PEllis

=P Ellis-Illinois-Independent= Similar Illinois Representative: Jesse L Jackson Junior To find out more about Jesse L Jackson Junior click [|here]

Illinois Facts:
 * 1) Twenty-first state to enter the United States
 * 2) The state snack food is popcorn
 * 3) Illinois is Algonquin for "tribe of superior men"
 * 4) Illinois is the "Land of Lincoln"
 * 5) Illinois is also the "Prairie State"

Illinois Facts related to Environment and Energy:
 * 1) Many fortune 500 companies that would be effected by energy laws
 * 2) Is the center of the national rail network, one proposed solution
 * 3) Is a center of trade, a major use of energy
 * 4) In the Chicago land area there is plenty of industry that pollutes the environment and should be controlled
 * 5) They are a major agriculture state which could be used to produce energy. (i.e. using farmland for wind fields)



The first major issue I am interested in is the Environment. I believe we can greatly improve the environment by reducing our carbon emissions. One great way to do this is to put in a railway throughout America. We could also require all passenger rails to be electric or diesel electric. We could also encourage alternate energy forms.

Another important issue is foreign policy. We need to improve our foreign policy. By peacefully ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan we may be able to form many new alliances. We should also spend more money on developing countries. Although we sent relief to Hatti after the earthquake we should have sent more before the earthquake. We should help all developing countries all the time, not just during a crisis.

We also need to focus on Education. I think education is too expensive and our students are falling behind. We are falling behind in math and science compared to many other countries. I believe this is because of our standardized test ing. Our teachers are teaching to the test and not other things that are important in those subjects. This also takes weeks away from valuable learning time to review for these tests. Our higher level education is too expensive too. Many students are skipping college because it is too expensive. The high tuition fees and interest on student loan's is causing many people to go broke.

For our bill we plan to make a law making all passanger trains be electric. This will reduce our impact on the enviroment. It will also provide more jobs for Americans. This bill will greatly help America. Post any questions or comments in the disscusion on this page. Our bill can be seen here at HB94. The other sponsers are JHorst and AKall.

Here are the sources I used:  1. Cory, Nick. "Railway Technical, Design." Web. [|http://http://www.railway-technical.com/design-details.shtml].  2. Canine, Craig. "On the Fast Track." Web. . 3. Sims, Damon. "Ohio High-speed Rail Gets Push from Obama Plan." Web. .// 4. Jackson Jr., Jesse L. "Transportation." Web. .5. (as word document) //6. "Curbing Carbon with Carbon Offsets." Web. . 7. "Why Acela? The "Green" Way to Get There." Web. . 8. "Route Atlas." Web. . 9. "Cities Located Close to Columbus." Web. . 10. [| "Planes or Trains: Which Is Greener?" Web. .]