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HERE COMES THE GOVERNOR It may be an over-dramatization, but I understand
what Paul Revere must have been thinking. I feel like it is time for a
midnight ride waking up Illinois citizens and warning them “the
governor is coming, the governor is coming.”
Over the first four years of the Governor’s
administration, Rod Blagojevich increased government spending and increased
taxes on businesses to pay for it. As a result, Illinois was the eighth worst
job-producing state in the nation. Record deficits of $3.1 billion in 2005
were followed by record deficits of $3.5 billion in 2006 when you couple
the comptroller’s numbers with the lack of pension payments.
So what does the governor do this year? He decides to
increase government spending and expand government programs, once again at
the expense of Illinois companies and Illinois consumers. His proposed
fiscal 2008 budget increases spending by more than $3.1 billion, again an
historic high. In fact, this increase is greater than the sum of all
the increases during the last four years. To do that, he is imposing a tax
on Illinois that is six times larger than any other tax we have ever seen
before in Illinois and the largest state tax increase in the nation over
the last decade. We have a short time to defeat these proposals, but
it is critical that we stand up for the financial vitality of Illinois and
halt the governor’s tax proposals. In an effort to do so, I have
launched a Web site — StopRod.org — to inform you, the voters,
of the effects of these sky-high tax plans. We must fight these tax
increases, and we must fight for a balanced budget. We must fight to keep
jobs in Illinois.
State Sen. Bill Brady Bloomington
LARGE CORPORATIONS FIGHT FAIR PLAN Two weeks ago, Gov. Rod Blagojevich formally
announced his new health-care plan, Illinois Covered [see R.L. Nave,
“A pound of cure,” March 15]. When passed by the General
Assembly, Illinois Covered will provide everyone in Illinois with access to
quality affordable health care and help rein in the skyrocketing costs of a
broken health-care system.
Unfortunately, large corporations are doing their
best to fight the governor’s proposal because it will begin taxing
those that have avoided paying their fair share. Corporations that
don’t do at least $1 million in business in Illinois are exempt.
Nobody likes a tax increase, but the governor’s plan is a broad
proposal that includes those who don’t have or can’t afford
quality health care.
The Tax Fairness Plan, which includes Illinois
Covered, has the support of the Illinois Hospital Association, Blue Cross
Blue Shield, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and the Illinois
Education Association. The time has come to expand existing health-care
programs to include the uninsured and underinsured by helping families and
working people afford private insurance.
For those who criticize the governor’s plan,
what do you propose as an alternative? Christine Groves Springfield
A CLASS ACT RETIRES The Lincoln Library of Springfield’s
children’s librarian and storyteller, Classie Murray, recently
retired after 25 years of service. An engaging storyteller, she conducted
regular story hours at the Lincoln Library, performed at local schools,
community functions, and library and school conferences. Ms. Murray, who
received her librarian degree from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, could often be seen helping children, parents, providing
reading suggestions, and answering questions in the Children’s
Department at the Lincoln Library. She began her career at the Lincoln
Library and made significant achievements in reaching out to the diverse
community of Springfield. She launched the first children’s-outreach
program for the library and succeeded in implementing language story hours
for Spanish-speakers, cultural activities involving programs for
African-American children, unique programs addressing children with
disabilities, and learning story hours for the entire community. She also
shared her skill and knowledge through workshops at library and school
conferences through ingenious and creative formats and ways.
Her introduction to storytelling audiences often
began with her saying, “I don’t mean to brag when I say
I’m classy. My name is Classie Murray.” The result was always
laughter from her audiences. Her soft voice mesmerized young and old
listeners alike.
The city of Springfield bids a warm farewell to an
outstanding children’s librarian and storyteller after 25 years of
devoted library service to the citizens of Springfield. Vandella Brown Margaret Collins
Cheryl Goza-Smith
Gwen
Harrison
Kathryn Harris Gloria Winston
Robert Jones
Harry Gaylord African American Librarians of Springfield
EVEN BOWLING BALLS AREN’T SAFE! Ald. Bruce Strom, candidate for mayor, has
demonstrated with his smoking ban that he believes city government (the
public sector) is more capable of making our personal decisions than
citizens or businesses (the private sector) can be. He based his smoking ban on the long-term effects of
second-hand smoke. He totally ignored the most vulnerable persons of our
city; that is, the children who live in the homes of smokers. They are
exposed to smoke for much longer periods of time than an occasional dinner
exposure and have no voice in the matter. In the political age of doing
things “for the children,” he has failed to protect the
children when they are perhaps at the greatest health risk. If Ald. Strom becomes our next mayor, what should we
expect to see from his leadership of our city? Will he ban fatty foods to
prevent hearts disease and/or obesity? Will he ban desserts to protect the
diabetics? Will he ban alcohol from bars or taverns to prevent cirrhosis of
the liver? Will he ban bowling balls from bowling alleys to prevent
potential back injuries? It is a dangerous situation for all of us when
government has too much influence in our lives and controls our existence.
We should not allow that if we want a democracy to work. Abraham Lincoln
freed the slaves. Springfield city government and Ald. Strom enslave the
free. George R. Andrews Springfield
THINK ABOUT ALL OF US Steve Rossman has a passion for the sanctity of life,
as do many in the anti-abortion movement [see “Letters,” March
8]. What I would challenge them to do is take their passion for the
sanctity of life and examine their own positions. Like a broken record, the
mantra “sanctity of life,” gets chanted over and over again,
without thought or discourse on what is available that would allow women to
prevent pregnancy. Church doctrine seems to override respect for life. You
cannot get your tubes tied at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield
— no matter that you are on your 10th child, have no other health
provider, and are subject to chronic severe mental illness. Open your eyes,
embrace life-giving practices, and think about us all. Everyone matters. I
think that is in the Constitution somewhere.
Anne Logue
Springfield
IF YOU LOVE PUPPIES . . .
I wonder if people know the trouble they may be
asking for when they buy puppies from chain pet stores. You
spend hundreds of dollars to buy a healthy-looking puppy, only to find
out later that the puppy is seriously ill and requires costly veterinary
care. The reason these puppies are ill is because of puppy mills. Puppy
mills are breeding facilities that produce purebred puppies in large
numbers and sell them to unsuspecting consumers. They are inhumane,
designed to maximize profits, and commonly disregard the physical, social,
and emotional health of the dogs in their facilities. Because of these
conditions, puppy-mill puppies are more likely to have physical and
behavioral problems than are dogs from good sources.
The best way to stop puppy mills from continuing
their abuse is for consumers to stop buying the puppies they breed. Many
people think they are “rescuing” a puppy by buying one; in
reality, you’re just creating space for another puppy to be sold.
Never buy a dog unless you can see for yourself where he or she was born,
how the parents are kept, and what condition all the dogs are in.
If you have your heart set on purchasing a purebred
dog, it should be from a reputable breeder. A printable checklist of good
breeder characteristics is available on the Web site
www.StopPuppyMills.com.
Paul
Washkowiak
Springfield
This article appears in Mar 22-28, 2007.
