Letters policy
We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address and a daytime
telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length and clarity.
Send letters to: Letters, Illinois Times. P.O. Box 5256. Springfield, Illinois
62705. Fax: (217) 753-3958. E-mail: editor@illinoistimes.com
SENSITIVITY TRAINING ISN’T ENOUGH
Thanks for the report, but I really
didn’t need the article by R.L. Nave on the disproportionate
number of traffic stops that black people are subjected to —
all I have to do look out of the window of my employer
[“Driving while nonwhite,” June 30]. I work on one of
the busiest stretches of Wabash Avenue, and normally when I see an
officer pulling over someone in front of our place of business, the
person who is stopped is black or is driving an automobile that
fits the profile of a “black driver,” such as a Chevy
Caprice or a large SUV with shiny, spinning rims.
I find it quite disheartening that after the
last big storm we had that caused a failure in all traffic lights
at the Wabash/Chatham Road intersection, it took more than an hour
for the police department to send out an officer to direct the
chaotic traffic. On two separate trips during that hour (and two
separate phone calls to the emergency department), I noticed two
different incidents where accidents almost occurred (and, because I
didn’t hang around, I’m not sure if an officer ever did
show up). However if I, a black woman, were to go 4 mph over the
speed limit on that very same Chatham Road (north of Wabash), then
I would be pulled over without hesitation, as this has happened
before.
I don’t think sensitivity training is
going to stop racial profiling. It’s going to take a massive
zero-tolerance citywide approach that will hold officers
accountable for their actions. It will also require this community to stop shrugging its collective
shoulders and take a stand against these actions. It will also take
each and every citizen — regardless of race — knowing and
understanding their rights so that they will know when they have been
victimized and how to handle it.
Pacia Anderson
Springfield
THOUGHTS ON CITY PLANNING
Recently, while feeling under the weather from
a miserable and persistent cold, I decided to drive around our
developing city, taking in some of our most uniquely Springfield
sights. While driving West Wabash to Veterans and then West
Jefferson, I was treated to the peaceful neighborhood surroundings
of big-box churches nestled cozily among big-box stores and other
shrines to conspicuous commercialism. I was inspired.
Buoyed by the family values inherent in such
bucolic scenes, I made my way to our most recently opened wonders:
the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. I have to
share with your readers, regardless of whether one views these
incredible edifices from the neck-breaking 90-degree angle of the
Sixth Street approach or the equally impressive drive up to the
backs of the buildings from the I-55 and I-72 entrance to our city,
one has to be impressed by the planning that went into the first
impression these buildings make.
Now, I know, some do not believe the
politicians and developers who have suggested that these structures
and the treasures they hold will surely make us the next Orlando,
but I resist such negativity. If I lived in Chicago, I would
certainly make my family move here to be gawked at by such
well-meaning yokels, uh, I mean, locals.
Michael J. Puma
Springfield
WATCH OUT FOR MEDICAID CUTS
Two very big issues are looming over the
country: Social Security and Medicaid, programs that are a crucial
part of the social safety net affecting countless numbers of
Americans.
In the House, Rep. Bill Thomas of the Ways and
Means Committee is devising a strategy to “jump-start”
Bush’s stalled agenda for privatizing Social Security.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael O. Leavitt is
creating an advisory panel to find out how to cut $10 billion over
four years from the Medicaid budget. Incidentally, Leavitt, who is
from Utah, has said that poor people who want surgery should seek
out physicians who will perform it for free!
As for Social Security, I don’t foresee
Bill Thomas making much headway. In the House, every one of the
representatives is up for reelection in 2006, and they are not
going to spend political capital on this one, which is so unpopular
with the American public. These representatives want to be
reelected. However, watch out for Leavitt: He is dangerous and may
think that because most Medicaid recipients are poor, elderly, or
disabled, he can get away with a radical restructuring of the
program, with the aid of the state governors, of course.
Beni Kitching
Springfield
OUR SALVATION: STAY INFORMED
The political opinions of the general public
seem to be nothing more than the parroting of their political-party
leaders, liberal/conservative journalists, and the often biased
reporting of the “news” by the major radio and
television networks.
To the staunch liberal and conservative, the
party line is the only answer to problems of the nation. Liberal
politicians scoff at what they believe are the hypocritical efforts
of the conservative politician to solve the financial woes of the
nation at the expense of the average citizen. The conservatives
accuse the liberals of attempting to solve the nation’s
problems with a blank check. Mr. and Ms. Citizen accept, without
question, whatever their party leaders say or do.
Generally the only way the public is informed
of the actions of their elected officials is through the media. Ah,
therein lies the rub. It is neither criminal nor immoral to be
partial or biased. It is just the opinion of that individual or
entity. The problem is when the public blindly accepts one view as
fact.
A strong democracy has a well-informed public;
a well-informed public is one that seeks out and studies all facts
and points of view, regardless of political affiliation. There is a
wealth of information available in publications, magazines, and the
Internet. The assimilation of this information allows the public to
form its own opinion. Then Mr. and Ms. Citizen can and should advise their political
representative of their thoughts on a particular issue.
This is not the time for Americans to be
complacent. It most certainly is not the time to allow our elected
officials to act without our input. The ill-advised war in Iraq,
the iniquitous attack on Social Security, and the conspiracy of
Bush, his oil-industry friends, and the foreign oil producers are
just a few of the immoral and unethical acts by the Bush
administration which have and will continue to harm the American
people. Our only salvation is to keep informed — and to keep
pressure on our elected officials so that they will protect our interests.
John D. Kolaz
Springfield
EXPLORE ALL POSSIBILITIES FOR HOUSE
I agree with Tom Coulson that the Adams House
should be saved, but he did not mention what I consider the most
important reason to save it [“Letters,” July 7]. The
new Lincoln Museum shows everything related to Lincoln in a new
light.
I was a member of the Adams Committee for many
years. I know that the Illinois Audubon Society wanted the focus to
be on the urban island provided by the sanctuary and that historic
renovation of the house was not practical, given its main purpose
as an educational center. However, the Adams Committee worked hard
to maintain the 1850s appearance of the outside of the house and I
remember numerous conversations with visitors who enjoyed looking
at the house. Now there could be many more.
With the new presidential museum, everything
related to that era is now of great local interest. U.S. Sen. Dick
Durbin has proposed legislation to provide matching funds to
refurbish and promote Lincoln-era buildings and activities, and
every community within miles of Springfield will be looking for
opportunities to expand and develop ties to Lincoln. The Adams
House is a farmhouse that existed when Lincoln lived in
Springfield. He probably passed it when he took his family for a
drive in the country. He may have purchased pears from Mr. Adams.
I hope the Audubon Society will explore all
possibilities for use of the Adams House. It could add to the
history of Lincoln in Springfield, and improve conditions in a
depressed part of Springfield. The best future use of the house may
be discovered in discussion with Mayor Tim Davlin, Durbin, and
[other local officials]. That creative idea will be of little use
if this unique asset is destroyed.
Sue Doubet
Springfield
This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2005.
