John S. Jackson
Jackson testifies before Senate Redistricting Committee
By John S. Jackson, visiting professor, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
The following is an outline of the testimony Dr. Jackson submitted to the Illinois Senate Redistricting Committee’s meeting on April 21, 2011 in Carbondale, Ill.
I want to offer comments that are a mixture of the theoretical and the practical. I will offer a bit about what the federal and state constitutions require and what the standard textbooks say about redistricting. At the same time I want to acknowledge that practical politics is always a driving force in these decisions. I will close by advocating that in the future, getting ready for the next round in 2020, the state should adopt a constitutional amendment which changes the way this process is done. › Continue reading
Jackson: The spring of our discontent
By John S. Jackson, visiting professor, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
I am a member of the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation. Actually, I pay dues for my mother who is the official member in the family. Since she can no longer manage her checkbook, I take care of paying her bills. She lived far out in the country in south Arkansas, and her house is insured, at a very reasonable rate, through the Arkansas Farm Bureau. As a result of her membership, she gets a very glossy magazine published by the Farm Bureau and I now read the magazine.
I was intrigued by the last issue which included a cover article on the Farm Bureau’s legislative agenda for the Arkansas Legislature and for the Congress in Washington, D.C. After the obligatory acknowledgement that it is a time of stress on the budgets for both state and national governments, the Farm Bureau then presented a lengthy list of legislative objectives it was pursuing. Included are the usual array of farm commodity price supports, support for irrigation, renewable energy and poultry programs, and a new initiative from the Obama Administration on the development of a Biomass Crop Assistance Program to help timber farms. Each initiative had a hefty price tag. › Continue reading
Jackson: New state law means larger municipal primary
By John S. Jackson, Visiting Professor, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
Like the other city governments in Illinois, Carbondale will hold a primary election for the Mayor’s office and the City Council on February 22nd. This is an important election for the city of Carbondale and the surrounding area in southern Illinois since there will be a new mayor elected for the first time in eight years and there will be a new majority on the City Council. There are five candidates for Mayor running in the primary and sixteen candidates for three positions running for the City Council. None of our mayoral candidates is receiving the kinds of national attention that Rahm Emanuel is garnering in his run to replace Mayor Richard M. Daley in Chicago; however, several veterans are vying for either mayor or city council.
Unfortunately, the top four vote-getters in the Mayor’s race will live past the primary election to fight again another day, in this case, on April 5th when the general election is held. State law was changed two years ago on the argument that money could be saved by skipping the primary if it could be avoided. › Continue reading
Jackson: Newspaper’s anti-Chicago rant is short sighted
By John S. Jackson, Visiting Professor, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
Our local newspaper, The Southern Illinoisan, seems to be on a crusade against Chicago.
The latest manifestation of this crusade is in the December 18, 2010 paper giving their Golden Pen award to a local reader, a retired banker, who railed against Chicago politics and advocated the separation of the state into two different states so those of us who are Downstate residents could rid ourselves of the “yoke” of the city. The accompanying glowing review from the editor added another editorial endorsement to his long line of opinion pieces where he depicts the state as corrupt to the core in Chicago and pure and honorable in the rural environs. › Continue reading
Jackson: Now is the time
By John S. Jackson, visiting professor, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
“Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.” That is a phrase indelibly embedded in my memory from high school. I suspect many others have the same phrase in their memory bank because it was the phrase used by countless typing teachers to have their students practice typing. It was used because it requires the use of almost all the letters of the alphabet and it is a fine way to learn keyboarding skills.
It has occurred to me that it also contains a basic truth, i.e. some times in history are more crucial than others. Some junctures in the history of a nation, or a state, or a people are compelling and they find the stars to be aligned just right and offer the opportunity for game-changing action. History is replete with those moments in the American story, e.g. Franklin Roosevelt’s response to the Great Depression and to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Harry Truman’s use of the atomic bomb to end the war and his adoption of the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, John Kennedy’s decision to send a man to the moon, and the list could go on. › Continue reading
VIDEO: Jackson talks ethics and reform poll
Media coverage…
Associated Press: Poll finds most Illinois voters want change
Jackson: All you need to know about recall is in California
By John Jackson, Visiting Professor, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
About ten days ago I received a very official looking document at my home. The brochure was mailed out to all registered voters by Secretary of State Jesse White. It explained the “Proposed Amendment to Add Section 7 to Article III of the Illinois Constitution.”
Unless you have an unusually detailed knowledge of the Illinois Constitution, you are not likely to have recognized that Article III is the article on Suffrage and Elections. This proposal, which is backed by both Governor Pat Quinn and Senator Bill Brady, would allow Illinois voters to draw up a petition and demand the recall (or removal) of a Governor from office via special election. Actually, it is more complicated than that. › Continue reading
INSTITUTE THANKS U.S. SENATE FOR PASSING WATER FOR THE WORLD
The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute would like to express its gratitude to members of the United States Senate that came together Monday to pass the Water for the World Act. › Continue reading
Jackson: Labor Day means game on
By John S. Jackson, visiting professor, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
Traditionally Labor Day has been the starting date for American campaigns for the fall elections.
It is widely believed that before that date people are at work, on vacation, and generally not paying much attention to politics. Major advertising campaigns and especially television buys are usually held back until after Labor Day. › Continue reading
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