Thug-Politics at Their Worst -- Again

Relatives have asked many times if we will ever move to Chicago (where much of my Mom's family lives) or southern Illinois (where some of Mom's family and much of Dad's lives) to be "closer to my family." Southern Illinois would be nice, but the thug-politics of the Illinois/Chicago machine has no appeal for me. While disappointed, I wasn't overly surprised by this morning's headline:

Ill. Gov. Arrested in Obama Successor Probe
By MIKE ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer -- 11:21 am
Federal authorities arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Tuesday on charges that he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

(The article continues if you click the link, but the gist of it is contained in the first paragraph.)

This makes me think my previous post needs to be expanded... not only federal House and Senate members need mandatory standardized testing, but all politicians in large cities, state, and federal positions. Maybe even submit to and pass yearly polygraph-linked ethics tests as well.

I hope most Americans going into politics today are NOT doing so soley for the money, power, influence, and a chance at a free get-out-of-jail card when they break the law -- although, I have yet to be proven wrong.