Illinois Constitution targeted
Nicholas Kerr
Issue date: 10/27/08 Section: News
If the proposition is passed, each Senate district will get to elect two people who are qualified to be members of the General Assembly, which is anyone is who is 21-years-old or older and has lived in their Senate district for two years, according to the state constitution.
Both of Chicago's major newspapers were split on the matter if the state needs a new constitution.
The Chicago Tribune's Editorial Board came out in favor of the supporting the convention saying, "Vote yes because if this referendum proposal fails, you do have a guarantee: The sweet-smiling panderers who run this mismanaged state will give you 20 more years of what you have now. You cannot challenge the interests that own too much of Illinois if you don't climb into the ring with them."
They also did have a warning for voters who take this advice, "If you approve this proposal, be prepared for the heavy responsibility of electing good delegates. We'll do our best to help by vetting the candidates."
The Sun-Times took the opposing view worrying about the unintended consequences of a new Constitutional Convention stating, "The dangerous wild card in all this, however, is not so much what a convention might fail to do, but what it might do. Once the Constitution is thrown open, anything goes. A woman's right to choose an abortion could be curtailed. Same-sex marriage could be permitted or prohibited. Home rule authority, crucial to ability of cities such as Chicago to manage their finances, could be substantially weakened.
According to the Sun-Times Editorial Board, "The real solution to the games in Springfield is not a new constitution; it is a set of players who have the best interests of Illinois as their goal."
Former Gov. Jim Edgar is also opposed to a new Constitutional Convention. In an editorial he wrote for the Tribune he stated, "Our constitution, regarded as one of the best in the nation, certainly does not require the sweeping rewrite that a convention could produce. Like the U.S. Constitution, it is an enduring, broadly worded document that protects our rights, lays out a sound framework for governing and is insulated from the passions of the moment."
Lieutenant Gov. Pat Quinn is a supporter of a new Constitutional Convention, telling National Public Radio that, "People are sick and tired of the political feuds, they don't like an unfair tax system and corruption that exists for far too long in Illinois and this is our chance to send a message to Springfield that it's time to reform and the people are gonna get the job done."
Both of Chicago's major newspapers were split on the matter if the state needs a new constitution.
The Chicago Tribune's Editorial Board came out in favor of the supporting the convention saying, "Vote yes because if this referendum proposal fails, you do have a guarantee: The sweet-smiling panderers who run this mismanaged state will give you 20 more years of what you have now. You cannot challenge the interests that own too much of Illinois if you don't climb into the ring with them."
They also did have a warning for voters who take this advice, "If you approve this proposal, be prepared for the heavy responsibility of electing good delegates. We'll do our best to help by vetting the candidates."
The Sun-Times took the opposing view worrying about the unintended consequences of a new Constitutional Convention stating, "The dangerous wild card in all this, however, is not so much what a convention might fail to do, but what it might do. Once the Constitution is thrown open, anything goes. A woman's right to choose an abortion could be curtailed. Same-sex marriage could be permitted or prohibited. Home rule authority, crucial to ability of cities such as Chicago to manage their finances, could be substantially weakened.
According to the Sun-Times Editorial Board, "The real solution to the games in Springfield is not a new constitution; it is a set of players who have the best interests of Illinois as their goal."
Former Gov. Jim Edgar is also opposed to a new Constitutional Convention. In an editorial he wrote for the Tribune he stated, "Our constitution, regarded as one of the best in the nation, certainly does not require the sweeping rewrite that a convention could produce. Like the U.S. Constitution, it is an enduring, broadly worded document that protects our rights, lays out a sound framework for governing and is insulated from the passions of the moment."
Lieutenant Gov. Pat Quinn is a supporter of a new Constitutional Convention, telling National Public Radio that, "People are sick and tired of the political feuds, they don't like an unfair tax system and corruption that exists for far too long in Illinois and this is our chance to send a message to Springfield that it's time to reform and the people are gonna get the job done."
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