Ever wonder why factory hog farms have begun popping up in Illinois like mushrooms in spring?

It's no accident that over 100 of these projects are in the planning stage right now. Like the liquid sewage their hogs produce, corporate hog farmers seek the path of least resistance, and at the moment there isn't much legal resistance in our state. Let's toss out a few names and see if we can figure things out.

Becky Doyle -- head of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, sister of the operator of one of the biggest hog farms in Illinois, wife of a hog farmer. Mrs. Doyle chaired the panel which wrote the Livestock Management Facilities Act in 1996. This legislation is so toothless that Mrs. Doyle's brother, Dan Carlisle, managed to cause the biggest sewage spill in Illinois history (July 1997) and escape completely any kind of punishment.

Julie King -- legal counsel to the Ag Department, responsible for enforcement of the Facilities Act and daughter of Jerry King, former president of the National Pork Producers Council. I don't think I need to say any more about that one.

Ronald Warfield -- president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, also farms 1,850 acres of corn and beans. Mr. Warfield holds a lot of strings and he has pulled every one of them to bring corporate pork to our state. Pigs eat corn and those who grow a lot of corn stand to profit the most.

Richard Myers -- Republican representative (Colchester), main supporter is the Illinois Farm Bureau. Mr. Myers recently sponsored a bill which would have used tax money to help corporate pork producers control air pollution. As you can imagine, that one got shot down real quick.

Todd Sieben -- Republican senator (Geneseo), chairman of the Senate Ag committee, same family that owns the seed-corn company. Mr. Sieben tabled the Central Illinois Six hog bill which would have created much stricter regulation on corporate hog facilities. Like Mr. Warfield, licking his chops at the possibility of selling corn for a few pennies more per bushel.

All of these people can be removed from their respective offices if enough political pressure is applied. We have no one to blame but ourselves if the situation gets worse.