Reply #3: State government grinds to standstill

[ProSense]

State government grinds to standstill

By Rick Pearson and Ray Long | Tribune reporters
January 4, 2009

The governor was arrested by the FBI and faces impeachment proceedings, his appointee to a U.S. Senate seat is in limbo and the state treasury is in shambles—a combination that has turned Illinois into a national punch line.

But who's laughing around here?

The state owes billions of dollars to day-care providers, hospitals and physicians treating the poor. Lawmakers have shelved ambitious agendas, such as fixing health care and reforming the state's method of financing public schools.

The tortuous saga of Gov. Rod Blagojevich has put Illinois government on hold.

"Absolutely, we're in a mess," state Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley) said of the state of the state. "This is the reason that Barnum & Bailey has three rings. The Senate appointment is on one side, the federal prosecutors and the criminal charges are on the other, and those of us dealing with impeachment are in the center ring."

The focus of Illinois' political circus shifts to the legislature Sunday, with members of a special House panel considering Blagojevich's fate scheduled to begin drafting a report that could lead to a recommendation of articles of impeachment. The full House returns to Springfield on Wednesday for a possible vote on the panel's recommendation within days.

Top Illinois politicians say the acceleration toward impeachment symbolizes the realization that any attempts to move the state forward—such as dealing with a severe budget crisis and developing job-growing economic plans—cannot progress while Blagojevich is still in office.

<...>

A few months before Blagojevich's Dec. 9 arrest on allegations that he sought to use his office to enrich himself and his political fund, the governor's job approval rating was a dismal 13 percent. Now, despite proclaiming his innocence, Blagojevich's credibility is in tatters and his administration is unraveling from resignations. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has even revoked his access to classified security information. An already marginalized governor has become even more isolated.

more