“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” said Springfield’s Rosanna Pulido about a bill in the General Assembly that would bar from schools, health care facilities and places of worship non-federal law enforcement officers seeking to enforce the Trumpian crackdown on residents whose papers are not in order. “I think the biggest question we have for Governor Rauner and […]
James Krohe Jr.
Posted inOpinion
Fake issue
In this week’s column I wondered out loud about the question of the day: If the federales succeed in banishing all undocumented immigrants from Illinois, would that be a good thing or a bad thing? Much evidence suggests it would be a bad thing, on balance, but there is much more that can and ought […]
Posted inOpinion
Dodge-bashing downtown
Oh, are we going to have us some fun. Public party space being planned in the form of a new Bicentennial Plaza between Fifth and Sixth Streets at Jackson and a park on the Y block across the street. Mayor Langfelder noted, presumably approvingly, “With that block tied into the plaza, you could have thousands […]
Posted inOpinion
Making it up about Chicago
Frustrated that you are reliant on lyin’ reporters to fact-check assertions by our lyin’ politicians? Ever wonder how the pros decide whether a claim is mis-stated, misleading or downright false? Guardian Reporter Mona Chalabi takes us through the process of fact-checking this recent claim by Donald Trump: There are two Chicagos, as you know. One […]
Posted inOpinion
Budget talk doesn’t add up
Look, spring training just got underway this week, and I just don’t have the time to make fun of Bruce Rauner’s budget address, so I will leave you in the capable hands of brother Eric Zorn, one of the few reasons left to read the Chicago Tribune. Go to http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/zorn/ct-rauner-budget-speech-laughable-zorn-20170215-story.html and laugh and learn.
Posted inOpinion
Animal wrongs
Who would be a gibbon? Or, more to my present point, who would be a gibbon in a zoo? We learned this week about poor Jari, a 3-year-old gibbon at the Henson Robinson Zoo. She came into this world in a zoo in Jackson, Mississippi. You wouldn’t think that life could get worse, but hers […]
Posted inOpinion
Real Lincoln
I am obliged to Matt Yglesias over at Vox for pointing out that the Republican Party marked Lincoln’s birthday this year by posting on its official Twitter account a quote from the great man — “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years” — that […]
Posted inOpinion
Marrying for money
I hear that Jerome had to lay off its police chief. What, you didn’t know that Jerome had a police chief? Or that Jerome had a police department? Or that Jerome needed a police department? The village is home to only 1,651 people. As for the ability of its tax base to support the full […]
Posted inOpinion
A little knowledge . . . No. 11 in a series
From Upshot, we get this report of a new public opinion survey of a national sample of 1,890 adults about “Obamacare,” or the Affordable Care Act. 35 percent of respondents said either they thought Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act were different policies (17 percent) or didn’t know if they were the same or different […]
Posted inOpinion
Plyscraper, for real
Once in a while, life imitates journalism. In “The birth of the plyscraper” (April 24, 2014), I noted the trend toward green buildigs of a different kind – large commercial and residential structures made from wood rather than the usual steel and concrete. Were such buildings to become popular, it would open new markets for […]
Posted inOpinion
Bad date
Now we hear that they got the date wrong on the Illinois state seal. The seal, which is the centerpiece of the state flag, features a perched eagle bearing a banner, “State Sovereignty, National Union” encircled by the words, “Seal of the State of Illinois Aug. 26, 1818.” Only, the state of Illinois did not […]
Posted inOpinion
Catching sound
After reading “Red brick roads” (Jan. 19, 2017), a faithful reader who grew up in Tuscola – magical name — recalled for me the almost melodic sounds made by car tires on the old brick streets of that town, adding that the sounds should be recorded “for archives that store such things.” Hear, hear. Alas, […]
