Red Line shutdown will hurt people on fixed incomes
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR June 11, 2012 7:02PM
Scott Stewart~Sun-Times
Updated: July 13, 2012 6:07AM
As I waited more than half an hour for a westbound 63rd Street bus this morning, I thought about the upcoming five-month shutdown of the Red Line.
For an area already bereft of consistent transit service, especially on the weekends, this is going to be absolutely brutal.
I really have to hand it to that CTA board, whose membership, I’m guessing, consists of people who don’t need to take public transportation. Yes, they may use it for the occasional photo op or trip to a ball game, but they don’t “need” public transportation.
It’s not so easy for those without cars or cab fare or who live on a fixed income.
Michael Pearson,
Englewood
Kudos on moving sick kids
I really enjoyed reading about the Children’s Memorial move that took place on Saturday.
It was amazing how well-orchestrated the whole thing was.
And with 4,000 doctors and nurses, and two years of planning, all was a success. There are a lot of sick kids, but at least we have this wonderful, new and beautiful facility in our city. Kudos to everyone involved and glad it is over.
Julie Miklos, Clearing
No pensions for pols
I read an interesting letter to the editor recently, making the point that elected officials should not receive government pensions because, unlike real public employees, elected officials are really independent contractors.
Perhaps if politicians knew they wouldn’t be able to make a permanent career of public office, they would make more objective decisions.
They couldn’t game the system to get sweetheart pension deals for themselves at the expense of pensions for real public employees either.
We also wouldn’t need to think about recall or term limits because only selfless dedicated persons would run for office in the first place.
Richard A. Kosinski,
Edison Park
If teachers want to strike, let them
It’s quite clear that many Chicago Public School teachers are ungrateful and overpaid. The teachers union is demanding a 24 percent raise in the first year and reduced class sizes. Once again, the teachers give all unions a bad name. One teacher quoted in news stories was paid a salary of $84,280, yet she says teachers are fed up and want a 24 percent pay increase. If she and the other 25,500 teachers are so fed up, then they should quit and look for work in the private sector. Let’s see what kind of salary they could demand then.
If the teachers wish to strike, let them. It will be the perfect opportunity to hire new teachers at half the price and eliminate the union. We, the taxpayers of Illinois, are fed up. State, federal and local government are at the brink of bankruptcy due to these union salary demands, health care and pensions.
Kevin Sheridan, Fairview Heights
