Chicago Tribune – Our Culture of Corruption
Chicago Tribune says What makes Illinois so corrupt? In the coming weeks and months, the Tribune will explore and attempt to explain why corruption continues to poison virtually every level of government in our state, draining off tax dollars and robbing public service of its meaning.
The reasons are many, the Tribune found, beginning with the ambition and greed brought here by many of Illinois’ first European settlers. But numerous other factors contribute to Illinois’ shameful record: Loosely regulated big-money campaigns. Domineering mayors letting shifty aldermen run amok. Cozy interactions between lobbyists and public officials. A ballot process power brokers often use to exclude newcomers. The largest number of governmental bodies in the nation, offering endless opportunities for graft amid little oversight.
Illinois nurtured the nation’s greatest president in Abraham Lincoln. It is the birthplace of iconic Republican President Ronald Reagan and the state where Democrat Barack Obama, the country’s first Black president, developed his political chops.