Taxpayer-Funded Housing for an Illinois Pol

Illinois Review ^ | December 9, 2011 A.D. | John F. Di Leo

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Racetracks exist at the pleasure of the state. As highly regulated businesses, they need the blessing of the state to set up shop, to open for business, to continue from year to year.

If they want to hold more races per day than they used to, or to be open more days per week, or more weeks per year, they need the permission of the state. And, as in most states, the Illinois gaming commission is run, for the most part, by the governor.

In 1969, Governor Otto Kerner (D, The Stables) was discovered to have accepted bribes (in the form of preferred stock!) from a racetrack or two, in exchange for granting the racetrack’s special requests (approving a favorable racing schedule, planning an extra highway exit or two to route consumer traffic toward the track, etc.). The wheels of justice turn slowly, but Governor Kerner was eventually convicted, and did time in federal prison as a result.

To the Victors go the Spoils.

Government agencies need employees. It takes people to populate a driver’s license facility, a tollbooth, a service center. Lots of people. And the elected office holder gets to appoint those people, in the time-honored tradition of President Andrew Jackson (D, The Hermitage).

In 2006, Governor George Ryan (R, I-355) was convicted...

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Disgraced Illinois Govenor (that's almost redundant, isn't it?) Rod Blagojevich has been sentenced to 14 years in the federal pen.

And as usual, people are learning the wrong lessons from it.

My opinion of the right lesson is in my column today in Illinois Review, if you're interested...