Category: Politics
‘Thank or Spank’ your Congressperson
A few weeks back I posted the 2008 Congressional Arts Report Card for Illinois. (see the post here). Soon after this, Scarlett Swerdlow, of the Illinois Arts Alliance/Foundation, alerted me to their “Thank or Spank” campaign, which allows Illinois residents to voice approval/disappointment to their elected officials. Via Ms. Swerdlow:
Please take a moment to “thank or spank” your congressperson based on his or her Arts Report Card score. We’ve made it easy for you to take action. If your representative scored a B or higher, our online Action Center will generate a message congratulating and thanking your member. If your representative scored a C, D, or F, our online Action Center will generate a message encouraging them to do more to support the arts and arts education. Simply enter your zip code to get started!
I urge all my readers to “Thank or Spank” their representative(s). (and for those non-Chicagoland readers of my blog, you can do the same!).
I just contacted my rep Jan Schakowsky, thanking her for her A+ grade. You can do the same here. (on a related note, if you do e-mail your rep to voice your concerns, so in a civil, respectful manner. You never know – they may come around soon; perhaps their grandson or niece will get involved in the arts, and their eyes will open when they see how the infusion of culture in a person’s life is beneficial to the world at large)
Congressional Arts Report Card – Illinois
Americans for the Arts Action Fund has released this year’s Congressional Arts report card. I have posted the Illinois delegation below. I’m very proud to say that my representative, Jan Schakowsky, possesses the top report card score of A-plus. It’s great to be represented by such an amazing friend-of-the-arts. Way to go Jan!
| District | Representative (Party) | Score | Grade |
| 8 | Melissa Bean (D) | 80 | B+ |
| 13 | Judy Biggert (R) | 86 | A |
| 12 | Jerry Costello (D) | 86 | A |
| 7 | Danny Davis (D) | 98 | A |
| 5 | Rahm Emanuel | 80 | B+ |
| 4 | Luis Gutierrez (D) | 74 | B+ |
| 17 | Phil Hare (D) | 86 | A |
| 2 | Jesse Jackson Jr. (D) | 94 | A |
| 15 | Timothy Johnson (R) | 88 | A |
| 10 | Mark Kirk (R) | 86 | A |
| 18 | Ray LaHood (R) | 80 | B+ |
| 3 | Daniel Lipinski (D) | 88 | A |
| 16 | Donald Manzullo (R) | 6 | F |
| 6 | Peter Roskam (R) | 20 | D |
| 1 | Bobby Rush (D) | 90 | A |
| 9 | Janice Schakowsky (D) | 100 | A+ |
| 19 | John Shimkus (R) | 80 | B+ |
| 11 | Jerry Weller (R) | 40 | C |
Note: Rep. Bill Foster (D), of the 14th District, is not listed as he did not take office until 3/11/08.
You can see the entire Congressional Arts Report Card, including tabulation methods, here.
More info on the status of arts in our nation can be found at ArtsUSA.org.
Think Fast….
Karin McKie of Tree Falls Productions has written an informative article in CAR (ChicagoArtistResource.org) regarding the best ways for a theatre company to get the word out about their production. You can read it here.
October is National Arts & Humanities Month. Get involved!
