John Bambenek

Articles by John Bambenek

Budget Reform the Chicago Way: Increase Mandated Spending

In 2010, Governor Quinn signed into law a landmark budget reform law called “Budgeting for Results”. The goal was quite simple, that spending should be tied to measurable goals of the state and that funding should change according to what

Governor Quinn Illegally Stacking Boards in Illinois

The culture of corruption is a well-known fixture in Chicago and Illinois politics where it doesn’t matter what you know, it matters who you know. We have one governor on his way to jail and the one before him currently

Bank of America to Cancel State of Illinois' Company Cards

Last week, an e-mail went out to all employees in the Illinois Department of Public Health to let them know that their corporate cards will no longer work after April 22nd because Bank of America is not renewing the contract

In Illinois, Public Acccountability is 'Vexatious'

Illinois has long earned the reputation as one of the most corrupt states in the union and for reasons too numerous to list here. However, not content to have reached rock bottom, the Illinois Municipal League (a collection of local

Sheriff Dupnik Faces Voter Recall

Not much more than an hour after nutter Jared Loughner shot a Congresswoman in the head and killed several others, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik starting blaming the Tea Party and the right-wing for the killing. Some of the victims were not

Sandra Day O'Connor Crosses Ethical Line to End Election of Judges

Retired Sandra Day O’Connor has had a busy month this month despite her retirement. Just this week she sat in on a federal appellate panel which struck down as unconstitutional Arizona’s law which requires voters prove that they are citizens.

With Pork Like This, No Wonder Illinois is Bankrupt

Imagine this, your state has a budget deficit of $13 Billion dollars (despite having a constitutional clause that requires balanced budgets). The state is months late in payments to local schools. Medicaid providers aren’t getting paid to treat the poor

Government Ethics: Chicago Style

It’s no secret that ethics means something a little different here in the Land of Lincoln. We’re home to where the last 3 of 6 governors have gone to jail. Our last governor was just convicted of a “Martha Stewart”

ACORN: Coming to an Illinois Voting Booth Near You?

When ACORN was caught stacking voter rolls with fake names leading up to the 2008 election, we stood up and took notice. Maybe an aberration, maybe part of a plan to undermine our system of elections. On Election Day, Black