Peoria Pundit

This just arrived in my inbox. I’m not endorsing any of John Bambeneck’s suggestions, although I agree with most fo the goals he expresses. I’m printing this to generate some discussion:

Have at it:

Friends-

Are you fed up with the mess in Springfield? I know I am. Years of unbalanced budgets that get balanced on the backs of the poor, developmentally disabled and mentally ill. Corruption as far as the eye can see. Springfield “leaders” who prefer dysfunction than get the people’s work done. This is the status quo and each day its getting worse.

I have written an expansive state constitutional amendment to reform the legislature in Springfield. There is a very narrow ability for citizens to get amendments on the ballot which I have used in it requires NO LEGISLATIVE ACTION. If I get enough signatures and the voters approve it, it becomes the law of the land. It’s that simple.

I call this amendment the Bambenek Putback Amendment and it is designed to put YOU back in charge in Springfield. It enhances the influence of everyday voters and takes away the power of the legislative leaders who lord over what has become an imperial legislature.

What does this amendment do? It creates term limits. Illinois is a part-time legislature, most legislators have other jobs while they serve in Springfield. With this amendment, they can serve 8 years and return to private life. Illinois is rife with patronage armies built based on decades of serving in government. Those patronage armies have always been part and parcel of the corruption in Illinois. Take away the long serving insiders, the patronage armies are hobbled.

It requires all legislation to be public for 7 days, without amendments, before they can be voted into law. Currently, the Legislature uses an insider trick called “shell bills” to prevent the press, public and rank and file legislators from seeing legislation before its final vote. Every budget for the last few years was crafted behind closed doors by the legislative leaders, put on the desk of legislators in the morning and they were told how to vote that evening. This is no way to run a state.

It opens up ballot access. If you are running for office, you face the same requirements as any insider does to get on the ballot. If you aren’t an “established party” you often have to get 10 times MORE signatures. Even if you meet that requirement, there is a landmine of petty rules that can get you kicked off the ballot. For instance, if you use a paperclip instead of a staple, you’re off the ballot. This system protects insiders and has been REPEATEDLY ruled unconstitutional by the courts. My amendment will equalize ballot access and eliminate the process of kicking people off the ballot for reasons unconnected to fraud or deception.

The amendment does much more, but I’ve given you a couple of highlights. What I need is people to help me get 500,000 signatures across the state. And of course, I need money (even $10 helps!). If you will help my get these petitions out across the state, please let me know.

You can find more information at http://www.putbackamendment.com where you can also download the petitions. If you have any questions, let me know.

Thank you and please consider helping me reform Springfield!

This entry was posted 6 months, 1 week ago on Thursday, August 6th, 2009 at 12:12 am and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.