Letters policy
We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address and a daytime
telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length and clarity.
Send letters to: Letters, Illinois Times. P.O. Box 5256. Springfield, Illinois
62705. Fax: (217) 753-3958. E-mail: editor@illinoistimes.com
WHAT AREN’T THEY HIDING?
In response to Dusty Rhodes’ “What are they hiding?” article [Sept.
2], the question really should be “What aren’t they hiding?” Now the city even
has attorneys looking into finding just the right “legal” loophole to circumvent
the Freedom of Information Act. Maybe I’m wrong to agree that even a fool knows
the difference between personal and “personnel” information. Here we are in
2004 and the city of Springfield still has to be dragged kicking and screaming
into even a remote personification of the Lincoln legacy. But really, who cares
about all the stuff? Only the disenfranchised — and they’ve been bitching and
moaning since the voting-rights lawsuit. P.S. The commentary “Get out the map”
[Elizabeth Farrar, Sept. 2] was awesome!
A.J. Woodson
Springfield
RETHINK COUNTY HIRING PRACTICES
Thank you for printing that article about what “Jack” went through
[Dusty Rhodes, “Partial disclosure,” Aug. 19]. I hope that he does reapply and
becomes a firefighter. Second, I wanted to let you know that Jack wasn’t the
only one who went through what he did.
Earlier this year, I applied to Sangamon County to be a 911 dispatcher. I
passed the computer test and the personal interview. All I had to do was pass
the psych test, and I had the job! I felt that I wouldn’t have a problem. I
was honest and forthright in my answers. I spent about a half-hour being interviewed
by Dr. Michael Campion, and then I left.
The next day I received the call telling me that I didn’t pass and so was
not eligible for the job. It broke my heart. I contacted Campion, Barrow &
Associates and was told that I had an impulsive tendency, an aggressive tendency,
a low stress tolerance, and a nervous/fidgety tendency. When Campion asked me
if I could see those tendencies in myself, I actually laughed. I couldn’t believe
those results.
Imagine my surprise when I read your article and found out that Jack had the
same problems I did!
Your article brings up several questions. If a person is deemed unfit for
a certain position, why can’t he or she dispute it? Why are the results not
also sent to the applicant? Does honesty really count on those tests? How much
of his conclusion is based on the written test or his interpretation of the
personal one-on-one interview?
I am telling you my story so Sangamon County officials will re-evaluate their
hiring methods and reconsider how much power they have vested in one person.
Thank you for the article and for bringing to light what is going on!
Name withheld by request
TRITE, INADEQUATE, AND ACCURATE
Upon reading David Kuner’s letter “A superior level of sensitivity”
[Sept. 9], I had to go back and read Elizabeth Farrar’s article. I really admire
her courage in going to study abroad at this time. Her statement that the Iraqi
war exists as a result of Americans’ lack of cultural understanding is precisely
correct. I believe Kuner’s reaction was gut-level in that here we have American
troops being bombed and shot at every day by the very people they were ordered
to help. “Cultural insensitivity” seems trite and inadequate to describe this
tragedy. But when you get right down to it, had we known the culture of Iraq
as we have been forced to today, would we have invaded Iraq? No way. Only an
idiot would send troops there.
Anne Logue
Springfield
WAVING HIS BLOODY SHIRT
Both the Republican and Democratic conventions are history, John Kerry’s
poll numbers are going south, and Kerry has only himself to blame.
First Kerry made his service in Vietnam the centerpiece of the Democratic
National Convention. He opened old wounds that have been festering for years
since back in 1971, when he accused his swift-boat buddies of war crimes. Kerry
said what American POWs refused to say under torture.
I think most Americans would agree that John Kerry served bravely
in Vietnam. However, using that service at the convention as the main reason
to be elected president, ignoring his years of service in the U.S. Senate, where
he voted down major military-appropriations bills, has caused the Kerry campaign
boat to do, for all intents and purposes, some serious floundering.
Blaming President George W. Bush for being behind the swift-boat ads was another
major miscalculation. If Kerry were a Republican, the Swifties would have gone
after him with the same vigor. They believe that John Kerry undermined U.S.
soldiers in harm’s way once. They don’t want to give him the opportunity, as
commander in chief, to do it again.
Bill Force
Charleston
YOU CAN MARK MY WORDS
I would like to express my opinion about Social Security and Medicare:
Just wait until Bush gets re-elected. Look out for cuts in Social Security and
hefty raises of the amounts people pay for Medicare. Put this in your back pocket
for future reference.
George Paoni
Springfield
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
America has a choice. It can continue to grow the economy and create
new jobs, as President George W. Bush’s policies are doing, or it can raise
taxes on American families and small businesses, hurting economic recovery,
and future job creation.
Todd Vance
Springfield
This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2004.
