FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  June 28, 2024

CHICAGO GOP:  THE BURKE SENTENCE

IS A TERRIBLE SIGNAL 

With all respect to the Hon. Virginia Kendall of the Unites States District Court, we find her sentence on disgraced former Alderman Ed Burke to be puzzling.  While the fine of $2 million seems high, the amount of jail time is low.  If Democrat political corruption is not dealt with firmly so the corrupt can expect extensive prison sentences for abusing the public trust, we can only expect more Democrat corruption, leading to more civic decline in Chicago.  

The prosecution calculated that Burke extorted nearly a quarter of a million dollars in the scheming that resulted in his conviction, an amount that called for a far higher sentence.  Burke never admitted guilt or expressed remorse.  He deserved something more like five years.  As to the fine, while it is considerable on paper, we must ask if at 80 years old he will live long enough to pay it. 

Corruption in the Chicago Democratic Machine has been so rampant in this city and county for so long that it now borders on institutionalized.  Like a rotting onion, our Democrat-controlled  government is now just layer upon layer of corruption - fight through one and you will only reach another.  Such is the legacy of the Daley/Madigan Machine, and the coming legacy of the Preckwinkle / CTU Machine, along with the ruined finances, failing schools, and declining quality of life that is the result of decades of politicians putting self-interest before the public interest they supposedly serve.  

The only answer is fundamental change.  An excellent start is to elect Republican Bob Fioretti as Cook County State’s Attorney in November, to bring sanity and justice back to that office.  Bob Fioretti will establish an aggressive program of anti-corruption investigations in state court, something only a Republican can do as he will not be beholden to the Democrat kingmakers that are the targets of his inquiries and prosecutions.  If not, we can expect to see more and more Ed Burkes in the future.  

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