Four long-time Illinois General Assembly members who pushed through the “fair tax” referendum have been charged with crimes. A fifth faces a bribery investigation.
Three state lawmaker corruption probes led Illinois’ governor to call for three resignations, but the fourth involving Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan received a weaker response.
America’s longest-serving politician is at the center of a federal corruption investigation into lobbying, bribery and using ComEd for political patronage jobs.
State lawmakers last summer doubled Illinois’ gas tax to help pay for capital projects. Each year the gas tax automatically rises, shielding lawmakers from responsibility for hikes.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.