Just heard on WBEZ: in the wake of the Hired Truck Program scandal, the Cook County Republican Party has called on the city of Chicago to stop awarding contracts to political contributors.

Hah! Next up, they’ll tackle the Pentagon and the Department of Energy, right?

The program is yet another illustration of contract cronyism or pinstripe patronage, now the all-purpose way for corrupt, nepotistic officials — whether Democrats in Chicago or Republicans in Washington (or Baghdad) — to skirt civil service laws and fortify their political empires through patronage. I’d like to see more Republicans say “outsourcing saves money and improves service delivery” with a straight face these days.