From time to time, it is nice to get to know some of the DC Authors who make our website a place of fresh ideas. A long time DC Author who has become a friend of mine is Jack Jones. Jack lives in the south suburbs of Chicago, Illinois where he is a union electrician at the Local 134, a certified minister from Berean University, an AYSO board member, a basketball coach, a Cub Scout leader, husband, father and social participant.

You can find all of Jack’s articles at his DC Author profile page. Enjoy the interview!

1. How have you enjoyed your time as an author at Democracy Chronicles?

Yes, I have! It’s been exciting, and I feel honored to have contributed alongside some authors and journalists that I really respect.

2. What have you gained from working with DC and myself?

I’d say I have more self-confidence from branching out into another creative form, and I think that I have been well received so far. I really appreciate you and your opinions as an editor. You have been my political confidant as well and I enjoy the talks that we’ve had about life, politics, and family.

3. Do you have advice for other writers like yourself?

I would say write about what you are passionate about. If there’s something that gets you off, write about that because you’re more likely to have something to say and readers can feel it when you write about something you care about. It will also be easier when you do your research because you already find the topic interesting. I also believe it will make you a better person and citizen, because you will be thinking of ways to improve other people’s lives

4. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and how you came to be interested in politics?

I’m a union electrician and I come from a white and blue-collar family. I spent a lot of my formative years at my grandparents’ house who seemed to have the news on all the time. My father and uncles were also relatively opinionated when it came to politics. So, I looked at it as a fun intellectual endeavor, as well to express myself and my opinions. A way to have a voice and be heard.

5. What is the state of democracy where you live in Illinois?

I’d probably say a mixed bag of a partisan standoff, along with confusion from the right-wing news outlets and the Republican Party trying to gain ground. It somewhat makes me nervous because I feel that they only offer more hard times for the majority, while they cater to the very rich.

6. What are the best aspects of elections in your area?

They have been very exciting as of late, and kind of scary. The last Governor was not your typical Illinois Republican Governor, he was more of a far-right wing type of Republican politician and I’m not very fond of right-wing politicians! So, there’s been more on the line and more to lose. It’s friendly otherwise. I’m very happy with the Democratic Party’s victory and Marie Newman getting a seat in the US Congress! She’s a neighborhood girl that my wife went to high school with and she’s incredible in her values and actions. Also, the local Democratic Party that I’m trying to become more involved in is doing more door-to-door campaigning.

7. Are voters in your area educated about their options ahead of election day?

I would say somewhat, I live in the suburbs of Chicago so it’s a cosmopolitan area as well as being a college town. All of Chicago has lots of colleges like any big city. It is also an old union town, so there’s lots of interesting people who have lots of interesting things to say with a diverse immigrant population. Chicago has one of the most segregated and diverse populations, so I think you get lots of different views even though I hear a commonality of concerns and opinions about the plight of the average citizen. The Aldermen in Chicago are usually interesting and Chicago mayors are usually on TV for one situation or another, so common conversation usually has lots of political banter. Outlining the options ahead of Election Day is something that I think the news outlets should do a better job at the present time. They should do a better job explaining who the candidates are and what their positions are centered on.

8. Do the voters feel connected to democracy and the election process?

Concerning connected to democracy, I’d say kind of. We still have a remnant of the Chicago machine style of politics. So that is still a very personal way of getting votes with lots of people involved. I also think the 2010 Supreme Court decision known as Citizens United left a hollow feeling in the hearts of many, even here in the Windy City. Regarding the process of voting, I still think Chicago is still very hands on and personal.

9. Do you think elections run better now than they used to be?

Yes, sometimes it is almost as if I were watching a sci-fi or action movie, but it feels less mom and pop and more superficial and BS saturated. It seems like we live in a time of BS and I’m sure it’s always been that people portray what’s popular and in fashion now, instead of what positions they have or what needs to be said. There is also so much going on where you can spot active deception if you continue to pay attention, because of the amount of media time politicians are given now.

10. What is the biggest change to elections you would like to see? Is it money politics reform, voter access, redistricting, etc.?

I’d say most important is getting these huge super-PAC donations out of politics, essentially overturning the Supreme Court decision of Citizens United. I would also like to strengthen all regulations in our country. They are there for a reason, not for the Republican Party to throw us into chaos every four to eight years or what essentially feels like lawlessness for the sake of the greed of big business. I would also say that we need to add an amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee a showing of labor for at least 40% of the chairs on the board of trustees in corporate America, like in many European countries. If we don’t do these or some of these things, I feel we will continue to live in an oligarchy and not a democracy.

11. Is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to mention?

Probably the biggest reason I write is because of the consequences of Reaganomics and deregulation. The dismantlement of the Fairness Doctrine has been the very cause of many of the problems that we have in our country, because of publicized deception on the side of big business through right-wing media outlets. Everything from union bashing to misinformation about vaccines are widely pushed to cause confusion, panic, and hysteria and none of it has helped the average citizen, it has only caused division and astronomical profit for the very rich.

The outgrowth has been the artificial rise of the stock market to the detriment of the majority of the public. These behaviors are the reason why we have so much volatility in our economy. I believe the people put their trust in what seemed like normal ethical values and the ultra-conservative Christian church along with far-right politicians sold them out to big business. We have been flailing in an economic and political storm ever since. I think that the political/ultra conservative church movement tried to start a theocracy and ended up with a hypocrisy.

If we all get together, we can fix our country and dismantle the anti-citizen mechanisms of the far-right movement and their think tanks, that they so craftily created. The majority of Americans have the same desires and wants. We just need to push through all this anti-citizen/democracy apparatus that the oligarchs put in our way, so that we all get a chance to know the facts and vote our conscience at the polling booth so we can have our country back again. I also believe we need to hold the Democratic Party’s feet to the fire. It seems that corporate America owns both parties. It will take a concerted effort on our part against the oligarchs and their political and economic suppression tactics. That’s what it’s about now: the fight for our lives and the fight for democracy! Nice talking to you.

Check out the full list of Jack Jones’s articles at his DC Author profile page.