State's lack of limits on contributions to pols hurts business

by George Ranney October 12, 2009 The debate about whether Illinois should limit the amount of money that can be contributed to political candidates is a top concern of politicians, contributors, the business community and the majority of Illinoisans who never even contribute to a political campaign. Illinois is one of five states with absolutely no restrictions on campaign contributions. None. The federal government has limits on contributions. So do 45 other states. In Illinois, you can give an unlimited amount of money to a political party and to any candidate, including judges. Eventually, the party or the candidate has to report the gift. That's it. People who care about the strength of our economy and the quality of the business environment should care about this discrepancy between Illinois and most of the rest of the nation. Are we unique in that we don't need to address this part of the election process? The unlimited, free-for-all approach to elections affects our state's economy in many ways. First, it creates an atmosphere that can lead to outright corruption. Our previous governor is a poster child for what happens when there are no controls except disclosure. Second, the absence of limits makes it more difficult to challenge incumbents or hear minority points of view. Power becomes concentrated and change becomes difficult. Investors think twice before doing business in a state that has a reputation for corruption, and they may decide the cost is too high. Business leaders do not want to be in a state where important policy issues aren't seriously considered unless backers are prepared to make big contributions to the right candidates and parties. Why wouldn't they take their business elsewhere? On Aug. 27, Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed an awful bill masquerading as campaign reform. He did it with the support of Republican and Democratic legislative leaders. It was the right thing to do. At the veto signing ceremony, I spoke on behalf of Change Illinois, the reform coalition representing 50 organizations and 2 million voters. We all agreed that a new bill would be ready for passage by the end of the October veto session. Despite several meetings and conversations, there is still no agreement on a draft that legislators and citizens can review, even though the legislative session begins Wednesday. We need to place reasonable limits on the money that can be contributed by individuals, corporations and unions. To be fair, we also need limits on political action committees, political parties and legislative caucuses. It is time for the business community to let legislators know that Illinois can literally no longer afford to be an outlier state with no rules for election finance. We can't afford it.