Feigenholtz’s shark fin ban overreaches

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Updated: March 2, 2012 8:07AM

In yet another attempt at overreaching regulation, state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz has decided it’s the business of the state Legislature to regulate the moral standards of Illinois’ eating habits. If her “shark fin” bill passes, it opens the door to the extinction of veal, Kobe beef and other controversial items from menus throughout Chicago, a move she admitted will harm the restaurant business. I vehemently support the ethical treatment of animals, but any bill that dictates moral standards crosses the line of what government was meant to be. Time spent on this bill is time not spent on creating jobs.

Dan Balanoff, Lincoln Park

Don’t develop riverfront

I am disappointed that Wolf Point — where the North and South branches of the Chicago River join —is going to be developed with three towers of office and residential buildings. I was always hopeful that Chicago’s Riverwalk would eventually expand to Wolf Point, and it could be used as a concert venue for jazz, similar to “The Landing” in San Antonio. Wolf Point would be the perfect location for something like that. I believe Chicago’s riverfront is an asset to the city that should be “free and open” to the public as much as possible, echoing the guidelines we follow for the lakefront.

Michael Shawgo, Edgewater

Keep the trees in Grant Park

To quote from a recent Chicago Sun-Times story about Grant Park: “Hundreds of mature trees will come down as part of the garage project, but the trunks will be recycled and reused for a curving wall in a children’s play area at the rehabbed park, O’Neill said.”

How lovely, ghosts of trees past. And we won’t have all those pesky leaves to pick up. A swell transition from Children’s Museum to Children’s DisneyLand.

Does anyone remember Daniel Burnham? Does anyone on the Park District Board actually love nature? First it’s artificial turf in place of real grass, and now it’s replacing mature real trees on precious lakefront land with some developer’s silly dream. Tear up that proposed gangrene design and plant real, live, growing, trees. And put the kid’s playground, like the Children’s Museum, in some godforsaken concrete heaven where it can’t do harm to the environment and the city.

Herbert L. Caplan, Lincoln Park