In 1970, I was fresh out of the Army and voted for the new Illinois Constitution. It was the first time I had ever voted — and the last time I had a say on how my income was taxed in Illinois. I’ll be voting “no” on the graduated income tax.
This tax hike is the wrong path forward to solve Illinois’ problems. More than that, I vote to reject that profoundly flawed 1970 Illinois Constitution. Until lawmakers get serious about changing other provisions of this governing law, they don’t deserve a vote on this one, ill-considered tax provision.
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What’s wrong with the constitution?
The most egregious error is the amendment provision.
Politicians can put an amendment on the ballot whenever they like, but it’s virtually impossible for voters to get any reform measure on the ballot. They can only petition for a narrow change in just the legislature. That’s why every attempt to change the corrupt redistricting process has been rebuffed, even though fair maps are wildly popular among the people. The only time such a change happened was when Pat Quinn succeeded in cutting the size of the state legislature. Great effort, but did it really change the quality of our government?
Let’s say 100% of registered voters in Illinois signed a petition for a constitutional amendment that made it a crime to chew gum in public. Such an initiative would not be allowed on the ballot. But if three-fifths of the General Assembly wanted it, they could.
There are many provisions of the Constitution that are killing the state, but the General Assembly won’t let voters touch them. These are more serious than chewing gum:
* Rewriting the balanced budget provision to get real about state financial management.
* Addressing the debt provision that puts limits on state borrowing, but somehow excludes our crushing pension debt.
* Revising the local government section to do away with the tax limit that has led to a proliferation of units of local government.
* Allowing for cities to adopt a voter-approved city constitution.
* The pension clause, which has been interpreted to bar the General Assembly from modifying plans like almost all other states can.
These are just some of the provisions that keep us in trouble. But they are as untouchable as Abe Lincoln’s top hat.
Instead of addressing our core problems, the political elite offer us a tax increase clothed in the false wrapper of fairness. There’s nothing fair about our fiscal and political mess.
Some fear that allowing petitions would turn Illinois into California, with trivial motions. That’s a false choice. There are governance schemes that are halfway between the two states’ options. How could we be worse off with more citizen choice?
Illinois’ political elite don’t trust voters with choice. They hide behind the amendment provision that denies Illinoisans the choice to vote on what is important to us, not them.
My “no” vote is my message to government: Don’t sneak through one change to our constitution until you have fixed the many flaws.
Ed Bachrach is founder of the Center for Pension Integrity and co-author of “The New Chicago Way: Lessons from Other Big Cities.”
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