#ThrowbackThursday: Quinn's 1980 legislative cutback amendment didn't save taxpayers money as he promised

Illinois state capitol

Illinois' hapless governor, Chicago Democrat Pat Quinn, first made a statewide name for himself as a political gadfly by selling voters on an amendment to the statewide constitution by changing the way state legislators were elected as well as cutting their numbers by one-third. It was dubbed the cutback amendment, and four years ago veteran left-leaning political consultant Don Rose wrote, "Quinn demagogically claimed the cutback would save money, which ultimately it did not."

Perhaps worse, the pre-Quinn-undated General Assembly actually worked as a legislative body because each House district elected three representatives, which meant many more independent-minded lawmakers from both parties were sent by voters to Springfield. Under the iron-fisted rule of the House Speaker, another Chicago Democrat, Mike Madigan, the 21st century statehouse more closely resembles the Soviet Central Committee.

Pat Quinn failed 34 years ago and he's failing now as governor. Illinois has a much better choice for governor this fall, Republican businessman Bruce Rauner.

To follow Rauner on Facebook, click here. To follow him on Twitter, click here.

To contribute to the Rauner campaign, click here.

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