There’s an old Chicago political adage: never take a bribe; just hand ’em your business card. Or apparently your son’s resume:
The son of embattled Sen. Roland Burris is a federal tax deadbeat who landed a $75,000-a-year state job under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich five months ago, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Blagojevich’s administration hired Roland W. Burris II as a senior counsel for the state’s housing authority Sept. 10 — about six weeks after the Internal Revenue Service slapped a $34,163 tax lien on Burris II and three weeks after a mortgage company filed a foreclosure suit on his South Side house.
Have I mentioned lately that my alderman is the daughter of the previous alderman, my mayor is the son of a previous mayor, the president of the county board is the son of the previous president, and, until recently, the governor of my state was the son of a powerful Chicago alderman?
And I’m the son of a sea cook. Ha! Ha! CHAAAAARGE!
I notice the Illinois Attorney General has issued a legal opinion concluding that the General Assembly could pass a law to hold a special election to fill out the rest of Burris’ term. Much of the same analysis as I mentioned here earlier, including citation to my case that I alluded to. It will be interesting if any of the A.G.’s detractors challenge her on this. She is trying to establish a negative proposition (there is no constitutional principle precluding such legislation)
In any event, that doesn’t dispense with policy considerations about whether this is a good idea, including rule of law concerns or bad precedents.