In the News

Peoria Journal Star, May 11, 2008

Sen. Rickey Hendon, D-Chicago, is often loud, obnoxious and willing to make personal attacks on people. He was in fine form last week on the issue of pay raises for lawmakers.

Make no mistake, Hendon wants more money. Double his state salary, and he'd still think he was underpaid. He also doesn't like people who criticize lawmaker pay raises. Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest, thinks the raises should be rejected. Hendon attacked her as a millionaire from "Richville" who doesn't understand working stiffs like himself, barely getting by on $85,000 a year. He deserves criticism for that.

But Hendon makes one legitimate point. The pay raise process is a hypocrite's dream. Most lawmakers can vote against the raises secure in the knowledge they'll still get more money if a handful of their colleagues are willing to stick their necks out and vote for the raises. Don't fool yourself. Some of them are privately thinking about getting a raise while publicly voting against it.

The whole process runs counter to "transparency," the word currently in vogue around state government. Lawmakers could change that if they wanted to, to bring more accountability to the whole pay raise process. They won't. Why mess with something that works just fine for them now?