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Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com.
BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY In his letter to the editor [June 12], Steve McGrew
made an extremely convincing argument about the advance of medicine since
the Civil War. Only a few minor errors caught my attention. It was in Star Trek II:
The Wrath of Khan, not Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, that
McCoy gave Kirk the antique reading glasses as a gift on Kirk’s
birthday. Moreover, in II Kirk was an admiral; in IV he was demoted to captain after commandeering the Enterprise to rescue a
resuscitated Spock from the ill-fated Genesis Planet. I don’t know why I remember all this; I
haven’t seen any of these movies for more than a decade. And I try to
hold myself back from being so nitpicky (aggravating, I know), but
“resistance is futile” (grin). Live long and prosper, Mr. McGrew: “The human
adventure is just beginning.”
Thomas
W. Yale
Springfield
IS THIS THE WEEKLY WORLD
NEWS? The two “crystal skull” articles in the
June 12 issue are a major step down from the levelheaded, intelligent
articles that normally lead the weekly issues [C.D. Stelzer, “The
kingdom of the crystal skull”]. While I understand the commercial
potential of the tie-in to the current blockbuster film, I cannot help but
think you’ve ventured open-eyed into the tabloid wars. I would have
expected such a story to be the screaming headline on a grocery end-cap
exposé rag. The article about Frederick Mitchell-Hedges, with its
wide-eyed acceptance of his self-reported exploits, put me in mind of
another European adventurer, albeit a semifictional one. I refer, of
course, to Karl Friedrich von Münchhausen, also known as Baron
Münchhausen. The other article, on “Illinois Jones,” was a
mishmash of New Age silliness without even a twitch of the reporter’s
eyebrow.
This was not worthy of Illinois
Times.
Charles
Clark
Tallula
DRILLING IN ANWR POINTLESS In response to Kim Rogalin’s letter [June 19],
there are several reasons why drilling in ANWR is pointless and probably
even counterproductive. • The U.S. oil companies are not members of OPEC
— they can sell the oil that they produce in the U.S. for any price
they want. They sell it at the prevailing price because they are
capitalists and don’t care about the people or President George W.
Bush’s “war on terror.” As proof of this, Venezuela, even
though it is a member of OPEC, has sold oil below market in the past. • According to some people who have investigated
the current oil prices, somewhere between 25 and 40 percent of the increase
is the result of speculation. The current junta removed regulations on
commodity and futures trading, and the price has risen steadily since. • The proven reserves in ANWR are minuscule in
relation to U.S. consumption and would have no effect on oil prices. • The oil companies have had record profits and
lower taxes for the past several years, yet their budgets for exploration
have actually been reduced, and most of their windfall has been used to buy
back their own stock and eliminate competition within the industry. The
reason for this is simple: They know there is no more cheap oil. There has
not been a refinery built in the U.S. since the 1970s; the oil companies
are not investing in infrastructure for something that does not exist. • Finally, and sadly, this is mostly just
another cynical ploy by the oil companies and their spokesmen in Congress
to transfer the cost of a project to the taxpayer while retaining the
profit for the oil companies. Remember, those are public lands and giving the oil
companies sweetheart deals won’t lower the price at the pump. In
fact, the taxpayer will probably end up paying for most of the cost of the
drilling through tax credits and accelerated depletion allowances. Brice Brinkman Springfield
SHS COULD BE NEIGHBORHOOD CATALYST Comments by Fletcher Farrar about continuing
Springfield High School’s current location are thought-provoking [see
“Building the new Springfield High School,” May 29]. With the
Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and neighborhood groups discussing how
to keep residences and entice businesses to reinvest in and near historic
Downtown Springfield, the Medical District needing incentives for start-up
ventures, the landlocked convention center wanting to expand, and pockets
of once-fine family neighborhoods face safety and decreasing property value
concerns, let’s look at Springfield High School to be the catalyst. Rebuilding a Springfield High School campus could be
just the opportunity needed to begin a central-city rebirth. An outdoor
sports stadium east of the SHS campus could not only add aesthetics to a
major gateway but be utilized by residents and tourists alike. With a
cost-sharing arrangement with SMEAA, Springfield can host major conventions
during weekends and during breaks, as well as statewide tournaments, and
still meet SHS sports needs. An intergovernmental cooperative effort will be most
cost-effective, centered around updating and expanding SHS. The impact will
go a long way to revitalize downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods. How
about involving SHS students who live near the medical district with the
medical-district institutions to get a head start in their careers?
Wouldn’t the hospitals love the no-cost medical internships that
would result from the close proximity? Build a new state-of-art classroom facility and bring
in the administrative offices to occupy the older facility. Analyze and
compare what the school district is spending to bus students to the center
of town as opposed to a location on the far-southwest side. [Staying at the
current location] would be clearly more cost-effective. Many once-fine family neighborhoods have reached such
a degree of deterioration that the areas are negatively affecting tourism,
besides threatening the property tax base. Even with the cost of fuel
rising, without a major motivational effort like this a significant
turnaround for residential home ownership will never happen. Realistically,
few private developers will begin any project to revitalize individual
structures within the central city without the realization of a government
commitment to eliminate nearby blighted areas. The domino effect is
undeniable. The park district should join in. It can do more for
the central city than anywhere else. Let’s begin strategically
locating green spaces for a better sense of neighborhood, promoting
residential infill, pride in home ownership, and security. The city should
then encourage mixed-use projects to be built around these small parks. The
Enos Park facelift is a start, but these improvement costs pale [in
comparison with] the
tax dollars going into other parks on the edge of town. Establish green
space in the central parts of the city and you will receive a return with
an increase in property values and tax dollars.
Springfield has not seen any real population growth
over the last half-century. It’s time to face reality: We must begin
to redirect efforts from eliminating our rich agricultural assets [and]
focus on how to improve what we already have. Redevelopment in the central city also reduces the
cost of delivering police, fire, and all other governmental services.
Keeping Springfield High where it is may just be a good place to start a
city rebirth. Tony Leone Springfield
ON URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN Fletcher Farrar’s column regarding a new
Springfield High School was an excellent treatment. For example, his point
about studies and activities related to urban planning and design makes
good sense — for several reasons. A noted architect/planner in the Boston area, Kevin
Lynch, has written a publication titled What
Time Is This Place? (The MIT Press, 1972). In the appendix is a
description of an approach he uses with graduate students. It could be
modified for high school.
Gordon Hoke Springfield
WHERE’S THE CHURCH-STATE SEPARATION?
When is Barack Obama’s [former] church going to
lose its tax-exempt status? The so-called ministers of this church [Trinity
United Church of Christ, Chicago] are openly supporting Obama’s
candidacy for president, which is a violation of federal law. Makes one
think that he and his church might be exempt for other reasons?
Justin Seward
Springfield
USE LESS CORN FOR SWEETENER There is much talk about the increased demand for
Illinois corn and the possible reduced yield this year. There is another
consideration. We use a lot of high-fructose corn syrup. It is not a
healthy ingredient in much of our food. I have an idea. Why not drop the
corn syrup and use the corn for feed, ethanol, and taco shells? Patrick Johnopolos Springfield
This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2008.
