Modernize Cook County government

I have a letter in today's Sun-Times here.

It reads:

Modernize government



Thanks to Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley for putting forward an agenda that will help to modernize Cook County government (Editorial, "County consolidation plan deserves a close look," Wednesday). Consolidating agencies and reducing bureaucracy while cutting patronage jobs will leave more money for county government to serve us all instead of political machines. I hope the other commissioners embrace the spirit of Quigley's proposals.

Dan Johnson-Weinberger

Near North Side

And basically, if we liberals want to make the case that government can improve all of our living standards, we've got to get rid of patronage and inefficiency. There's lots of that in Cook County, and we should me maniacal about stamping that out.

How else are we getting the resources and credibility to buy health insurance for everybody?

I hope to lobby some on these Quigley proposals (I've called my Commissioner, Bobby Steele) and if you'd like to help, please contact me at midwestdemocracy@yahoo.com and let's get to work.