Letters to the Editor

VISION OF TRUMP Senator Dick Durbin at the Gorsuch confirmation hearing commented that White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Gorsuch represents the type of judge that has the vision of Trump. Durbin then chided Mr. Gorsuch by asking, “Why would Mr. Priebus say that when most Americans question whether we need a Supreme […]

  SAY NO TO SANCTUARY STATESJames Krohe’s March 2 column, “Absolutely ridiculous,” was exactly that. He made the laughable claim that “Immigrants, authorized and otherwise, are less likely to commit crimes than people born in the U.S., and crime rates tend to go down, not up, in places with lots of immigrants.” Excuse me, but […]

CORREX In the March 2, 2017, article, “The vanishing Statehouse press corps,” Tara McClellan McAndrew misstated that the Illinois News Network, which the Illinois Policy Institute describes as its “independent project,” provides audio for free. The Network provides copy for free. Clarification: After the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate denied the Illinois News Network […]

  RELOCATING MLK’S STATUEI recently came across the February 2017 edition of PURE NEWS USA. The article on the MLK statue took me down memory lane. There were three of us; Jimmie Treadwell, Lillian Kinnel and myself, who witnessed and were horrified at the 1989 placement of Geraldine McCullough’s statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, […]

SUPPORT CIVIC ORCHESTRA On Saturday, Feb. 11, my wife and I attended the Sangamon Valley Civic Orchestra concert at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. As a longtime observer and participant in the central Illinois music scene, I can say with certainty that this group has achieved a rightful place as a creative outlet for […]

  JUST ANOTHER TAXTo Dick McLane (“Letters,” Feb. 2, Illinois Times): I believe this (the Beverage Tax Act) is just another tax. Where the dollars go is unknown but the goal is to make it fair and a necessity for all without creating possible job loss in this industry, not follow big Chicago, the Illinois […]

  AN URBAN PARKJames Krohe Jr.’s Feb. 2 Dyspepsiana column, entitled “More parking downtown?” seems to provide an opportunity for community dialogue about the future of the area now called the North Mansion Block. While many of us mourn the demolition of the historic YWCA, it has come to pass. The empty block, prominently located […]

BEVERAGE TAX ACTWhile the recent Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Act story (“Lawmakers propose tax on sugary beverages,” by Alex Camp, Jan. 19) didn’t mention it, a complaint that has been made before when such taxes were proposed is that it is regressive because people who can least afford to pay this tax will be paying a […]

  WAR ON COPS?As Barack Obama’s presidency came to an end, there was a lot of talk about how his tenure impacted police officers. In the last few years there have been several high-profile tragedies where police officers were targeted and killed in ambush attacks. Obama’s detractors contend that his words and actions contributed to […]

  AMERICANS UNITEDWhat caused the election for president in 2016 to go to a complete outsider? There was no question that with the many candidates running for president of the United States in the 2015/2016 election cycle, one established insider was destined to win. That was what we were told on a daily basis, and […]

THE COST OF KIDS The Department of Agriculture claims the cost of raising a child from birth through age 17 is $233,610, or almost $14,000 annually. As the father of seven children, let me say that this is nonsense. Moreover, the Department of Agriculture fails to identify the multiple benefits of raising children, such as […]

  ABUSE OF TIF FUNDINGI, along with others, am becoming concerned about Springfield TIF spending policies. Tax increment financing, as often espoused, has taxes (generally property tax) removed from the public rolls in distressed areas to create economic development that would give a greater return than taxes encumbered. I didn’t know downtown Springfield was a […]