NEW YORK, NY – Nov. 30 (DPI) – The New York Times this weekend offered up an odd article about what it sees as an illegitimate reform movement in Illinois, the most financially mismanaged state in the nation. The state, by all accounts, has the most corrupt political culture of any in the US, and a Democrat-majority electorate sensibly voted for a Republican outsider, Bruce Rauner, as its governor to take on the mess.

Yet The Times suggested that Rauner was not a legitimate reformer – because he is wealthy. Moreover, The Times said Rauner was “buying power” and that the influence of public sector labor unions was not a major problem in politics in Illinois, as in other states.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/30/us/politics/illinois-campaign-money-bruce-rauner.html

Comments were split, with many buying into the idea that a “1 percenter oligarchy” was taking over government. But some recognized the problem of public sector unions extracting excessive and unsustainable benefits for themselves. Illinois’s unfunded pension liabilities exceed $100 billion:

I am a proud citizen of Illinois, a lifelong Democrat, and I voted for Bruce Rauner. The enormous and immoral pensions that our legislators have promised to public workers will truly lead the state into bankruptcy. Someone had to draw the line and say, “stop this, now.” He still has an uphill battle, but I hope that he stands firm against the entrenched public workers unions.

Illinois is the worst financially managed state in the nation. Its public sector unions have muscled the state’s Democratic machine for so long it is almost incapable of reforming itself. Yet the NYT comes up with a narrative of rich people “buying power” – really? I’m surprised they were able to “buy power” at all given how corrupt the state’s politic culture is. I remember the same accusation leveled against Uber-rich Mike Bloomberg when he first ran for mayor of New York.

What is wrong with people here? Chicago is corrupt, and spends like a drunken sailor. Yet so many here rant about Republicans. Seriously? We can be angry about money given to campaigns, but in the end it is the people that vote. Do you really vote for the person with the most ads?  The reason there is a Republican governor is because people are tired of corruption, tired of the way things are run, and really tired of the public unions that have extracted salaries and pensions that are ridiculous. Do I believe that this new governor will use some common sense and ethics? Don’t know. But I’m not going to say he won’t just because he’s Republican. Just as I won’t say Democrats only care about people and justice and are the good guys. They are not. Politicians are too often elitists regardless of party. But Illinois needs to tighten it’s belt and must do something. People voted for the opposite as what they’d been voting for wasn’t working. It’s not about party, it’s about change. And change is painful, but in Illinois it’s critical.  Stop ranting about Republicans and learn some facts about Illinois, especially Chicago. The public unions are a disaster, their demands unsustainable, and their largess an embarrassment.