Week of December 14th, 2009

The other day, I was thinking about the fact not only are we coming up on the end of the year, we are also approaching the end of the first decade of the new century and millennium. Time has flown, hasn’t it? It seems like yesterday we were all Y2-K afraid. All the computers were going to crash, planes were going to fall out of the sky and our technology dependent world would fall around us. Of course, nothing much happened, except that we started a new chapter in our history. The moment was sort of a marker. It represented in many ways a new beginning and caused us to reflect not only on the past but also think about our future. When the clock struck midnight and that first second of the new millennium came, I bet you can even remember where you were. It is hard to believe that we are almost ten years into that new chapter.
Then I started to think about how the first decade of that new beginning has gone. Personally, that first decade has been a series of incredible blessings for the most part. Although I have lost some of my dearest friends and mentors and we have faced some challenges in our family, the joys and blessings have far outweighed the rough spots. For example, my parents and both of my wife’s parents are healthy and still with us. My five children are all well, two have graduated college this decade and a third is on course to graduate EIU in the spring and all are gainfully employed! We gained a son-in-law and we were even blessed with our first grandchild, Bella Marie. We have been blessed with a great start to this new chapter.

There are many reflections to be made. I also think about what has happened in the World, our Nation and the State of Illinois. Once again, there have certainly been challenges. The nation has endured a decade filled almost completely with war after the terrorist attacks that occurred early in the decade. We now face economic challenges that many agree have not been paralleled since the Great Depression.

When I consider what has happened at the State level these past ten years, many of what were considered “top stories” come to mind. I have had a front row seat for many of these stories. Here is sort of a top ten list (in no particular order) of the events and stories in State Government that I remember most: 10- Governor Ryan issues a moratorium on the Death Penalties and clears Illinois’ Death row, this declaration has lasted the remainder of the decade. 9- Smoking Ban is implemented for public places including bars and casinos. 8- Control of State Government and legislature shifts completely to Democratic Party with the election of Governor Blagojevich and Democratic majorities in both State Houses. 7- Severe budget problems plague Illinois for most of the decade which culminate in a nearly $13 billion budget deficit as the decade ends. 6- The legislature breaks several records for overtime sessions as Governor Blagojevich calls for special sessions to deal with budget issues and an attempt to expand health care. 5- Roland Burris was named to replace Barak O’Bama as Illinois U.S. Senator by then Governor Blagojevich amid accusations of the Senate seat being auctioned off to the highest bidder, then Burris testifies before House Impeachment Committee and is later reprimanded by the U.S. Senate for not being forthright in his testimony before the committee. 4- George Ryan is indicted on federal corruption charges and sentenced to prison and loses his pension. 3- Governor Rod Blagojevich arrested by federal authorities, recommended for Impeachment by a House Special Committee, Impeached by the House and removed from office by the Illinois Senate. He then goes on the prime time and late night TV show tour and is currently signing copies of his book. His trial for federal corruption charges starts next summer. 2- Pat Quinn becomes Governor of Illinois after the removal of Blagojevich from office. 1- Illinois State Senator Barak O’Bama is elected President of the United States.

There are many other stories that I am sure you can remember that came out of Illinois during the past ten years. Your memories may be different and your top ten could also be very different than mine. I would be interested in hearing from you.

One thing is for sure, during the next decade, we have many challenges facing us. Obviously, we must find a way to turn our economy around and create jobs here in Illinois. We must also deal with the impending doom related to our current multi-billion dollar budget deficit very soon. Plus, while some reform measures were passed after Blagojevich was handcuffed and booked, we have not done nearly enough to pass tough ethics laws that will help to clean up the culture of corruption that has been the hallmark of State government for the past several decades and became the focal point of the first ten years of the new millennium. Simply put, we can and must do better.

One reform that is getting a lot of attention is the effort to place a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot next year that would change the way we draw our political maps that are used in elections. Everyone knows about the chopped up legislative districts that we now have due to the gerrymandering that takes place. Our system currently allows legislators to pick who votes for them rather than the other way around. Last week, several better government groups held a press conference to unveil the details of this effort. It is a citizen’s initiative to change the way we elect our State Representatives and Senators. You can go to www.ILFairmap.com to read about the initiative. I will explain it in more detail soon.

You can write me at: P.O. Box 125, Hutsonville, IL 62433 or e-mail me at reddyunit1@aol.com. You can also read more on my web site: www.peopleforeddy.com or and follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RepEddy and www.tweetillinois.org.