Letters to the editor 1/23/25

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com.

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SERVE THE CITY

My tax dollars pay for these public servants, and they should be serving the city of Springfield (“SPD officers going to D.C.,” Jan. 2). Mayor Misty Buscher saw fit to give the police big pay raises, so let’s show fiscal responsibility and keep them working in the city.

It’s the same old story, Republicans take office and spend as much money as they possibly can before they get out. Donald Trump does not need protection. He has the Capitol police, the Secret Service and his own privately hired thugs to protect him. He did nothing to protect the police on Jan. 6. What incentive would he have to protect our police officers?

Denise Johnson
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

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DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH

Chief Ken Scarlette thinks we’ll be reimbursed. How’s that going for people who Trump owes money to?

Lori McKiernan
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

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BAD LOOK

Whether reimbursed or not, it still gives the appearance of impropriety.

Chris WIngler
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

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A WASTE

Absolute waste of resources! I’d respond the same way had Kamala Harris won and it was reported Springfield police officers were being sent to protect her.

Joe Coffey
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

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POLAND CAN HELP

Let’s not forget the last time Donald Trump was president, Poland had to send its army with COVID gear to help us out because Trump refused to send us any aid. He was going to let everyone in Illinois die of COVID-19. Why would we help him when he refused to help us? Send Poland to help him.

Michelle Kiska-Gabriel
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

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PAID VACATION

Isn’t this why we have the Secret Service? Call it what it really is, a paid vacation for Trump supporters in the SPD.

John Watts
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

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NOT A COMMODITY

The competition between the hospitals in Springfield epitomizes the troubling prioritization of profit over patient care in our health care system (“Springfield Clinic disrupts area health care industry,” Dec. 19). Instead of collaborating to ensure comprehensive and accessible care for the community, these institutions are locked in a battle for market dominance. And the idea that HSHS St. John’s Hospital or Springfield Memorial Hospital are nonprofits is laughable – go look at the publicly available salary information for the executive teams. Their rivalry fragments care and drives up costs as hospitals and clinics invest in marketing and administrative bloat rather than improving medical services. Patients are left caught in the middle, facing higher bills and limited options while struggling to navigate a system that should prioritize their health, not corporate bottom lines.

This is a broader systemic problem inherent in for-profit health care across the U.S. When the primary goal of hospitals, insurers and pharmaceutical companies is to generate revenue, patients and doctors alike suffer. Physicians, who dedicate their lives to healing, are constrained by bureaucratic hurdles, excessive workloads and profit-driven policies that hinder their ability to provide optimal care. Meanwhile, patients are burdened with exorbitant bills, denied coverage and unnecessary stress – all symptoms of a system that values profits over people. The only winners in this equation are the highly paid executives of insurance and health care companies.

It’s time to recognize that health care is a human right, not a commodity, and move toward a model where care is universal, equitable and free from the corrosive influence of profit motives.

Mark Hunskor
Via illinoistimes.com

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COMPETITION IS GOOD

Competition is good, it makes all participants better. Dean Olsen continues to demonstrate how we need great local journalism and how he is one of the best. Good luck to Springfield Clinic with its new endeavors.

Evan Mahan
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

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DISRUPTION IS GOOD

If it means shorter wait times in both the emergency room and cath labs, let them disrupt.

Janet Gabbert
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

This article appears in Healthy, wealthy and wise 2025.