Chicago Sun-Times

Karen Lewis: Time for investment, not austerity

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:01:31 -0500

Last Friday, the Sun-Times rejected a number of revenue proposals for the Chicago Public Schools that the Chicago Teachers Union views as viable and necessary [“How CPS got into its financial mess,” June 13]. The portion CPS gets back from TIFs has been designated for capital construction, not to support the instruction of students. The distribution of these funds has been grossly inequitable, providing a quarter of TIF funds to selective enrollment schools or 1 percent of CPS. Less than half of TIF funds went to neighborhood schools. TIFs also provide subsidies to the wealthiest corporations and developers. Of the …

Sheriff Tom Dart: Use accurate data in bail debate

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:27:12 -0500

The Sun-Times is right to draw attention to the population of the Cook County Jail and to the broken bail system in our county [“Jail crowding is costly, needs to be fixed,” June 18]. However, as we discuss the population and options for reducing the number of detainees housed in the jail, it is imperative that we talk with accuracy. This morning, there were 9,971 individuals housed in the jail with 14,724 charges pending against them; 1,107 charges were for murder and 2,203 charges for Class X felonies. Bond was denied on 25 percent of the charges and 85 percent …

Neighborhood wasn’t racist

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:17:22 -0500

I am responding to the article written in the Splash section by Jackie Taylor, in which she wrote about the racism she encountered while living in the Cabrini Green housing project in the 1960s and said that she was afraid to travel north of North Avenue because of racism. In the 1960s, I grew up in the 1700 block of Larrabee just north of the area she said she could not enter. Jackie should know that two doors south of me was a two-flat completely occupied by blacks. Half a block north was a two-flat also occupied entirely by black …

There’s money in the plates

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 02:14:15 -0500

Instead of Mayor Emanuel looking to raise taxes, he should ask City Clerk Susana Mendoza to look at the way some owners of commercial vehicles are not paying their fair share for city stickers. There are many vans and pickups in my neighborhood that are clearly commercial vehicles with passenger plates on them. I have a small pickup with truck plates on it because it’s a truck. I have a car with passenger plate on it because I haul passengers in it. The city sticker for my car costs $85, and the city sticker for my truck costs $200. The …

Contraception remarks offensive

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 02:37:16 -0500

I was recently appalled by comments made by Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham in a video re-posted by Huffington Post titled “Plan B Contraceptive Ruling ‘A good Deal’ for Pedophiles & Statutory Rapists.” Women’s reproductive health is a real issue, and Fox News suggesting that Plan B is an invitation for rape is offensive. Over the past few years, there has been controversy over a woman’s access to reproductive health services, which led to the House of Representatives passing a bill to exempt hospitals from providing emergency abortion care, even if their lives were at risk, and eliminate funding for …

Unsupported claims vs. U. of C. students

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:18:14 -0500

Mary Mitchell’s June 13 Chicago Sun-Times column, “U. of C. frat’s racist prank not funny,” failed to include a response from the University of Chicago, which we provided before her deadline. The column and its headline are misleading, especially in the unsupported claim that University of Chicago students carried out this extremely offensive act, and the false implication that the university did not respond. The United States Postal Inspection Service contacted the university on May 31 about a delivery of offensive packages to the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. The University of Chicago Police Department cooperated fully with the federal investigation; …

Bin Laden’s greatest win

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:22:10 -0500

Osama bin Laden’s greatest victories on 9/11 are coming into focus. It is disturbing to hear senators defend the surveillance of millions of Americans. Nineteen men from a foreign country were able to turn millions of innocent American citizens into potential enemies of the state. The lasting legacy of Osama bin Laden will not be the twin towers he took down, but the erosion of our liberties. Tom O’Brien, West Town Thanks, Chicago When I came here four years ago, I figured Chicago was just a convenient city to park my behind for undergrad. Now, the city is a part …

End family dynasty politics in Illinois

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:22:58 -0500

While I’m sure Mr. William Daley would make an intelligent and qualified candidate for governor, I reacted to the news of his plans [to run for governor] with a sigh of dejection. Haven’t we had enough of political families and machines: the Daleys, the Madigans, the Strogers, the Jacksons? Recently, the Republicans held a talent contest, of sorts, to identify and develop new candidates for state office. While I believe that experience and seniority should always trump youthful inexperience, I also believe that it’s time to wipe the political slate clean and start over with fresh faces and voices. Look …

Orozco deal outrageous; restore money taken from firefighters’ pension

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 02:18:13 -0500

To even think of making up a position of executive director of the Officer of Emergency Management/fire commissioner, as the City of Chicago did for Ray Orozco Jr. — when he clearly was not the fire commissioner at the time — is a fact that requires an investigation by others than the firefighters’ pension board. Who allowed this? Why are these people allowed to break the law? How could the pension board allow this to happen when firefighters, widows and orphans are just barely making it on their minimal monthly pensions? In addition, the pension fund is already in such …

Pension bill was rightly rejected

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:14:59 -0500

Although Illinois lawmkers didn’t enact pension legislation this spring, it did settle several debates. The essence of Senate Bill 1, sponsored by House Speaker Michael Madigan, has now been overwhelmingly voted down twice by the Senate — and rightly so because it is not fair or constitutional. SB 1 would make steep cuts to the pension benefits of teachers, nurses, caregivers and other public servants — including those who are already retired. While SB 1 was soundly rejected by the Senate, SB 2404, a much fairer proposal that will bring stability and solvency to the state’s pension funds, won solid …

Let’s not forget who the real victims are

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 02:33:02 -0500

This week when Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy was talking with a WBBM reporter about the future of CeaseFire’s contract with the city, following Tio Hardiman’s arrest for domestic battery, he said, “Being in the public eye, obviously, perhaps it gets more attention, and it’s embarrassing and I am certainly aware of that.” McCarthy said that his heart goes out to Mr. and Mrs. Hardiman, and then he said, “Anybody involved in some sort of crisis like that, you know, they’re all victims.” As the executive director of the Chicago area membership organization made up of domestic violence service agencies, …

New meter deal not so sweet

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:27:14 -0500

This “renegotiated” meter deal does nothing but further load payments onto the backs of people who use the meters. I use the meters often. I don’t remember disproportionately spending my share of the $1.15 billion dollars Mayor Daley took in from the meter “deal,” so why is it going to fall even further on to my back? And now, the only good thing to come out of this awful mess is free Sunday parking, and there are alderman saying they would opt out of even that because they want the parking turnover for local business. You could easily achieve that …

Real mental health answers

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 02:16:31 -0500

State legislators deserve great credit for taking on an important mental health issue in the just completed spring session. While our bill, licensing specially trained psychologists to prescribe medications for mental disorders, passed out of the Senate, it did not advance through the House. We have many reasons, however, to be encouraged by the significant gains made. Senate Bill 2187 provides a strong framework to ensure that well-trained psychologists can prescribe to patients with mental illness. The needs of those with mental health challenges are growing, and Illinois’ current network of mental health prescribing providers is overwhelmed. The Senate saw …

Kirk not racist nor elitist

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 02:21:59 -0500

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk is a Republican. I am a Democrat. Kirk is a conservative. I am a liberal. Kirk recently expressed what a very large portion of the American population feels. In Chicago there is a daily casualty toll due to gangs. Kirk’s remarks were neither high-class elitist nor “white boy” nor suburban. His remarks represent the feelings of any class and any race within or without the city limits. It is a cry from the graves of innocent victims. It is a cry from the grieving parents and friends of these victims. It is a cry from the …

Concealed carry is a right

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 02:32:26 -0500

In a Sunday editorial, the Sun-Times stated that “the Legislature approved and sent to Gov. Pat Quinn a bill that would legalize the concealed carry of guns in Illinois in an alarmingly free and dangerous manner.” Clearly, you do not support our state and federal constitutions when they state that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” It would be more accurate if you had said law-abiding citizens should not have a legal right to defend themselves by using deadly force when their lives are in danger. You also failed to mention that …