Letters

Look-alike drug phenomenon

EDITOR: I would like to commend you and Julie Dutton for the excellent article on look-alike drugs that appeared in February Illinois Issues. The Dangerous Drugs Commission has been working on this problem for the last six months, and the greatest difficulty involved is the degree of complexity and the numerous overlapping and interconnecting areas of authority and interest which all have a place in the look-alike drug phenomenon. Without oversimplifying the issues, Ms. Dutton somehow succeeded, through a combination of careful research, good writing, and common sense, in describing the problem both concisely and incisively. Her article is a rare piece of work, and we are circulating it among our staff and colleagues to help them understand the look-alike issue.

Thomas B. Kirkpatrick, Jr.
Executive Director,
Dangerous Drugs Commission

Cutback Amendment Special Report

EDITOR: I thoroughly enjoyed Illinos Issues' special report on "The Cutback Amendment." particularly appreciated the vote return analysis on the cutback. It gives a clear picture of how this amendment won support throughout the state despite the fact that its entire campaign was based on dubious data. In fact, Mr. Pat Quinn in retrospect comes across as a showman more than a "white knight of political reform." Not only did he not know what year the Boston Tea Party took place (he was three years off) but more importantly his ideas about single member house districts creating greater competition has proven to be totally untrue. The 1982 legislative races reveal that in 42 percent of the new cutback house districts one of the two major parties is not contesting the seat. Thus, the primary election will determine the makeup of over two-fifths of the new house in the next General Assembly. In sum, I believe Illinois Issues should be congratulated for their outstanding work in producing this timely piece of political analysis. Too bad it was impossible to produce this prior to the cutback amendment vote.

Paul M. Green, Director
The Institute for Public Policy and Administration
Governors State University
Park Forest South

EDITOR: The writers and editors of your special issue on the cutback amendment deserve praise, admiration and congratulations for their brilliant, scholarly and exhaustive searching out of the facts to create this addition to Illinois historical records.

It is of course impossible to mention everyone involved in such a massive statewide movement, but I would like to include the name of George Townsend of Park Forest. In 1976 Mr. Townsend took over from me the administrative burden of being chairman of the Committee for Legislative Reform, and I shifted to the post of counsel. He held together the basic groups of the Committee for Legislative Reform, including the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women, and he attempted to interest Pat Quinn in this proposal during the 1976-78 period. He administered our committee's part of the joint 1980 campaign in cooperation with the Coalition for Political Honesty and was a party to the Supreme Court mandamus proceeding brought by the Coalition and the Committee. He played an essential role in keeping this torch burning until the fire of reform finally caught on and swept over the state.

I would also like to pay tribute to former Constitutional Convention delegates Charles Shuman, Judge Louis James Perona, Col. Stanley Johnson and Vice Chairman Elbert Smith. It was their convincing testimony before the State Board of Elections that I quoted to the Supreme Court of Illinois in my oral argument during the mandamus proceedings to put the amendment on the ballot.

Robert W. Bergstrom
Former Counsel and Former Chairman
of the Committee for Legislative Reform

New federalism in Illinois

EDITOR: After more than 20 years of association with Thomas Anton, I continue to be gratified that the State of Illinois receives the benefit of his thoughtful evaluation.

His article on "The New Federalism in Illinois" in your March issue once again demonstrates his ability to communicate an analysis of a highly complex issue in understandable terms. look forward to the second installment and recommend it as required reading for anyone who must deal with the state's fiscal situation on an informed basis.

Robert G. Cronson
Auditor General of Illinois

May 1982/Illinois lssues/5