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Newspaper
Southern Illinoisan
Location
Carbondale, Illinois, United States of America
Date
Apr 20, 2002
Page
4
The Southern Illinoisan publishes daily from Carbondale Illinois. Readers may submit letters under 250 words via mail email or phone and must be signed with a hometown. The Vent column appears Saturdays and welcomes comments by phone or email.
Voices from readers across Jackson Williamson and Southern Illinois urge discussion on prayer in schools and free speech. They compare flags and libraries to argue for protection of voluntary prayer as a spoken right, noting anonymous or named submissions via mail or email.
A speaker from Valley View Correctional Center in southern Illinois urges unity and mourning for fallen heroes as May 7 and May 9 events in Springfield loom. He criticizes Carbondale’s use of a million dollars for promotion without addressing housing, jobs, and cost to build, calling for broader business development and lower utility hookups to halt population decline.
Op Ed notes recount a governor’s stubborn stance connected to a past incident involving a young woman with a pie at Cristando’s Cafe in Carbondale. The piece references a “Ryan pie” named after her or the governor, suggesting broader repercussions for Southern Illinois and linking local bakery lore to political tensions.
Illinois citizen and National Wildlife Federation director praises Senators Fitzgerald and Durbin for voting to block oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He argues the nation should leave resources intact, invest in energy efficiency, and aim to become a leading oil exporter through innovation rather than drilling.
For years governors have sought to close Anna state hospital with 582 staff to patient ratio and thousands of underused acres. The facility could become a retirement village or model senior community instead. The plan to release 4500 nonviolent drug offenders raises fears about policing, justice and public safety.
A reader urges lawmakers to cut the current Illinois budget by 2 percent to close a $1 billion shortfall, save prisons and jobs, and avoid a temporary tax increase. The proposal claims $1.04 billion in savings and 1,000+ jobs preserved with 98 percent of current budgets.
The Illinois First program under Gov. George Ryan began in 2000 with wide funding for construction and local projects. A 2001 recession followed, tax revenue dropped, facilities closed, and public support for Ryan waned as the Southern Illinoisan poll showed 83 percent wanting a change.
AFSCME member questions lack of public support from Williamson County and Marion city officials for Vienna Correctional Center, noting Johnson County and Southern Illinois groups have engaged publicly. He argues union negotiations were in good faith with Gov. Ryan and criticizes state spending and staff expansions under his administration.
Op-ed comments question INS English literacy standard while noting bilingual ballots were intended to boost participation. Census data cited show Hispanic turnout declining since bilingual provisions, with a 1975 Votings Rights Act expansion and a 1996 House vote to end the federal bilingual mandate.
A public online poll from The Southern Illinois on April 20 2002 shows about 75 percent of 2800 respondents opposed raising sales tax to keep prisons and local jobs open. Some support limited use of funds to preserve facilities and employment in West Frankfort and surrounding areas.
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