When headlines warn “Millions face possible deportation,” Springfield should heed the warning. Although this is not a haven for the undocumented, as major cities and border towns may be, new rules under consideration by the Trump administration could find victims in families here, besides causing fear among immigrant families. Local police may be asked to […]
Editor’s Note
Posted inOpinion
Hallelujah, Trump rushes to aid the needy
Of all the economic pain in America that Washington ought to be relieving, what group would you choose as the top priority? Public opinion surveys consistently reveal that the great majority of us say that people on the lower rungs of the economic ladder – the poor and the failing middle class – are the […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s Note 2/16/17
In Chicago and around the country, local governments are learning, slowly but surely, that information belongs to the people, not just to police and prosecutors, and that transparency builds trust. That’s why videos of police shootings and other incidents in recent years have been released to the public sooner rather than later. But not in […]
Posted inOpinion
A pattern of deceit
Illinois Times has sued the city of Springfield for refusing to release video footage documenting the fatal shooting of a mentally ill man last month by a city police officer. In refusing to turn over footage, city hall told a whopper to the media and, by extension, the public. It is an all-too-familiar story when […]
Posted inOpinion
Is Trump’s America our America?
Who are we? Are we the great America of courage, spunk, openness, inclusion, opportunity and democratic promise – as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms, and Emma Lazarus’ sonnet engraved on the Statue of Liberty? Or are we the sad America of fear, cowardice, […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s note 2/9/17
The Senate’s so-called “grand bargain” isn’t soup yet, but if legislators need any further incentive to keep trying, they should read the latest downgrade report from S&P Global Ratings. “If lawmakers were to begin asserting governing control over state finances, that could help alleviate some of the pressure currently bearing down on Illinois’ credit quality,” […]
Posted inOpinion
Why so many people loathe Congress
Uncle Sam wants you. Not the symbolic Uncle Sam, but Sam Johnson. Although he’s been a member of Congress more than a quarter of a century, it’s unlikely you’ve ever heard of him. He’s a lawmaker who holds a congressional seat but just sits in it, achieving so little that he’s unnoticeable. But look out. […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s note 2/2/17
The Affordable Care Act has been responsible for improving the health of thousands of low-income central Illinois residents who, with the benefit of insurance, now are under the care of doctors and hospitals. Springfield’s medical facilities and physicians also benefit from being paid for their services through insurance, rather than having to provide charity care […]
Posted inOpinion
We can beat back the reign of Trump
Buckle up, friends. Most Americans are about to be detoured onto a rough and rocky back road called “Trump Way.” The autocratic tycoon was unabashed on the campaign trail in promising his victory would ensure millions of people a dire future, including mass deportations of immigrants, refugee bans and frontal assaults on women. But they’re […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s note 1/26/17
Just as we were wrapping our heads around the oxy-moronic concept of “fake news,” the Trump administration introduced us to “alternative facts” as its new name for lies. The Washington press corps was left sputtering, resorting to making too big a deal about the administration making too big a deal about the size of Inauguration […]
Posted inOpinion
Searching for integrity in Trumplandia
It’s about time America has a president who will stand up to those greed-headed corporate executives who keep hauling our middle-class jobs out of country. Bring those jobs back home, Donald Trump bellowed, or I’ll slap you with a huuuge tariff when you try to sell your foreign-made products here. Great stuff, Donnie. And to […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s note 1/19/17
The inauguration of a new flamboyant, iconoclastic but unpredictable president this week has prompted from progressives a most American reaction – to protest and organize. Many from Springfield will join thousands from around the nation in Washington, D.C., for demonstrations on the day after the inauguration. Meanwhile, Springfield Call to Action is planning a rally […]
