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Thanks also Sean Kelly and Scott Frisch, the series editors for Cambria’s series on Politics, Institutions, and Public Policy in America. They enthusiastically supported the project. Toni Tan, Michelle Wright, and the rest of the incredible staff of Cambria Press have made the publication process—from our original contact to the finished book—pleasant and productive. We are very impressed with their professional skill and assistance.
I also want to thank my family, especially my wife, Marilyn. She has put up with this and other projects that have distracted me from other responsibilities. Her support over thirty-one years has been vital to anything I have been able to accomplish.
I have dedicated this book to three colleagues who have made my professional life successful. Over the time that I worked on this project, I leaned heavily on Betsy Burger, Cheryl Chafin, and Opal Crist—administrative professionals in my department—to make it possible to focus on research and writing. I owe them much, and the dedication is a tribute to their professionalism and good humor.
This book received generous assistance from the Paul Rejai Professorship of Political Science. I am grateful to my late colleague Dr. Paul Rejai for establishing this endowment and his generosity and foresight in supporting high-quality scholarship and teaching in political science.
—Ryan J. Barilleaux
Because this is my first academic publication, there are many people I would like to recognize and honestly not enough space to give credit where credit is due. To me, this project is really a culmination of people and events that have significantly influenced me over the years. It began of course with my parents, Gary and Sharon Maxwell. Their support, guidance, continual desire to see me grow spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally—and most importantly, their sacrificial love—helped mold me into the individual I am today. I will never be able to repay them for all that they have done and continue to do in my life.