North Egypt News

The depths of the corruption now plaguing Springfield Democrats come as no great surprise to Franklin County conservative activist Karen Tucker.

“It stands to reason,” Tucker told the North Egypt News. “If the head is poisonous, over time there’s no way it won’t spread to the rest of the body. The system was built with checks and balances in place but if you have dishonest people at the top this is what happens. We all know (embattled House Speaker) Mike Madigan needs to go."

A new University of Illinois at Chicago study finds that the state’s culture of corruption annually costs taxpayers in the neighborhood of $556 million. Researchers also noted Illinois ranks as the second-most corrupt state in the country (behind Louisiana) and Chicago is the most corrupt city in the U.S., all of which goes a long way in crippling the state’s chances for economic growth.

Over the last two decades, researchers also found the state’s corruption price-tag easily tops $10 billion, or around $830 per resident.

This year alone, at least four state lawmakers have been indicted on corruption charges, adding to the state’s long and sordid political history that includes four governors having been sentenced to prison over the last five decades. Presently, Madigan finds himself cast as a central figure in the ongoing federal probe involving utility giant ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme.

“It’s all taking a toll,” Tucker added. “It’s a big reason for way you see so many people leaving the state now for calmer waters.”

Tucker said she takes all the recent talk of Democrats now pushing their own ethics reform package with a grain of salt.

“To me, it just seems like a lot of talk,” she said. “Besides putting them in charge of setting ethical standards would be like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. You just can’t have corrupt people setting the rules for ethical conduct.”