Worse. Governor. Ever?

What does the state of Illinois have in common with the United States of America? A chief executive that will probably go down in history as the worst.

From reporting featured in the last few days of the Peoria Journal Star, the madness continues in Springfield where our legislators need to develop a budget for the next fiscal year. And a major hurdle to completing one seems to be the Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich. Earlier this year, Blagojevich pressed for a gross receipts tax on Illinois businesses. It would have been a huge tax increase and a plan no legislator would get next to. This tax increase would be to fund education and universal health care for Illinois citizens. I had always wondered that if this GRT would pass, where would this tax revenue come from as companies would either a) fail, b) experience much less profitability and further sink Illinois’ economy or c) leave the state all together.

Anyway, the House voted the measure down; 107-0. Now Mr. Blagojevich wants to lease the Illinois lottery for $10 billion. Money raised from this scheme would help to retire pension debt. This measure was voted down, 78-6. Blagojevich seems to be getting irked and is now completely hostile with lawmakers, especially with rank-and-file members of the House. And it’s getting to the point of pettiness.

Blagojevich continues to reside in his Chicago bunker instead of Springfield where a Governor should be. Especially at a time like this. Instead, he flies down everyday at almost $6,000 a crack and is paid for by you and me. To add insult to injury, there’s entirely no progress made, so the money spent is a complete waste. Nnot the best way to spend money when the state is mired in red ink and debt.

The governor’s mansion, the House and Senate are all controlled by Democrats. You would think there would be little or no budget impasse. Not so. It’s so bad now that Blagojevich has resorted to name calling in trying to get what he wants in a budget. In the past week, Blagojevich began calling House Leader Madigan a “George Bush Republican.” A spokesman for Madigan brushed it off stating that it was immature on the part of the Governor and that it offers no progress to resolve the budget impasse.

But wait, it gets worse. Now the Governor is hot because of a disagreement over who sets the meeting times for the special sessions he’s called. Blagojevich wanted the House to continue work on the budget yesterday. House leader Madigan called the House into session at 10am, which I think is a quite reasonable time. Blagojevich wanted the House and Senate to convene at 2pm. Angered over this, Blagojevich issued yet another proclamation for another special session to start at 2:30pm. A meeting between the Governor and about 60 lawmakers at the Governor’s mansion festered into a bitch session.

Rank and file lawmakers are also becoming irritated as well, to the point a representative voiced the “i-word” (impeachment). The talk of impeachment, mainly from Republican representative Mike Bost, quieted down as it would only be counterproductive. But you can tell it’s in the back of their minds.

I’ve wondered when the word “impeachment” would surface as Blagojevich has proved to be a terrible Governor. I though we hit bottom with George Ryan, but I guess Rod didn’t want to be outdone. It appears that Blagojevich will not compromise on anything he wants; not even with fellow party members. He also wants to institute massive spending on health care coverage and education, despite the weak financial and fiscal strength of the state. He continues to waste taxpayer money with his flights to and from Chicago; he continues to waste legislators time and patience with name calling and hissy fits over trivial matters and I believe he has lost touch with lawmakers, the people and with reality. A good Governor would facilitate the end of a budget impasse; not create one like Blagojevich has done.

Common Sense of it All: This is a really sad state of affairs coming from our chief executive, especially when he claimed he would “govern as a reformer,” in 2002. It’s time for him to go and Pat Quinn to step up.