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Closing down our state parks, opening up our political problems

posted by Sarah at 10:18 pm.

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A month or so ago, I received a group invite on Facebook to join a group called, Save Illinois’ State Parks. Without giving it a second thought, I joined.

During my childhood, I spent summers going to these state parks to go camping with my family.

Nostalgia aside, I feel that the political ramifications of the petition to keep Illinois’ state parks open are of particular interest.

A couple weeks after I joined the Facebook group about Illinois state parks, my mom sent me a link to a online petition on the same topic. (The closing date was touted to be Nov. 1)

I applaud Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn for standing up for Illinois’ state parks. More than that, I applaud the Lieutenant Governor for calling our Governor out.

If you read Quinn’s plea on the petition site closely, you’ll find words like “irresponsible” and “doomsday” in reference to Governor Rod Blagojevich’s decision to close 11 state parks. Basically, Pat Quinn kept it real. He took on the most powerful state politician in HIS OWN party.

Finding a deeper meaning in this story is not exactly difficult.

The political scene in Illinois is in shambles. Democrats across the state are openly critical of Governor Blagojevich. As a result, nothing is getting done. We’re constantly spending money on “special sessions” that do nothing but frustrate those politicians who want to get things done.

The outlook for the GOP is even worse. There are virtually no strong leaders in the Republican party in Illinois.

I have no solutions to this problem. I almost have a degree in Political Science but the problems that Illinois politics face are beyond a B.S. from University of Illinois.

The proposed closing of state parks is just the beginning. We should probably get our shit figured out before the end.

Sarah Clemmons: My Personal Ad: A saucy, raven haired girl who rarely takes herself too seriously. Likes playing footsy and football. Inquire within.