Spend, spend, spend
September 16, 2013 5:28PM
Updated: September 17, 2013 2:18AM
I am appalled at the amount of money being spent to update the Capitol in Springfield. If my husband and I conducted business like the state of Illinois is doing, we would be in the poorhouse.
Carolyn McKinney, Montgomery
ObamaCare woes
The Sun-Times’ ill-conceived attacks on conservatives appeared in Friday’s editorial as it tried, without success, to defend the ObamaCare tax act. Claiming that its opponents spread misinformation without citing one example leads one to believe it is just liberal boilerplate unlinked to reality. If Democrats had any real desire to fix the problems associated with ObamaCare, they would have removed all attempts to suppress religious freedom and not call abortion health care.
Donald Nauyokas, Brighton Park
Problem with pension ‘reform’
I read Eden Martin’s most recent column on public employee pension reform with interest. Let’s imagine that we (public employees) haven’t paid our bills for a long time, perhaps our mortgage or rent, taxes and insurance policies, credit cards and utility bills. To “reform” this irresponsibility, let’s all decide to do what Illinois politicians want to do to us. In short, let’s ask our banks, the county collector and companies to whom we are indebted to help us pay down what we owe them. That’s right! It’s quite simple; besides it’s all about “shared sacrifice,” isn’t it? Let’s also write our own piece of legislation and proclaim that banks and businesses cap their earnings, reduce their planned executive cost-of-living adjustments, and shift the burden of debts to their CEOs.
As politicians often whine, we “have to do something,” and our crafty idea is just like the General Assembly’s and Eden Martin’s so-called “pension reform.” After all, no one knew CEOs and bankers would be living longer today, or that certain criminals among them would ignite an economic conflagration resulting in the worst recession in decades because of deregulated derivatives and asset-backed securities. Like those among us who are currently planning to break a constitutional contract, let’s shift our debts to those to whom we owe money; hire extortionate lobbyists, lawyers and accountants to put pressure on our lenders; challenge the legality of what is owed, and garble the accounting rules to make sure this ruse doesn’t spark too much attention from an oblivious populace.
Glen Brown, Naperville
Stay out of Syria
Four years ago, President Barack Obama denied aid to moderate Iranian rebels because, he said, we have no right to butt into internal affairs of other countries.
Now, Syria is engaged in a civil war; and our president is champing at the bit to strike at the Syrian government for gassing women and children along with rebel fighters. Hamas and al-Qaida notoriously hide behind women and children so they can feign outrage at innocent casualties. We’ve seen it in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we see it now in Syria.
If the U.S. hits Syria with missiles or bombs, the Syrian government will display women and children victims (whether they are victims or not) of American aggression. The Arab nations will decry American hostility against Muslims and pledge revenge.
Regardless of what we do or don’t do, we’ll be castigated; so let’s just stay out of their conflict. Besides, as long as they fight among themselves, they’re not killing Americans.
Donald Froelich, Mount Prospect
