From the Rock Island Argus & Moline Dispatch (Editorial):
 Editorial: Blagojevich's bad week
Sep 28, 2008 12:01AM
The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus
Last week was a rough one for Rod Blagojevich. Illinois senators hit the governor where he lives, literally.
First, they joined the House in overriding an amendatory veto that will eventually result in ending pay-to-play politics. That taps a spigot of campaign cash from state contractors and others doing state business that has long been flooding the governor’s campaign pool. Then, in a clear slap Blaojevich, Republicans introduced a bill to sell one of the fleet of planes at his disposal to keep open state parks and historic sites he had ordered closed.
We welcome the Senate’s overwhelming override of the governor’s rewrite of an ethics bill that was clearly aimed at killing it. It’s too bad it won’t take effect until Jan. 1. That gives unscrupulous fundraiser at least three more months to gather up what they can from those who do business with the state. Still, the reform is real and it is coming. That’s cause for celebration.
We’re less excited about the plane-for-parks swap. Not that we support the governor’s constant abuse of the four planes, which allow him to govern from Chicago and ignore the rest of the state. We also decry frequent use of state-paid fly-arounds that are little more than campaign press conferences masquerading as policy sessions. But forcing the governor to sell one of the state-owned planes on e-Bay won’t fix a thing that’s broken. If lawmakers want to debate whether the governor needs four planes, or even how and when he can use them, they should. Just don’t tie the issue to park funding. (Besides, there’s a bill awaiting the governor’s signature that will save the parks and historic sites, at least for now. )
Sponsors of SB3066, including Quad-Cities area Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, maintain that by declaring a plane surplus and selling it, the state could fund parks for a year. If a second plane is sold, he said, proceeds could be used to keep open the 13 historic sites the governor wants to close. Democrats, including Marty Mulcahey of Galena, Sen. Bivens’ opponent Nov. 4, say though they might support it, the bill is clearly meant to embarrass the governor.
Of course it is, and no wonder his political opponents take advantage of such moments; the Chicago Democrat makes it so easy to do. The trouble is, this politician appears incapable of embarrassment. Clearly, when it comes to their governor, however, the public is well acquainted with the emotion.
It is against that backdrop that the governor will consider the House- and Senate-approved fund-sweeps that would keep open two dozen parks and historic sites. Public reaction to the closures was swift and angry. Locally, backers of the Hennepin Canal Parkway and the Black Hawk State Historic Site added their voices to the angry chorus. If the governor doesn’t approve the sweeps, or if he rewrites the bill, those sites remain in jeopardy and he may pay the price with angry voters.
While we’re not typically fans of robbing from one fund to finance another, widespread negative reaction to the closures makes it clear that Illinoisans care deeply about parks and historic sites and they want them open, regardless of how it’s done. Also, the bill authorizing the sweeps makes clear where the money is coming from and where it must be spent -- a level of accountability that should always be part of financial transactions in Springfield, but too rarely is. Though it has gotten far less attention, the $231 million contained in the bill also restores draconian cuts to social service agencies.
For all those reasons, Gov. Blagojevich should sign the bill without delay. We also would echo the sentiments of an Alton Telegraph editorial reprinted here on Saturday, which essentially said: Governor, visit the parks and sites you are so ready to close and discover that there is a great deal of Illinois outside of your familiar urban cacoon (though we recommend you use that state plane sparingly).
We’d add, governor, you should realize, too, that voters are not stupid. Given enough time and information, they can cut through the spin and find the truth. And the truth is, the state’s economy is a mess. If revenue projections fall shorter than anticipated -- which many are predicting -- the state will face even nastier choices down the road. Your employers, the people who pay the bills, deserve a say in those choices.
It’s time to start listening to them.