Mikva, Simpson, Netsch Disappoint
It is a little sad for me to see the liberal lions of my youth, like Abner Mikva in the Tribune and Dick Simpson in the Sun-Times and Dawn Clark Netsch, lead the orchestrated charge against a new constitutional convention.
The cure for the problems of our democracy is not LESS democracy but MORE democracy, and a constitutional convention would be a much-needed exercise in more democracy in Illinois. United Power for Action and Justice is having great conversations with people in our congregations and neighborhoods about what is wrong with state government and how a constitutional convention might help change the way Springfield does business. It could address such things as accountability, taxation, electoral and campaign finance reform, and how we set our priorities on such things as education, health care, housing, transportation and other things we care about.
The idea that this can or will be done easily or at all in other ways is ludicrous, and people like Mikva, Simpson and Netsch know it. The opposition claims that the constitution has been change more than ten times in forty years, but what they fail to say (I wonder why?) is that most of the successful amendments were relatively small matters that everyone, including the legislature, agreed upon. The only constitutional amendment that was passed the hard way was done by Pat Quinn over thirty years ago, and he was only able to do it once.
The other argument the opposition is using is that a constitutional convention will be controlled by the same people who have created the mess in Springfield in the first place. Listen, if 60% of the voters vote for a constitutional convention, it will be like "the second shot heard around the world." The powers that be, most of whom are opposing a constitutional convention (I wonder why?) wouldnt dare to subvert it, and if they did we would all be there to stop them.
So, have some faith in the democratic process. Vote yes on the constitutional convention. I predict you will be very sorry if you don't.
Comments
Mikva and Netsch born in 1926 what do you expect?
Greg
I am disappointed and certainly not persuaded by Abner Mikva's Chicago Tribune September 10, 2008 opinion that we should not have a constitutional convention in Illinois that allows citizens to come together to debate critical issues affecting our children's futures.
Mikva started a civic leadership program for Chicago youth in 1997 called the Mikva Challenge. This non-partisan organization worked with thousands of youth getting them involved in the democratic process of as election judges, on campaigns, and working to improve their schools and communities. Is this the same Mikva in 2008?
Another "Just say no to a democratic debate" is Dawn Clark Netsch. In her 1994 governor's race Netsch proposed increasing the state income tax rate from 3% to 4.25% to pay for educational funding and reduce property taxes. She was the only one brave enough ---and she lost the race sticking her neck out for desperately needed education and public financing principals. The income tax rate is still at 3% while property taxes have skyrocketed to over 100+%. Is this the same Netsch in 2008?
What kind of educational reform have we gotten from a political grid locked legislature that has so frustrated Senator Meeks that he brought 1,400 poor public school students to meet the affluent New Trier students last week?
Do we have to go to court for educational funding reforms because they cannot be addressed in the legislature? Apparently so because the Chicago Urban League claims there is a racial divide --a school funding inequity. Many agree. This is a civil rights issue and that is why a new group of black leaders have filed a lawsuit against the State of Illinois and Board of Education.
Are we now deaf to the public outrage for property tax reform? Property tax reform is fundamentally connected to educational funding reform. No significant changes have passed out of the legislature to address under funded schools and over taxed residents and businesses for decades.
More so than any other time in our history we have a moral duty to take leadership and hold a constitutional convention to address specific issues like education, state and property taxation. If not now in 2008 when in 2028 when the con con question is up again?
The status quo lobbyists, union guards are using fear tactics---selfishly lamenting a convention is going to take teachers pensions away. This is a lie.
Teacher unions banning against the convention are protecting one of the most important key issue of their day --- themselves.
Our public school system is deplete of spiritual, moral and financial resources thanks to legislative political gridlock and those short sighted members of "Alliance to Protect the Status Quo"
Students should be everyone's priority. They are the future of Illinois and those rallying against a con con are grossly disingenuous about their legislative efforts to address our tax and educational FAILED systems.
Three states are holding conventions this year, Massachusetts, Illinois and Hawaii. Mikva is a long time supporter of Obama. Do you think Netsch and Mikva should have the audacity to hope for change at the local level too?
I guess we're just too stupid, clueless and leaderless to work on the democrat process in our own back yards where the legislature has consistently failed us.
Shame on both of these tired civic leaders in their 80's both born in 1926. More than three decades later I was born on Mikva's birthday January 21. But these yesteryear civic icons do not speak for me or my kid's future.
I plan to vote for a better future that I and my children will live in. I urge everyone to vote for real change a constitutional convention November 4, 2008.
Andrea Raila,
Edgewater Chicago parent to 3 school children ages 5, 9 and 11.
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