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| Quinn Starts Online Petition Drive to Save Parks |
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn thinks closing a loophole in the state sales tax system could keep Illinois state parks and historic sites open.
Quinn, announcing that he's launching an electronic petition drive, says the plans to close 11 state parks and 13 state historic sites have to stop. His petition drive, at www.SaveOurStateParks.org, is designed to give Gov. Rod Blagojevich an idea about how many people are ready to protest these closings. Quinn says if state lawmakers repeal a sales tax collection commission, stores will send up to $175 million more in sales tax to Illinois coffers. He says if that happens, he wants that money dedicated to conservation, which would help the parks.
He's not the only one collecting signatures. Ryce Tuggle, 11, of Oakwood, gathered something around 1,500 signatures specifically asking that Kickapoo State Park near Danville not be closed. "I sat at Casey's for six hours, and I sat at Kickapoo for at least three, and I passed it around at school," she said. "Some second graders, their teacher was teaching them about it, so they all signed it." She's going to Chicago Monday to turn in the petitions to the governor.
Rachel Pfaff of Morris also gathered signatures, using the Internet, totaling 28,000. She's also planning a rally, but isn't releasing the date yet. "I plan to rock the state of Illinois," she said. She says many people rely on hunting and fishing at the state parks to feed their families, and says the sluggish economy means that families rely on parks and historic sites for vacations.
The governor plans to close the parks and historic sites because state lawmakers passed an unbalanced budget.
(Source: Illinosi Radio Network) |
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| 09 17 08 by Newsroom |
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