Civics Course Implementation Blog

by Shawn P. Healy, PhD, Democracy Program Director Despite the recent thaw in the Springfield Stalemate , Illinois government still has significant challenges in earning the confidence of its constituents. That was my major take-away after attending a program last week sponsored by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR) titled “ Illinois: A State Divided? ” ICPR assembled an impressive panel representing Illinois’ demographic diversity, academia, business interests, and the media. This included: Tom Bevan, co-founder and publisher of Real Clear Politics Karen Ford, author at the South Side Weekly Dr. John Jackson, visiting professor at the Paul Simon Institute Kerry Lester, senior writer and columnist at the Daily Herald Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Celina Villanueva, civic and youth engagement manager at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Amanda Vinicky, correspondent for WTTW’s Chicago Tonight

by Shawn P. Healy, PhD, Democracy Program Director Illinois’ long-simmering budget impasse ended rather abruptly last week when both bodies of the Illinois General Assembly overrode Governor Rauner’s veto . The compromise agreement contained a mix of painful medicine in the form of budget cuts and tax increases. These doses were delivered by a bi-partisan supermajority, where one Republican Senator and ten Representatives (originally fifteen) broke with the Governor and “voted their district.” It was no coincidence that many of these individuals hail from districts that house state universities, institutions that have suffered alongside social service agencies for too long. The human carnage of the past two years is real, and last week’s mutiny triggered changes at the top of the Republican Party, beginning with the resignation of respected Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno , followed by a request for House Republican Floor Leader Steve Andersson to step aside in light