The Officials and Employees Termination Act of 2009 and Midlothian – Speaking of Brain Drain…
Wow! What a title! Although The Capitol Fax Blog is the best starting point to begin examining such a proposed political precedent, I had heard about this suggested “brain drain” last night and was thrown into a moment of major disturbance between myself and another across telephone lines. It was suggested upwards of 3,000 people would face an unemployment free-fall, only to be saved at the last minute by a paper-based, person-determined conclusion. It would take more than the million plus pages of evidence against Blagojevich to convince me such a zap to moral is not only warranted, but our last recourse of action.
The Capitol Fax Blog choosing to run with the headlines “Everybody, calm down!” today was a moment of laughable irony for me, considering the firey entry I was blogging about over the past few days regarding Murawski-associated headlines and the debate between appropriate versus inappropriate use of the design feature known as “headlines” or perhaps “subject header” would be a more modern example. But for what it’s worth, their headlines combined with the information attached at least has bought the State some time to clarify why thousands of people must be terminated in order to remove (hopefully) a few bad apples. And if we really have that many left behind once this re-hiring process is completed, then what of the statement of fact it leaves behind?
“Brain drain” is soon to happen here in Midlothian through natural political drainage paths. When we lose Murawski, we, the people, lose access to his brain and everything it contains. Murawski also takes with him his Rolodex and his side-projects, such as playing the collective role of co-chairman in Larry Sufferdin’s failed bid for State’s Attorney. Whereas it is Sufferdin who is left with the question of whether Murawski’s negative results months after his elections had any influence on his own results not that long ago, it is Midlothian that is left wondering what the future holds once Murawski’s brain is barred from accessing the day to day operations of the Village.
Whether or not Murawski keeps his own brain to only himself or whether he chooses to still share it with others, it leaves behind the question of whether or not there should be other personnel changes within the operations of the Village. Whereas we have trails of evidence in the United States as to how the argument “employed at the will of The Government…which happens to be me, by the way” can play out, with Palin being but one example of the risk factor involved with a political figure triggering a Brain Drain…what could/would/should happen if Stephens decides to take a similar position as those hanging out around Capitol Building down in The Patch has proposed with this proposed “Employees Termination Act of 2009″ and states a desire to drain all from our Village.
Because current evidence draws a clear frame around the politicians of Midlothian instructing those who are the backbone to our existence what is expected of them, it will be curious to see if any other names attached to brains are drained from the Midlothian payroll besides Murawski in 2009. The threat of unemployment can hold persuasive influence over human behaviors and we have yet to see how our internals work with Stephens at the helm. Even his job is not safe, despite such high numbers in the election and if he can’t work out the current bugs in the Village’s day to day obligations and responsibilities, those with a vested interest in the success of Midlothian will either continue to adapt their current ability to be adept at coaxing active community conversation at least via the Internet or risk being silenced with a dismissal of valuable and constructive discourse by the politicians simply because everyone else gave up.
When Murawski leaves, it will be as if an elongated marathon of a political horse race has finally come to an end, with stamina and a stomach for unrelenting stubbornness being more valued than intellect on how to get to the finish line, let alone how to cross it and what comes after such a conclusion.
Unfortunate for Murawski, it is only he who chose to modify the fairy tale of the Emperor’s Clothes to include the political term “horse trading” because apparently somewhere along the way he traded in the political race horse he was riding and was stuck with a mule that won’t even come out of its stall. What else could represent his going from a rising political star back in the 70’s as a Village Trustee with the decisive next step up to Mayor of Midlothian for 20+ years against a legacy incumbent and then in 2009 garner a little more than 20% of the votes?
Perhaps I am missing good qualities contained in Murawski the Man, but that would be because I believe I have yet to have the opportunity to witness such a personal display of behaviors and there certainly were quite a few notables endorsing Murawski in this year’s election: Richard M. Daley, Mayor, City of Chicago, Robert Rita, Illinois State Representative, 28th District, Joan Patricia Murphy, Commissioner, Cook County Board of Commissioners, 6th District, William Davis, Illinois State Representative, 30th District, International Brotherhood of Electrical Wrokers, Local 134, Maggie Crotty, Illinois State Senator, 19th District and Bremen Township Supervisor, and the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters.
So I guess for now we will all be left wondering if the May 13, 2009 draining of Mayor Thomas J. Murawski from the Village of Midlothian payroll will result in an additional draining of support for our wonderful Village by such illustrious Illinois illuminaries.
Ultimately, it will be up to all of us and how we choose to conduct ourselves during these challenging and even confusing times and if we lose the support of any of these individuals, it won’t be because Murawski took them with him…
It will be because someone gave them a darn good reason to leave Midlothian behind since for many of them are responsible for the well-being of Midlothian as a part of their job description.
P.S. Suffredin has Cook County Codes conveniently available online on the home page of his personal websitehttp://www.suffredin.org/, which means that’s at least two websites leading to Cook County’s Codes. Cool stuff!!! Double points for making the following point in your explanation as to on what grounds you are asking Stroger to resign:
Now there’s an interesting valve for contemplation for inclusion in Illinois’ political plumbing structure, even without having read any of the grounds he’s offering up for his own set of circumstances. I still have the t-shirt I wore once to Village Hall that read “Recall Murawski” after learning this truth Suffredin brings to the surface.
