Stephen M Soltys M.D.

 As a physician, I support clean energy alternatives that decrease our reliance on coal-powered electricity plants that produce air pollution impacting respiratory ailments and toxic coal ash that has been associated with cancers and nervous system damage. Suppose you decide to cut your energy costs from City Water, Light and Power (CWLP) and help the […]

Let’s contrast two trips. Over Thanksgiving we visited relatives in Australia. We were struck by the lack of garbage along roads and near towns.  We rarely saw a plastic shopping bag or a plastic straw. Two weeks ago we visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The park was in good shape but within 3-4 miles of […]

As a child psychiatrist, I often had to advise parents how to deal with bad behavior from children. If the child acted out and demanded something in return for stopping the bad behavior, I advised that the parent not give the child what they asked for. To do so would only encourage the child to […]

When I get in discussions about whether we need a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border stretching from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico, my opposition to the Trump Wall is often misunderstood as being against enforcing immigration laws or having border security. Yet I think we need border security and enforcement of immigration laws. […]

I like to write about issues to inform people who can then write letters to try to influence legislator votes. However, in an election year it is important to look at how those who represent us voted on those issues to decide if a change is needed or not. Rodney Davis represents Springfield in the […]

 Recently my brother, who has lived in Australia since the 1980s, came to Illinois for my son’s wedding. One of the topics for discussion was the different directions gun violence and mass shootings have taken in our two countries. In the early 1990s Australia was having problems with mass shootings and in 1996 enacted gun […]

 When I was obtaining my master’s degree in public administration, perhaps the most influential topic I took was ethics in public administration. One of the focuses of that course was administrative evil. Our discussions on the topic centered on how individuals who in their personal lives were often kind and loving to family and friends […]

 The U.S. Constitution is the document that ultimately impacts every facet of our lives – our sense of freedom, our belief in equal justice for all and our ability to pursue our dreams. It is a document for which I have enormous respect. Yet one part of the Constitution has never been fully utilized: a […]

During a recent meeting on immigration reform, President Trump was criticized for referring to African countries as “s….hole” nations and questioning why we can’t get more immigrants from Norway. While many in response made the point that America has always tended to get immigrants from countries less well off seeking a better life, I have […]

 Politicians are masters of legislative camouflage. By this I mean that they are very good at making you think legislation is doing one thing when in reality it accomplishes another goal. One of the easiest ways to do this is to have different parts of the bill become operational at different times. This is done […]