Young people do care, and have cared.


Where did this rumor that young people don't care get started? Really, I want to know. I hear over and over again 'youth just don't care, they're apathetic to politics.' This statement is clearly made by someone who hasn't talked to an 18-33 voter in quite some time. It strikes me as an exceptionally easy cop-out for candidates and campaigns that don't want to have to deal with the kinds of questions young voters actually care about.

When campaigns swirl around issues such as pensions and social security most people my age are going to tune out. We've grown up in a time when we know social security isn't going to be there for us in the same way it is for our grandparents. Yet, at the risk of sounding overly cynical, most national candidates feel that because we don't respond to questions made for 40-70 year olds with much deeper pockets that we clearly don't care.

I beg to differ. As a candidate in 2006 I was the youngest one on the ballot (at 22 years old) and had perhaps the youngest average age for staff (somewhere around 23 years old). And we do care, about issues that directly affect us: question about the sky rocketing tuition at public universities, the predatory student loan industry, the job market for entry level work, and the quality and availability of vocational training.
Do not let this lead you to believe that we don't care about larger national issues as well. The average age of an active duty soldier is about 25, a 'young voter.' And our opinions on questions such as immigration and same sex unions are as varied as they are among 'older voters.' We simply approach issues with the lens of having grown up in the 80's and 90's. This gives a different view sometimes than for those who grew up in the 60's and 70's.

If I had my way I would like to fine every commentator and pundit who dares say that young people are apathetic. Go out and ask a young person what they care about; you'll be surprised.

Thomas Hanlon

Dear Friends,

I will not be running for State Representative in 2008. I have accepted a position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and will be relocating. I would like to thank all of you for the support you offered me in my 2006 campaign and in my consideration of a 2008 run.

I encourage all of you to remain active in public affairs and to keep working for change.

Thank you all again.

Most Sincerely,
Thomas E. Hanlon

Thank you.

I would like to give my most sincere thanks to all who helped me or thought of me in my run for State Representative of the 42nd District.

I was asked many times what it felt like after the election was over, and to be honest it felt like a Wednesday. I went to a class in the morning, called Representative Pihos to offer my congratulations and well wishes and then I went to teach in the afternoon.

Despite not having gained election to the state legislature I know that running was the right thing to do, that I gave a voice and created new discussion, and truly in democracy nothing is more important than starting discussion.

I am very proud to have been your candidate, and despite what some may say about the final result we did very well and set a new benchmark (38% is a new high for a Democrat in the district).

It is part of my personality that I have no intention of going gentle into the night. I remain as committed as ever to the ideals on which I based my campaign: balanced budget, strong education and a clean environment. And I will continue to work on these issues be they from my role in front of the classroom as a teacher or as a concerned citizen helping to clean our parks.

From the bottom of my heart I would like to offer a most sincere thank you to everyone.

Most Sincerely,
Thomas Hanlon

It’s the Economy.

My opponent has suggested that professional Economists should be consulted to help us to determine what course of action is the appropriate one with regards to fixing the budget deficit. Professional economists have already been consulted on this issue; I have actively read the works of a number of economics professors employed by universities in Illinois as to what should be done to fix the current situation. They all agree that the state is spending more than it takes in; this does not require a PhD in Economics to figure out, or even an MBA, CPA or GED. And the consensus also is that the current situation is too great to be fixed through simple spending cuts, or a simple tax raise. A combination of cutting expenditures with increasing revenues is what economists say we should be doing.

Among the suggestions is one by J. Fred Giertz an economist at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, is to institute a modest cut in spending and then a regulated temporary small increase in the state income tax (from the current 3% to 3.25%).

Illinois academic and professional economists have been working on the budget problem. We do not need to ask them, we need to start reading their work and knowing what they say and then acting to reduce the budget deficit we currently face.


Works consulted:
http://www.igpa.uillinois.edu/econforum/default.htm
http://www.igpa.uillinois.edu/publications/pdf/Plan-IllinoisBudget.pdf

Why should I vote for you?

The first question anyone asks is always the same “Why should I vote for you?” And frankly, this is perhaps the best question to ask. It can also be one of the hardest to answer, however, I will provide here the reasons why:

1. I am publicly engaged, I am part of the community and make a point of being seen early in the morning, in the middle of the day or at night and am always ready and willing to discuss issues with anyone who asks. If elected I will not disappear to an office in Glen Ellyn or in Springfield only to emerge during election time or to have a meeting only with businesses. I will be your representative and will hold regular meetings with you.

2. I keep in constant communication. I have never made my contact information a secret, if you send an e-mail to hanlon42nd@gmail.com it is received by, read by, and replied to by me. I understand that multiple methods of communication are important and as such I update my website (hanlon42nd.blogspot.com) regularly, not every two years or every couple of months.

3. My commitment to education is second to none. I am a math teacher and I am a student. I have a unique understanding of what issues face students and educators in the 21st century and I am committed to assuring that quality education remains important and well funded in Illinois.

4. I know what a balanced budget is and I am dedicated to assuring that Illinois budget is a balanced one. We as individuals are generally required to keep a balanced budget and keep debts to a minimum, and the state needs to do the same. And this doesn't take a math teacher to figure out.

5. A clean environment is in the best interests of all and I understand this. A clean environment is good for public health, it's good for peoples spirits and it's good for business. I love the outdoors and enjoy hiking, backpacking, and mountain biking and I want to make sure that people for many years to come can also enjoy the outdoors.

$3.1 Billion

The current status of the Illinois Budget deficit seems to be the 600 pound gorilla sitting in the middle of the room which nobody wants to talk about. As it stands the state is set to be $3.1billion short in funding for the next year; there I said it (admittedly smaller than the $5billion which was inherited from the previous gubernatorial administration). What the state is facing at its most basic level is a problem of expenditures exceeding revenue, the traditional solution to which is either to reduced spending or increase income. However, $3.1billion is far to great a sum to be dealt with by simply cutting costs across government or by simply instituting a raise to state income taxes. More creative routes should be explored, I would not be keen to quickly write off the idea of a public-private partnership as pertains to the Illinois Toll Way, we also must realize that if a more creative method does not work then it may become necessary to go back to what has been done in the past and that is to cut costs and increase revenue. But what to cut and what to keep? There are certain things which cannot and should not be cut: Department of Children and Family Services, Department of Education, and other similar human service organizations. By contrast there are things which can be cut such as the pet projects of certain legislators. We cannot afford to loose sight of what we as a society ask of our government and we cannot afford to allow greed and election season hot air to cloud the water. Illinois faces a budget issue, something must be done and it is one of my top priorities to do something about it.

Doings News Questions, Mass Transit:

1. How can the CTA, Pace and Metra work together more efficiently?
These three Mass Transit providers must continue to work in close contact with each other in order to provide an effective Mass Transit system which works seamlessly and efficiently.

2. Should government provide more subsidies to Mass Transit to make it more affordable for riders?
A balance needs to be found between the fiscal realities of the State and of running a Mass Transit systems and the desire to provide affordable transportation.

3. What priority would you give mass transit in the budget process in relation to education, crime, the environment, health care and disaster preparedness?
Mass transit can have an effect on each of these different areas (allowing people to get to a doctor or to school, providing a means of escape in case of severe emergency, providing jobs, and by reducing the number of cars on the road). However in relation to many on this list (e.g. education) mass transit would have to be of a lower ranking.

4. How can mass transit provide better links from suburb to suburb?
Current propositions and projects being undertaken by Metra and Pace\nare heading in the right direction, westward rail expansion, trying to\nlink suburb to suburb via north-south rail lines and providing improved\naccess to O\'Hare with a proposed High Speed Bus line. These kinds of\nimprovements are heading in the right direction.",1] ); D(["mb","
\n5. Does mass transit need to be completely overhauled to take people where they want to go?
",1] ); D(["mb","\nI would not say that it needs a total overhaul. What is needed are\nupgrades and updates to bring the current system up to date and bring\nit out of the Mass Transit paradigm of 30 years ago and into a system\nwhich meets the needs of 21st century Illinois and DuPage County.",1] ); //--> Current propositions and projects being undertaken by Metra and Pace are heading in the right direction, westward rail expansion, trying to link suburb to suburb via north-south rail lines and providing improved access to O'Hare with a proposed High Speed Bus line. These kinds of improvements are heading in the right direction.

5. Does mass transit need to be completely overhauled to take people where they want to go?
I would not say that it needs a total overhaul. What is needed are upgrades and updates to bring the current system up to date and bring it out of the Mass Transit paradigm of 30 years ago and into a system which meets the needs of 21st century Illinois and DuPage County.