Information Beans: Steven Brown and Michael Madigan

Before being hired as press secretary for the Speaker of the Illinois House, he worked in a Southern Illinois University cafeteria.

“I learned a lot about gourmet food and fine dining,” Steve Brown said with a smile as he talked to a small classroom of SIU journalism students in the communications building. Brown discussed his various relationships with important Illinois political figures, including House Speaker Michael Madigan.

While working at the Illinois Capitol has been good to Brown, it has also made his home life a bit more strenuous. He travels from Washington, near Peoria, to Springfield several times a week. But being away from home makes him appreciate the time with his family even more.

Brown has an interesting family to say the least: he has been married twice and is in the 15^th year of his second marriage, has a son who is majoring in social justice and is in a hip-hop band, and has two more sons who play baseball and the drums.

“(Drums) are not a good thing to have when you have a home office,” Brown said jokingly.

But before ever having a family or engaging in politics, Brown developed an interest in journalism as a high school student in northern St. Louis. While he bragged that he was within shouting distance of Busch Stadium, Brown also hinted that there was very little future for him as a journalist if he stuck around.

So Brown got a modest scholarship and attended Southern Illinois University, at a time when the Daily Egyptians was being recognized for many awards. This meant Brown would have to start at the bottom and work his way up.

“Is there something I can help with?” Brown would ask whenever he sneaked away from dealing with the layout of the newspaper and into the newsroom. Eventually, Brown got his way and became a full-time reporter.

Brown loved the opportunities that journalism offered him and had a passion for the business. “I thought it was a profession where you could make a difference,” Brown said.

After getting his major in journalism and spending six months serving in the National Guard, Brown claimed there weren’t many opportunities available at any major newspapers. He began to form relationships with various political writers and started many important friendships that would help jump-start his career.

Brown got his big break when he was asked to join the administration of newly elected Chicago Mayor Byrne, the first female to head the city. It was Brown’s first look inside the operations of politics, and it gave him some notoriety in Illinois politics. It also allowed him to strike a friendship with Mike Madigan, who was working his way through the leadership of the House.

Brown needed a job after working for Byrne, and eventually Madigan hired Brown. It was originally supposed to be a three-month arrangement.

“We are now celebrating the 23^rd anniversary of that arrangement,” Brown said as he expressed his admiration for his boss. “I think Madigan is one of the best things to come into Illinois politics in a long, long time.

It is apparent that Brown enjoys working at the Capitol, and he says he will always have a passion for journalism, which he feels is the best source of news.

Brown provided further encouragement for the students on hand when he said, “I didn’t have any

math skills, which is part of the reason I got into journalism.”

Information Beans: Xuhong Shang Gives SIUC Internation Presence

After solo exhibitions in Switzerland, Japan, and Spain, an SIUC professor’s showing in China has caught the eye of NY Arts Magazine.

Xuhong Shang, a professor in painting for the School of Art and Design at SIUC, presented his project “Momentary” at the Stir Gallery in Shanghai, China from July 25 to August 30. NY Arts Magazine reviewed his work in the April/May 2009 issue.

In the article, Shang said, “My paintings in the ‘Momentary’ series seek to achieve depth and primitive simplicity, which must be able to portray hard-to-catch scenes as if they leap up before the eyes and imply meaning between the tones.”

According to Shang, “Momentary” displays various landscape paintings and photos of airports, challenging the viewer’s distinction between illusion and reality.

Shang believes the article will give SIUC some international exposure. However, it is not the first time Shang has been reviewed by a major publication. According to Shang, he has been reviewed by Asian Art News, World Journal, and Sculpture magazine.

Shang said his latest project, “A Paradise Up in the Air,” was reviewed by Glen Brown , an art history professor at Kansas State University. The project began at the Muskegon Museum of Art in Muskegon, Michigan on September 24, according to museum director Judith Hayner.

“I went to Muskegon and people say ‘Oh, you’re from SIUC.’ So there are certainly a lot of young students that notice you’re from SIUC,” Shang said. “It is always a great opportunity to talk about our program. This is why we always attract a lot of students for our student programs.”

Jerry Monteith, head of graduate studies in the School of Art and Design, says Shang’s international reputation will attract students to SIUC.

“It’s always good for faculty members to have exposure,” Monteith said. “It really reflects not only on his own work, but also reflects on the stature of the School of Art and Design and the university by an extension.”

Ed Shay, a retired professor in painting, drawing, and printmaking for SIUC, said he also recognizes the importance of exhibiting internationally.

“I’ve been here for over thirty years and I’ve always thought of us of having a very strong international presence,” Shay said. “This is reflected by our student body as well as our faculty and he represents the best parts of fine arts in the School of Art and Design.”

Shang says it is important to be aggressive when exhibiting internationally, a philosophy he also uses for teaching.

“I always try to install some kind of professional discipline to my students,” Shang said. “I will continue to be a very high demanding teacher. I will continue to be that way because I see my students going out and having success.”

Shay said he appreciates Shang as a teacher as well as an artist.

“This is a guy who has proven to be a very strong teacher and a wonderful artist,” Shay said.

Shang said he finds teaching to be a very spiritual job, which brings him a lot of joy.

“I think teaching is very much like creating art,” Shang said. “Maybe someday you’ll pass away, but someone can take your legacy and continue, so your spirit is very much forever.”

Information Beans: Should Editorials Be Signed?

There are many misconceptions about newspapers and the unsigned editorial is no exception. When some people think of editorials, they think of opinion columns written by one person. Unsigned or anonymous opinion columns are unreliable and carry as much weight as your average blogger. These columns should be signed, but this is not the issue. Unfortunately, people confuse an opinion column with an editorial opinion, which is a collection of editors’ views. Should an editorial representing a collection of opinions be signed by one person?

Many people believe editorials reflect one person’s opinion. This is untrue for most, if not all, newspapers. The age-old theory is the publisher controls the editorial page. Lee Enterprises has a daily circulation of over 1.5 million newspapers across the country. As the publisher, does Lee Enterprises control the opinion of all these newspapers? It would be easy to expose the company if all its newspapers shared one opinion. The theory is just too far-fetched. While it is reasonable to believe publishers inform its newspapers of its opinion, it would not determine the editorial opinion for every newspaper.

Another argument against unsigned editorials is they misrepresent the newspaper in two ways: first of all, how can one opinion represent the newspaper if the reporters are excluded? And second, not every editor has to agree on something, just the majority. To answer the first question, the editorial page is designed for the editors. They are usually the most seasoned reporters and are involved in every story that goes into the newspaper. While their opinions are not more valuable than the reporters’, a line has to be drawn somewhere. Do you have to include the advertising department as well? How could a reasonable debate be held with this many people?

To address the second point, it is illogical to believe every editor can agree on one opinion. The New York Times has 17 editors and can comfortably hold discussions in a single room and challenge one another. In the end, if 9 agree and 8 disagree, should the editorial represent all of them? It should because a newspaper has to draw the line. If a 9 to 8 decision does not count, than should any majority? It is also foolish to believe all 17 editors can agree on one opinion, so using the majority opinion seems the most sensible.

Another viewpoint is an editorial has to be written by one person, so does it reflect the overall opinion? The reason for the editorial meetings is to gather all sides and take notes. When it comes time to write the editorial, the writer is well-informed and can morph many opinions into one article. It may even represent the dissenting views to strengthen the majority opinion and challenge it.

Beans Wit Attitude: The Death Penalty Must End

Cameron Todd Willingham’s three daughters were killed as his house burned down in 1991, two days before Christmas.

Willingham escaped the fire, but was charged for the murder of his daughters. During trial, he was offered life imprisonment in exchange for pleading guilty. He turned it down, insisting on his innocence until he was executed on February 17, 2004.

Five years later, the Chicago Tribune released a report from Craig Beyler of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. He stated investigators did not examine the case properly and the state fire marshal had “limited understanding” of fire science.

It seems Willingham was innocent. How many innocent “criminals” are executed each year?

Proponents of capital punishment have an “eye for an eye” mentality that needs to stop. This mentality does not work when innocent people are executed.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there have been 139 exonerations in 26 states since 1973, including 20 in Illinois. There were 12 exonerations in 2003 and 9 in 2009, showing the recent irresponsibility of our court system.

Capital punishment is also unfair to different races. While 44 percent of death row inmates are white, 42 percent are black, despite only making up 12 percent of the nation’s population.

A study by the University of North Carolina showed defendants whose victims were white were 3.5 times more likely to receive the death penalty. Another study by the Santa Clara Law Review concluded those who killed whites were three times more likely to be sentenced to death than those who killed blacks and four times more likely than those who killed Latinos.

The most troubling statistic? While 15 whites have been executed for murdering blacks, 242 blacks have been executed for murdering whites.

Another misleading argument favoring capital punishment is it deters crime. Statistics show this is false.

Michael Radelet, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado, conducted a survey of the former and present presidents of the country's top academic criminological societies and 88 percent rejected the death penalty acts as a murder deterrent.

The 2008 FBI Uniform Crime Report showed the South had the highest murder rate and accounted for over 80 percent of executions. The Northeast accounts for less than one percent of all executions and had the lowest murder rate.

Former Governor George Ryan’s moratorium was Illinois’ first step to abolishing capital punishment. Since the moratorium in 2000, the murder rate in Illinois has dropped from 10 deaths per 100,000 people to 6.1 in 2008. If the death penalty deters crime, why has the moratorium lowered the murder rate?

A majority of the public supports capital punishment, but that number is declining. Between 1994 and 1999, before the moratorium, the Chicago Tribune reported Illinois public support of the death penalty had dropped thirteen points.

In 2002, a Zogby poll showed 68 percent of Illinois residents favored the moratorium while 26 percent opposed it. In the same year, a Roper Starch Worldwide study found 75 percent of Illinois residents were concerned that innocent people had been executed.

National support for capital punishment is also dropping. A 2008 Gallup poll showed 64 percent of Americans support the death penalty, down from 80 percent in 1994.

These statistics indicate a population that is gradually rejecting the death penalty. We believe the Illinois government should follow and set an example for all states by abolishing the death penalty.

The only way to prevent people like Cameron Todd Willingham from being executed is to eliminate the source. Capital punishment must end.

Beans Wit Attitude: Scholarships

As the recession continues to beat Illinois to the ground, college costs continue to rise. According to a report by CBS, more than 150,000 Illinois college students rely on the MAP Grant and it may not be offered to students for their second semester in 2009, forcing some students to drop out.

And as financial aid decreases in Illinois, tuition costs continue to increase. According to the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, tuition at public universities has gone up every year since 2002. Between 2002 and 2008, average tuition costs have gone from $4,606 to $8,335, an 81 percent increase. During a recession, how are students and parents supposed to cope?

The high college dropout rate helps explain shortages in the workplace. Illinois faces an extreme shortage of teachers, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. There is a need for special education teachers, especially in learning behavior specializing and speech and language impairment. Also, there is a shortage in regular education, especially bilingual education, mathematics, physical education, reading and science. In particular, Chicago has a shortage of standard elementary instructors.

Healthcare is also being hammered in the workplace. The Nursing Institute at the University of Illinois issued a study that showed the ratio of potential caregivers to the people most likely to need care, the elderly population, will decrease by 40 percent between 2010 and 2030. The Illinois Center for Nursing projected Illinois would face a shortage of 21,000 nurses by 2020.

Keeping students in college and filling these positions in the workplace requires two things: need-based and merit-based scholarships. But how does Illinois balance the two?

We believe helping the financially needy is the first and most important step. While merit-based scholarships are great for filling positions for teachers and physicians, we recognize students must get through college first. This requires more financial assistance for students and less money for merit-based scholarships.

We propose 75 percent of scholarships awarded in Illinois should be need-based, while 25 percent should be merit-based or for other reasons not based on financial need. We do not support raising taxes, but instead we support filtering Illinois’ money differently.

If these changes are to take place, we realize the standards for college students must go up as well. Entering freshmen at universities must have a high school diploma or a GED. To receive his or her scholarship, the recipient must be enrolled for at least 12 hours at a university. A student would be required to achieve his or her degree within six years.

Also, to encourage students to make full use of their financial aid, we propose students must maintain a 2.5 GPA, up from the current 2.0 GPA requirement. If a student drops below the GPA requirement for a semester or does not meet the minimum hour requirement, the student will be required to reimburse the money to Illinois.

We believe merit-based scholarships can still be awarded to fill positions in the workplace. In order to hire more teachers, we support keeping the Golden Apple Scholars Program, the Illinois Future Teachers Corp Program, and the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program. In order to fill health positions, we support the Nursing Education Scholarship Program and the Medical Student Scholarship Program. We also believe in rewarding veterans and support the Illinois Veterans Grant.

We understand Illinois taxpayers do not want taxes to raise, so we believe a change must take place within the system. This means taking the money Illinois has and distributing it differently, as proposed by our plan.

Beans Wit Attitude: Physical Education

The Illinois State Board of Education requires physical education for all state schools. Many elementary schools offer recess and high schools have more intense activities and health classes. But there are always ways to get out of P.E. class. And it is starting to show.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 64 percent of U.S. citizens are overweight, and the prevalence of obesity among children has more than doubled in the last two decades. For the elementary school population, ages six to 11, the rate increased from 6.5 percent to 17 percent. For middle and high school adolescents, aged 12 to 19, the rate went from 5 percent to 17.6 percent.

In Illinois these numbers are worse. According to the Illinois Association of Park Districts, obesity has tripled in Illinois since 1980. Over 25 percent of children aged 12 to 16 are overweight, while 18 percent of children aged 6 to 10 are overweight.

From a distance, physical education s requirements are a great idea. After a closer look, it is showing its flaws.

Illinois is the only state to require physical education for all grade levels. While we acknowledge our appreciation for setting this standard, the statistics show it is not working. However, instead of removing the curriculum, we believe it should be revamped.

Some high schools offer waivers to students to get out of P.E. class. Regardless, students should be required to partake in another health-related activity, whether it be exercise or a nutrition class. The state should set standards for how much time is dedicated to physical education, but leave establishing the curriculum based on the schools’ resources and financial limits.

The state should also oversee each school remains in compliance with these standards, which will require money. While the economy is currently down, the health of our children cannot be ignored. There are currently no penalties for not complying with physical education requirements, so we believe the state must become more strict. The state should issue required testing for students, similar to math, reading, and science testing. Each district should have their inspector to administer these requirements and chaperon each school.

Controlling the obesity problem must also occur in the lunchrooms. The state should regulate the lunch menus and establish a nutritional standard of what students can eat. This means more fruits and vegetables and less junk food. Their portions should be managed as well.

We also recognize obesity is a personal problem. We are reaching out to parents to support this proposition by doing their parts in managing their children’s health habits. With the combination of school, parents and government, Illinois can help set a standard for all schools in controlling the obesity epidemic.

Beans Wit Attitude: Marijuana Legalization

On September 23, California issued short-term IOUs to their workforce. Since, California has raised $8.8 billion from individual investors who bought the loans and are looking to gain interest. California has resorted to losing money in the long run in order to bounce back now. Is there something California can do to stop the bleeding?

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano believes proposed bill AB390 can, also known as The Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act. According to the bill, taxing marijuana could raise $1 billion annually. In addition, the marijuana business would create jobs and have benefits of $12 to $18 billion a year. Maybe it is time Illinois followed down a similar path.

With a debt of $42 billion in May, Illinois needs to take action. The money raised from taxing legalized marijuana could not only save us from the recession, but benefit in the long term as well. If California can receive up to $18 billion, how much could Illinois raise?

The numbers will actually be higher than you think. Legalizing marijuana will also eliminate the war on drugs, which cost the federal government $19 billion in 2003, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Why so much?

First, the cost of hiring law enforcement to patrol drug traffickers is high. But, more importantly, prisons are the big issue. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, over 1.3 million have been arrested this year in the war on drugs, or one every 17 seconds. 25 percent of those arrested are incarcerated. It costs about $450,000 to put a single dealer in jail, according to the Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. That means over $146 billion has been spent on imprisoning drug offenders this year alone.

According to the Department of Justice, more than 50 percent of prisoners are drug offenders, a number which increased 80 percent between 1985 and 1995. Also, 18 percent of those imprisoned committed their crimes to obtain drug money. The average sentence for violent crimes is 63 months, while it is 75.6 months for drug offenses.

So what have we learned? Eliminating the war on drugs would reduce costs of patrolling drug traffickers and more violent crimes would be investigated. It also reduces the amount of prisoners, thus saving the money to put them through jail.

The money saved from prisons and the money raised through legalizing marijuana could go towards public education. According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, spending on prisons rose 30 percent between 1987 and 1998, while spending on education only rose 18.2 percent. A report by ABCNEWS.com showed state prison budgets were growing twice as fast as spending on public universities. It is time we put less focus on correcting criminals and more focus on preventing criminals through education.

We propose Illinois follows guidelines similar to alcohol. A citizen must be 21-years-old to legally possess, sell, and manufacture marijuana. In order to manufacture or sell the product, the seller must be licensed. As with alcohol and cigarettes, the marijuana packaging must include warnings of possible health hazards and potency of the product. Penalties would be issued for driving under the influence or selling marijuana to minors. Only for medicinal purposes is a minor allowed to utilize marijuana, likely through THC pills, which will be at the doctor’s discretion.

The biggest gain from legalizing marijuana will be the revenue. With the new law, the government will be allowed to tax the wholesale and retail sales of marijuana. Also, Illinois would impose higher taxes for products with higher potencies.

Information Beans: A Spark of Hope for Newspapers

In a market where online journalism grows every day, newspapers across the country are downsizing staff, using fewer pages, and revamping their design. Many see this as the beginning stages of extinction for printed news. Why should someone buy the tangible newspaper when they could read it online for free? As an editor, these are things Gary Metro has to consider every day when putting out his newspaper, which stretches across 12 counties that are critical for business. Metro’s paper is unusual, because he has managed to maintain a steady circulation during his tenure as editor. How has his newspaper done this while others continue to die out?

It’s all about change. The news market has changed in the last 30 years, which means newspapers have changed too. One thing that is more important is advertising. Making space for advertising is crucial for business, especially in today’s poor economy. Not only are there advertisements in their newspaper, but on their website as well, where they collect revenue for the number of page views their stories get. The stories themselves have changed as well, where there is more emphasis on government and big business. People do not want to just read numbers and figures anymore, but want them broken down and explained. An editor always has to look for new ways to present this information and can’t just do it anymore with a photo and a few lines of text. To make the information morer accessible to the readers, newspapers have now implemented various images into their stories: maps, graphs, more photos, and illustrated drawings. It’s all about attracting eyeballs to the page and keeping the reader interested. Metro’s newspaper has done something unique to maintain circulation, which is turning his newspaper into an “information company.” This means he puts out not only the newspaper, but also a magazine, a business journal, and even calendars.

And the one thing that a newspaper must have is a website. Today’s news crowd has a thirst for online journalism thatt must be quenched. A website allows the newspaper to supply unlimited amounts of information and content. If a reader wanted to find a story from a year ago, he or she could search and find it in the website’s source directories. Readers can even comment on the stories and read what other people have to say. A website also allows the paper to provide round-the-clock news. Metro claims his website will have a breaking news story at least once every hour, which means the site is always changing. Keeping up on competing newspapers’ websites also allows an editor to see his competition and find out what their edition could look like the next day. So if a reader has access to unlimited news and gets it all for free, is it only a matter of time until online journalism destroys the printed newspaper?

Newspapers are still the big horse for now and online journalism is the little horse. But the little horse is learning and growing every day, and nobody knows how big it will be in a few years, Metro said. There are some that believe newspapers should begin to charge for their online product. The counter-argument is t people have gotten used to the idea of free news and it would kill site traffic. Metro believes his website, if separated from the print productt and staffed independently, could potentially be its own business, but doesn’t know if that will ever happen. He maintains that while there will be fewer newspapers in time, the demand for news will always be there. Metro believes every new generation brings more curiosity. And whether it’s with newspapers or websites, he will be there doing his part.

Beans Wit Attitude: Racism and the Media

Civil rights for minorities have come a long way over the years, but sometimes it seems society will never get over the “racial hill” and treat everyone equally.

It makes me angry, or should I say sickens me, to hear stories of discrimination and hate among groups based on race, gender, sexuality, or any other form of prejudice. While the blame for these empty-headed individuals can be placed on their parents and peers, some accountability must be given to the media.

For the record, I am not saying that the media is bigoted; but its inability to report on certain stories causes stereotypes among people and leads to their ignorance.

Carbondale Councilwoman Corene McDaniel brings the argument to a local level. She says regional media has not given proper coverage to the African American community in Carbondale.

“The main issue is African Americans and the relationship that we have with the police department,” McDaniel said. According to McDaniel, this has been the biggest dilemma facing the African American population in Carbondale for the last eight years, which she has had first-hand experience with.

McDaniel said her son, Leon, came out of an apartment building where a shooting had taken place and the police automatically thought he was the shooter. He was arrested on the spot.

“Leon didn’t do that! Leon didn’t do that!” a victim that had been shot said, but Leon was still taken to the police station.

So if this has been an issue in Carbondale for at least eight years, then the media has given it a fair amount of coverage, right?

Wrong.

“If you don’t want anybody to know about it, you just don’t have to put it on the news,” McDaniel said. “If you don’t have a relationship with somebody that can give you a tip or whatever, it may not ever get to the news, so you can’t blame the media for not covering it.”

McDaniel is being generous. I’m not.

If I am reading this quote correctly, McDaniel is saying that reporters do not cover important news because they are ignorant…and it is okay? Why are they ignorant? Because they do not care.

If reporters cared, they would mix it up with the community and learn these things on their own. Anonymous tips cannot be used for every story. Reporters need to talk to people on the street, go to local barbeques, or attend a church service; they have to understand the people they are writing about.

McDaniel does not give the media free passes for everything though. She is upset with how the media mentions whether a person is “black” or not when reporting a crime.

“It used to be that’s all that was done by the media. They always identified a black person,” McDaniel said. “I thought, ‘how come you said this was a black person?’”

One may argue that this is just part of the description.

“How come a white person isn’t part of the description?” McDaniel said.

McDaniel is right. Often, when an African American is reported for a crime, his or her race will be mentioned. Will it happen every time for a white person? Probably not.

Again, I am not saying that the media is racist, but this shows that the little things make a difference. By mentioning a suspect is black and disregarding it for a white suspect, people will start to think of a black person when they hear the word “criminal.”

I recognize that reporters cannot cover every story, but I will not allow ignorance to be used as justification. Their job is to report on the community and they should treat it like a job. Along with reporting stories, a reporter’s job is to get into the community and learn what the real issues are.

Report the important stories. Show you care. No excuses.

Beans Wit Attitude: Seeing Both Sides of the Death Penalty Part 2

Imagine staring into the eyes of the person who murdered your loved one. How do you feel?

Opponents of capital punishment continue to neglect two groups with their arguments: murdered victims and their families. Arguments against capital punishment cite statistics that show it does not deter crime and innocent people are executed. These statistics are misleading and do not accurately reflect the capital punishment system in the United States.

Capital punishment does deter crime and statistics prove it. Information from the U.S. Department of Justice shows between 1950 and 1974, the yearly number of executions went from about 100 to zero. During that time, the murder rate went from about 2.3 to 8 murders per 100,000 citizens. Between 1980 and 2002, the yearly number of executions went from zero to about 93. During that time, crime rate went from about 8.5 to 6.2, showing capital punishment has a profound effect on the U.S. murder rate.

A comprehensive study between Clemson and Emory University showed each execution results, on average, in eighteen fewer murders. A study from the Columbia Law School showed domestic and intimate partner homicides, the most passionate forms of murder, have been declining since 1970 as well.

Naci Mocan, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, conducted a study that examined all 3,054 U.S. counties. Between 1977 and 1997, states that practiced capital punishment had lower crime rates than states that did not. Despite opposing the death penalty, Mocan said, “My research shows that there is a deterrent effect.”

A study by Joanna Shepherd, a law professor at Emory University, showed similar results. Her study showed the deterrent effect only applied to states that executed at least nine people between 1977 and 1996. In her review, Shepherd said, “Deterrence cannot be achieved with a half-hearted execution program.”

Unfortunately, Illinois has a half-hearted program. Because of former Governor George Ryan’s moratorium, capital punishment exists, but has no effect. Criminals roam our streets without fear of the death penalty.

Another argument against capital punishment is executing the innocent. This is the most misleading argument offered by opponents.

The Death Penalty Information Center claims there have been 102 exonerations since 1973. However, the center’s definition of “exoneration” makes no distinction between legal and factual innocence. According to Ramesh Ponnuru, the National Review's senior editor, only 32 of the 102 individuals were exonerated on innocence claims. The other 70 cases involved inmates who were exonerated because of legal errors.

Innocence is clearly not an issue. There have been over 7,300 death sentences since 1973, and only 32, or 0.4 percent, have been proven innocent. This percentage is not enough to end capital punishment.

Illinois government should start listening to its people. In 2002, a study from the St. Louis Post Dispatch showed 49.7 percent of Illinois residents were opposed to Ryan’s moratorium.

The national public’s opinion is similar. A 2009 Rasmussen Reports national survey found 61 percent of Americans favor the death penalty, while only 23 percent oppose.

We believe the next governor of Illinois should lift the moratorium and continue to practice capital punishment. A majority of Americans support capital punishment and it has proven to deter crime.

If the next governor chooses to keep the moratorium, he should have to explain his reasoning to the families of murder victims in Illinois.

Beans Wit Attitude: Seeing Both Sides of the Death Penalty Part 1

Cameron Todd Willingham’s three daughters were killed as his house burned down in 1991, two days before Christmas.

Willingham escaped the fire, but was charged for the murder of his daughters. During trial, he was offered life imprisonment in exchange for pleading guilty. He turned it down, insisting on his innocence until he was executed on February 17, 2004.

Five years later, the Chicago Tribune released a report from Craig Beyler of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. He stated investigators did not examine the case properly and the state fire marshal had “limited understanding” of fire science.

It seems Willingham was innocent. How many innocent “criminals” are executed each year?

Proponents of capital punishment have an “eye for an eye” mentality that needs to stop. This mentality does not work when innocent people are executed.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there have been 139 exonerations in 26 states since 1973, including 20 in Illinois. There were 12 exonerations in 2003 and 9 in 2009, showing the recent irresponsibility of our court system.

Capital punishment is also unfair to different races. While 44 percent of death row inmates are white, 42 percent are black, despite only making up 12 percent of the nation’s population.

A study by the University of North Carolina showed defendants whose victims were white were 3.5 times more likely to receive the death penalty. Another study by the Santa Clara Law Review concluded those who killed whites were three times more likely to be sentenced to death than those who killed blacks and four times more likely than those who killed Latinos.

The most troubling statistic? While 15 whites have been executed for murdering blacks, 242 blacks have been executed for murdering whites.

Another misleading argument favoring capital punishment is it deters crime. Statistics show this is false.

Michael Radelet, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado, conducted a survey of the former and present presidents of the country's top academic criminological societies and 88 percent rejected the death penalty acts as a murder deterrent.

The 2008 FBI Uniform Crime Report showed the South had the highest murder rate and accounted for over 80 percent of executions. The Northeast accounts for less than one percent of all executions and had the lowest murder rate.

Former Governor George Ryan’s moratorium was Illinois’ first step to abolishing capital punishment. Since the moratorium in 2000, the murder rate in Illinois has dropped from 10 deaths per 100,000 people to 6.1 in 2008. If the death penalty deters crime, why has the moratorium lowered the murder rate?

A majority of the public supports capital punishment, but that number is declining. Between 1994 and 1999, before the moratorium, the Chicago Tribune reported Illinois public support of the death penalty had dropped thirteen points.

In 2002, a Zogby poll showed 68 percent of Illinois residents favored the moratorium while 26 percent opposed it. In the same year, a Roper Starch Worldwide study found 75 percent of Illinois residents were concerned that innocent people had been executed.

National support for capital punishment is also dropping. A 2008 Gallup poll showed 64 percent of Americans support the death penalty, down from 80 percent in 1994.

These statistics indicate a population that is gradually rejecting the death penalty. We believe the Illinois government should follow and set an example for all states by abolishing the death penalty.

The only way to prevent people like Cameron Todd Willingham from being executed is to eliminate the source. Capital punishment must end.

Information Beans: Dying Newspapers and Education

“People are alarmed and thinking about science, and perhaps this alarm could be turned toward a constructive result.”

These were the words of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958, one year after the launch of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik. This led to the passing of the National Defense Education Act.

The good: various scholarships and loans were made available to public and private schools, along with new and improved scientific equipment.

The bad: the federal government had dipped its hands in public schools and taken over. It told schools that math and science were more important and schools lost a localized approach.

“It trumped all of the state and local control on issues in the public school system,” Elizabeth Lewin said, a professor in the department of educational administration at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

So what is more important: increased funding from the national government or schools having a narrower and more local approach?

It’s an important question that must be addressed. But will the issue be approached if local news dies?

Newspapers are dying fast, including local ones. As a result, newspapers have taken a new approach to attracting readers: more pictures and graphics, new layouts, and less focus on hard news. This creates less focus on education, which should be the top matter on a community’s agenda.

Unless there are newspapers, there will not be newsrooms. Without the newsrooms, there is less communication between reporters and local news goes down the drain; local reports on education require the collaboration of editors and reporters who know the community. If local news dies, all focus shifts to education on a national level.

While this is bad news, there are reasons to be optimistic. The federal government has implemented various educational policies that have helped many communities.

For the last eight years, the No Child Left Behind Act has dominated education news. Numerous school districts have reported improved test scores and expectations for teachers have gone up. In 1972, another federal act, Title IX, increased benefits and funding for girls’ athletics.

While these mandates sound nice on the surface, they did not have the same effect on every school district.

In some districts, NCLB has created controversy. Some teachers feel that the curriculum has narrowed and there is no deep understanding of material. Test scores may be higher, but students could be learning less; teachers know what they have to teach and may zip through the material. Some believe this means less focus on a broader understanding of material and more emphasis on specific ideas.

Even Title IX had its problems, according to Lewin.

“It was really hard, as a coach of girls’ sports, for me to look at my male counterparts, knowing that many of them are losing,” Lewis said. “It was great that I was getting gym time to practice…but however, I didn’t want to see the boys not have that opportunity.”

The fact is this: these federal policies have a huge impact on a local level, both good and bad. Their effects vary according to certain communities, making local news extremely important.

Who knows Carbondale better than its local reporters? Who will report on the academic achievement gap at Carbondale High School? How will parents know the amount of funding going towards their child’s local education?

“So much is cultural, and those who are reporting and writing must understand that,” Lewin said. “There is a huge difference in what is allowed in a curriculum in a Carbondale district and what may be allowed in a Harrisburg district.”

As online-based news grows, more attention must be put on education. Local newspapers need to press the issues and keep parents interested.

What is more important: knowing national statistics for the latest federal educational mandate or knowing how it will affect your child?

Beans Wit Attitude: Abortion

Public funding for abortions has been a controversial subject for over thirty years, dating back to Roe v. Wade in 1973. In 1976, the Hyde Amendment was passed and prohibited the use of federal funds to pay for abortions through federal programs, such as Medicaid. If passed, the Stupak Amendment would bar the use of federal funding for any health insurance program.

Opponents of both bills have noted how it singles out certain demographics of people. Both amendments do not prohibit abortions, but instead make it harder for low-income women to receive abortions. Any women with proper funding and can pay out-of-pocket can still have an abortion.

The Stupak Amendment does allow health insurers to offer plans with abortion coverage to those who pay full premiums, but people receiving subsidies from the government will be prohibited from receiving the same benefits. If the amendment is passed, health insurers are unlikely to provide such coverage because there is no market for it. In effect, any woman who currently has abortion covered in her health insurance plan would lose it.

Whether or not abortion is right, it is legal. Therefore, we believe public funds should be used to fund abortions, but with strict limitations to discourage the practice. A woman would only receive funding for one abortion and only if the abortion is in the first trimester. The government would only fund 50 percent of the cost and the woman would cover the rest. Women would have the right to choose their own doctor, whether it be an abortion clinic or a private doctor.

Leaving the entire cost of an abortion for a woman is too harsh, but entirely paying for it is too light. By
requiring the woman to pay for 50 percent of the abortion, we hope to discourage abortions and encourage safe sex.

Information Beans: Joint Committee on Government Reform

A reform committee assembled to keep Illinois government intact announced their schedule and the areas of controversy it will examine.

The Joint Committee on Government Reform will meet seven times between February 18 and March 31 and hold hearings on four different subjects: open government, outside influences, campaign reform, and procurement issues. The committee is headed by Senate President James Cullerton and House Speaker Mike Madigan.

“We hope that the release of this schedule will help everyone to better understand the scope of the work that the Joint Committee plans to undertake,” Madigan said.

The committee will not only discuss the controversies surrounding the impeachment, but other things that have been proposed through legislation as well.

“We will be reaching out to experts and observers from across the nation who can offer their insights to the Joint Committee,” Cullerton said.

The committee was proposed by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and was approved by the House and Senate through a resolution. The resolution suggests that the committee bring forth legislation that will carry ethics back into Illinois government.

The committee was formed because of Rod Blagojevich’s recent impeachment and Illinois’ history of corrupt government. Its members will meet weekly and hope to have legislation proposals ready for consideration by April.

The committee will hold its first meetings on February 18 and 24. The subject for these meetings will be open government. These meetings’ topics will include public reporting of governmental waste, accessing information online, and public disclosure of reports. There will also be reforms to the Compensation Review Act and the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

One issue that was noted in the resolution was whistleblowing, which is alleging misconduct within government. Such allegations are made to government officials, as well as outside parties, and have been a hot topic surrounding the Blagojevich scandal.

The next two meetings will take place on March 3 and 10 and will review the issue of outside influences on government. Various practices will be examined, including the concept of revolving door, which is interchanging jobs between government and industry, thus creating conflicts of interest.

The committee also looks to tackle such issues as lobbyist registration, gift bans, and the roles of special government agents.

Campaign reform will be discussed on March 17. These meetings will include such topics as judicial races, contribution limits, and public finance. Contributions from state contractors and appointees will also be examined.

A good portion of the subjects will be discussed on March 24 and 31, where legislation will be suggested about procurement issues. These issues reflect much of the recent corruption in Illinois. There is currently a Procurement Policy Board in place, and the committee would like to increase its oversight.

Another goal is to eliminate loopholes to competitive bidding within government, which was a controversial topic surrounding the impeachment of Blagojevich. The committee also plans to tighten conflict-of-interest provisions and eliminate gift bans for pension trustees.

These meetings will take place in the State Capitol Room and be available for public viewing with live streaming video on the General Assembly’s website. The link for these videos is www.ilga.gov/house/audvid.asp.

Both Madigan and Cullerton will appoint four members, while Sen. Minority Leader Christine Radogno and House Minority Leader Tom Cross will have two appointees each; 16 politicians will make up the committee.

Madigan has named his four appointees: House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, Deputy Majority Leaders Art Turner and Gary Hannig, and Assistant House Majority Leader Edward Acevedo. Cullerton’s four appointees are Sen. Majority Leader James Clayborne, Majority Caucus Whip Susan Garrett, and Sens. Maggie Crotty, and William Delgado.

Information Beans: Southern Illinois Regional Social Services

One person’s dreams of helping others have been put on hold because of something out of her hands: a struggling economy and a corrupt governor.

Karen Freitag, the executive director of the Southern Illinois Regional Social Services, has been helping people throughout the community of Carbondale for the last decade.

“At the time, the organization had dived into a hole,” said Freitag,. “I had to rebuild it.”

Freitag did rebuild the SIRSS, but the last few years have been hard financially. As a non-profit organization, the SIRSS relies on the state for almost all of its funding.

“It’s hard when the state doesn’t pay in a timely fashion,” Freitag said.

Getting less money from the state has meant budget cuts, lay-offs bank loans. None of this has been easy on Freitag, who graduated from Southern Illinois University and got her master’s in social work at Arizona State University.

Freitag spent 16 years in Arizona putting others before herself. This meant lots of non-profit work and caring for the mentally disabled.

Although Freitag enjoyed working directly with those less fortunate, she found her real passion on the administrative side.. She found herself better suited for policy-making and dealing with budgets within her non-profit organization.

In 1999, Freitag brought her leadership skills to the SIRSS, along with her drive to make a difference.

“Our top concern, which is our motto, is being ‘the best we can be,’” Freitag said, who feels that her organization can always do better.

Recently this motto has been put to the test: the country’s economic downturn has taken a toll on Freitag, who has had to lay-off 13 employees in the past year.

Although it may not seem like a huge number, it has taken a toll on those who depend upon the SIRSS get better. This includes mental health patients, substance and drug abusers, and children who have grown up in abusive environments.

Some of the lost employees happened to be counselors, which is a big blow to the organization. “Losing counselors makes it harder to help,” Freitag said.

Being a non-profit organization, the SIRSS looks to volunteers for help with such activities as its Big Brothers Big Sisters program. But volunteers can do only so much with patients due to confidentiality problems, and experts are needed for certain situations.

The maximum number of patients a counselor can see in a week is somewhere between 26 and 30. This means, with each counselor lost, the SIRSS is forced to turn away patients..

“Those who can’t get our service have to go somewhere else,” Freitag said.

But don’t other non-profit organizations rely on state funding? Will they have to turn away these patients as well?

The state of Illinois makes up for 90 percent of the organization’s budget. Since the economy has taken a turn for the worse, the state has been delaying payments and the SIRSS has been forced to explore new options.

As for its financial problems, the organization has looked to banks for loans. Unfortunately, during these hard economic problems, banks are less willing to provide them . The SIRSS organization also has to worry about paying interest to these banks when money is not coming in.

Freitag and her service have looked for other solutions, such as going to the media to get the word out. By doing this, they hope to put pressure on the new governor, Pat Quinn, to help with their funding issues. Not much is known of Quinn’s agenda, but Freitag says she sees no immediate end in sight.

“It’s frustrating, but it creates drive,” Freitag said. “We will fight hard.”

Freitag will not only fight hard to keep the organization together for her patients, but for her community as well.