Happy Independence Day!

On this day, I'll simply pass on some words from our President:

This weekend, our family will join millions of others in celebrating America. We will enjoy the glow of fireworks, the taste of barbeque, and the company of good friends. As we all celebrate this weekend, let's also remember the remarkable story that led to this day.

Two hundred and thirty-three years ago, our nation was born when a courageous group of patriots pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the proposition that all of us were created equal.

Our country began as a unique experiment in liberty -- a bold, evolving quest to achieve a more perfect union. And in every generation, another courageous group of patriots has taken us one step closer to fully realizing the dream our founders enshrined on that great day.

Today, all Americans have a hard-fought birthright to a freedom which enables each of us, no matter our views or background, to help set our nation's course. America's greatness has always depended on her citizens embracing that freedom -- and fulfilling the duty that comes with it.

As free people, we must each take the challenges and opportunities that face this nation as our own. As long as some Americans still must struggle, none of us can be fully content. And as America comes ever closer to achieving the perfect Union our founders dreamed, that triumph -- that pride -- belongs to all of us.

So today is a day to reflect on our independence, and the sacrifice of our troops standing in harm's way to preserve and protect it. It is a day to celebrate all that America is. And today is a time to aspire toward all we can still become.

With very best wishes,
President Barack Obama

July 4th, 2009

P.S. -- Our nation's birthday is also an ideal time to consider serving in your local community. You can find many great ideas for service opportunities near you at http://www.serve.gov.

Never Forget, Ever Honor

At some point while you're enjoying this holiday weekend, try to remember the meaning behind this, and every, Memorial Day.

It is the
VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the politician,
who has given us the right to vote.

It is
the VETERAN who
salutes the Flag, and

It is
the VETERAN who
serves under it.

It Takes More Than Just a Law

Below is a letter that was sent to all legislators by Dawn Clark Netsch, former State Senator, former Comptroller, and one of my former law school professors.

I think a lot of Dawn, but in her support of campaign contribution limit legislation (a bill on which I am a Chief Co-Sponsor), she makes a statement with which I simply can't agree - "We cannot get back on track without regulating the amounts and sources of the money that goes into electing our representatives in government."

Dawn Clark Netsch
May 18, 2009

Dear Senator/Representative

Having spent 18 years as a member of the Senate, I am fully aware of the tensions and occasional chaos of the last few weeks of a legislative session—so many big issues to resolve and so many different approaches to how they should be resolved. But I also still feel strongly that it is important that the General Assembly emerge from the process with its credibility and integrity intact, that the voters believe that it has done its job well, however difficult the circumstances.

There is one issue that is critical to that outcome: reform of the culture of corruption that has damaged the standing and self-confidence of our state for too long. Addressing it is essential to our ability to deal rationally with the other problems facing us: horrendous budget deficits, economic development and jobs, unfunded pensions, healthcare needs, etc.

While there are many good proposals for reform pending—and I support most of them—there is one that is the rock-bottom essential first step, without which the goal of “reform” will not be taken seriously. And that one is campaign finance reform: strict and strictly enforced modest limits on campaign contributions by individuals, business, unions, PACs and all other political committees. I genuinely believe that we cannot get back on track without regulating the amounts and sources of the money that goes into electing our representatives in government.

For this reason, as both a frequent candidate and a frequent contributor to other candidates, I urge you—I plead with you—to enact campaign limits consistent with those reflected in Representative Harry Osterman’s HB24. They are reasonable, they will work, they are fair to candidates and parties alike, and, yes, we can live with the “millionaire” and independent expenditures challenges. Most importantly, it will go a long way to restoring confidence in an institution which I cherish and which all of Illinois wants to respect.

Sincerely, and best wishes,

Dawn
Dawn Clark Netsch

While limits are unquestionably needed, people need to understand two things.

First, limits in no way take money out of politics. I could just roll out the 'look at Washington' line, but on a more personal note, I would point out that under the federal guidelines (which are more stringent than those proposed for Illinois), I raised about $750,000 in just over 6 weeks during my Congressional bid earlier this year. And while there is no question that contribution limits inherently limit the influence of any specific individual or entity, having gone through what it takes to raise that kind of money, I will say that it's all but certain that candidates will spend more time raising money, not less.

Second, no amount of laws are going to get us back on track in and of themselves. The countless individuals who have gone to prison didn't go there for doing things that common decency tells us that they shouldn't have done...They went there for violating laws already on the books. My point is not that we shouldn't pass long-overdue reform measures, of course we should. That includes limits, faster disclosure, and other related items.

Rather, my point is that we need to manage people's expectations so that they recognize that while good people won't do bad things even in the absence of laws, even the best of laws won't stop bad people from doing bad things.

New Kid on the Block

Just because my blogging has been, um, sporadic of late, doesn't mean that other elected officials don't have something to say. To that end, join me in welcoming Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Frank Avila to the blogosphere. It's hard to imagine a MWRD commissioner more passionate about their job as is Frank.

Plus, along with Debra Shore, Commissioner Avila is at the forefront of recognizing the impact that his job can have on the environment. Hell, the guy is so green even his blog is green.

Speaking of which, here's the link to his blog. Go check it out.

A Very Civil Editorial

While I have my share of criticisms about much of the recent output of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board (which I'll discuss at a later date), I want to give credit where credit is due. They put out a cogent and thoughtful editorial in support of HB2234, Rep. Harris' bill which would legalize civil unions in Illinois.

In so doing, they recognize the fact that much, but certainly not all, of the tensions over this bill are rooted more in semantics then they are in substance:

Unnoticed in the uproar is that most Americans favor extending the benefits and obligations of marriage to same-sex couples -- just as long as it goes by a different name. Call it marriage, and most people bridle. Call it a civil union, and some 55 percent of citizens are in favor.

While Rep. Harris and other advocates of the bill have put in countless hours trying to explain to our colleagues what the bill is, and isn't, about, there are obviously many of them who are nevertheless opposed to the proposal, often times citing moral or religious reasons. It's to this mindset that the Tribune does, IMHO, a great job of setting the record straight.

If it's enacted, gay couples will gain the right to do things that heterosexuals take for granted: make emergency medical decisions and funeral arrangements for a partner, visit each other in the hospital and share a nursing home room. More important, perhaps, it will protect kids by placing same-sex couples that split up under the same rules that govern divorce, while assuring access to survivor benefits when a de facto parent dies.

By this compromise, the state would promote long-term commitments and the well-being of children. But it would avoid the intense emotions that surge around anything altering the traditional definition of marriage, which for many people has deep religious meaning. Harris' bill stipulates that no religious entity may be forced to bless such unions.

Nothing in HB2234 requires anybody to approve of homosexual couples if they choose not to. Rightfully, nothing in the bill imposes any requirements or restrictions upon any religious institutions or entities. Rather, in a modern-day version of the civil rights struggles of the 60's, the bill simply extends equal legal rights to a class of people that some people would prefer didn't have those rights. The bill should be passed. Now.

You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up

I'll try to get a more substantive post up this weekend, but in the interim, I'll just let this video speak for itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, our former Governor:

Welcome to the Party

Here is the latest reason why I have been a Mike Lawrence fan for a quite some time. While the Chicago Tribune continues to fawn over the recommendations of Governor Quinn's Illinois Reform Commission, Mike actually takes the time to analyze the bigger picture to try to get at why we have had the ethical lapses in Illinois government that we have.

The Tribune, which in my opinion has been inexplicably selective about when to call out for reforms and when to turn a blind eye, has decided that the work product of the Commission should be taken as gospel and passed as is, notwithstanding that the Commission didn't even attempt to put their ideas into draft legislation, settling instead for broad concepts that sound great at a press conference.

Don't get me wrong, I strongly support most, if not all, of the Commission's ideas. But as somebody that has put more years into working on ethics legislation as has the entire commission combined (many of those years in conjunction with Governor Quinn), I will tell you that the devil is assuredly in the details.

And while I most certainly look forward to seeing ideas that have been little more than idle chatter finally get their day in the sun and their vote on the floor, what the Tribune fails to recognize is that legislation alone, no matter how strong, will never clean up government by itself. To do that will take a bilateral combination of honest elected officials and an electorate willing to put the time in to separate the wheat from the chaff at the polling place.

And it is that precise point that Mike Lawrence hits on the head in his latest column:

But structural change cannot fully address the creeping corruption that can exploit character fault lines. No individual is perfect, nor is any administration. Honorable politicians are particularly vulnerable to the arrogance of incorruptibility.

The right kind of elected official will recognize the potential for corrosion. He or she will recruit, respect and heed aides and other associates who speak truth and integrity to power. We have had — and still have — such public officials, aides and associates. But we need more.

We also need citizens who value honest government more than a plowed street — citizens who resist the cynicism that permits them to tag all politicians as corrupt and avoid the homework that helps distinguish between the fakers and the true public servants.

Maybe the time that I have put in over the last decade working on these issues has sensitized me to Johnny-come-lately proselytizers who think that they have suddenly discovered the cure for what ails us. The answers have always been there, what has been missing has been people willing to find them.

I'm Baaaack

In keeping with the spirit of this holiday weekend, what better time than Easter to resurrect my blog? Having been mercilessly taunted and ceaselessly cajoled by a number of readers, and having had sufficient time to get back into something resembling stride after a pretty hectic first quarter of the year, I'm thinking it's time to wade back into the blogging waters.

In addition to just a general malaise, one of the issues keeping me from getting back into the swing of things has been my increasing use of my Facebook page and Twitter (@johnfritchey) to keep people apprised of my random musings. And while I actually think that they both serve their respective purposes to varying degrees, there's no question that they don't give me a format for longer-form musings on various issues.

So then the issue becomes how to integrate my blogging, Facebooking and Twittering into some remotely efficient exercise. And the answer that I think I've settled on for now as far as the blog is concerned is that while the blog will be the place to go for just getting my more in-depth thoughts as well as the news feeds, my posts will also be linked onto Facebook and Twitter, while my more spontaneous thoughts will simply be tweeted.

Facebook will serve as a middle ground and will likely be the most interactive of my sites due to its nature and the fact that it has a more diverse following than does this blog, which given its genesis, tends to attract mostly political junkies. It will also be the one spot where you can find all of my content in one location, since both my posts and tweets will appear there, in addition to random unique content which doesn't really qualify for the blog and is too long for Twitter.

And so there you have it, my first blog post in ages, and it's about...absolutely nothing. Enjoy.

Happy Easter everybody.

Show of Support

So what could all of these groups possibly have in common? I'm proud to say that it's that they support my candidacy to become the next Congressman in Illinois' 5th CD.

American Federation of County State & Municipal Employees***AFSCME #993 (State, County & Municipal)***AFSCME Council 31***American Muslim Task Force***Association of Fire Fighters of Illinois***Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241***Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308***Chicago & Cook County Building Trades Council***Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2***Chicago Teachers Union***Electrical Workers Local 134***IBEW Local 21***IBEW Local 9***Illinois Committee for Honest Government***Illinois Federation of Teachers Council***IVI-IPO***Jewish Political Alliance of Illinois***Laborer's International Union***Operating Engineers Local 150***Pipe Fitters Local #597***Teamsters Joint Council 25***Teamsters Local #726***Teamsters Local #731***UFCW Local 1546***UFCW Local 881***UNITE HERE Local 1

The Many Faces of Rod

He used to portray himself as a modern-day JFK Jr., but apparently Governor Blagojevich has now decided to channel other historical figures in his 'Look at me, I'm a Martyr' tour.

Impeached Gov. Blagojevich, on the first leg of his media blitz timed to the start of his impeachment trial, in an NBC interview broadcast on The Today Show Sunday compared himself to human rights heros Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.

For a Governor who thrives on confrontation to compare himself to Ghandi defies any and all logic.

And while I can almost picture the Governor overlooking the Washington Mall delivering his "I Have a Dream (about getting paid)" speech, his invocation of Dr. King is offensive.

The only comparison that can possibly be drawn to Mandela is the future likelihood that both men will have spent significant time behind bars, although I would have to imagine that Yankton, S.D. has little in common with Robben Island.

We should all be thankful that the Governor wasn't around during the civil rights movement. I have to believe that if the Governor was previously incarnated as Rosa Parks, he would have tried to sell his seat on the bus.