Illinois Deserves Better

Illinois Deserves Better
Author: Bruno Behrend
Publisher: Booksurge Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008-05
Genre: Constitutional conventions
ISBN: 9781419696732

Is the case for an Illinois Constitutional Convention really IRONCLAD? On November 4th, 2008, Illinois citizens will have a once in a generationopportunity to call a Constitutional Convention. If you stop reading thisbook after this paragraph, please take away this singularly importantmessage. *If a better Illinois and a more honest government is your goal,then there is no intellectually sound reason to vote "No" on this ballotquestion. *This book will prove that proposition. The authors will take you through the trials and tribulations confrontingIllinois, while showing that our sad state of affairs is a direct result ofthe perhaps well-intentioned, but poorly written and conceived Constitutionof 1970. Unlike many who simply "curse the darkness" of Illinois politics, this bookshines the light of reason of how we got here and how to find our way back.The authors lay out a clear case that the problem with the IllinoisConstitution is directly related to its massive transfer of power *from* thecitizens *to* the Government. The book continues with numerous proposals that make for an elegant andconcise set of solutions to the problems that plague Illinois (complete withmodel language). The book has the audacity to propose that we return powerto the citizens of Illinois.Author Bio: *John C. A. Bambenek* is currently an academic professional at theUniversity of Illinois in Urbana specializing in information securityresearch particularly in the areas of identity theft, economic warfare,emerging threats and digital forensics. He is considered an expert in thefield and has been cited numerous times by the New York Times, WashingtonPost and other news media. He once was a guest on the Daily Show with JonStewart. Additionally, he is executive director of the Tumaini Foundation, anorganization that is assisting AIDS orphans and other disadvantaged childrenin Tanzania to get an education. It is his belief that education providesthe key to economic prosperity for both the individual and a society and isa strong advocate for effective education for youth. He co-founded the Illinois Citizens Coalition and wrote Illinois DeservesBetter because he believes the problems Illinois faces are systemic andproducts of a constitution that gives far too much power to the entrenchedinterests in the state. *Bruno Behrend* is a lifelong Illinois resident who grew up in Lake Forest,Illinois, graduated from University of Illinois (1983) with a degree inFinance and from IIT-Kent College of Law (1990). Mr. Behrend is currently the Host of the Extreme Wisdom Radio Show on WKRS -1220 AM broadcasting out of Waukegan, Illinois. The Extreme Wisdom Radioshow features cultural and political discussion ranging acrossinternational, national, state, and local issues, but with a strong focus onthe State of Illinois. The hallmark of the show is his commitment toallowing his callers to voice their views without rude interruption. The Extreme Wisdom Show is a great mix of college level content andconservative ideas, delivered in an intelligent, polite manner that mosttalk show hosts seem incapable of. He describes his show as a lesspretentious and less slanted NPR. Bruno has a background as a database consultant to the not-for-profitcommunity and was formerly Field Director for FreedomWorks in Illinois. He has abackground in various areas, including: Public Policy Research, DatabaseConsulting (specialist in fundraising software), Real Estate Investing andDevelopment, Corporate Seminar and Training Development. His current project is securing the passage of a referendum on theConstitutional Convention in November of 2008. Mr. Behrend is advocatingreforms that, if ratified, will return control of Illinois policy-making tothe citizens of Illinois by reducing the power of the dysfunctional Illinoispolitical class. To that end, Bruno has formed the Illinois Citizens Coalition, an IllinoisPolitical Action Committee dedicated to informing Illinois citizens aboutthe many positive opportunities offered by a Constitutional Convention.

A Brilliant Solution

A Brilliant Solution
Author: Carol Berkin
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2002
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780156028721

Revisiting all the original documents and using her deep knowledge of eighteenth-century history and politics, Carol Berkin takes a fresh look at the men who framed the Constitution, the issues they faced, and the times they lived in. Berkin transports the reader into the hearts and minds of the founders, exposing their fears and their limited expectations of success.

Paul Powell of Illinois

Paul Powell of Illinois
Author: Robert E. Hartley
Publisher: SIU Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 1999
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780809322718

Paul Powell emerged from the hill country of southern Illinois to serve in state government from 1935 until his death in 1970. His political tenure included three terms as Speaker of the Illinois House, four terms as minority leader, and two terms as secretary of state. The sponsor of hundreds of bills, he worked tirelessly for his constituents in southern Illinois. He also worked tirelessly to promote his own interests. In this first political biography of Powell, Robert E. Hartley follows the money. He tells how this man of humble origins and meager means amassed a world-class political and financial base. Part of that story is the disclosure of a personal fortune that boggled minds, including the unbelievable yarn of the $800,000 cash found in the hotel room following Powell's death. Powell never earned a state salary of more than $30,000 per year, yet in the last year of his life, his federal income tax return showed an income of more than $200,000. At his death his estate totaled $3.2 million, and, when settled in 1978, was worth $4.6 million, including nearly $1 million in racetrack stock. Following Powell's story, Hartley takes us deep into the Illinois political world of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, a time when politicians were on an "honor system" regarding their financial holdings. This was before disclosure of political contributions, before computer records, and before public meetings laws.

Our Undemocratic Constitution

Our Undemocratic Constitution
Author: Sanford Levinson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2008
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0195365577

Levinson here argues that too many of our Constitution's provisions promote either unjust or ineffective government. Under the existing blueprint, we can neither rid ourselves of incompetent presidents nor assure continuity of government following catastrophic attacks. Worse, our Constitution is the most difficult to amend or update in the world. Levinson boldly challenges the Americans to undertake a long overdue public discussion on how they might best reform this most hallowed document and construct a constitution adequate to our democratic values.

The Federalist Papers

The Federalist Papers
Author: Alexander Hamilton
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 420
Release: 2018-08-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1528785878

Classic Books Library presents this brand new edition of “The Federalist Papers”, a collection of separate essays and articles compiled in 1788 by Alexander Hamilton. Following the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, the governing doctrines and policies of the States lacked cohesion. “The Federalist”, as it was previously known, was constructed by American statesman Alexander Hamilton, and was intended to catalyse the ratification of the United States Constitution. Hamilton recruited fellow statesmen James Madison Jr., and John Jay to write papers for the compendium, and the three are known as some of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755–1804) was an American lawyer, journalist and highly influential government official. He also served as a Senior Officer in the Army between 1799-1800 and founded the Federalist Party, the system that governed the nation’s finances. His contributions to the Constitution and leadership made a significant and lasting impact on the early development of the nation of the United States.

The Broken Constitution

The Broken Constitution
Author: Noah Feldman
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2021-11-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 0374720878

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice An innovative account of Abraham Lincoln, constitutional thinker and doer Abraham Lincoln is justly revered for his brilliance, compassion, humor, and rededication of the United States to achieving liberty and justice for all. He led the nation into a bloody civil war to uphold the system of government established by the US Constitution—a system he regarded as the “last best hope of mankind.” But how did Lincoln understand the Constitution? In this groundbreaking study, Noah Feldman argues that Lincoln deliberately and recurrently violated the United States’ founding arrangements. When he came to power, it was widely believed that the federal government could not use armed force to prevent a state from seceding. It was also assumed that basic civil liberties could be suspended in a rebellion by Congress but not by the president, and that the federal government had no authority over slavery in states where it existed. As president, Lincoln broke decisively with all these precedents, and effectively rewrote the Constitution’s place in the American system. Before the Civil War, the Constitution was best understood as a compromise pact—a rough and ready deal between states that allowed the Union to form and function. After Lincoln, the Constitution came to be seen as a sacred text—a transcendent statement of the nation’s highest ideals. The Broken Constitution is the first book to tell the story of how Lincoln broke the Constitution in order to remake it. To do so, it offers a riveting narrative of his constitutional choices and how he made them—and places Lincoln in the rich context of thinking of the time, from African American abolitionists to Lincoln’s Republican rivals and Secessionist ideologues. Includes 8 Pages of Black-and-White Illustrations