For reporters, the Illinois Freedom of Information Act is both a helpful tool and a stumbling block. It grants access to governmental records and allows the public to hold accountable those who run our communities and our state, but it also lets certain governmental entities escape the public eye by hiding behind exemptions and technicalities. […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Greener than thou
The world continues to surprise me, and never more than the day in 2008 I read that Springfield had been named one of the top 50 greenest cities in America by Popular Science magazine. Surprise gave way to dumbfoundedness in August, when the National Resources Defense Council recognized Springfield as one of its 22 “Smarter […]
Posted inOpinion
Free the student press
Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is disturbed by research showing our nation’s high schools are failing their students when it comes to instilling in them an appreciation for the First Amendment and civic issues. “Civic education – and, with it, civic learning – has been in steady decline for decades,” she writes […]
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As Iraq war ends, invest in peace
“It is well that war is so terrible – otherwise we would grow too fond of it.” (General Robert E. Lee, statement at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862) Whether we as a nation are too fond of war is subjective opinion. That we continue to engage in war and build newer, more destructive […]
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Trusting to miracles
It’s back-to-school time again – the hopeful buzz of the first few weeks when the backward and the indifferent say to themselves, “This year I’m going to get it right,” followed by the chastening failures, and the gradual realization that there are some disciplines that are just too difficult to master. I am talking of […]
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Why true conservatives should vote for me
Let’s be candid. If you identify yourself as a conservative, your first inclination will probably be to vote for Republican candidate Bill Brady in the Illinois governor’s race. I understand that. He covers some of the basic conservative talking points: cutting spending, holding the line on taxes, “pro-life,” pro-Second Amendment, pro-business. That’s the rhetoric. Now […]
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Chamber supports county sales tax for education
The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce board of directors approved a resolution at their Aug. 30 meeting to support a countywide investment in educational facilities. This support is in line with the vision of the Chamber of Commerce to be the leading advocate for economic development and a leading partner for education. Economic development is […]
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Faithful to the period
When your daughter pauses from her texting to ask, “Mommy, what did Voltaire mean when he wrote that the perfect is the enemy of the good?” – she might – simply drive her down to Eighth and Jackson and let her see for herself. The National Park Service is preparing a new General Management Plan […]
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Daring to imagine the future
Mayor Tim Davlin early this month announced his appointments to the City of Springfield’s new Citizens Infrastructure Review Board, intended to obtain citizen input and guidance in prioritizing needed streets and sidewalks improvements. Priorities must be set when one has more needs than one has money, which is the case in the capital city. At […]
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Ratify ERA with three more states
When you’re competing against the clock for the Grand Prize, you may not win, but at least you’re entitled to your previous winnings. Not so with the Equal Rights Amendment. Congress gave women the nod they were due, but their blessing came with a seven-year hitch. Constitutional equality was an all-or-nothing proposition to be achieved […]
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Living in three dimensions
Dave Bakke, who usually observes the world from the upper slopes of the State Journal-Register, the other day looked at it from an even higher vantage point – the cenotaph that stands on the edge of the bluff above Chandlerville. The view down the Sangamon valley from that spot, he wrote, is the most beautiful […]
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Eating Animals goes viral at Illinois College
Jonathan Safran Foer’s book Eating Animals went viral on the Illinois College campus early in 2010. At least eight faculty members read it, and many others read about it. A Spanish professor paused to cry midway through the book. My wife, a professor of American literature then teaching on a Fulbright in Japan, dramatically reduced […]
