If anybody wonders why I keep harping on government corruption, keep in mind that I live in Chicago in the state of Illinois. Since 1960 Illinois has had 11 governors, six Democrats and five Republicans. Of those one Republican (20%) and three Democrats (a whopping 50%) have been convicted of charges relating to corruption. As I speak the longest-service speaker of a state legislature (and, coincidentally, chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party) is one trial for corruption. I doubt that anybody doubts that he’s corrupt but I have no idea whether he’ll be convicted or not.
Illinois Policy provides a rundown of corruption in Illinois.
And that’s just the stuff that’s against the law. Practices may be corrupt without being against the law. For example, present Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is on tape discussing trading for a Senate seat with then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He didn’t report the conversation to the authorities. That’s not against the law but it is corrupt. Public employees unions contributing to political campaigns is a corrupt practice. “Pay-for-play” even if there is no quid pro quo is a corrupt practice. I could go on practically indefinitely.
Here’s IP’s conclusion:
Government corruption cost Illinoisans $550 million in lost economic activity every year, with a $9.9 billion total loss from 2000 to 2017. Chicago is even worse.
Chicago was ranked as the most corrupt metropolitan area in America for a fourth consecutive year in 2023. It led the nation with an average 41 corruption convictions per year from 1976 to 2021.
Whether in treasure or trust, corruption costs Illinois. Vigorous federal prosecution can help curb it, but not much will change until state leaders get serious about ethics reforms.
It’s not just ethics reforms. Failing to provide the necessary contributions to public employee pension funds is a corrupt practice.
I think this one is more amusing about the porcelain prince:
“In 2007, Pritzker and his wife bought a second mansion next to the one they live in on Chicago’s Astor Street, for $3.7 million. As The Chicago Sun-Times reported, that mansion remained vacant and was allowed to fall into disrepair.
“And then in October 2015, according to a report by Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard, the Pritzkers had five toilets removed from the second house so that it would be classified as “uninhabitable” in a property tax appeal filed by the Pritzkers. Cook County assesses vacant properties at 10 percent of the market value.
“The toilets were removed shortly before the affidavits in the property tax appeal were submitted. The county assessor’s office “lowered the 6,378-square-foot mansion’s assessed value from $6.3 million to about $1.1 million,” The Chicago Tribune reports.”
https://www.npr.org/2018/10/03/654201077/illinois-gov-candidate-removed-mansions-toilets-to-dodge-taxes-report-finds