After a two year hiatus, it is time to get back in the saddle (as they say). The sad state of affairs here in my home state has not changed much since my last post two years ago today.
The reason for that is–important individuals and well-funded organizations continue to cling to the fantasy that somehow the volunteers of the Illinois Republican Party—from the statewide organization to the local orgs—will effectively mount up on white horses and ride to the rescue. There are a lot of good people involved in the Illinois GOP at all levels, but there is a massive failure to understand the limits of volunteerism.
Of course, I should not pick on them without also mentioning those who think tens of millions of dollars spent on TV ads will save us. Though, to be honest, I do not think those raising or spending those TV millions care all that much about saving the state. Losing is too lucrative.
The solution is also not talk radio or podcasts, or “wishful-thinking tanks” and wonderfully researched studies about government failure and corruption. After many decades of opportunity, those things have not sparked a renaissance yet, and never will. What is truly sad is that our side’s celebrity grifters, those with the potential to make a difference, cannot seem to grasp what has to be done despite the solution staring them right in the face.
Thank God for President Donald John Trump, who has enlisted a cabinet full of all-stars and people like Elon Musk.
The federal Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) revelations about the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) merely put into stark reality the widespread corruption in our federal government. It also reveals the almost-beyond-words incompetence of all of those “limited government” right-of-center groups and candidates we’ve been supporting for decades.
The truth is, our state has many variations of USAID-type governmental agencies and “non governmental organizations” (NGOs) that are hip deep in corrupt spending. It is fun to think about what an Illinois version DOGE would uncover just when it comes to the taxpayer funded K-12 school system and the taxpayer funded “higher education” system across the state. I have been saying it for years: so much of what goes on with tax dollars is merely filling pockets with cash.
A good place to start in the next few posts is to outline some basics—such as how business success does not translate into success in the political arena. Wealthy business people continue to step into Illinois politics and fail to make a difference. Obviously, President Trump is the exception that proves the rule. His business success did pave the way for his political victories—though clearly the four year gap between terms helped him a great deal.
My interest is not in making friends, but rather in finally seeing the work get done that will start to lessen the pain suffered by Illinoisans caused by decades of terrible government policy. I will not be nice to those who are prolonging that pain through Olympic hubris and Olympian ignorance. I might even start to name names.
Up next: Looking for Love in all the wrong places.
Image credit: Trump Tower in the heart of Chicago.
