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**Name:** Patrick Rode

**State:** Illinois

**Political Party:** Moderate Conservative


 * Bill: http://mockcongress2011.wikispaces.com/HB36 Our bill is on the topic of criminal justice. It tries to solve the problem of the cost of keeping a person in jail. Our bill lowers the cost by having the prisoners work on farms to grow their own food and other manufacturing jobs to raise money to pay for the prison. Our bill is hoping to accomplish that the prison pays for itself and then some. Any money that is left over will be put evenly into personal bank accounts for the prisoners and when they get out of prison to start them off and hope fully not go back to a life of crime. Also, we hope that prison will become harder on the prisoners and will scare people causing them to stay away from crime and prison. **

**Congress Person Most Like Me:** The congress person that I agree with the most in Illinois is John Shimkus. John is a member of the republican party, like me. He is also currently serving his 8th term in congress and represents the 19th district of Illinois. You can view his personal web page at []. Although we do not see eye to eye on everything, some things that we do agree on are Technology, taking care of the environment, and alternative energy. We believe that technology is very important and when a country leads in technology, everything else tends to fallow. Also environment and alternative energy sort of tie in together because the better and cleaner ways that we can find to supply power for america, the better the cleaner environment will become and without a clean environment we put everybody at a higher risk of developing sicknesses and increasing global warming.

**Five Interesting Facts About Illinois**
 * Area 57,918 square miles [Illinois is the 25th biggest state in the USA]
 * Population 12,419,293 (as of 2000) [Illinois is the fifth most populous state in the USA]
 * Highest Point is Charles Mound at 1,235 feet (376 m) above sea level
 * Origin of the Name Illinois comes from the word Illini, a confederation of the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Moingwena, Peoria and Tamaroa Indian tribes.
 * Presidential Birthplace Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico on February 6, 1911

**Five Facts About Illinois Relating To My Topics** **Three Issues**
 * The State of Illinois released 30,068 inmates from its prisons in 2001, 157 percent above the 11,715 prisoners returned to society in 1983
 * There are currently 10 prisoners on Death Row in Illinois
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">In 1996, Illinois produced over 15 million barrels (630 million gallons) of oil; about 500 new wells were drilled, mostly to continue the development of known fields
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">From 1999 to 2006 guns killed 9,054 Illinois residents
 * <span style="color: #005797; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> In 2006, 369 children and young people ages 0-25 in Illinois were killed by guns. From 1999 to 200 <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">6, 3,369 children and youn g pe<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">o <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">ple have been ki lled by guns in Illinois <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Capitol Punishment
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Air Pollution
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gun Control

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Capitol Punishment** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> I believe that the capitol punishment should be illegal. I've heard that when you go to prison that your rights are taken away but our founding fathers wrote that rights are given to a man by god and by that sense they should only be taken by god as well. Although I do not believe in the death penalty I do think prison sentences should be higher or a little more harsh. If people are not afraid of prison then they will continue to break the law but if we make prison harder on the inmates then people will be less likely to break the law and stay away from prison.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Air Pollution** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Even though it may not seem so, air pollution is a very big issue. Some people don't realize that this is an issue because they can not feel any change, but by the time they do feel a change the environment will be very damaged and it will be to late to stop the damage. To prevent air pollution I would require car company's and mass producers like a factory to control the pollutants that they put out into the air under a set amount. Also i would give people that use alternative energy sources, like solar panels, that did not pollute the environment tax breaks to encourage people to use these alternative energy sources. If these actions were set into place I think that the environment would have time enough to repair itself.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Gun Control** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Gun control is a very important and sensitive issue. Gun control is such a touchy issue because guns can get into the wrong hands and people could die. That is why i believe that you should have to have a completely clean crime record or be approved by a government official in order to own a gun. Also I believe that automatic weapons should be legal to own but not to use or carry with you as a concealed weapon. Last I think that people should be able to carry a gun anywhere as long as the person keeps the weapon concealed and out of reach of anybody but him or herself.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Shimkus, John. "Biography." // Congressman John Shimkus //. John Shimkus. Web. 18 May 2011. <[]>. **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** "Illinois Facts, Map and State Symbols." // Enchanted Learning //. Enchanted Learning, 2001-2010. Web. 18 May 2011. <[]>. **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Banks, Cyndi. "Capital Punishment: Overview." //<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px initial initial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 18 May 2011. < []>**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Newton, David E. "Air Pollution: Overview." //<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px initial initial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 18 May 2011. < []>**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Carter, Gregg Lee. "Gun Control: Overview." //<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px initial initial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 18 May 2011. < []>**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** "Illinois Fast Facts and Trivia." // 50states.com - States and Capitals //. Marchex, Inc., 2011. Web. 18 May 2011. <[]>. **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 32px;">**Kantor, Stu. "Number of Prisoners Released by Illinois More Than Doubles in Two Decades; Many Head to Distressed Chicago Neighborhoods." // The Urban Institute | Research of Record //. Urban Institute. Web. 18 May 2011. <[]>.**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 32px;">**McKay, E. Donald. "ISGS Geobit 9: Oil Fields in Illinois." // Home Page of the Illinois State Geological Survey //. University of Illinois Board of Trustees, 19 Apr. 2010. Web. 18 May 2011. <[]>.**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 32px;">**"Gun Violence in Illinois." // Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence //. Web. 18 May 2011. <[]>.**


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 32px;"> Bohman, Jane. "Deadline: State By State Death Penalty Information: Illinois." // Deadline: The Movie //. Arts Engine, Inc. Web. 18 May 2011. <[]> . **