I'd been wondering how Paul Simon had been doing lately. I remembered him as a presidential contender who impressed me because he said he wouldn't lie to us, and had the audacity to admit he was planning to raise taxes. As far as I know, he conducted his affairs with integrity and civility towards friends and opponents.

That being said, I'm sad to see he has left us. Today, I no longer agree with his policies -- I've come a long way in my understanding, I feel, of how taxes, the economy, and government revenues interact. But, that being said, his was the kind of character I wish more politicans had today.

Born to Lutheran missionary parents soon after they returned from China, Simon took his values to the statehouse. The Journal-Standard in Freeport, Illinois writes, "Simon left his mark on Illinois politics as a crusader for ethics reform when he was a state legislator in Springfield in the 1950s, where he spearheaded the Open Meetings Act." He continued his campaign against corruption until the day he died, when Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed ethics legislation that Simon helped create.

That's the kind of platform any voter should be able to get behind. It's a shame the Democrats aren't trying to embrace governmental openness as a campaign issue. (Or Republicans, for that matter.) Instead we have Dean sealing up all records of his behavior for reasons quite apart from national security.

Political scientist George Gordon of Normal said the traditionally conservative area may have overlooked Simon's unabashedly liberal leanings because of his credibility.

"I think he believed in civility," said Gordon. "This is a real loss. Paul Simon was a guy who had a very broad perspective on a wide range of public policy issues."

U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, a Peoria Republican, called Simon a "true leader."

"When I was first elected to the House, Paul reached out to me to work on issues of mutual concern," said LaHood. "His bipartisan approach to being a member of Congress certainly made an impression on me and I counted Paul as a true friend."

As though my little blog mattered, I wish his family, friends and colleagues every comfort in their loss.