3 ex-Ill. governors have served time since 1970s

[HARDCORE]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081209/...vernors_prison

By The Associated Press

Three former Illinois governors have gone to prison in the past 35 years.

_Otto Kerner, a Democrat who was governor from 1961 to 1968, served less than a year of a three-year sentence after his 1973 conviction on bribery, tax evasion and other counts. He was convicted of arranging favorable horse racing dates as governor in return for getting horse racing association stock at reduced prices. Kerner died in 1976.

_Dan Walker, a Democrat who was governor from 1973 to 1977, served 1 1/2 years of a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty in 1987 to bank fraud, misapplication of funds and perjury. The charges were not related to his service as governor.

_George Ryan, a Republican who was governor from 1999 to 2003, was convicted of corruption in 2006 for steering state contracts and leases to political insiders while he was Illinois secretary of state and then governor. He is serving a 6 1/2-year prison term.

In addition, William Stratton, governor from 1953-1961, was later indicted but was acquitted on charges of income tax evasion.

[SuperScout]

In examining the respective charges vs. punishments of the Democrats and the Republican convictees, it seems that the Democrats got off much lighter with sentencing. Maybe that's just more of the evidence of the corruption in Illinois, the state that now has surpassed Louisiana in being the most corrupt in the nation.

[Keith_Hixson]

The political system in Illinois is corrupt. It has been for over 100 years.

Keith