A Conversation With Our Readers

We had talked for months about doing a special article about U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski. As the indictment against him seemed more and more imminent this year, many Illinoisans kept telling us how important Rosty has been to Illinois in the past three decades. So we were ready. Now that the voters have caused Rosty's retirement, it seems even more important to examine his career and its impact on our state. Mark Brown's article is on page 12.

We also feature another departing heavyweight - U.S. Rep. Robert Michel, who decided on his own not to seek another term. Michel always saw himself as part of the loyal opposition. In 38 years in the Congress, his Republicans never held a majority. That was frustrating to Michel. He was critical of many things, but nonetheless believed in the give-and-take of the political process.

Two of our editors asked Michel to reflect on his association with presidents from Eisenhower to Clinton. He recalls what a wheeler-dealer Johnson was, and says Nixon was the best he's seen at foreign policy. The Q&A with Michel begins on page 20.

The essay in this issue may surprise you. Martin Marty of the University of Chicago examines the role of religious institutions in modern society, and explores whether organized religion seems to be keeping up with the times. This is the third in our occasional series of essays called "Shaping the Future: A Challenge for Illinois."

By their nature, Marty says, religious institutions are conservative, but that does not mean they are ineffective. Marty's question persists: "Why should anyone care about organized religion?" His analysis begins on page 28.

Ah, yes, it seems long ago that the elections were just around the corner, with the conventional wisdom (whatever that is) leaning toward a Republican sweep of the six constitutional offices, and plenty of speculation about how close the Republicans would come to getting control of the Illinois House. Not even the CW was confident that the Republicans would enjoy so many victories November 8. Our analysis consists of three provocative columns:

• Charlie Wheeler explains that some long-time Democratic sacred cows are now in trouble in the General Assembly, and he gives us a brief preview of which issues are likely to have new life next year. See page 6.

•Jennifer Halperin, our Statehouse bureau chief, says that despite Gov. Jim Edgar's huge margin of victory, he shortchanged voters during the campaign by avoiding substantive discussions on critical topics such as taxes and crime. See page 8.

•And Madeleine Doubek, a suburban journalist, explains that the best-oiled political machine in Illinois now operates out of DuPage County. See page 42.

Edgar report card: Our readers give a 'C'

In October our Question of the Month asked readers to rate Gov. Edgar's first term. One reader alertly pointed out it was premature to ask about a "first term" because at that time there was no guarantee of a second term. Mea culpa. Anyway, the question was:

Edgar report card: If you had to assign a grade to Gov. Edgar's first term, what grade would you give him and his administration? Why? And you said:

A: 14 B: 12 C: 17 D: 8 F: 7

On the scale of 4.0, that gives Edgar a 2.31 grade point average, or C.

Many of the negative comments mentioned a continuing frustration about problems with education funding in Illinois.

A Chicago woman who gave a grade of D complained that Edgar "keeps saying education is a top priority, but his actions say otherwise. He does not supply leadership." Many readers who issued a kinder grade of C had similar sentiments. "Because Edgar has failed to solve the issue of school funding, he rates only average as our leader," an Elgin man wrote.

A Chicago woman who also gave a C cited Edgar for lacking creativity and vision and for being too satisfied with the status quo.

It's the "vision thing" that came up time and again among readers who gave the governor failing or near-failing grades. "Like George Bush," a Springfield reader said, "Edgar doesn't comprehend the vision thing." One reader went further and gave Edgar an "incomplete" rather than an F because "it is difficult to grade someone who has done nothing." A couple of readers gave the governor poor grades because of perceived problems dealing with Senate President James "Pate" Philip.

On the other hand, a few readers praised the governor for doing what he could while dealing with Philip and House Speaker Michael Madigan. "One must remember that the governor cannot act independently of the House and Senate, which failed to pass school reform, not the governor," wrote a Chicago reader who issued a grade of A.

Another Edgar fan (another A) is pleased that "education funding is up, despite what is reported otherwise. He has an outstanding record in the area of conservation and natural resources." And a Carrollton man said the governor "has worked very diligently to maintain and expand the use and markets for ethanol, an Illinois product, and [he] has worked toward balancing the budget."

I like the responses that show some spirit just by the writing utensil that is used. A Mt. Vernon man found a thick black marker, checked off an A, and wrote in big, neat letters, all caps: "HE KEPT HIS WORD." Yet another reader, from Camp Point (near Quincy) believes the governor deserves an A for being a "fiscal conservative," while a St. Charles reader lamented that Edgar "turned out to be more liberal than I expected in certain areas, including abortion and DCFS."

Which just goes to show you how impossible it is for any leader today to come close to satisfying everyone.

Ed Wojcicki

What now, after the elections?