Citizen-Initiative proposal could give more power to special interest groups

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by Lily Bohlke
Public News Service

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Republican lawmakers will propose a series of constitutional amendments they say would give residents a more direct voice in Illinois government, but which critics counter could give more political power to special interests.

The three resolutions would open up the use of citizen initiatives, allow residents to hold referendums on legislation and expand the existing governor recall process to apply to all public officials.

Alisa Kaplan, executive director of Reform for Illinois, said regulating campaign spending on ballot questions is nearly impossible, so the amendments could give wealthy special interests an outsized impact.

"It's hard to find that balance between empowering citizens and preventing special interests from hijacking the process," Kaplan acknowledged. "But we think it's a worthwhile discussion to be having right now."

She pointed to the example of an initiative in California in which companies such as Lyft, Uber and DoorDash spent $200 million to effectively overturn a state law requiring those companies to classify workers as employees rather than independent contractors.

Kaplan pointed out other efforts in various states have brought about important change.

Michigan established an independent commission for redistricting by a ballot question in 2018. That same year, New Mexico voters passed an initiative to create an independent state ethics commission to keep lawmakers in check.

"We really are missing out in Illinois on the opportunity to use citizen initiatives to enact meaningful reforms," Kaplan contended. "That's particularly true of areas where politicians might be particularly invested in the status quo and unwilling to act themselves."

She noted the legislative inspector general's office in Illinois has often been seen as ineffective in providing oversight over lawmakers. She hopes democracy reform, without the influence of big money, will help in the future.

Guest Commentary | We need to all stop biting each other

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

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Democrats have proven once again that they can find fault in President Donald Trump.

Faults and flaws were found in him before the election. Many years before politics there were never any rave reviews about him being perfect.

During the recent impeachment trial, Democrats and Republicans hammered home their perspectives and interpretation of Trump's speech given on January 6th to those who came to Washington to protest. Once again, Americans either agreed or disagreed with the outcome of the impeachment trial.

Surely most Americans will agree there is no such thing as a perfect President.

Was John F. Kennedy perfect? Was Richard Nixon perfect? Bush Sr. or Jr? Obama? Go back through history and you can't find a perfect person sitting in the oval office. President Joe Biden is no exception.

You may remember what the Bible says, "All have sinned." Another verse says, "No one is righteous. No not one." There will never be a perfect President. Some will be better than others. Some will be much better and some will be much worse.

There are no perfect politicians.

Almost any politician will disappoint you...

Do you think Nancy Pelosi is perfect? I don't. Is Mitch McConnell perfect. He is not, nor are any of the other members of the House or the Senate. Some are better than others. Some try harder, work harder, try to live disciplined lives more than others. Some try to work harder for their districts better than others. Some are good moral people and excellent parents. Some may not be so great. Almost any politician will disappoint you, eventually. It's bound to happen; they are imperfect people.

We have to come to grips with the fact that perfect people are not to be found.

I thought my mom was pretty perfect but I'm very prejudiced when it comes to my mother. My heart would never allow me to see anything wrong with her. Love is like that. Love often sees no wrongs. Sometimes we are like this toward a child, grandchildren, a spouse, our minister, or priest. There are people that we often hold in such regard that even if they are doing something wrong and we know it's wrong, our hearts have a hard time seeing that it's wrong. Too often love is blind.

Americans want someone to love and respect. We want to be loved. We like holding people in high regard.

The people we direct it to enjoy the feeling when we make them feel special. It's all good to some extent. Truthfully though whoever you are enamored with will eventually disappoint you if you look and listen long enough. Human beings, all of us are capable, and often say the wrong thing.

Use the wrong language. Get angry. Say hurtful things. Do things that are often regretted. We make mistakes in words we use and things we do. All of us.

As 2021 moves forward, so must we.

Joe Biden is President of the United States. It is likely Donald Trump will run again. In the meantime, we need to all stop biting each other and get this country healthy, back to work, back in the restaurants, churches and kids back in school.

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Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.

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This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Sentinel. We welcome comments and views from our readers.

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College Notebook | Former SJO player knocks one out the park

Micah Downs finishes sixth at CCIW meet

Last February Micah Downs went 4-1 at the IHSA state wrestling meet at the State Farm Center to bring home a bronze medal for the Rockets. This February, a freshman wrestling at 184 pounds for Millikan University, Downs finished sixth at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin conference meet in Rock Island on Saturday.

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Dowling hits first college homer

Well, that didn't take long.

Former St. Joseph-Ogden softball player Bailey Dowling cranked the first home run of her college career this weekend. A starting shortstop for the University of Alabama, the true freshman when yard for a two-run shot to put her team up 3-0 on Valentine's Day against Louisville (0-2). The Crimson Tide went on to win 4-0, which was the exact result of their three-day, four-game schedule this past weekend.

Here is the video of Dowling hitting the ball out of the park on Sunday.

🚨 Outta Here! 🥎🚀 https://t.co/C9GEPs3cx8 pic.twitter.com/U8lAe2qtvA

— Alabama Athletics (@UA_Athletics) February 14, 2021

After four contests Dowling has tallied 4 hits in ten appearances at the plate, scored three runs and delivered three RBI for one of the country's top softball programs.

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Kaiser notches 6 kills for Parkland

Katie Kaiser contributed 4 blocks and 6 kills in match two of Parkland College's doubleheader against the JV squad from Lincoln College. Ella Godsell, a freshman with the Cobras, had 11 of the team's 49 team digs. The former Rocket volleyball players helped undefeated Parkland (7-0) sweep the visiting Lynx in both matches, 3-0.

Kaiser, a sophomore, and Godsell travel to Quincy, Ill., for an M-WAC match against John Wood CC on Wednesday, February 17, at 6:00 pm.

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Former Spartans keep Parkland team undefeated

The Parkland women's basketball team improved to 6-0 on Sunday after rolling over John Wood Community College, 62-41.

Peyton Crowe scored 12 and Bree Trimble added another 11 points in the Cobra's home win. Crowe the team's top rebounder with nine boards. She was also credited with four assist and two steals.

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Trimble lights out against Maryville

When he was in high school Brandon Trimble dropped 44 points in St. Joseph-Ogden's Class 2A semifinal against Breese Central. Now a junior at Lindenwood College in St. Louis, the sports management major scored 24 points and collected six rebounds in the Lions 83-69 win over Maryville College on Thursday.

After 15 games in his first season, he is averaging 11.5 points per game. Since the start of his college basketball career starting in 2019, Trimble had scored 20 or more points in eight games.

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Baker 2nd at the Grand Valley Big Meet

Eastern Illinois University sprinter Riley Baker is just a half second off the qualifying for the NCAA Division II track & field national championships. The junior turned in a 48.99, good for a second place finish, in the 400-meter run to assist the EIU men's track team effort at the Grand Valley Big Meet on Saturday in Allendale, Michigan.

Baker and the Panthers host the Friday Night Special at the Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse this weekend.

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Coursey posts strong start for Redbirds

Last Thursday, Andrea Coursey started her senior season with the Illinois State University softball team on fire. The St. Joseph-Ogden product padded her stats with a pair of hits in ISU's road game against North Florida. One of three hit by the opposing pitcher during the game, she was left on base on all three times in the 4-0 shutout and season opener.

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Lincoln Land streak ends, Taylor leads team in assists

The Lincoln Land Loggers drop a heartbreaker to rival Illinois Central College 85-62 on Sunday. Sophomore Maclayne Taylor, who competed in volleyball, cross Country, track and basketball at St. Joseph-Ogden, lead the team with six assists and contributed seven points in the loss. The loss ends a 5-game win streak for the now 6-2 Loggers.

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Know a Unity or St. Joseph-Ogden graduate playing at the collegiate level? Let us know their name, sport(s) and where they are playing. An email or a link to their social media account for interviews is a big help, too. Send The Sentinel a message to us at sports@oursentinel.com.

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