Byline: Marc J. Lane

Marc J. Lane is a Chicago business and tax attorney and a financial adviser.

The Democratic presidential candidates are one-upping each other in their promises to bring "change'' to Washington. But the debate shouldn't stop there. Illinois' government is badly broken, and the power to mend it is within reach of the state's discontented voters.

The Illinois House, reflecting widespread disdain for Gov. Rod Blagojevich's scandal-plagued tenure, decisively voted to give citizens the power to remove corrupt public officials and those whose policies or job performance fall short of expectations. But Senate President Emil Jones, the governor's ...