standard of proactive transparency.  Before citizens even conceive of a question regarding pay and pensions of public officials, the information is already posted on our website, www.openthebooks.com.

In The News

• Liberty Lunch
  Please go to www.forthegoodofillinois/issues/liberty-lunch
• Audit under way at troubled north suburban waste agency
• Illinois should weigh use of Parent Trigger
  As rolled out first in California, the Trigger means that when more than half of a failing school’s parents sign a petition of no confidence in their school’s management, local school authorities are obliged to convert the facility to an independently man
• Chicago mayoral candidate Danny Davis releases tax returns
  U.S. Rep Danny Davis’s mayoral campaign released five years of the congressman’s federal and state income tax returns today, disclosing annual income of more than $200,000 from his congressional salary and pension earnings.
• Kay unseats Jay Hoffman
  Republican Dwight Kay campaigned on the premise that it was time to replace a politician with a businessman.
• McCarter wins state senate seat in own right
  State Sen. Kyle McCarter laid claim to his seat Tuesday, pulling out a win against challenger Tim Dudley in one of the most expensive races in the Illinois General Assembly.
• Kay Beats Hoffman in 112th House District
  During his second time vying to oust his longtime incumbent State Representative Jay Hoffman, businessman Dwight Kay of Glen Carbon emerged victorious Tuesday night.
• Republicans make rare inroads in Madison County
  Republican Dwight Kay was elected to the Illinois House, defeating Democrat Jay Hoffman, who held the 112th District seat most of the time since 1990. Both the Illinois House and Senate retained reduced Democratic majorities.
• Brown, McCarter thank supporters during Chamber of Commerce business breakfast
  State Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, joined Decatur Republican Adam Brown, who ousted state Rep. Bob Flider Tuesday, in speaking before the assembled Chamber members. Both candidates thanked their supporters and families and expressed joy in their triumph
• Kay beats Hoffman in statehouse race
  Republican Dwight Kay was overjoyed Tuesday night at defeating 16-year incumbent Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville by a vote difference of 51 percent to 49 percent in the race for state representative for the 112th District.
• McCann takes state Senate seat held by Demuzios since 1975
  Republican Sam McCann of Carlinville won an Illinois Senate seat long held by the Demuzio family on Tuesday. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, McCann had 34,206 votes to incumbent state Sen. Deanna Demuzio’s 31,725 votes.
• Drawing business Kay's key
  Three state business organizations have endorsed Glen Carbon Republican Dwight Kay in his bid for state representative.
• Hoffman-Kay race exceeds $1 million; contest among costliest in Illinois
  EDWARDSVILLE -- Spending in the race for the 112th House seat has topped $1 million, one of the top 20 legislative races in the state. Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/10/26/1451077/hoffman-kay-race-exceeds-1-million.html#ixzz144QDea54
• Teachers' Retirement System's unfunded liability jumps $5 billion in FY10
  (Crain's) — The Teachers' Retirement System for Illinois said Monday that its unfunded liability swelled by $4.8 billion in fiscal 2010.
• ‘Forensic audit’ sounds so ominous
  Adam Andrzejewski didn’t gain much traction in his maiden run for political office in February, but the Republican businessman from Herscher coined a phrase that continues to reverberate through the 2010 election. Read more: Herald & Review Blogs htt
• Will Co. early voting turnout almost triple compared to last gubernatorial election
  Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots credits turnout to a handful of big races such as the gubernatorial, 11th Congressional, 43rd state Senate and the Will County Sheriff.
• Million Dollar Races
  Since July 1, for example, campaign committees controlled by Democrats gave $447,769 to Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, who's worried about losing his normally safe 43rd District seat to Republican Cedra Crenshaw, a tea party favorite. Republican committees have give
• Associated Builders & Contractors, NFIB, & Illinois Chamber Endorse Sam McCann
  The National Federation of Independent Business, Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. and the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, today endorsed Sam McCann (R) for the 49th State Senate seat currently head by incumbent Deanna Demuzio (D) of Carlinvil
• Comptroller: Budget Deficit Could Reach $15 Billion
  The state’s record budget deficit is likely to get worse before it gets better, according to a recent report released by state Comptroller Dan Hynes. The Comptroller’s report said lawmakers and the next Illinois governor could face “the very real possibil
• McCarter, Brown pick up pro-business endorsements
  Two Decatur-area Republican candidates picked up a raft of endorsements Wednesday from a number of pro-business groups. Representatives of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, National Federation of Independent Business and Illinois Chamber of Commerc
• Fund-raiser: Jesse Jackson Jr. behind $6M Senate-seat scheme
  Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. directed a major political fund-raiser to offer former Gov. Rod Blagojevich millions of dollars in campaign cash in return for an appointment to the U.S. Senate, sources said the fund-raiser has told federal authorities.
• Comptroller candidates seek more transparency for TIF districts
  The Democratic candidate for state comptroller said he wants to shine more light on an economic development tool he contends may be diverting tax dollars from more important programs.
• Illinois SAT Scores Drop
  Average SAT scores in Illinois dropped across all subjects for the class of 2010, but there was good news too: Graduates showed they could outwrite their peers.
• McHenry County state's attorney indicted
  Misconduct allegations that fueled a bitter election two years ago in McHenry County resurfaced Friday when the sitting state's attorney was charged in a 17-page felony indictment.
• Illinois can't even pay office utility bills for legislators
  It's the same story at the district offices of Illinois' elected legislators across the state: Phone, utilities, garbage and rent payments months behind, prompting a monthly flurry of terse late notices and cutoff threats to offices with the state emblem
• Mayor Daley pays felon $40,000.00 in taxpayer money
  Another inspector for the city of Chicago was sentenced to 21 months in prison last Friday. Thomas Ziroli was a ventilation inspector for the city of Chicago's Department of Buildings. A federal jury convicted Ziroli of bribery in March 2010 for accepting
• Ex-Gov. Ryan appeals parts of conviction
  Imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan is seeking to have elements of his conviction thrown out based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year.
• The Telegraph: Letter to the Editor Regarding Sam McCann
  When I read the article in The Telegraph on Aug. 5 titled, "Bill Haine questions statements on Service Record," my heart sank. I was disheartened with the implications in the article and the political attempt to hurt a candidate on the other side of the a
• Is Madison County dragging its feet on putting county checkbook online?
  A Madison County Board member wants to put the county's checkbook online and said the county administration is dragging its feet on doing so. Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/08/24/1374284/is-madison-county-dragging-its.html#ixzz0xdzUKt3Z
• Our state is $120.6 billion short!
  Here's their shocking truth: Even if Illinois used all of its assets -- except for our infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings, land, etc. -- we would not have enough to pay the $140.6 billion of bills when they come due.
• Should our local and state governments be subjected to forensic audits?
  In his Chicago Tribune column today, John Kass reports that Democratic Chicago Alderman - and possible mayoral candidate - Scott Waguespack is calling for a "forensic audit" of the financial records of the City of Chicago.
• Gov. Quinn's chief of staff resigns amid ethics probe
  Gov. Pat Quinn’s chief of staff resigned Sunday after the Chicago Sun-Times posed questions about a probe of three politically oriented correspondences sent from his government e-mail account in possible violation of a state ethics law.
• Potential Mayor Daley challenger calls for forensic audit
  Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, has two terrifying words for Mayor Richard Daley: Forensic Audit.
• Candidates Disappointed by Blago Verdict
  Sudden headlines of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s self-assurance upon the assign of fibbing to the FBI had officials, possibilities for open bureau as well as residents thrown for the double back Tuesday.
• Republican leaders turn out for Hoffman challenger Dwight Kay
  Republican leaders stood by candidate Dwight Kay touting his business experience in his bid to unseat state Rep. Jay Hoffman.
• Can The Illinois Pension Catastrophe Be Stopped?
  A true financial valuation of unfunded pension liabilities reveals a debt of more than $200 billion for the state and local governments. That is around $42,000 per Illinois household and only counts benefits that public employees can claim based on today'
• Macoupin County Miracle!
  This past Friday, well over 500 people attended the McCann/Rosenthal Grand Slam Event in Carlinville, Illinois. The district wide event was an all day fundraiser for Sam McCann, Republican Candidate for the State Senate’s 49th District and Wayne Rosenthal
• Mom 1; Machine 0
  Party leaders brought out the big guns to try to blow Republican challenger Cedra Crenshaw off the November ballot for the 43rd District seat. But a Will County judge ruled Wednesday that Crenshaw's ballot petitions are valid, rejecting the argument contr
• Republican Candidate Vows To Fix Sate's Money Issues
  "I think the people in Springfield owe us an apology," said Kay, of Glen Carbon, referring to what he called Illinois' financial "death spiral." Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/07/30/1346577/kay-vows-to-fix-states-money-issues.html#ixzz0wjoByZnl
• Kay Pledges To Cut Pay If Elected
  Dwight Kay says that if voters elect him as the area’s state representative in the fall, he will take a 10 percent pay cut. First-year legislators in Illinois make $67,836 per year, and Kay’s action would save taxpayers $6,783. In addition, Kay said he wo
• Kay Touts Business Background In Illinois House Race
  Republican Illinois House candidate Dwight Kay made a public pledge Thursday to vote against higher taxes, cut waste, fight corruption and support term limits, among other goals.
• McCarter Recognized For Support Of Free Market Principles
  The Illinois State Chamber of Commerce has awarded State Sen. Kyle McCarter with their Outstanding Freshman award for support of key legislation, ‘in the defense of free enterprise, and the furtherance of economic opportunities for Illinoisans.’
• Both Parties' Candidates Critical Of Income Tax Plan
  Decatur-area lawmakers spoke out Thursday against early news the governor's office will seek to increase the state's income tax from 3 percent to 5 percent.
• GOP Has Fundraising Edge In Decatur-Area Races That Are Expected To Be Expensive
  With fewer than 100 days to go until the election, Republican candidates are leading the fundraising battle over their Democratic opponents in Decatur, according to the most recent campaign contribution reports from the Illinois State Board of Elections.
• Dudley, McCarter Take Shots At Each Other's Gun Rights Record
  Speaking Thursday, McCarter said Dudley did not defend the 2nd Amendment. "Actions speak louder than words," McCarter said. "He voted against a resolution supporting the 2nd Amendment as a member of the Macon County board. It doesn't matter if it's bindin
• Local 9-12 Leader Aids McCann In 49th
  The Jacksonville businessman who heads his local 9-12 group and has arranged for SAMUEL “Joe the Plumber” WURZELBACHER to come to central Illinois this month is also a key contributor to the state Senate campaign of Republican SAM McCANN of Carlinville.
• Tea Party Rally Draws A Crowd
  More than 250 people showed up to the TEA Party "1776 Freedom" rally Saturday at Grafton's Grove Park.
• Dems propose 67% income tax hike to cover budget shortfall
  Illinois budget director talks tax hike with Bloomberg.
• Illinois Has Nation's Largest Budget Deficit
  Study Says Deficits For All States Together Will Total $83.9 Billion Next Year
• Towns pad pensions despite crisis
  Shortly before Tim Baldermann retired as Chicago Ridge's police chief, the town boosted his salary by more than $70,000, handing the 44-year-old as big a paycheck in retirement as he earned full time on the police force.
• Illinois Stops Paying Its Bills, but Can’t Stop Digging Hole
  Even by the standards of this deficit-ridden state, Illinois’s comptroller, Daniel W. Hynes, faces an ugly balance sheet. Precisely how ugly becomes clear when he beckons you into his office to examine his daily briefing memo.
• State set records for failing finances in fiscal 2010, comptroller says
  The last budget year was a record-breaking one for Illinois finances, and all the records were bad.
• Hynes: Fixing Budget Can't Wait for November
  Chicago - The man who keeps tabs on the state of Illinois' checkbook said Friday it's never been in worse shape.
• Senate Seat For Sale--The Chicago Way
  Buying your way into the U.S. Senate is nothing new. The most notorious case took place one hundred years ago. As you'd expect, a Chicago politician was at the middle of it.
• Politics: The Art of the Unbelievable
  In many places, voters become disenchanted when politicians move directly from high offices to lucrative jobs as lobbyists and consultants. Not in Illinois. Here, we are just happy when a politician doesn't go directly from high office to prison.
• The Madigan Rules
  House Speaker Michael Madigan says he follows a personal code of conduct to avoid conflicts of interest. Even so, some clients of his private law firm have benefited from his public actions.
• Madigan's kind of town
  Michael J. Madigan wasn't calling to talk about state issues. Instead, Madigan was drumming up legal business for his property tax appeal firm.
• Madigan's allies get slice of village business
  Michael Madigan calmly sliced his daily apple as he listened to the 40-minute pitch from several leaders of Oak Lawn, long frustrated in their efforts to secure money for a dilapidated water system that supplies much of the south suburbs.
• How Reform Failed in Illinois
  Limits on how much contributors can give to politicians had come to symbolize what reform meant in the post-Blagojevich landscape. But the commissioners assembled that morning at the end of May thought the proposal scheduled for a vote in a few hours fell
• Keeping track of our imprisoned ex-governors
  More than 33 years and 1,600 miles separate Dan Walker from his days in the governor's mansion in Springfield. Yet he's bracing to have his name dragged into the news again when another federal jury renders another verdict in another corruption trial of a
• Gone to Sod
  Meanwhile the Land of Lincoln's political culture -- once renowned for spectacular corruption and amazing efficiency -- has merely become corrupt and incompetent.
• Index of Worker Freedom
  The 2009 Index of Worker Freedom (IWF) is the Alliance for Worker Freedom’s second sate-by-state comparative study that measures the level of worker freedom by analyzing actual policy as well as quantitative state data.
• Crenshaw talks fiscal, social issues with Tribune board
  State Senate candidate Cedra Crenshaw said Monday she supports a complete audit of the state financial records to identify wasteful spending and posting all documents online. “You’ve got to open everything up and reform how we do things,” said Crenshaw,
• Ballot Controversy Helped Campaign: Cedra Crenshaw
  A candidate for State Senate is focusing on her campaign after winning a battle to get on the fall ballot. Cedra Crenshaw is a suburban mom who identifies with the tea party movement, and she's taking on Democratic State Senator A.J. Wilhelmi in the south
• Dems Dirty Tricks
  The Chicago Machine’s desperate and unsuccessful attempt to knock us off the ballot has only rocketed our campaign to the national stage. Thanks to your passionate and pervasive voices, our message is ringing out across the country.
• CPS to use reserve funds to balance budget
  After seven months of dire predictions and the expected layoffs of about 1,200 classroom teachers, Chicago Public Schools finally crossed the final stretch to a balanced budget by completely drawing down its reserve funds.
• Schools give kids a pass on grading homework
  In a break with tradition, many teachers no longer grade homework and prefer instead to calculate a student's grade point average based on how they perform in class. They say homework shows effort more than brains.
• Cedra Crenshaw, Candidate Mom, Escapes Clutches of Chicago Machine
  Cedra Crenshaw proved to be too quick to be the latest victim of the Chicago Machine. She’s running for the Illinois state Senate as a Tea Party Republican, and Democrats did their best to keep her off the ballot. Though the district is reportedly 2-1 De
• Chicago Machine Is Afraid of a… Mom!
  In October, 2009, at an Illinois GOP Governor Candidate Debate, moderator Chris Robling opened the debate with the line, “The on-going concern of the State of Illinois is in question!” He was right, and the primary reasons Illinois is such a mess is the
• Breaking: Chicago Democrat Machine Throws Black Female Candidate Off the Ballot
  As we feared, the Chicago Democrat Machine reached into neighboring Will County and lined up a couple Democrat officials to throw Cedra Crenshaw, GOP candidate for the 43rd State Senate District, off the ballot. The Machine candidate in the district, A.J.
• One Mom Fights the Chicago Machine to Stay On the Ballot
  During the 1996 Illinois Senate race, an aspiring Chicago politician hired skilled attorneys to exploit election rules and challenge his primary opponents’ right to be placed on the ballot. This novice politician was Barack Obama who cut his teeth on Chic
• One Nation against the Obama’s Chicago Machine
  Last week, I reported how the Chicago Democrat machine had injected itself into neighboring Will County in attempt to knock me on the ballot. My candidacy against a legacy politician, the specially appointed AJ Wilhelmi, was too much of a threat to the st
• Chicago Machine Democrats Deserve NAACP Condemnation, Not Tea Party
  As the NAACP prepares to condemn the tea party movement for phantom “explicitly racist behavior”, the Department of Justice and the NAACP overlook actual instances of explicitly racist behavior by the New Black Panther Party. Blatant disregard for actual

Blog

Forensic Audits

DEFINITION:
A forensic audit is a deep audit, an evidentiary audit.  It’s an audit that follows the money and holds up in court.

IMPACT:
“Forensic Audit” has changed the language of Illinois politics.
“Two Little Words” by John Kass, Chicago Tribune | October 6^th, 2010
The reason-  Mayor Daley didn’t run for re-election.

“The Mayor’s first f-bomb” by Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune | February 25, 2011
Credits our “bumper-sticker” demand for the idea floated by new Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

SUCCESSFUL LEGISLATION:
-March, 2011, Springfield-
Alongside Rep. Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon), we co-drafted a forensic audit of workers compensation (HR52).  Speaker Michael Madigan embraced this audit (HR131) and it passed 111-00 in Illinois House in March, 2011.  Inside the Menards prison, over 300 workers comp claims have been filed in a short period of time costing taxpayers over $10 million.

UPDATE:  In early 2012, the Auditor General of Illinois is anticipated to bust the largest fraud and corruption scandal since the indictment of both governors.

HISTORY OF OUR WORK: In April of 2010, For The Good of Illinois spearheaded the concept of the forensic audit. Picking up the signature plank of Adam Andrzejewski’s gubernatorial campaign, we authored the Illinois Forensic Audit Act of 2010 (HR1057). After a state capitol, Blue Room press conference, a very successful public policy campaign was waged: 26 Republican co-sponsors, 50,000 “Open the Books” stickers, 300 media interviews over six months, collected 15,000 petition signatures, and volunteers sent thousands of phone calls and emails into state representatives.  HR1057 was called for a role-call vote and failed along party lines.

In June of 2010, a forensic/recapture audit of Medicad (HB5242) passed the full legislature with no opposition and was signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn.  This massive audit covers Medicaid- a $13 billion program comprising roughly 25% of the state budget.  The audit was estimated to curtail over $1 billion in fraud.

UPDATE:  August, 2011-  We issued the call to Governor Quinn:  “Open Your Books!”.  Quinn’s executive agency is unilaterally forestalling the unanimous will of the state legislature.  Read our post here.

FUTURE LEGISLATION: Alongside State Representative Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon), we co-drafted the Illinois Pension Forensic Audit Act 2011 (HR31). Read our press release here.

“With the Illinois pension systems among the worst funded in the nation, retirees and current government workers deserve to know that their pensions are being administered properly and invested prudently,” said Kay.  “Not only do the state employees deserve to know how their pensions are being administered, but so do the taxpayers.”

After Cellini, Levine, Blagojevich and the federal SEC probe, the people of Illinois deserve a forensic audit to preserve the efficacy of the pension systems.

In The News

• Liberty Lunch
  Please go to www.forthegoodofillinois/issues/liberty-lunch
• Audit under way at troubled north suburban waste agency
• Illinois should weigh use of Parent Trigger
  As rolled out first in California, the Trigger means that when more than half of a failing school’s parents sign a petition of no confidence in their school’s management, local school authorities are obliged to convert the facility to an independently man
• Chicago mayoral candidate Danny Davis releases tax returns
  U.S. Rep Danny Davis’s mayoral campaign released five years of the congressman’s federal and state income tax returns today, disclosing annual income of more than $200,000 from his congressional salary and pension earnings.
• Kay unseats Jay Hoffman
  Republican Dwight Kay campaigned on the premise that it was time to replace a politician with a businessman.
• McCarter wins state senate seat in own right
  State Sen. Kyle McCarter laid claim to his seat Tuesday, pulling out a win against challenger Tim Dudley in one of the most expensive races in the Illinois General Assembly.
• Kay Beats Hoffman in 112th House District
  During his second time vying to oust his longtime incumbent State Representative Jay Hoffman, businessman Dwight Kay of Glen Carbon emerged victorious Tuesday night.
• Republicans make rare inroads in Madison County
  Republican Dwight Kay was elected to the Illinois House, defeating Democrat Jay Hoffman, who held the 112th District seat most of the time since 1990. Both the Illinois House and Senate retained reduced Democratic majorities.
• Brown, McCarter thank supporters during Chamber of Commerce business breakfast
  State Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, joined Decatur Republican Adam Brown, who ousted state Rep. Bob Flider Tuesday, in speaking before the assembled Chamber members. Both candidates thanked their supporters and families and expressed joy in their triumph
• Kay beats Hoffman in statehouse race
  Republican Dwight Kay was overjoyed Tuesday night at defeating 16-year incumbent Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville by a vote difference of 51 percent to 49 percent in the race for state representative for the 112th District.
• McCann takes state Senate seat held by Demuzios since 1975
  Republican Sam McCann of Carlinville won an Illinois Senate seat long held by the Demuzio family on Tuesday. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, McCann had 34,206 votes to incumbent state Sen. Deanna Demuzio’s 31,725 votes.
• Drawing business Kay's key
  Three state business organizations have endorsed Glen Carbon Republican Dwight Kay in his bid for state representative.
• Hoffman-Kay race exceeds $1 million; contest among costliest in Illinois
  EDWARDSVILLE -- Spending in the race for the 112th House seat has topped $1 million, one of the top 20 legislative races in the state. Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/10/26/1451077/hoffman-kay-race-exceeds-1-million.html#ixzz144QDea54
• Teachers' Retirement System's unfunded liability jumps $5 billion in FY10
  (Crain's) — The Teachers' Retirement System for Illinois said Monday that its unfunded liability swelled by $4.8 billion in fiscal 2010.
• ‘Forensic audit’ sounds so ominous
  Adam Andrzejewski didn’t gain much traction in his maiden run for political office in February, but the Republican businessman from Herscher coined a phrase that continues to reverberate through the 2010 election. Read more: Herald & Review Blogs htt
• Will Co. early voting turnout almost triple compared to last gubernatorial election
  Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots credits turnout to a handful of big races such as the gubernatorial, 11th Congressional, 43rd state Senate and the Will County Sheriff.
• Million Dollar Races
  Since July 1, for example, campaign committees controlled by Democrats gave $447,769 to Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, who's worried about losing his normally safe 43rd District seat to Republican Cedra Crenshaw, a tea party favorite. Republican committees have give
• Associated Builders & Contractors, NFIB, & Illinois Chamber Endorse Sam McCann
  The National Federation of Independent Business, Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. and the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, today endorsed Sam McCann (R) for the 49th State Senate seat currently head by incumbent Deanna Demuzio (D) of Carlinvil
• Comptroller: Budget Deficit Could Reach $15 Billion
  The state’s record budget deficit is likely to get worse before it gets better, according to a recent report released by state Comptroller Dan Hynes. The Comptroller’s report said lawmakers and the next Illinois governor could face “the very real possibil
• McCarter, Brown pick up pro-business endorsements
  Two Decatur-area Republican candidates picked up a raft of endorsements Wednesday from a number of pro-business groups. Representatives of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, National Federation of Independent Business and Illinois Chamber of Commerc
• Fund-raiser: Jesse Jackson Jr. behind $6M Senate-seat scheme
  Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. directed a major political fund-raiser to offer former Gov. Rod Blagojevich millions of dollars in campaign cash in return for an appointment to the U.S. Senate, sources said the fund-raiser has told federal authorities.
• Comptroller candidates seek more transparency for TIF districts
  The Democratic candidate for state comptroller said he wants to shine more light on an economic development tool he contends may be diverting tax dollars from more important programs.
• Illinois SAT Scores Drop
  Average SAT scores in Illinois dropped across all subjects for the class of 2010, but there was good news too: Graduates showed they could outwrite their peers.
• McHenry County state's attorney indicted
  Misconduct allegations that fueled a bitter election two years ago in McHenry County resurfaced Friday when the sitting state's attorney was charged in a 17-page felony indictment.
• Illinois can't even pay office utility bills for legislators
  It's the same story at the district offices of Illinois' elected legislators across the state: Phone, utilities, garbage and rent payments months behind, prompting a monthly flurry of terse late notices and cutoff threats to offices with the state emblem
• Mayor Daley pays felon $40,000.00 in taxpayer money
  Another inspector for the city of Chicago was sentenced to 21 months in prison last Friday. Thomas Ziroli was a ventilation inspector for the city of Chicago's Department of Buildings. A federal jury convicted Ziroli of bribery in March 2010 for accepting
• Ex-Gov. Ryan appeals parts of conviction
  Imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan is seeking to have elements of his conviction thrown out based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year.
• The Telegraph: Letter to the Editor Regarding Sam McCann
  When I read the article in The Telegraph on Aug. 5 titled, "Bill Haine questions statements on Service Record," my heart sank. I was disheartened with the implications in the article and the political attempt to hurt a candidate on the other side of the a
• Is Madison County dragging its feet on putting county checkbook online?
  A Madison County Board member wants to put the county's checkbook online and said the county administration is dragging its feet on doing so. Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/08/24/1374284/is-madison-county-dragging-its.html#ixzz0xdzUKt3Z
• Our state is $120.6 billion short!
  Here's their shocking truth: Even if Illinois used all of its assets -- except for our infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings, land, etc. -- we would not have enough to pay the $140.6 billion of bills when they come due.
• Should our local and state governments be subjected to forensic audits?
  In his Chicago Tribune column today, John Kass reports that Democratic Chicago Alderman - and possible mayoral candidate - Scott Waguespack is calling for a "forensic audit" of the financial records of the City of Chicago.
• Gov. Quinn's chief of staff resigns amid ethics probe
  Gov. Pat Quinn’s chief of staff resigned Sunday after the Chicago Sun-Times posed questions about a probe of three politically oriented correspondences sent from his government e-mail account in possible violation of a state ethics law.
• Potential Mayor Daley challenger calls for forensic audit
  Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, has two terrifying words for Mayor Richard Daley: Forensic Audit.
• Candidates Disappointed by Blago Verdict
  Sudden headlines of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s self-assurance upon the assign of fibbing to the FBI had officials, possibilities for open bureau as well as residents thrown for the double back Tuesday.
• Republican leaders turn out for Hoffman challenger Dwight Kay
  Republican leaders stood by candidate Dwight Kay touting his business experience in his bid to unseat state Rep. Jay Hoffman.
• Can The Illinois Pension Catastrophe Be Stopped?
  A true financial valuation of unfunded pension liabilities reveals a debt of more than $200 billion for the state and local governments. That is around $42,000 per Illinois household and only counts benefits that public employees can claim based on today'
• Macoupin County Miracle!
  This past Friday, well over 500 people attended the McCann/Rosenthal Grand Slam Event in Carlinville, Illinois. The district wide event was an all day fundraiser for Sam McCann, Republican Candidate for the State Senate’s 49th District and Wayne Rosenthal
• Mom 1; Machine 0
  Party leaders brought out the big guns to try to blow Republican challenger Cedra Crenshaw off the November ballot for the 43rd District seat. But a Will County judge ruled Wednesday that Crenshaw's ballot petitions are valid, rejecting the argument contr
• Republican Candidate Vows To Fix Sate's Money Issues
  "I think the people in Springfield owe us an apology," said Kay, of Glen Carbon, referring to what he called Illinois' financial "death spiral." Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/07/30/1346577/kay-vows-to-fix-states-money-issues.html#ixzz0wjoByZnl
• Kay Pledges To Cut Pay If Elected
  Dwight Kay says that if voters elect him as the area’s state representative in the fall, he will take a 10 percent pay cut. First-year legislators in Illinois make $67,836 per year, and Kay’s action would save taxpayers $6,783. In addition, Kay said he wo
• Kay Touts Business Background In Illinois House Race
  Republican Illinois House candidate Dwight Kay made a public pledge Thursday to vote against higher taxes, cut waste, fight corruption and support term limits, among other goals.
• McCarter Recognized For Support Of Free Market Principles
  The Illinois State Chamber of Commerce has awarded State Sen. Kyle McCarter with their Outstanding Freshman award for support of key legislation, ‘in the defense of free enterprise, and the furtherance of economic opportunities for Illinoisans.’
• Both Parties' Candidates Critical Of Income Tax Plan
  Decatur-area lawmakers spoke out Thursday against early news the governor's office will seek to increase the state's income tax from 3 percent to 5 percent.
• GOP Has Fundraising Edge In Decatur-Area Races That Are Expected To Be Expensive
  With fewer than 100 days to go until the election, Republican candidates are leading the fundraising battle over their Democratic opponents in Decatur, according to the most recent campaign contribution reports from the Illinois State Board of Elections.
• Dudley, McCarter Take Shots At Each Other's Gun Rights Record
  Speaking Thursday, McCarter said Dudley did not defend the 2nd Amendment. "Actions speak louder than words," McCarter said. "He voted against a resolution supporting the 2nd Amendment as a member of the Macon County board. It doesn't matter if it's bindin
• Local 9-12 Leader Aids McCann In 49th
  The Jacksonville businessman who heads his local 9-12 group and has arranged for SAMUEL “Joe the Plumber” WURZELBACHER to come to central Illinois this month is also a key contributor to the state Senate campaign of Republican SAM McCANN of Carlinville.
• Tea Party Rally Draws A Crowd
  More than 250 people showed up to the TEA Party "1776 Freedom" rally Saturday at Grafton's Grove Park.
• Dems propose 67% income tax hike to cover budget shortfall
  Illinois budget director talks tax hike with Bloomberg.
• Illinois Has Nation's Largest Budget Deficit
  Study Says Deficits For All States Together Will Total $83.9 Billion Next Year
• Towns pad pensions despite crisis
  Shortly before Tim Baldermann retired as Chicago Ridge's police chief, the town boosted his salary by more than $70,000, handing the 44-year-old as big a paycheck in retirement as he earned full time on the police force.
• Illinois Stops Paying Its Bills, but Can’t Stop Digging Hole
  Even by the standards of this deficit-ridden state, Illinois’s comptroller, Daniel W. Hynes, faces an ugly balance sheet. Precisely how ugly becomes clear when he beckons you into his office to examine his daily briefing memo.
• State set records for failing finances in fiscal 2010, comptroller says
  The last budget year was a record-breaking one for Illinois finances, and all the records were bad.
• Hynes: Fixing Budget Can't Wait for November
  Chicago - The man who keeps tabs on the state of Illinois' checkbook said Friday it's never been in worse shape.
• Senate Seat For Sale--The Chicago Way
  Buying your way into the U.S. Senate is nothing new. The most notorious case took place one hundred years ago. As you'd expect, a Chicago politician was at the middle of it.
• Politics: The Art of the Unbelievable
  In many places, voters become disenchanted when politicians move directly from high offices to lucrative jobs as lobbyists and consultants. Not in Illinois. Here, we are just happy when a politician doesn't go directly from high office to prison.
• The Madigan Rules
  House Speaker Michael Madigan says he follows a personal code of conduct to avoid conflicts of interest. Even so, some clients of his private law firm have benefited from his public actions.
• Madigan's kind of town
  Michael J. Madigan wasn't calling to talk about state issues. Instead, Madigan was drumming up legal business for his property tax appeal firm.
• Madigan's allies get slice of village business
  Michael Madigan calmly sliced his daily apple as he listened to the 40-minute pitch from several leaders of Oak Lawn, long frustrated in their efforts to secure money for a dilapidated water system that supplies much of the south suburbs.
• How Reform Failed in Illinois
  Limits on how much contributors can give to politicians had come to symbolize what reform meant in the post-Blagojevich landscape. But the commissioners assembled that morning at the end of May thought the proposal scheduled for a vote in a few hours fell
• Keeping track of our imprisoned ex-governors
  More than 33 years and 1,600 miles separate Dan Walker from his days in the governor's mansion in Springfield. Yet he's bracing to have his name dragged into the news again when another federal jury renders another verdict in another corruption trial of a
• Gone to Sod
  Meanwhile the Land of Lincoln's political culture -- once renowned for spectacular corruption and amazing efficiency -- has merely become corrupt and incompetent.
• Index of Worker Freedom
  The 2009 Index of Worker Freedom (IWF) is the Alliance for Worker Freedom’s second sate-by-state comparative study that measures the level of worker freedom by analyzing actual policy as well as quantitative state data.
• Crenshaw talks fiscal, social issues with Tribune board
  State Senate candidate Cedra Crenshaw said Monday she supports a complete audit of the state financial records to identify wasteful spending and posting all documents online. “You’ve got to open everything up and reform how we do things,” said Crenshaw,
• Ballot Controversy Helped Campaign: Cedra Crenshaw
  A candidate for State Senate is focusing on her campaign after winning a battle to get on the fall ballot. Cedra Crenshaw is a suburban mom who identifies with the tea party movement, and she's taking on Democratic State Senator A.J. Wilhelmi in the south
• Dems Dirty Tricks
  The Chicago Machine’s desperate and unsuccessful attempt to knock us off the ballot has only rocketed our campaign to the national stage. Thanks to your passionate and pervasive voices, our message is ringing out across the country.
• CPS to use reserve funds to balance budget
  After seven months of dire predictions and the expected layoffs of about 1,200 classroom teachers, Chicago Public Schools finally crossed the final stretch to a balanced budget by completely drawing down its reserve funds.
• Schools give kids a pass on grading homework
  In a break with tradition, many teachers no longer grade homework and prefer instead to calculate a student's grade point average based on how they perform in class. They say homework shows effort more than brains.
• Cedra Crenshaw, Candidate Mom, Escapes Clutches of Chicago Machine
  Cedra Crenshaw proved to be too quick to be the latest victim of the Chicago Machine. She’s running for the Illinois state Senate as a Tea Party Republican, and Democrats did their best to keep her off the ballot. Though the district is reportedly 2-1 De
• Chicago Machine Is Afraid of a… Mom!
  In October, 2009, at an Illinois GOP Governor Candidate Debate, moderator Chris Robling opened the debate with the line, “The on-going concern of the State of Illinois is in question!” He was right, and the primary reasons Illinois is such a mess is the
• Breaking: Chicago Democrat Machine Throws Black Female Candidate Off the Ballot
  As we feared, the Chicago Democrat Machine reached into neighboring Will County and lined up a couple Democrat officials to throw Cedra Crenshaw, GOP candidate for the 43rd State Senate District, off the ballot. The Machine candidate in the district, A.J.
• One Mom Fights the Chicago Machine to Stay On the Ballot
  During the 1996 Illinois Senate race, an aspiring Chicago politician hired skilled attorneys to exploit election rules and challenge his primary opponents’ right to be placed on the ballot. This novice politician was Barack Obama who cut his teeth on Chic
• One Nation against the Obama’s Chicago Machine
  Last week, I reported how the Chicago Democrat machine had injected itself into neighboring Will County in attempt to knock me on the ballot. My candidacy against a legacy politician, the specially appointed AJ Wilhelmi, was too much of a threat to the st
• Chicago Machine Democrats Deserve NAACP Condemnation, Not Tea Party
  As the NAACP prepares to condemn the tea party movement for phantom “explicitly racist behavior”, the Department of Justice and the NAACP overlook actual instances of explicitly racist behavior by the New Black Panther Party. Blatant disregard for actual

Blog

Corruption

James Madison wrote, “all men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree.”  In Illinois, our leaders have broken the trust of the people and we must hold them accountable and remain vigilant in order to prevent future abuses.

Illinois’ legacy of corruption dates back to the 1860’s when “pay to play” was introduced in Chicago. City aldermen and Cook County commissioners participated in a crooked contract to paint city hall. In 1909, the “Blond Boss” used bribery to purchase one of the US Senate seats in Illinois. Corruption did not stop there. Since then, six governors have been indicted, and four governors have been convicted of public corruption. Over the last forty years, more than 1500 individuals have been convicted in Illinois of various forms of public corruption.

Illinois’ culture of corruption recently hit the national stage when our 40^th Governor, Rod Blagojevich, was indicted on corruption charges for attempting to sell President Obama’s former Senate seat. After Blago’s arrest, the FBI Special Agent in charge of the Blagojevich investigation, Robert Grant, said, “If Illinois is not the most corrupt state, it certainly is one hell of a competitor.”

The fallout from these scandals does not stop with our reputation as being the most corrupt state in the country – it is costing Illinois taxpayers millions each year. Researchers estimate that the  “corruption tax” in Illinois is at least $500 million per year. This is based upon testimony before the Illinois Reform Commission that about 5% of state government contracts are given out to political cronies and campaign contributors. These estimates do not take into account the impact on job creation and economic growth caused by our reputation for cronyism and corruption, which discourages new business.

Ending public corruption is the first step in reestablishing trust and working toward an efficient and effective government. While media, think tanks, activists and advocacy groups focus their attention on Washington, the citizens of Illinois are left feeling as if they cannot fight city hall and that they are at the mercy of the political machines content on managing and profiting from the state’s demise. A recent Joyce Foundation public opinion poll shows more than 60% of Illinois residents name corruption as one of their top concerns – even more than the economy or jobs.

But there is hope. And there is help. For the Good of Illinois’ is working to dismantle the Illinois establishment by engaging, educating and empowering citizens to demand limited, accountable and transparent government.

Objectives

1. Shine the light on government by instituting statewide transparency on all public sector contracting, spending (including salaries and benefits), voting and public records.
2. Enact strict ethics reform by ending conflicts of interest and nepotism, requiring personal finance disclosure for elected and appointed officials, restricting “gifts” from lobbyists, and increasing whistleblower protection.
3. Reform campaign finance by requiring real time reporting for campaign contributions and restricting public sector contributions.
4. Shift the balance of power from politicians to citizens by enacting term limits, empowering citizens to recall elected officials, and ending gerrymandering of legislative districts.
5. Engage citizens in the political and legislative process at all levels of state and local government.

In The News

• Fund-raiser: Jesse Jackson Jr. behind $6M Senate-seat scheme
  Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. directed a major political fund-raiser to offer former Gov. Rod Blagojevich millions of dollars in campaign cash in return for an appointment to the U.S. Senate, sources said the fund-raiser has told federal authorities.
• McHenry County state's attorney indicted
  Misconduct allegations that fueled a bitter election two years ago in McHenry County resurfaced Friday when the sitting state's attorney was charged in a 17-page felony indictment.
• Mayor Daley pays felon $40,000.00 in taxpayer money
  Another inspector for the city of Chicago was sentenced to 21 months in prison last Friday. Thomas Ziroli was a ventilation inspector for the city of Chicago's Department of Buildings. A federal jury convicted Ziroli of bribery in March 2010 for accepting
• Ex-Gov. Ryan appeals parts of conviction
  Imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan is seeking to have elements of his conviction thrown out based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year.
• Gov. Quinn's chief of staff resigns amid ethics probe
  Gov. Pat Quinn’s chief of staff resigned Sunday after the Chicago Sun-Times posed questions about a probe of three politically oriented correspondences sent from his government e-mail account in possible violation of a state ethics law.
• Potential Mayor Daley challenger calls for forensic audit
  Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, has two terrifying words for Mayor Richard Daley: Forensic Audit.
• Senate Seat For Sale--The Chicago Way
  Buying your way into the U.S. Senate is nothing new. The most notorious case took place one hundred years ago. As you'd expect, a Chicago politician was at the middle of it.
• Politics: The Art of the Unbelievable
  In many places, voters become disenchanted when politicians move directly from high offices to lucrative jobs as lobbyists and consultants. Not in Illinois. Here, we are just happy when a politician doesn't go directly from high office to prison.
• The Madigan Rules
  House Speaker Michael Madigan says he follows a personal code of conduct to avoid conflicts of interest. Even so, some clients of his private law firm have benefited from his public actions.
• Madigan's kind of town
  Michael J. Madigan wasn't calling to talk about state issues. Instead, Madigan was drumming up legal business for his property tax appeal firm.
• Madigan's allies get slice of village business
  Michael Madigan calmly sliced his daily apple as he listened to the 40-minute pitch from several leaders of Oak Lawn, long frustrated in their efforts to secure money for a dilapidated water system that supplies much of the south suburbs.
• How Reform Failed in Illinois
  Limits on how much contributors can give to politicians had come to symbolize what reform meant in the post-Blagojevich landscape. But the commissioners assembled that morning at the end of May thought the proposal scheduled for a vote in a few hours fell
• Keeping track of our imprisoned ex-governors
  More than 33 years and 1,600 miles separate Dan Walker from his days in the governor's mansion in Springfield. Yet he's bracing to have his name dragged into the news again when another federal jury renders another verdict in another corruption trial of a
• Gone to Sod
  Meanwhile the Land of Lincoln's political culture -- once renowned for spectacular corruption and amazing efficiency -- has merely become corrupt and incompetent.
• One Mom Fights the Chicago Machine to Stay On the Ballot
  During the 1996 Illinois Senate race, an aspiring Chicago politician hired skilled attorneys to exploit election rules and challenge his primary opponents’ right to be placed on the ballot. This novice politician was Barack Obama who cut his teeth on Chic

Blog

Jobs & Growth

In 1824, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “We have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious.” Government in Illinois is breaking the backs of its citizens who currently work an average of 103 days out of the year to pay off their tax burden to state and federal government. What do we have to show for our hard work? Record deficits. And record unemployment. We must work to stop the flow of funds from the private sector to the public sector by demanding limited and accountable government in Illinois.

Illinois – with its nation-leading 7,000 units of government – ranks 48^th in the nation in job creation and faces record high unemployment. Yet our legislators enjoy the 5^th highest salaries in the nation at $68,000. Legislator salaries are 50% higher than the average Illinois resident who earns $46,000. When it comes to state spending, 1 out of every 4 general fund dollars goes toward public employee compensation. Politicians blame the current economic climate on the Great Recession and are asking Illinois taxpayers to pay an additional 67% in income taxes to pay for more government.

The truth is that Illinois’ fiscal mismanagement, runaway spending, unfunded obligations, high tax rates, and corruption have resulted in a hostile business environment that is unattractive to prospective employers. Over the last decade, Illinois has ranked 48^th in job creation and has fewer jobs today than it did a decade ago. And our future isn’t any brighter, ALEC ranks Illinois’ economic outlook as 44^th in the nation.

Illinois can’t spend its way back to prosperity. And the citizens of Illinois can no longer carry the burden of what Jefferson appropriately described as “parasites”. For the Good of Illinois is dedicated to a vital economic environment in Illinois and will empower citizens to break the shackles of state government.

Objectives

1. End our reputation of being a high-risk state by ending corruption and demanding fiscal responsibility.
2. Place future generations on the path to prosperity and develop a highly educated workforce by reforming public education.
3. Create a tax system that encourages job creation and economic growth by reducing income and property rates, and eliminating the estate tax.
4. Lower the barriers of doing business by enacting legal reform, streamlining licensing, and reducing fees and regulations.
5. Create job opportunities and increase the freedom and flexibility of workers by enacting “right to work” protections.

In The News

• Dems propose 67% income tax hike to cover budget shortfall
  Illinois budget director talks tax hike with Bloomberg.
• Index of Worker Freedom
  The 2009 Index of Worker Freedom (IWF) is the Alliance for Worker Freedom’s second sate-by-state comparative study that measures the level of worker freedom by analyzing actual policy as well as quantitative state data.

Blog

Education

Our vision, “a new day of liberty, opportunity and prosperity in Illinois that shines brighter for future generations,” begins with education reform.

Education is the foundation of a free, functioning and prosperous society. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day.” Therefore, we all have a vested interest in ensuring the success of future generations through a high-quality education.

Unfortunately, Illinois schools are failing to teach our children the basics. Only 32% of Illinois public elementary school students are reading at grade level. The number decreases to 30% by the end of middle school. By the time they reach the 12th grade, only 20% of public school students possess the skills needed to succeed in college. At least 25% of students in Illinois’s public high schools drop out of school altogether. This statewide failure imposes immeasurable costs on individual lives and our communities.

Illinois legislators continue to offer only one solution – increase government control. But decades of increased spending and increased government control have yielded little improvement in student performance. During the 2008-09 school year, real inflation adjusted per student spending in Illinois was at an all-time high, reaching $26 billion. According to the State Board of Education, combined spending in Illinois public schools totaled $12,363 per pupil.

For the Good of Illinois will work to reverse these trends by engaging, educating and empowering our members to demand real education reform.

Objectives

1. Provide every child in Illinois – regardless of address or household income – an opportunity to receive a high-quality education.
2. Create competition and empower parents by giving them the ability to choose a safe and effective school for their children from a variety of options.
3. Give taxpayers greater control over their investment in public education by making spending 100% transparent and assigning funding to individual students.
4. Measure results by student and teacher performance, not by dollars spent.

In The News

• Liberty Lunch
  Please go to www.forthegoodofillinois/issues/liberty-lunch
• Illinois should weigh use of Parent Trigger
  As rolled out first in California, the Trigger means that when more than half of a failing school’s parents sign a petition of no confidence in their school’s management, local school authorities are obliged to convert the facility to an independently man
• Illinois SAT Scores Drop
  Average SAT scores in Illinois dropped across all subjects for the class of 2010, but there was good news too: Graduates showed they could outwrite their peers.
• CPS to use reserve funds to balance budget
  After seven months of dire predictions and the expected layoffs of about 1,200 classroom teachers, Chicago Public Schools finally crossed the final stretch to a balanced budget by completely drawing down its reserve funds.
• Schools give kids a pass on grading homework
  In a break with tradition, many teachers no longer grade homework and prefer instead to calculate a student's grade point average based on how they perform in class. They say homework shows effort more than brains.

Blog

Spending

Illinois is in the midst of the worst financial crisis in state history. Fiscal mismanagement has pushed us to the brink of insolvency.  Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.”

Illinois government ended fiscal year 2010 facing a $13 billion deficit and a backlog of $5 billion in unpaid bills. What is more, Illinois has the worst funded pension system in the nation – roughly $130 billion in public sector retirement debt – according to a study conducted by the Pew Center on the States. The Commercial Club of Chicago estimates Illinois’ total debt at $160 billion for a grand total of $25,000 per household.

Contrary to the rhetoric of legislators – Illinois does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. Over the last decade, spending has increased 26% (adjusted for inflation). In 2009, the state spent an average of $12,000 per household – $5,000 per resident – while median household income was $56,000. In 2008, state government received a record amount of revenues—$30 billion—from Illinois taxpayers. Rather than paying down debt, state leaders spent every dime and borrowed billions more.

Democrats have recently proposed a 67% income tax hike to close the state’s budget gap. But increased tax and fee revenues won’t solve Illinois’ budget problems – they will only expand the size and scope of government and strengthen the very bureaucracies that created the state’s financial crisis.

For the Good of Illinois believes there’s still hope for our once great state, but we must act quickly to demand limited, accountable, and transparent government.

Objectives

1. Make all information connected to the expenditure of public funds 100% transparent, including all state spending and contracting.
2. Conduct a forensic audit of state spending in order to identify waste, fraud and corruption.
3. Limit the growth in future state spending to the rate of population growth plus inflation.
4. Enact real pension reform by implementing employee-owned retirement programs for public sector workers.
5. Limit the size and scope of state government by consolidating agencies and programs and reducing state labor costs.

In The News

• Teachers' Retirement System's unfunded liability jumps $5 billion in FY10
  (Crain's) — The Teachers' Retirement System for Illinois said Monday that its unfunded liability swelled by $4.8 billion in fiscal 2010.
• Comptroller: Budget Deficit Could Reach $15 Billion
  The state’s record budget deficit is likely to get worse before it gets better, according to a recent report released by state Comptroller Dan Hynes. The Comptroller’s report said lawmakers and the next Illinois governor could face “the very real possibil
• Illinois can't even pay office utility bills for legislators
  It's the same story at the district offices of Illinois' elected legislators across the state: Phone, utilities, garbage and rent payments months behind, prompting a monthly flurry of terse late notices and cutoff threats to offices with the state emblem
• Our state is $120.6 billion short!
  Here's their shocking truth: Even if Illinois used all of its assets -- except for our infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings, land, etc. -- we would not have enough to pay the $140.6 billion of bills when they come due.
• Should our local and state governments be subjected to forensic audits?
  In his Chicago Tribune column today, John Kass reports that Democratic Chicago Alderman - and possible mayoral candidate - Scott Waguespack is calling for a "forensic audit" of the financial records of the City of Chicago.
• Potential Mayor Daley challenger calls for forensic audit
  Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, has two terrifying words for Mayor Richard Daley: Forensic Audit.
• Can The Illinois Pension Catastrophe Be Stopped?
  A true financial valuation of unfunded pension liabilities reveals a debt of more than $200 billion for the state and local governments. That is around $42,000 per Illinois household and only counts benefits that public employees can claim based on today'
• Dems propose 67% income tax hike to cover budget shortfall
  Illinois budget director talks tax hike with Bloomberg.
• Illinois Has Nation's Largest Budget Deficit
  Study Says Deficits For All States Together Will Total $83.9 Billion Next Year
• Towns pad pensions despite crisis
  Shortly before Tim Baldermann retired as Chicago Ridge's police chief, the town boosted his salary by more than $70,000, handing the 44-year-old as big a paycheck in retirement as he earned full time on the police force.
• Illinois Stops Paying Its Bills, but Can’t Stop Digging Hole
  Even by the standards of this deficit-ridden state, Illinois’s comptroller, Daniel W. Hynes, faces an ugly balance sheet. Precisely how ugly becomes clear when he beckons you into his office to examine his daily briefing memo.
• State set records for failing finances in fiscal 2010, comptroller says
  The last budget year was a record-breaking one for Illinois finances, and all the records were bad.
• Hynes: Fixing Budget Can't Wait for November
  Chicago - The man who keeps tabs on the state of Illinois' checkbook said Friday it's never been in worse shape.

Blog