Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Why are we still paying their salaries?

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Why are we still paying their salaries?
Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times
November 24, 2009
http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1901012,CST-EDT-edit24a.article


Gov. Quinn, consider how the following negative political ad might play out on television.
An action shot of federal subpoenas being slapped down on the governor's desk.

Then sinister close-ups of an inspector general's report recommending the firing of specific state employees "for unethical and fraudulent activity."

Followed by a shot of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the current poster boy for state corruption.

Quickly fading to a shot of you, governor.

Then the voiceover: "Pat Quinn promised to 'fumigate' state government of Blagojevich appointees and his big-salary hires.

"But at least 70 holdovers remain. Some cut in line for their state jobs -- in front of veterans.

"What's taking so long, governor?"

We can't imagine you would want that kind of political ad running before the primary.

Problem is, the ad would be true, and fair game.

A story in Monday's Chicago Sun-Times by Dave McKinney, Tim Novak and Chris Fusco detailed your inaction on the fumigation front.

We understand you've been busy with other matters.

The state's finances, for instance, are in the tank.

And you've managed to pass some modest reforms.

We appreciate your deliberative nature.

But shedding many of these employees should be a no-brainer.

Take George Rada, who makes nearly $80,000 a year working for the state. He was among six Blagojevich hires who the state inspector general later said should be fired because of how they got their jobs, including cutting in front of military veterans.

Rada got a state job Downstate, in a county where no veterans were on waiting lists for the positions, but wound up working in Cook County, where 17 vets would have had dibs on the job ahead of him, according to the inspector general's report.

Abuses like these -- and the fact that Rada remains employed -- are particularly frustrating given the governor's overall fine record in fighting for veterans in our state.

We understand the governor might be facing a tough political reality.

Many of these Blagojevich hires still on the payroll have political sponsors -- politicians Quinn may not be eager to offend just before the primary.

So far, the governor has been removing these folks piecemeal, but it may be more effective to get rid of them all at once, as part of a single effort.

Governor, you're a man who has built his political career on doing the right thing.

Do it again.

And give your political enemies a little less ammunition against you, come February.