Obama presidential library: Madigan and Rahm caught red-handed

Last week, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel tried to pull the wool over the eyes of every Illinoisan by dedicating $100 million of taxpayer dollars to the construction of Barack Obama’s presidential library, which the city of Chicago is vying for. Fortunately, they were caught red-handed. According to the Rules of...

Last week, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel tried to pull the wool over the eyes of every Illinoisan by dedicating $100 million of taxpayer dollars to the construction of Barack Obama’s presidential library, which the city of Chicago is vying for. Fortunately, they were caught red-handed.

According to the Rules of the Illinois House of Representatives, a committee cannot vote on a measure unless the proper posting requirements have been met and a quorum is present. At Thursday’s hearing, only four of the 10 committee members were present, yet somehow the legislation was recorded as passing unanimously, on a vote of 9-0. As of this morning, this false roll call has yet to be updated online to reflect the truth.

Even had a quorum been present, this legislation was scheduled to be brought up in what is referred to as a “subject matter only” hearing, meaning testimony was to be heard but no formal votes were to be cast. Clearly this is not what transpired. Instead, the second and third most powerful elected officials in the state of Illinois were complacent in blatantly breaking their own rules, denigrating how democracy ought to be conducted. Furthermore, this unacceptable exploit was made without regard to – yet at the expense of – the entire state’s bank account.

The Republican spokesperson for the committee, state Rep. Ed Sullivan, has been loud in his objection to the advancement of this legislation – as have House Minority Leader Jim Durkin and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, rightfully so. Not surprisingly, their opinions on the matter are representative of most Illinoisans’: Obama’s library should be funded the same way every presidential library during the past century has been paid for – by private donations. Illinois cannot afford to continue spending money that it does not have – the state’s tax-and-spend status quo is simply not sustainable.

This scandal is indicative of the arrogance inherent to a supermajority that has gripped the reigns of power – too tightly, for too long – giving rise to the (colossally flawed) attitude that the rules don’t apply to them. Speaker Madigan’s violation of parliamentary procedure last Thursday wasn’t just dodgy – it was disgraceful. (As is his weak excuse.) It’s no wonder only 28% of Illinois residents trust state government, the lowest rating in the nation by a wide margin.

Due in large part to the outcries of opposition that have been heard across the state, this bill will be reconsidered by the committee when lawmakers return to Springfield next week; the vote will be retaken during a House committee hearing on April 30. In the meantime, Illinoisans must do everything in our power to guarantee that next Wednesday’s revote outcome will be different this time around. Make sure you let Speaker Madigan know that Illinois can’t afford to subsidize a library for President Obama.