I am an avid hiker and believe that there may be room for more U.S. national parks. However, in the story (Illinois Times Feb. 2) on a proposed Shawnee National Park, I noticed some points that need clarifying. The area now in Shawnee was not all a pristine, untouched area in the 1920-30s. Intensive farming […]
Stephen M Soltys M.D.
Posted inOpinion
There’s more in Dobbs than you think
When the decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was announced on June 24, I went online read it for myself rather than depend on the interpretation of various analysts and politicians. In the 213 pages there were many striking comments but one caught my attention more than any other. “The resolution of this […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass shooting is not a mental health problem
Included in the training that every psychiatrist receives is the subject of forensic psychiatry, the intersection of psychiatry and criminal law. Some choose to specialize in this area. I am a psychiatrist. Though I did not choose to specialize in forensic psychiatry, I have served as a residency-training director and then department chair, whose responsibility […]
Posted inOpinion
We need more workers, not more walls
Is the current inflationary crisis due to the policies of President Joe Biden, or are they in part the result of four years of anti-immigration policies enacted by former President Donald Trump? Economists tell us that one prominent factor fueling current inflationary pressures on the economy is a lack of workers. Unemployment is low. There […]
Posted inOpinion
In a democracy, voters deserve a choice
Just because you get to vote doesn’t mean you live in a democracy. In a democracy, you should have a choice between at least two people from two different parties. Yet often when I go to the polls for a general election I find there is no decision to be made. The number of candidates […]
Posted inOpinion
Democracy depends on the right to vote
Has the Republican Party given up on democracy? Democracy is the foundation of the Constitution, the fact that the people have a say in who represents and leads us. The majority sets the agenda for governing while many constitutional provisions protect the rights of political, religious and ethnic minorities. Many amendments have expanded the access […]
Posted inOpinion
People don’t like being trickled on
We need to acknowledge the role of economic inequality in creating an environment where many citizens doubt if our democratic institutions are concerned about their plight. While America has always had problems with elites trying to control wealth and resources, there have been efforts to counter this. Unions formed to keep workers from being exploited, […]
Posted inOpinion
Resolve to be responsible on social media
It is time for New Year’s resolutions. Usually we focus on things that we think will make our lives better or improve our self-image – be it losing weight, reading more books, getting more fit or developing a new skill. This last year was a rough year with plenty of conflicts: how to respond to […]
Posted inOpinion
For fairer elections, let us rank our choices
What keeps many voters from voting for third-party candidates? One of the most common reasons I hear is that a vote for a third-party candidate will be “wasted” because only the Democratic or Republican candidates have a legitimate chance to win. But there is a system of voting used in many parts of the U.S. […]
Posted inOpinion
First, deal with police mental health
The current national discussion on policing in America has appropriately focused on systemic racism and brutality. However, it has left out one key issue to which almost everyone appears blind: We are not going to get the quality policing we want until we have a concern for officer wellness in the area of mental health. […]
Posted inOpinion
Not enough contact tracers
Because of relatively strong social distancing requirements placed in Illinois, the COVID-19 outbreak in this state had been relatively mild, given the size of the population. There were 243 cases per 100,000 on May 6. Because of the success of these efforts, there is a push by some legislators and members of the public to […]
Posted inOpinion
Get ready for the fall surge in corona cases
Various governors and the president are pondering what to do during the current COVID-19 pandemic regarding ending social distancing and opening up the economy. There is a lot to learn from studying the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic. What do we need to focus on if restrictions are relaxed? First some facts: The 1918 flu hit […]
