Washington is all upset about a government shutdown of a few days, but Illinois kept its shutdown going for two years, and not everything is back up and running yet. That could change soon, with the new governor showing signs that he wants to solve problems, not cause them. Let’s hope 2019 is the year […]
Editor’s Note
Posted inOpinion
Power harassment indifference
In corporations, universities, government offices and elsewhere, there is usually an oppressive male culture and a repressive power structure that routinely shortchanges women on pay and on promotions. That’s bad enough, but adding insult to injury, prevailing conventional wisdom blames women for this! They’re not “career-oriented,” or they’re too thin-skinned, or they’re not aggressive enough, […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s note 12/20/18
In her “Tips for holiday cheer” on p. 7, cartoonist Jen Sorensen addresses the dilemma we all face this week and next. What happens when we’re ready to stop for the holidays and the world keeps going? A government shutdown may be avoided, but the dissolution of Donald Trump’s presidency may come at an inconvenient […]
Posted inOpinion
Putting the Trump stamp on the public
D.T. is really quite good at one special skill: branding. He has slapped his name on a ridiculous range of consumer merch – teddy bears, steaks, made-in-China ties, vodka, underwear and even a urine test. Then, of course, there’s his very own post office. Yes, he bought a 60-year lease on the “Old Post Office […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s Note 12/13/18
A journalist friend is exploring new models for the news, looking for ways to rebuild trust with audiences, while working toward better writing and reporting, while seeking new and better ways to make the enterprise pay. At Illinois Times we’re eager to join the conversation, looking for better ways to do what we do. At […]
Posted inOpinion
Populism is not about mobs
I’ve observed that the true political spectrum in our society does not range from right to left, but from top to bottom. This is how America’s economic and political systems really shake out, with each of us located somewhere high or low on that spectrum. Right to left is political theory; top to bottom is […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s note 12/6/18
A hundred years hence Illinoisans may look back to figure what was the theme of the bicentennial observance, what was the spirit. What was accomplished? The state came late to the planning, unenthused, but managed to name an official beer. Springfield was more successful, led by the indefatigable bicentennial chair Pam VanAlstine through so many […]
Posted inOpinion
The AgriCULTURE attitude
Thanksgiving, America’s most food-focused holiday, traces its roots back to the abundant feast that Pilgrims and Native Americans enjoyed together in the fall of 1621. Not even half of the 100 or so Mayflower Pilgrims and crew who’d arrived at Plymouth Rock the previous December survived their first grim year in the New World. Still, […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s Note 11/29/18
It’s that most wonderful time of the year, but not for everybody. Expectations of joy and merriment only make things worse for those grieving loved ones who have died in the past year. On last Sunday afternoon as the rain poured outside, the speaker quipped “at least the weather understands how we feel.” This was […]
Posted inOpinion
Privatization is not an option
In 2006, then-president George W. Bush, congressional Republican leaders, the powerful “privatizer lobby” and Koch-funded think tanks and Astroturf front groups colluded to put a one-of-a-kind paper “debt” on the books of USPS. Congress enacted a postal-service “enhancement” provision requiring the public postal corporation to pre-fund the health and pension benefits for all postal-service retirees […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s note 1122/18
Once a year or so we like to thank the community that makes a community newspaper possible. That includes the readers who soak in what we offer, in print and online, and the advertisers, who are not only trying to attract those readers but who are supporting an unlikely business because they believe in it. […]
Posted inOpinion
Pulling a con on the people
Donald Trump hates you. But don’t take it personally; he hates me, too. The billionaire’s antipathy is not directed at us as individuals, but as users of publicly provided services. He sees no need for them, apparently unaware that the great majority of people clearly do need, use – and want – more of them! […]
