Fixing Illinois: Politics and Policy in the Prairie State

by James D. Nowlan, J. Thomas Johnson

In the 1950s, thriving commerce, strong leadership, and geographical good fortune made Illinois one of the most envied states in the nation. Today, persistent problems have left it the butt of jokes and threatened it with fiscal catastrophe. In Fixing Illinois, James D. Nowlan and J. Thomas Johnson use their four decades of experience as public servants, Springfield veterans, and government observers to present a comprehensive program of almost one hundred specific policy ideas aimed at rescuing the state from its long list of problems, including:
An overhaul of state pension systems that includes more reasonable benefits and raising of the retirement age, among other changes;
Broadening of the tax base to include services and reductions in rates;
Raising funds with capital construction bonds to update and integrate the antiquated information systems used by state agencies;
Uprooting the state's entrenched culture of corruption via public financing of elections, redistricting reform, and revolving door prohibitions for lawmakers
Pointed, honest, and pragmatic, Fixing Illinois is a plan for effective and honest government that seeks an even nobler end: restoring our faith in Illinois's institutions and reviving a sense of citizenship and state pride.

Genres: Politics

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2014

About the author

James D. Nowlan is a senior fellow in the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He served as an Illinois state representative from 1969 to 1973 and as an aide to three Illinois governors. Samuel K. Gove is director emeritus and professor emeritus of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Richard J. Winkel Jr. is the director of the Office of Public Leadership in the Institute of Government and Public Affairs. He served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 and in the Illinois Senate from 2003 to 2007.

(Barnes and Noble)

Reviews

[Magnus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some chapters are more interesting than others. The corruption chapter at the end is pretty interesting. The education and transportation chapters have some good policy proposals. The book as a whole is written pretty dryly. There are sections that are too partisan like when they suggest taking away certain union benefits. I'd recommend Illinoisans read it. Not a strong recommendation though. Feel free to skip some of the boring chapters.

[Mary Brodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot about the components of state government, not so much on how to implement suggested reforms. Pie in the sky...