The mayor needs to vocally support Ald. Brian Hopkins’ proposed ordinance and change his focus to the reality of what’s happening as a result of street takeovers by unsupervised and out-of-control young people. They do not own the streets, and the mayor has to make it crystal clear that he and the Chicago Police Department will act quickly to stop this kind of violence. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx also needs to step up and send a message that these crimes will be charged as felonies.

The bottom line is that the mayor needs to refocus his so-called progressive agenda from that of enabling wrongdoers to enforcing the law and showing some sympathy for the victims of these attacks.

— Kevin Garvey, Chicago

Rethink DNC protests

The headline of the article reads, “’This will not be 1968’” (June 9). Well, by limiting Democratic National Convention protesters to Grant Park this time, 1968 will surely repeat itself; it’s too visually and dramatically interesting not to!

This will just spread the protests throughout downtown and toward the West Loop rather than confining them to the target audience — attendees of the DNC.

I suggest reducing the United Center parking lot by half, letting the protesters have their say and letting Chicago residents enjoy their downtown.

— Anne Neri Kostiner, Chicago

Gratitude for Chicago

Chicago receives its share of bad press (some deserved, some not), but I recently had an experience that I think reflects the true spirit of the city and its institutions.

A recent Sunday, I was on my way to the Goodman Theatre to meet friends and see the play “English.” I had almost reached the theater when I tripped and did a face plant on the sidewalk. I jumped up immediately but was bleeding profusely from a gash to my forehead as well as a broken nose.

I want to thank the theater personnel who kept bringing me stacks of paper napkins in an attempt to control the bleeding and who notified my friends that I had had an accident. I want to thank the passerby who called 911. I want to thank the paramedics who showed up very quickly and who were the epitome of professionalism, efficiency and courtesy in performing initial first aid and in getting me to the Northwestern Hospital emergency room. And I want to thank the emergency room staff members who saw me immediately and quickly addressed the immediate issues and checked for potential complications.

Chicago has its problems, but on that Sunday afternoon, the helpfulness of its citizens and the efficiency of its institutions could not have been better.

— Kevin Busath, Geneva

Trip to Cicada-land

I recently drove from Chicago to a medical appointment in Hinsdale. I had read about the 17-year cicada brood emergence this year, but in the West Ridge neighborhood, there were none to be found. So imagine  my surprise when I exited Interstate 294 onto Ogden Avenue and cicadas began hitting my windshield! When I arrived at my appointment and opened the car door, my ears were met with a buzz so loud and strange it seemed like the electrical hum of a space ship. Welcome to Cicada-land.

If there was ever a tale of two cities, this was it. In the leafy suburbs of Cicada-land, these black bugs with red eyes ruled the roost and the soundscape in overwhelming numbers. Yet when I drove back to Chicago, the cicadas vanished. When I mentioned to a co-worker about witnessing this winged horde, they just looked at me perplexed like I was crazy.

I have since heard from experts on the cicada emergence that because Chicago is constantly changing, with new buildings going up,  the soil is turned over, and older trees are felled. Such actions lead to cicada larvae not surviving.

So if you want to witness an event more fun than a sports game or movie, drive out or take a train to Cicada-land to enjoy Mother Nature’s show.

But don’t delay because Cicada-land will vanish, like Brigadoon, by the Fourth of July.

— Christopher Lynch, Chicago

GOP needs change

First off, I regard myself as a Ronald Reagan Republican. I am a former Army commissioned officer who served stateside as an information officer during the Vietnam era from 1968 to 1970.

But to the point at hand, I find that Will County leader Steve Balich’s action to fly our American flag upside down at a municipal building reprehensible, and his petulant actions border on bullying, regardless of his conservative beliefs.

More and more, I find the Illinois Republican Party dysfunctional and out of touch with reality. And the evidence is punctuated by Republicans like me who have long supported moderate Republicans and abstained from supporting the political philosophies of right-wing conservatives like Balich; former Illinois state Sen. Darren Bailey, who was shellacked in the last gubernatorial election; and, many years before that, radio talk show host Alan Keyes, who ran against Barack Obama for U.S. Senate in 2004. Bailey and Keyes lost by what can only be described politely as wide margins as their positions resonated poorly with moderate Republicans, independents and Democrats.

If there is any hope of the Illinois GOP being turned around, people like Balich, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy and others in their inner circle should start listening to the opinions and heed the advice of such respected Republican moderates as former Gov. Jim Edgar, Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso and former Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, who collectively see political realities as they are — not what Bailey, Tracy and other ultraconservatives who back Trump would like them to be.

Bullying doesn’t square with moderates, regardless of party affiliation, and even more so with independents.

When I go to vote this November, I’ll write in Ronald Reagan for president and vote for Republican Dennis Reboletti over Democrat Marti Deuter for state representative and Republican Niki Conforti over Democratic incumbent Sean Casten for Congress as I see these GOP candidates as being more in touch with reality and common sense.

And I’ll feel good at having my vote tallied accurately because I believe the system is not rigged.

— A.J. Parrino, Western Springs

Double standard clear

Can anyone explain to me why some people were outraged when NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to kneel during the national anthem in protest over the unfair application of justice toward Black people in our country, yet Steve Balich flying the U.S. flag upside down at Homer Township offices seems to be a perfectly acceptable way to protest?

I can think of one clear reason, and personally, I’m outraged over it.

— Beth Carter, Naperville

GOP leader’s ‘distress’

Regarding Will County Board member Steve Balich, I find it “distressing” that he would use his political position to fly the U.S. flag upside down representing his “distress” after the verdict in Donald Trump’s recent trial. What happened to the GOP ideal of nonintrusive government? I am confident that if Democrats used that form of protest in response to Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016, the GOP would be loud and clear on the lack of patriotism and intrusion of the display on government grounds (and rightly so).

And regarding Balich saying the “Constitution is under attack,” how does the trial verdict compare with fake electors for a fully litigated election result and literal attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop the formalization of the election results? Trump’s case was reviewed and approved by a grand jury and decided by 12 vetted jurors in a unanimous verdict.

— Dave Beinor, Forest Park

Support for hemp products

I am a disabled senior citizen who has used intoxicating and non-intoxicating hemp products therapeutically for 27 years. With the help of these products, I have gotten my life back by getting off 12 daily medications. I am an educated consumer, and I prefer some of the milder hemp products to the cannabis I would get at a dispensary.

That’s why I was happy to read the editorial “Hemp can get you high. Illinois needs to better protect its minors.” (June 2). I am all for protecting children, including my children and grandchildren, as well as consumers. But I hope that this can be accomplished without banning products that I depend on and putting the local hemp people I know and trust out of business.

I urge state officials to work toward a reasonable compromise based on facts rather than fearmongering.

— Vicky Crouse, Industry, Illinois

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

Our involvement with IL-EATS enabled us to expand our operations significantly; we added 2,000 chickens to our flock in anticipation of the program’s start. However, the unexpected delay from December to April presented substantial financial challenges. Due to the increased flock, cost of feed alone surged to an additional $8,000 per month, compounded by other expenses.  We had nowhere to move this extra inventory of eggs, so they had to be donated. The total financial strain during these months was daunting, as every day without the program’s kickoff meant deeper financial losses for our burgeoning farm.

Despite these hurdles, the program eventually allowed us to distribute our pasture-raised eggs, a high-quality, nutritious food that food bank patrons would likely not have access to otherwise. Although we are currently navigating the complexities of typical business practices, we remain optimistic.

The IL-EATS program holds promise not just for us but also for all socially disadvantaged farmers looking to scale their operations and reach more people in need. By connecting families facing food insecurity with fresh, local food, the program not only supports local agriculture but also promotes health and community resilience.

I urge state leaders and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue to invest in and refine programs like IL-EATS. Despite the initial financial and operational challenges, these programs are vital bridges connecting the produce of local farms like ours with people in our communities who need it most.

With better planning and timely execution, such initiatives can strengthen local food systems and provide essential support to both producers and consumers.

— Marty Thomas, Kakadoodle Farm, Matteson

Slower rollout was necessary

Regarding the June 7 editorial and its inaccurate depiction of the IL-EATS program, Illinois’ implementation of U.S. Department of Agriculture Local Food Purchase Agreement (LFPA) funding: The editorial demeans and seeks to derail two years of hard work to develop this groundbreaking Illinois program that, despite stumbles in its initial rollout, is already delivering on its vision.

IL-EATS is an innovative collaboration among Illinois’ Department of Agriculture, Department of Human Services and University of Illinois Extension with a diverse coalition of partners across the food supply chain: farmers, food banks, wholesalers, community pantries, farmers markets and nutrition programs. More than 300 participants from rural, suburban and urban communities gave input at 30 listening sessions across Illinois, including socially disadvantaged producers, food aggregators, front-line pantries and mutual aid groups.

Yes, this thoughtful approach meant a slower program rollout, but it ensured the $30 million program was far more accessible to a broad range of partners who otherwise would have been shut out.

While initial administrative issues have been challenging for producers, IL-EATS is unquestionably delivering better quality food from a diverse network of smaller, newer growers benefiting from previously unavailable opportunities. Food recipients report improvements in the freshness, quality and cultural diversity of the food provided by 120 farms and distributed by 217 community partners working with 15 lead agencies. Sixty percent of IL-EATS farmers have operated for under 10 years, with 20% under 3 years — huge gains in Illinois where the average farmer is older than 58 years old. Eighty-five growers have already taken IL-EATS’ free food safety training, reducing a significant cost burden for small farmers.

IL-EATS has the potential to be a long-term success, and leadership from multiple Illinois departments and their community partners will be vital to expand IL-EATS’ much-needed opportunities to more socially disadvantaged producers in the food supply chain. Illinois’ five members on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, are key partners to passing a Farm Bill that makes the LFPA a permanent USDA program. They are encouraged to include and fund the EAT Local Foods Act (S.3982) as part of the Farm Bill.

— Rodger Cooley, executive director, Chicago Food Policy Action Council

Game-changing opportunity

The June 7 Tribune editorial does not reflect my experience as a farmer participating in the IL-EATS program.

The IL-EATS program has been the single largest catalyst of growth for DuChick Ranch LLC, a small farm that my wife and I launched in 2019.

Last fall, Eastern Illinois Foodbank reached out to us about purchasing our chicken through IL-EATS for families in need that it serves in 18 counties.

We jumped at the opportunity, knowing that the healthy, local food we produce would end up in the hands of our neighbors facing hunger. We invested in critical infrastructure to more than double our production, storage and distribution capacity.

There was initially a delay in the program rollout. In fact, I was quoted in a March 25 Tribune article, “Food program delays have farmers anxious,” because I was anxious as our cold storage filled up and costs were rising.

That all changed when we made our first delivery to the food bank. Later this month, we will make our fourth. We expect to deliver more than 19,000 pounds to the food bank through the life of the program.

In March, Central Illinois Foodbank in Springfield also reached out to us.

As a beginning farm, we weren’t prepared for the demand, but like every farmer I know, we did whatever we had to do to meet the needs of our neighbors. We rapidly secured additional means of production. We expect to deliver more than 8,000 pounds to of chicken to the Central Illinois Foodbank that will reach the 21 counties it serves.

The program is a game-changing opportunity for our small 2-acre farm. The fair prices for our product through IL-EATS provided the capital for us to scale up production. In the long run, we’re in a better position to compete in wholesale markets, in addition to continuing to serve our loyal local and farmers market customers.

I thank Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and University of Illinois Extension for the work they’ve done to get this new program running that has allowed farmers like us to be part of serving our community.

I’m thankful to the food banks that have trusted our family to feed so many others.

— Ed Dubrick, DuChick Ranch, Cissna Park

IL-EATS an empowering program

The IL-EATS program could not have come at a better time. The initiative has provided healthy, fresh, local vegetables, fruits, proteins and dairy products to neighbors who are food-insecure and may not have been able to afford these nutritious items otherwise. In just over two months, DeKalb County Community Gardens has collaborated with 12 local farmers who have provided items such as ground beef, pork, yogurt, sour cream, collards, kale, chard, lettuce, asparagus, radishes, kohlrabi, flour and eggs. For vegetables harvested by a local farmer one day to be at a food pantry the next day is a welcome change. DeKalb County Community Gardens has partnered with more than 20 local service organizations that have distributed those items to neighbors facing food insecurity.

The positive impact of these funds on farmers, food pantries and individuals facing food insecurity has been both humbling and inspiring. We heard “that flour made the best cookies I’ve ever tasted” and “thank you for supporting a small grower like me.” This program offers an outlet for excess product, the chance for expansion and the chance at going full time for those just starting out. All of our partners have benefited.

As a small nonprofit, we are grateful that the state allowed smaller organizations the opportunity to be a lead agency in this effort. This program has empowered us to be a change-maker in our community, leveraging years of experience in food advocacy. I am proud to be part of this program and witness the difference it has made in our community, and I urge our local leaders to recognize the importance of this program.

With support, we can ensure IL-EATS will grow in its effectiveness and impact in the years to come. Thank you to everyone involved in this program. Your dedication and compassion are truly making a difference.

— Heather Edwards, executive director, DeKalb County Community Gardens

Growing the local food system

Farmers Rising is a nonprofit dedicated to building local food systems through farmer training and consumer education. We are also an IL-EATS lead agency chosen to administer the program in Boone and Winnebago counties.

As mentioned in the June 7 editorial, our farmers, community partners and organization have been adversely affected by IL-EATS’ slow rollout and funding delays. Since the first week in May, however, we’ve purchased and paid for $65,000 of fresh food, including 4,700 dozen eggs and 4,200 pounds of chicken, yogurt, sour cream, cornmeal and fresh vegetables, all grown by small, independent farmers in northern Illinois. Our farmers’ cash flow has improved dramatically, and our pantry partners are thrilled.

One pantry volunteer shared that our food deliveries are saving the pantry thousands of dollars in food purchases, which it can now spend on other important household items such as laundry detergent and toiletries. Another stated their clients regularly ask for dairy products and how wonderful it feels to finally be able to fulfill those requests.

Week by week, more products are becoming available, farmer experiences are improving, and more and more Illinois-grown food is flowing from local farms to food-insecure families.

IL-EATS is growing the local food system in tangible ways, in real time. I look forward to the Tribune Editorial Board’s follow-up editorial that focuses less on Illinois politics and instead celebrates the transformative, long-term impacts that come about by investing in our socially disadvantaged farmers and local food economies.

— Jackie de Batista, executive director, Farmers Rising

Bill would harm hemp industry

We are writing on behalf of hundreds of Illinois hemp businesses that have invested tens of millions of dollars to provide safe, quality products to millions of people and pets throughout the state. We support the Tribune Editorial Board’s call for regulation of hemp products and businesses to protect the health and safety of children and consumers (“Hemp can get you high. Illinois needs to better protect its minors.” June 2). We appreciate the editorial’s recognition that adult consumers want access to our products and that there is room for compromise, ensuring safety without killing Illinois businesses and thousands of jobs in a vibrant and diverse industry that includes many people of color and immigrants.

As operators of reputable hemp businesses, our main focus is on hemp products, and we take the legitimacy of the hemp industry seriously. We take safety precautions such as careful testing and labeling and limiting sales to consumers older than 21. And, for the last several years, many of us have been advocating for strict regulation and taxation of intoxicating hemp products, as well as prudent health and safety measures for non-intoxicating CBD products. We worked with legislators and put forward comprehensive legislation to ensure the safe manufacture and sale of our products while leveling the competitive playing field between hemp and licensed cannabis.

Unfortunately, for two spring legislative sessions now, rather than being included in fair negotiations, we have been brought to the table only to be told that all our businesses — and many others — would be banned. Most recently, as House Bill 4293 was pushed through the Illinois Senate at the last minute, our concerns were ignored, even when we correctly pointed out that this bill is so broad and punitive that it would effectively ban the sale of all manufactured hemp products, including non-intoxicating CBD lotions, cosmetics and pet products.

H.B. 4293 would destroy the hemp industry and ignore the needs of millions of hemp consumers in Illinois. It would shutter storefronts, as well as manufacturing and distribution facilities across the state. At the same time, it does nothing to address unsafe hemp products being shipped across our border, favoring our out-of-state competitors. But more than any other interest group, H.B. 4293 favors multibillion-dollar cannabis companies. This approach is neither fair nor effective.

We stand ready to negotiate a solution based on facts rather than fearmongering. We urge state officials to act as honest brokers in this process.

— Jennifer Weiss, Cubbington’s Cabinet, Chicago; DJ Loeffelholz, River Bluff Cannabis, East Dubuque, Illinois; and Anna Ward, Stoney Branch Farms, Rushville, Illinois

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

Biden’s administration has lied to us for three years while it made this mess, and now we’re stuck with it.

— Pat Feulner, St. Charles

A dignified commander in chief

I watched President Joe Biden in a Memorial Day ceremony lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. As our commander in chief, Biden was dignified, as should be expected. I felt proud to have served four years in the Air Force. Fortunately, I was not killed or even injured.

If Donald Trump becomes president and commander in chief again, will he continue to malign American military members who are killed in action as “suckers” and “losers”? We remember how he disparaged the Khans, who were a Gold Star family that lost a son. Those killed in action make the ultimate sacrifice to protect all Americans, including Trump.

If I am killed in action, would I be a “sucker” or “loser”? I think America can do better.

— Larry Johnson, Naperville

We need another Ronald Reagan

As the past couple of months have shown with a felony conviction, losses in a couple of multimillion-dollar civil cases, three other outstanding cases and a tax audit against him, Donald Trump needs a well-paying, stable job (president) to pay his legal and tax bills. This is what Trump needs, not what the country needs.

We need a Ronald Reagan to control inflation and bring us leadership, a strong foreign policy that the free world will look up to and a domestic policy that works to unite Americans and foster respect for our government. Nowhere does “retribution” fall in the needs of our nation. Republican President Abraham Lincoln did not call for it during the Civil War, in which many lives were lost and property destroyed.

I am not a fan of President Joe Biden. He should follow in the way of Lyndon B. Johnson and not seek reelection with inflation and an unpopular war. Even Bill Clinton had budget surpluses, a peaceful world and a growing economy to hand off to the next president.

America needs a new president to lead us in these perilous times. We can do better than the two major parties’ presumed candidates.

— John Kasner, LaPorte, Indiana

Biden averted the draft, too

I want to thank Bill Burns for his letter (“What our military deserves,” June 6) and thank him for his military service! His words, however, prompted me to look up the service record of Joe Biden. It turns out our current president was exempted from the military draft because of a college deferment and, after graduating, because of asthma as a teenager. Not much different from Donald Trump’s situation.

I do not fault either president for avoiding the military during the Vietnam War, but I do fault voters who use facts and/or omission of facts to draw false comparisons. This insidious practice is rampant in our country, and it has spread to every information outlet.

I am all for debating; it is at the core of an inclusive society and government. Debating using omissions, however, is counterproductive and harms all involved.

— Randy Boitz, Lemont

Will police vote for Trump?

In his June 6 column (“Will police endorse a convicted felon for president?”), Steve Chapman asks two very different questions. Will the police support Donald Trump this November? And should the police support Trump this November? The answer to the second question is easy: Nobody should support Trump.

The answer to the first question is less clear. Police are, in general, very comfortable with authoritarians, and Trump is very much an authoritarian. In addition, since the police supported him in 2016 and 2020 and the crimes he was recently convicted of were not really police matters, they may see no reason to withdraw their support.

— Vic Presutti, Dayton, Ohio

Who are the VP candidates?

Just wondering. If a president is serving prison time, are those presidential responsibilities then transferred to the vice president?

If so, Americans are left wondering who that might be at this point.

— Linda Bosy, Orland Park

My faith in fairness restored

Thank you to the Tribune and several contributors whose letters were published on June 3 in Voice of the People. It restored my faith in fairness regarding dissenting opinions on former President Donald Trump’s trial.

I found the editorial cartoon on Trump inappropriate. Unfortunately, I do not have cartoons or articles from the Bill Clinton era. I wonder how the Tribune, the editorial cartoonists and the opinions of readers reacted to the Monica Lewinsky scandal?

— Myrna Silver, Coral Gables, Florida

U. of I. flagship campus policies

In January, my sister called to say our mother was in the intensive care unit. I set up Zoom classrooms and drove from Illinois to Oklahoma, unsure of what the coming days would mean for my family and my students. If I were specialized faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago, I would not have had this additional worry.

I spent the next few weeks with my sisters making multiple life-or-death decisions for our mother. Between these, I was emailing our human resources representative. By the time my family was meeting with the palliative care specialist, I was marking the date I would exhaust my sick days and wondering if our mother would live beyond it.

If I taught at UIC, I could have used the “modified teaching duties for a faculty member with a life-changing event” policy. However, because I teach at the flagship campus, I was forced to navigate complex, high-risk systems while so tired I could not recite my own address to the hospice nurse.

Currently, the union representing specialized faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, NTFC Local No. 6546, is bargaining to gain the same life-changing event policies that UIC has. In the administration’s current offer, it is willing to provide only a benefit to select faculty members having a child. While I am thrilled it has agreed to this, I am also frustrated. Is my time with my dying mother less meaningful because I teach at the flagship campus?

I guess I should consider myself lucky. I had banked enough sick leave over my seven years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to spend my mother’s final days with her. I heard her thank us for getting her home. I heard her last jokes. I was able to hold her hand when no more words would ever come. But what of specialized faculty members who just started? With a salary floor of $47,500, I doubt any of them could afford to use the Family and Medical Leave Act. And what if the final days last beyond FMLA’s 12 weeks?

All specialized faculty in the University of Illinois system deserve the same family benefits as those teaching in Chicago. The administration has the opportunity to remedy this now, and I know from experience the mental and emotional cost of its refusal.

— Amanda Bales, teaching assistant professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

One of the reasons for this lack of concern about climate among voters is how issues that are arguably less existentially important are being prioritized by candidates, parties and the media. For example, immigration wasn’t a top issue for voters until the 2016 election, when Donald Trump made it one. And abortion was not a top issue until the religious right took over the GOP in the late 20th century, making it the top “pro-life” issue, even though climate change has killed more worldwide than abortion.

More importantly, climate change should rightly not be a political issue, since it is a scientific fact that will impact the future of all humanity. The fact that the earth is round is not party-dependent, so neither should climate change. Unfortunately, climate change was made political thanks to decades of oil industry lobbying to conservative lawmakers and the spread of disinformation about its existence and connection to fossil fuel emissions. Meanwhile, millions of people have been impacted by climate-driven extreme weather and heat, drought and flooding, famine and disease. And millions more have been affected by climate-related costs for groceries, gasoline, home and health insurance, and taxes to fund emergency response and recovery.

Voters concerned about the economy, young or otherwise, would do well to finally make climate change a top political issue this year — and then elect leaders who take climate change seriously.

— Michael Wright, Glen Rock, Pennsylvania

Illinois’ business climate

Opposing the newly enacted Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (“Repeal the ill-considered Interchange Fee Prohibition Act and avoid credit card chaos,” June 3), the Tribune Editorial Board notes that the legislation raises “one more barrier to doing business successfully in Illinois, a state already rightly perceived as less than friendly to business.”

How unfriendly to business is Illinois?  According to the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index, Illinois’ business tax climate ranks 37th. Neighboring states all best Illinois, ranging from Iowa at 33rd to Missouri at 12th and Indiana at 10th.

Then there’s the litigation environment. In 2019, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform polled corporate attorneys, and 89% thought that “a state’s litigation environment is likely to impact important business decisions at their companies, such as where to locate or to do business.” Illinois ranked dead last in the country among states.

Illinois furthermore is among the most regulated states. According to the Mercatus Center, as of 2020, Illinois ranked below only California, New York and Iowa in the number of regulatory restrictions — at more than 270,000. Any regulation, whether necessary or not, carries compliance cost that must be borne by the regulated entity and/or recovered from its customers or employees.

The unfavorable tax, litigation and regulatory burdens on businesses have almost certainly contributed to Illinois’ lackluster economic performance and its higher unemployment rate. For the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Illinois’ annualized growth in gross domestic product stood at 2.3%, lagging the U.S. rate of 3.4% and even further behind the GDP growth of 4.3% in its neighbors Indiana and Wisconsin.

Illinois also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in Illinois for the most recent month was 4.8%, almost a full percentage point behind the 3.9% rate for the entire U.S. and even further behind Indiana (3.6%) and Wisconsin (2.9%). Only Washington, Nevada, California and the District of Columbia had higher unemployment rates than Illinois.

In this context, yet another burden on business as represented by this interchange fee legislation? As a well-known Washington octogenarian has been known to say, “C’mon, man.”

— Bob Foys, Chicago

Credit card industry is wrong

While the credit card industry claims the sky is falling at any hint of regulation, it was disappointing to see the Tribune Editorial Board accept such unfounded speculation in a recent editorial. The legislation in question represents a commonsense approach. It merely says that retailers in Illinois shouldn’t be charged swipe fees on money that isn’t theirs — that is, tax amounts and tips for employees. Currently, because of processing fees, retailers have to reach into their own pockets to pay tips and taxes that are supposed to go directly to employees or the state.

Credit card industry arguments of pending doom simply ignore the intentional way the legislation was written. It clearly provides that fees on taxes and tips can be excluded at the time of the transaction or through reimbursement up to six months after the fact. This was done because the credit card industry already does after-the-fact reimbursement of billions of dollars on credit card transactions every year, and sometimes, those take as long as six months to complete.

There will be no need for two swipes of a card or any other imagined problems that the credit card industry conjures.

Frankly, the doomsaying is part of a pattern. When the Durbin Amendment regulating debit card swipe fees became law in the aftermath of the financial crisis, the credit card industry claimed small banks would go out of business, banks would impose monthly surcharges on bank accounts and free checking would go away.

The actual experience, however, was that small banks gained market share, banks did not impose the surcharges that the industry threatened and free checking increased.

The criticisms are every bit as wrong now as they were then.

— Josh Sharp, CEO, Illinois Fuel and Retail Association

History runs counter to claims

Recently, Dorval Carter Jr., head of the CTA, and the Rev. Ira Acree, chosen by Mayor Brandon Johnson to  serve on the Regional Transportation Authority board, said criticism directed at them stemmed from racism aimed at Black men in power. Acree said “opponents of African American empowerment” do not want him elevated to the RTA board, and Carter proclaimed that “this city has a history of attacking and trying to bring down their African American leaders.”

Public statements like these dispute Chicago’s rich history of having three elected Black mayors, including our current one; a Black Cook County Board president; and a Black Chicago Police Department superintendent. And it further belies this city’s legacy in producing famous black Americans such as Barack Obama, Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey and John Rogers.

It is unclear to me what role Carter and Acree believe is unachievable based on their race, as evidenced by these esteemed individuals. This narrative also further perpetuates a powerlessness to Chicago’s minority youth when the truth is Chicagoans of all races can achieve any position.

— Kevin Sussman, Chicago

CTA president’s deflections

It is almost amusing to see yet another race card played by a Black politician in this town. The fact that the guy playing it has been criticized by minority CTA riders holds no water for CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. or his few defenders. The fact that the past and extant problems have been well documented and go back to three mayors proves their veracity and the lack of progress in dealing with them.

Carter had to be nearly dragged kicking and screaming to even speak to the City Council about myriad CTA problems during Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s time as mayor.

Only our current mayor, a race card player himself, and a few aldermen defend Carter. It’s long past time for new blood at the top.

Carter will leave with an inflated pension and a far from enviable track record.

— Tom Sharp, Chicago

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

As a physician who worked in several Chicago-area hospitals throughout the pandemic, I can attest to that: These hospitals were filled to the brim with COVID-19 patients. Any additional patients would have been left in the halls or in the emergency room, waiting for a bed, nearly uncared for. Thus, plans were made for McCormick Place to be turned into a makeshift hospital — or, really, a way station to the morgue. There were so many COVID-19 patients who were so sick that physicians could barely tell them apart.

We ran out of critical supplies; for example, dialysis had to be rationed. Hospital personnel were stressed to the breaking point; in some hospitals, physicians such as nephrologists covered in the intensive care unit, where they were wholly untrained for the task. Hospitals in some areas kept refrigerated trucks outside to hold bodies.

Allowing COVID-19 to spread unchecked throughout the community would have led to large numbers of infected people without effective treatment available and even without hospital rooms. And alarmingly, no one knew when the virus would ebb, or when or even if there would ever be a vaccine or effective treatment. For all we knew at the time, there was no end in sight; perhaps, even a Black Death-like toll loomed. (If you think that’s an exaggeration, you were not working in a hospital.)

That was the context in which decisions were made about masks, distancing, schools, lockdowns and the like. Not surprisingly, pretty much every country in the world acted in the same way, trying to prevent huge numbers of deaths.

Sweden, an exception, was more lax and suffered four to 10 times the COVID-19 death rate of its fellow Scandinavian countries in the first year. Sweden then changed course.

But only in the United States do we have congressional hearings in which some lawmakers call for the jailing of our most respected health care providers who did the best they could with limited information in hellacious circumstances and came to the same conclusions as other experts around the world.

Fauci estimated that COVID-19 precautions saved 1 million lives here.

In the absence of political self-interest and/or self-aggrandizement, we thank those who helped save those lives.

— Dr. Sheldon Hirsch, medical director, Fresenius and DaVita Dialysis units, Chicago

Fauci a caring public servant

My husband and I were devastated to see the recent clip of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green. Her rudeness to Dr. Anthony Fauci was incomprehensible, and the blame she puts on Fauci is insensible. Unfortunately, many of her Republicans cohorts are also unreasonable.

Fauci was our light in the darkness of the pandemic. We were so thankful that someone knowledgeable and with such an impressive resume was working on COVID-19. We were grateful he was working and caring when he could have retired.

He does not deserve the treatment he is getting from some knuckleheads.

— Mary Winkler, Mount Prospect

Devaluing of art and thinking

Thank you for the June 5 editorial about the crisis of higher education art schools shutting down (“Art university’s collapse is a cautionary tale for Chicago”). This issue is not getting the attention it deserves.

With so many art schools shutting down all over the country, more and more students will lose the access they deserve to receive a liberal arts education. I’d add that the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence in schools is also contributing to the demise of these colleges and is a major cause of lower enrollments. With each year that AI infiltrates schools, students are learning that the crucial stages of writing, drawing and, indeed, thinking itself are not important to their education or to their mental health.

We know that art expression helps students who are struggling with anxiety and depression. It is these very schools that help students feel better that are in danger of closing.

As a high school teacher, I have seen the effects of schools outsourcing creativity and imagination to large tech companies rather than helping students learn the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that make them feel better in and out of school.

With more art schools closing, we should be prepared for far more than an empty downtown area; we will be seeing an entire generation of students who have been taught that their creativity, imagination and their own original thoughts — skills they hone in these art schools — don’t matter.

— Liz Shulman, Chicago

Going to museums as a child

When I was a child, there were no children’s museums. On days when weather interrupted our outdoor adventures, our father took my brother and me to a museum: in order of frequency, the Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium. We each had our favorite exhibits at the museums and made a point of seeing all of them as part of every visit.

As kids, this helped us understand that others’ wishes were as important as our own. Dad was able to translate or explain anything that was above our age level.

Do today’s children’s museums reflect parents’ ignorance or unwillingness to keep learning and growing? I think they shortchange both children and the adults who accompany them.

— Muriel Balla, Chicago

A home for disputed statues

In reading Rick Steve’s article about Budapest (“Visitors soak up Budapest’s thermal baths,” June 2), I was impressed to learn that this Eastern European country has seemingly handled the display of controversial historical statues in an innovative way: It has a Memento Park where its Soviet-era statues are displayed.

Perhaps American cities could designate similar parks where all of our controversial yet important historical statues could be displayed together. This would acknowledge that these people and these issues did, in fact, exist without unduly “honoring” them.

— Deanne Born, Barrington

Dining in frigid conditions

Why do so many restaurants waste their own money by deep-freezing their dining rooms with air conditioning set so cold?

Save the money and be more ecologically minded, restaurants!  And you’ll have the added benefit of allowing your customers to be more comfortable.

— Douglas Peterson, Naperville

Boomers living dangerously

The nurse poked her head into the room and with a cherry voice announced, “Put your cigarettes out, ladies. We are bringing in the babies now!”

Not only was it common to smoke in the maternity ward in 1974, but we also all smoked throughout the entirety of our pregnancies. And we took aspirin for headaches. And we enjoyed the occasional glass of wine. And if you tried to take away our morning cup of coffee, you’d likely be drawing back a bloody stump, as the old joke goes.

Millennials shake their heads in disbelief and ask, “Didn’t you even care about your unborn children?” Of course, we did. But back then, no one knew that smoking, and aspirin, and alcohol, and coffee were bad during pregnancy. Or at least, they never told us. (“They” refers to scientists and doctors, and “us” refers to boomers.)

Millennials have also been known to shake their heads in dismay when asking, “Why didn’t boomers wear helmets when they rode their bikes?” Well, I have a good excuse for that, too. There were no bike helmets. And had I chosen to wear one, I would have had to persuade a local high school kid on the football team to lend me his.

Millennials also wonder why we boomers never wore seat belts in cars. I have a good excuse for that one, too. There were no seat belts. Early on, some cars did experiment with installing lap belts like the type seen on airplanes. But those were soon abandoned when it was learned that they tended to break the spines of the accident victims. So, then it was back to no seat belts, and I ask: “How could I buckle up if there was no belt to buckle?”

Every generation goes along with the accepted modes of the day. Maybe future generations will choose to wear walking helmets. Then the next generation of young people can marvel at why millennials chose not to don their helmets before stepping out for their morning walks. And then millennials can respond, “But there were no walking helmets!”

— Megan Bedard, Round Lake Beach

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

While both terms are correct, if Illinois politicians had to say “tax increases,” maybe the voting public would pay more attention.

In a perfect world, when a politician in Illinois or anywhere were to use the term “new revenues,” their tongues would swell. If they kept repeating it, they wouldn’t be able to speak for a 24-hour period.

— Charlie Schwerman, Effingham, Illinois

Editorial on new budget unfair

The editorial “A balanced state budget. But hardly Springfield Democrats’ finest hour.” (June 2) is blatantly unfair. The Tribune Editorial Board accuses Democrats of playing a game of “cat-and-dog revenue raisers, aimed at keeping income taxes level for individuals.” Was it not Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Democrats who pushed for a “fair tax” four years ago? This would have done away with flat taxes for individuals and instituted a graduated income tax that the majority of states with an income tax have. And our federal government has had such a tax since 1913, hardly a progressive idea now.

And calling Democrats big spenders implies that the editorial board would like to cut some parts of the new budget. Just what programs does it think should get the knife? Preschool? K-12 funding? Health care for migrants? Redeploy Illinois? Cutting those programs would lead to students falling behind their wealthier peers in high-property tax districts, illnesses spreading and a lack of jobs for the thousands who leave prison in Illinois, which would lead to more recidivism. All of these programs will cut costs in the long run.

Or would the board cut the cancellation of medical debt, eliminate Monetary Award Program grants for college students and cut aid to agencies such as Planned Parenthood whose patient numbers have skyrocketed since the overturning of Roe v. Wade?

I am proud to live in a state that cares about people. “Taxes are the price we pay for civilization,” said Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., a former Supreme Court justice. Who cares if sports betters pay more on their recreational gambling habits or if multimillion-dollar corporations cannot write off some of their losses?

I thank Pritzker for his budget and those in the General Assembly who made it a reality.

— Jan Goldberg, Riverside

State budget makes me wonder

Regarding Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s budget, why oh why do I live in Illinois?

— Barbara Cox, Sycamore, Illinois

CPS’ new budgeting approach

Chicago Public Schools’ recent actions related to school budgets and school choice suggest that the district thinks the way to bring some schools up is by pulling others down.

Over the years, CPS has created an impressive school choice program, surpassing other large districts such those in New York and Los Angeles. CPS’ diverse school types include career and technical, charter, selective-enrollment and service leadership. These options are popular with Chicago parents. Currently, 44% of elementary students and 75% of high school students attend schools outside their designated zones, according to the Tribune.

This diversity of school options is under threat. That became clear in a resolution from the Chicago Board of Education, in which the board stated that it wanted to “transition away from privatization and admissions/enrollment policies and approaches that further stratification and inequity in CPS and drive student enrollment away from neighborhood schools.” The recent release of individual school budgets and the results of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s trip to Springfield make these threats real.

CPS’ new budgeting approach allocates funds based on a baseline of minimal staff regardless of student enrollment, leading to schools losing crucial resources. For example, LaSalle Language Academy, a magnet school, is reportedly losing seven of eight dual-language teachers — an 88% reduction that severely impacts its core mission. Charter schools like Urban Prep regularly face threats from CPS of “nonrenewal,” or closure.

Illinois state Senate President Don Harmon should not simply trust Johnson’s assurances that schools will not be closed or underfunded. Johnson’s promises lack transparency and contradict actions already taken, making legislative oversight essential to protect all CPS students’ interests.

The Illinois House wisely passed House Bill 303 to prevent disproportionate budget cuts and extend the moratorium on school closures until 2027 to ensure that an elected board could make important decisions. Harmon should have called the bill for a vote in the Senate so Gov. J.B. Pritzker could then sign it into law.

CPS’ current trajectory risks further enrollment decline as parents lose agency in choosing public schools for their children and lose faith in CPS’ ability to provide quality education. Chicago’s educational future depends on maintaining diverse and high-quality school options. To ensure CPS offers the best opportunities for all students, parents should be able to continue to choose from a variety of public school programs, and any critical changes should await a fully elected school board.

Improving struggling schools shouldn’t involve undermining successful ones.

— Tim King, Chicago

Slimy tactics used for bill

I want to compliment Tribune reporters Jason Meisner and Dan Petrella for their recent articles calling out the Illinois General Assembly’s actions on the small cell transmission deployment bill. That bill allows telecommunications companies to install cell towers in public rights of way without the consent of the homeowner. This stomping on the rights of homeowners is done under the guise of streamlining telecommunications.

According to the articles, federal prosecutors have said that the original small cell deployment law resulted from an alleged scheme by AT&T to bribe then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, and the extension of that law this year happened in the middle of the night after it was appended to a bill originally titled “Campground Hot Tubs.” Similar tactics were used to extend this bad law in 2021 when it was hidden in the “Boxing and Martial Arts-Sunset” bill (House Bill 3743).

Why are these bills adopted at the last minute and hidden in an unrelated bill? If a law actually represents the will of the people, such slimy tactics should not be necessary.

If this is not illegal, then it certainly should be.

— Heidi Hanson, Western Springs

Small businesses need support

Chicago’s economic future requires deep investment in programs that create a skilled workforce. The Investing in America agenda is taking positive steps to bring this to fruition.

I’ve seen these policies at work firsthand. In addition to being a small business owner, I run the nonprofit Contractor Advisors Business Development, which has a very robust program, Building Better Futures, that provides victims and survivors of crime with education remediation, life skills and job training. With grants coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, our program helps small businesses find quality employees and reduce worker shortages.

With crime rising in our great city, our government must invest in strategies that empower individuals and uplift the community. The grants we received have allowed us to help fill the labor shortage by providing training that will put people back to work contributing to the economic growth and stability of our city. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals in our city who are eager to work but lack the skills to find a well-paying job. The training offered by our program opens the doors of opportunity for many individuals who felt hopeless.

My recent visit to Washington for a White House briefing with Midwest business leaders reinforced my belief in the importance of advocating for policies that prioritize small businesses and community development. Capital and technical assistance remain important to startups and established businesses alike. While the nation’s small businesses make up 99% of all businesses, a large majority of these businesses are one- or two-person operations. The visit outlined a number of programs and initiatives that improve the output of small businesses and increase their profitability.

There’s still work to be done to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to succeed. I look forward to seeing more policies that support small businesses like mine and continue to make a positive impact on our communities.

— Suzanne Stantley, president, Contractors Advisors Business Development Corp., Chicago

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

This editorial was more an attack on the idea of privilege and a defense of meritocracy than it was about the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark.

Clark is a generational talent and deserves better than lazy ax grinding. She was drafted first by a team that finished last in the Eastern Conference the last three seasons. Clark is going to struggle and, yes, has a target on her back — not because of other players’ petty jealousy but because she can shoot a logo 3 and pass like the pro she is. She will be guarded fiercely because that is what competition looks like among the best basketball players in the world.

If the Tribune Editorial Board is so worried about the “rule-breakers,” why no statement after the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas clotheslined the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese to the ground? This is the same Thomas who nearly kneecapped Candace Parker in the 2022 WNBA playoffs when Parker was playing for the Chicago Sky. The Tribune reported that Reese flexed toughness during that game. The selective outrage is telling.

As for who won charter flights, that credit goes to the number of WNBA veterans, such as Breanna Stewart and Kelsey Plum, who publicly advocated for flights over the past few years. Was the tipping point Clark and the increased number of people who are paying attention? Likely. But it should be seen as a shared win.

As for Clark’s poor playing on the day after Carter fouled her, that might be more about the Fever and her having played their 11th game of the season while everyone else was still on Game 7 or 8. The team has barely been able to practice, which is something that Clark has been vocal about. This is the real issue fans of Clark should be railing about.

The WNBA, in its excitement at the uptick in fans and as a way to counter the narrative that it’s not as exciting as NCAA play, is running Clark and the Fever into the ground.

But only a newspaper actually paying attention to the league would know that.

— Veronica I. Arreola, Chicago

Impression at Sky game

Our family was fortunate enough to get to watch a recent Sky game in Chicago. What impressed us most was the large crowd, of all ages and all races and including men, women and children, enjoying the event! So many little girls with their teams or parents were there as well.

What we need to get over is allowing so many “famous” people making WNBA games into a race issue. Is this a positive lesson for young girls? Shame on all who want to downplay Caitlin Clark’s part in filling the stadiums. Every player out there had their chance to do that, but Clark was the right person at the right time and made this happen.

Now we need to keep it going as good teams should. Where was “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg when the WNBA needed a boost?

Thank you to the Tribune Editorial Board for taking time to put that into an opinion piece on Tuesday!

— Elaine Layden, Burr Ridge

Caitlin Clark is inspiring

I totally agree with the editorial on the hit Caitlin Clark took during what was supposed to be a basketball game, not a battlefield. While I am a fan of “The View” co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin, I was appalled at what they had to say about this incident.

I started watching women’s basketball because of Caitlin Clark. It is so much fun to watch someone so talented.

— Debbie O’Donnell, Elmhurst

What about Simone Biles?

The on-court and news conference behavior of Chicago Sky athletes and their coach was abysmal, shocking, and not worthy of professional athletes. Thank you for covering the story. I am a devoted sports section reader. Devoted but at times disappointed.

How about covering the story of a true athlete, Simone Biles? She is undeniably the greatest female gymnast of all time, and her accomplishments are rarely covered with the same full-color photos plus articles given to so-called professional athletes more interested in playing junkyard ball than attempting to measure up to any professional standard. Biles recently won her ninth national championship.

I’ll stick with watching NCAA basketball when I want to watch a real game.

— Patricia Kluzik, Elgin

Pregnancy care center services

A recent op-ed by three University of Notre Dame educators reveals a shocking lack of research and critical thinking about pregnancy care centers (“Fraud at crisis pregnancy centers should make us rethink policy,” May 24). Aid for Women is compelled to set the record straight.

Let’s begin with the analogy that the educators chose. Cancer is not analogous to pregnancy. Cancer is a disease. Pregnancy is a normal condition in sexually active females that suggests, if anything, a healthy reproductive system. Cancer is never welcome. Pregnancy is usually welcomed by the family. Cancer left untreated will often cause death. Pregnancy, with minimal medical intervention, generally will resolve itself in nine months. A clump of cancer cells is called a tumor. The so-called clump of cells in pregnancy is actually a child in the initial stages of human life. It is a unique, living human being worthy of its own human dignity.

The educators can be forgiven for offering an inappropriate analogy because absolutely nothing compares to the singular, procreative ability of a woman to conceive, nurture and give birth to a child.

Aid for Women rejects the dishonest picture the educators paint of the client experience at pregnancy care centers. Every woman at our pregnancy centers who calls about an abortion is told, before scheduling an appointment, that we do not provide abortions. Each Aid for Women location is supervised by our medical director, a board-certified OB-GYN, and is staffed by at least one licensed nurse. Eight licensed nurses and one nurse practitioner serve Aid for Women’s clients. Every ultrasound is performed by a certified sonographer.

When an abdominal ultrasound doesn’t provide adequate information, a transvaginal ultrasound is performed with the client’s consent. Each ultrasound is used to determine whether a viable, intrauterine pregnancy exists and is reviewed by our medical director. The woman receives honest, accurate information about her pregnancy. Although not regulated by HIPAA, Aid for Women voluntarily abides by its standards in maintaining strict privacy of client information.

In short, Aid for Women offers pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, as well as social services, including counseling, parenting courses, material resources, maternity housing, post-maternity housing, insurance assistance and referrals to other medical and social service providers — all absolutely free.

We appreciate this opportunity to educate readers on the valuable work done at Aid for Women and countless other pregnancy care centers.

— Beth Rodriguez, president, board of directors, Aid for Women, Chicago

What our military deserves

Another D-Day remembrance this week. We need to remember it, honor it and think about it. I think about a father-in-law who quit school and signed up to serve the day after Pearl Harbor. An uncle, barely in his 20s, flew ammo and supplies for the surrounded soldiers in Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge. Because it was flying low for drop accuracy, his plane was shot down.

I volunteered for the draft and served after the Korean War and before Vietnam. Then I think about Donald Trump, who once said he knew more than the generals who were advising him. Really? These military leaders risked their lives at times. They have years of experience and education guiding them in reacting to our country’s needs.

And remember Trump’s reaction when offered the opportunity to visit the graves of Marines who died in World War I?

Trump has no military experience. He had his chance when his name came up to be drafted. His very rich father found a doctor who diagnosed Trump with bone spurs in his heels, thus making him unfit for military service.

Does the military of our country deserve or want such a commander in chief? Do we as a country?

— Bill Burns, South Elgin

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

His comments about the judge, the prosecutors and the legal system were mostly false and showed a compete disrespect for our legal system. Any client I have represented would receive active time for his attitude and attempts to undermine our legal system. This should be no different here.

— Jerry Davenport, McHenry

Judge has destroyed our faith

Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over Donald Trump’s New York trial, has done more to destroy faith in the American justice system than all of the corrupt Chicago judges who have gone to prison combined.

— James E. McNally, Chicago

Dark day in American history

Donald Trump being found guilty was the darkest day in American history. President Joe Biden’s administration has just destroyed democracy.

The trial was the definition of a kangaroo court. The case was decided before the trial even started.

If you don’t think this sham was politically motivated, you’re blind, or you drink the left-wing Kool-Aid.

— Ronald Kruzel, Chicago

Nastiness of American politics

I recently heard someone say that “you could throw a dart from Mars and hit some random person on the Earth and pick a better candidate for president than the two who are running again November.” I must admit that I have had to go into the voting booth a few times and hold my nose while voting for our next president. I have become so sick of the hubris, the name-calling, the vitriol and the incivility displayed by our political leaders.

The young lady who cuts my hair told me that she has stopped listening to the news and doesn’t vote. Donald Trump’s conviction probably won’t change a lot of minds, but many have abdicated their responsibility to pick our leaders because they can no longer stomach the propaganda, the hateful rhetoric and the nastiness of American politics.

— Charles Michael Sitero, Ormond Beach, Florida

Demand that Trump withdraw

In 1974, congressional Republicans told a criminal president to resign or be impeached to preserve the rule of law. In 2024, congressional Republicans went to a New York courthouse, where former President Donald Trump was later convicted of 34 felonies, to support him as their 2024 nominee.

In its May 31 editorial (“Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts made for a sad, strange day for America”), the Tribune Editorial Board observes that the conviction was a “strange and sad day for America, irrespective of party affiliation.” At a time when our institutions are being attacked, the board needs to reassert the role of the free press in protecting democracy and the rule of law. (It’s as important as the U.S. military.)

The board needs to demand that Trump step down as the presumptive Republican nominee.

— John Eschbach, Palatine

Held to a higher standard

As a retired police lieutenant of 28 years, I dealt with hundreds of criminal cases in my career, and I ran internal affairs during part of that time. One of the main criticisms people seem to parrot in the case of Donald Trump’s New York trial is that “if it was someone else, this case would not have been brought.”

I agree — but they, and most of the media, are missing the point.

Trump is running for the highest office in the land. If a low-level public servant can be investigated, maybe arrested and certainly fired for those offenses, why shouldn’t he? People who serve in public office should be held to a higher standard as the public relies on us and needs to trust in us.

— Jeff Adam, Huntley

Consequences of a crime

It’s so unusual for Donald Trump to tell the truth, but he just did the other day. After the verdict, he said, “If they can do this to me, they can do it to anyone.” That’s true. If you commit a crime, you, too, can be arrested and put on trial.

— Joyce Porter, Oak Park

12 jurors did their civic duty

Donald Trump said that his trial was “rigged” and “unfair.” Since his attorneys were involved in the jury selection, his statements appear to discredit the 12 citizens who were doing their civic duty.

How curious that the politicians who call the trial a “sham” and “election interference” never mention the jurors. No doubt that they know better than to imply that these 12 individuals were all “rigged.”

— Jeanine Budach, Mesa, Arizona

Word choice was shameful

I have been a subscriber to the Tribune for more than 30 years. I took offense to the headline on May 31 that read “Trump delivers rambling response to guilty verdict, falsely blasting ‘rigged trial,’ slamming Cohen.'”

Why did the Tribune feel the need to use the word “falsely”? One word can change so many opinions.

Come on, Tribune. Just report and don’t pick a side. Isn’t that what good journalism used to be like?

— Dan Eichelkraut, Mokena, Illinois

Give juries benefit of the doubt

Many years ago, I was the foreman for a jury in an attempted murder case that appeared to be leading to an obvious conviction. After sitting through the testimony and a two-day deliberation, during which we examined the law and the circumstances, we voted not guilty.

If I had heard about this case, I might have thought that the jury was crazy or stupid or had an agenda. And yet, because I sat through each day, examined the law, and listened carefully to the trial and my peers, I voted not guilty. For us, it was the right thing to do, even though we felt heartsick for the victim and his family.

I don’t always agree with the outcome of trials. But whether it’s the trial of a former president or an average person, I try to stop and remember that I wasn’t there to witness the trial and be part of the deliberation.

In my experience, most people don’t bring their political agenda to the jury room. And if they do, it eventually takes second place to the responsibility that they have been given.

Unless we sat through every minute of Donald Trump’s criminal trial or that of any other, I think we should give juries the benefit of the doubt. Trust the jury.

— Leonard Harsy, Chicago

I won’t second-guess the jury

The conviction of Donald Trump on 34 criminal charges by a Manhattan jury has caused an uproar. Some people are proclaiming that justice was finally done, while others say that Trump’s trial was an utter travesty. I won’t second-guess the jury. I wasn’t there for the trial, and I don’t know any of the jurors. I can speak only about my own experience as a juror.

I have served on two juries. I was the foreman of the jury for both trials. I can say that all the members of the two juries were serious about performing their civic duty. We all knew that we held the fate of other people in our hands, and we acted accordingly. I served with jurors who tried their best to be fair and impartial. Even after many years, I am still impressed with the work we did.

I can honestly say that nothing in my life has made me prouder to be an American than the time I spent serving with other citizens on those two juries. It gave me faith in our judicial system and the rule of law.

— Francis Pauc, Oak Creek, Wisconsin

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

Haeckel seems to take democratic values for granted. The right to free speech and practice of the religion of one’s choice are not guaranteed in the Middle East. Israel is the only democracy in the region protecting Western values including equal rights for its Arab citizens and its LGBTQ+ community. America supports Israel because it upholds these democratic values in the region.

Yes, America supports Israel, too, as a friend in the fight to return the hostages. Furthermore, it is Israel that is ferreting out Hamas, a terrorist organization embedded in the fabric of Palestinian society that in large part is responsible for the destruction and the deaths of tens of thousands of Gaza’s inhabitants.

— Ifaat Arbel Bosse, Northbrook

Netanyahu’s many ‘mistakes’

Should we believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a mistake in the May 26 bombing in Rafah? Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, he has been constantly bombing the Gaza strip. More than 36,000 lives have been lost. If it’s a militant who is killed, it’s a victory; otherwise, it’s a mistake.

Netanyahu has bombed his own designated safe areas in the name of hunting down militants. He has put President Joe Biden in a diplomatic dilemma by not heeding world opinion or the order of the International Criminal Court.

— Mumtaz U. Khan, Chicago

‘Zionist’ has become a slur

The Hamas attack of Oct. 7 and the resulting war in Gaza have spurred a dramatic rise in global antisemitism. A significant portion of discourse surrounding Israel has centered around the concept of Zionism and whether “anti-Zionism” is, in fact, antisemitism. The answer is complex but can be simplified to “sometimes, but not always.”

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez’s social media post regarding her desire to find an “anti-Zionist pediatrician” serves as an unfortunate example of anti-Zionism converging with antisemitism. The term “Zionism” has seemingly been co-opted from the Jewish community and transformed into a slur that essentially serves as an equivalent for all things evil. In reality, the modern definition of Zionism serves as a broad umbrella term for the belief in self-determination and safety for Jewish people within a secure homeland. The majority of American Jews identify as some form of “Zionist.”

As a Zionist physician, I believe in Israel’s right to exist alongside an eventual Palestinian state. At the same time, I am highly critical of the Israeli government and the ongoing atrocities carried out by the Israeli military in Gaza. Despite this, I, and many others in my community, have been labeled as colonizers, white supremacists and “evil Zionists.”

My passion for medicine largely stems from my Jewish identity, within which Zionism is intertwined and inseparable. To heal others, no matter their background, is a form of “tikkun olam” (repairing the world), which is the most Jewish thing one can do. I find it disturbing that certain individuals believe I am unfit to care for patients due to my Jewish, Zionist identity.

The slurring of Zionist physicians is reminiscent of historic discrimination against Jewish people in academia and the professional world. In recent months, I have observed colleagues, including fellow physicians, embrace rhetoric contending that Zionists control the media, government and higher education. Collectively these comments, along with those of Rodriguez-Sanchez’s, are demonstrations of gross antisemitism cloaked in the guise of “anti-Zionist” activism. This framework of bigoted thinking endangers Jewish constituents.

I urge Rodriguez-Sanchez to engage with, and learn from, the Chicago Jewish community and to challenge her preconceived notions surrounding Zionism.

— Dr. Sarah Diamond, Chicago

British Empire is to blame

I am an American Jew — if you were to ask me what religion I practice or was raised in. I am not a Zionist. One is a religion, and the other was and is a religion-based political movement to establish a homeland for Jews. To say you are opposed to Zionism does not make you antisemitic.

The current seemingly intractable situation in Gaza cannot be understood without looking at how this miserable situation came about. The blame should be laid primarily on the British Empire, along with the French and Russian empires, whose machinations and schemes in the World War I era in divvying up the collapsing Ottoman Empire led to the problems we have dealt with ever since. For internal political reasons and wartime objectives, these imperial regimes made promises of a national homeland for both the Arabs and the Jews.

The creation of the state of Israel required the displacement of about 800,000 Palestinians, so therein lies the cause of the continuing crisis and war. The reality is what it is, so the only potential way out of this mess is a separate, sovereign Palestinian state. And this would have to be coupled with a massive rebuilding effort, like the post-World War II Marshall Plan.

— Robert Hart, Chicago

May faith in others endure

As I think of Hamas’ horrific crimes on Oct. 7 and the immense suffering of the residents of Gaza, I am reminded of the words of Paulo Freire from his book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”:

“I hope at least that the following will endure: my trust in the people, and my faith in men and women, and in the creation of a world in which it will be easier to love.”

— Terry Hansen, Milwaukee

Supporting a warring nation

I was truly shocked to hear about how much money was flowing into Russia from American companies. I realize that one can’t just cancel contracts and put many U.S. workers out of a job, but surely something could be said or done as a deterrent?

The op-ed by Marko Supronyuk (“Chicago’s Mondelez has kept its ties with a warring Russia,” May 28) was an eye-opener for me. I had no idea.

— Cynthia Olson, Chicago 

Do CTA leaders use the CTA?

I am wondering if Ald. William Hall, 6th, who criticized those taking action to remove CTA President Dorval Carter Jr., ever travel via public transportation? If he does not use the CTA, he has no room to speak out about its leadership publicly.

I do travel on public transportation and have experienced ghost bus after ghost bus. This has occurred since well before the pandemic. Something must change. I also think that the current CTA leadership and past leadership never travel on public transportation.

I did see a picture of Carter stepping off a Yellow Line train recently, though. Besides that trip, does Carter believe his work is too important to take transportation from the organization he heads?

— Janice Gintzler, Crestwood

No building on the lakefront

Why is there any discussion about the Bears building a stadium on the lakefront? Years ago, Chicago merchant Montgomery Ward forbade any building on Lake Michigan. Rightly so!

Museums and Bears can go across the street. Stay off the lakefront.

Chicago has the most beautiful lakefront of anywhere. Do not ever spoil it.

— Mary Ann Moravek, Riverside

Pandering for VP disgraceful

Letter writer Jeffrey Hobbs (“Running for vice president,” May 28) said exactly what I have been thinking for months. Happy to read that I am not the only one who feels this way. Very well said.

— Avon Sulser, Rockford

Beetles will invade soon

Be patient, gardeners. In a few weeks’ time, the cicadas will be gone — just in time to welcome the annual hatching of the Japanese beetles.

— Richard Schultz, Crete

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

Coal generates more problematic carbon pollution per unit of energy than oil or gas. But as with all fossil fuel-derived energy, producers never pay for the damage made worse by burning their products (more and longer droughts, more intense wildfires and hurricanes, flooding, etc.). Failure to include environmental costs into energy sourcing decisions like these is yet another reason we need federal carbon pricing legislation.

Carbon pricing would help fossil fuels more accurately reflect their true costs. Until that happens, fossil fuels will continue to be priced artificially low at the meter and the pump, markets will remain broke, and the transition to cheaper clean energy will be slowed — to the harm of all.

If passed, pending carbon pricing legislation such as the Energy Innovation Act (HR 5744) would make the decision to exit Prairie State coal by 2035 an easy one.

— Andrew Panelli, Homer Glen

Environment not a partisan issue

Michael Hawthorne’s article in the May 26 Tribune about communities being asked to double down on investments in coal-burning energy generation was alarming in many ways.

But the most important from my point of view was the framing of the discussion as a partisan issue by referring to decarbonization efforts as President Joe Biden’s plan.

This epitomizes the irresponsible role of the news media in America’s current mess.

Environmental issues are physical phenomena. They cannot be made to disappear by insinuating — purposefully or out of careless habit — that they are the invention of one or the other political party. Casting these issues as primarily issues associated with one political party or the other obscures the problems we are facing.

Investing more in coal-fired energy is problematic not because it runs counter to President Joe Biden’s plan. It is problematic because it runs counter to common sense in 2024. Yes, that creates difficult issues, but shouldn’t responsible media report those issues without slipping into partisan tropes?

— Mike Koetting, Chicago

Appealing to downstate utility

Thank you for publishing Michael Hawthorne’s excellent expose regarding the entrapment of dozens of communities in Illinois in the dirty web of coal. Hawthorne’s excellent summary captures my circumstance in Highland in downstate Illinois.

As a member of Greater Highland Area Concerned Citizens, I and others have tried for years to convince the Highland City Council to look for alternatives to Illinois Municipal Electric Agency’s offer of coal for our Highland electric utility.

Hawthorne asks important questions:

If these coal plants IMEA relies on close, who will be responsible? Who will pay for decommissioning, cleanup and an alternate source of electricity? The answer: The ratepayers and the taxpayers will pay.

Why are health and environmental concerns not considered? Coal is the dirtiest, most destructive way to make electricity.

I have additional concerns. Many Highland electric utility users live outside city limits. We cannot vote for or run for the Highland City Council. Yet because Highland electric is considered a “public” utility, the Highland City Council decides who will supply our electricity. There is no “public” in Highland electric if you live outside city limits.

Therefore, Highland electric should not be exempt from being held accountable by the Illinois Commerce Commission and should be required to explain to its ratepayer public who, how, why, when and where our electricity will come from. Let the public have a say if you want to be considered a public utility.

My civil rights as a citizen are discarded because modern life has linked me to Highland electric for my everyday needs. I am not represented at the City Council. I have no say in this important decision of my “public” utility.

My particular problems are important ones. These are shared, in part or in whole, by more than 1 million municipal and cooperative electric ratepayers in Illinois.

— Kay Ahaus, Trenton, Illinois

Naperville’s coal-heavy power

As concerned Naperville residents and members of the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST), we appreciated the article on the front page of the May 26 Tribune describing the difficult decisions Naperville faces with its coal-heavy electrical supply.

We are rightly concerned about the pressure being exerted on the city by the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) to extend the current contract to 2055, a $2 billion commitment. It is financially risky and could condemn the city to be among the country’s least environmentally friendly communities. The article captures the broader issues succinctly and comprehensively.

Why do we consider an early renewal of the contract to be risky?

IMEA is tied to coal with no plan to transition to clean energy at a time when renewable energy and storage are already cheaper, a trend that is expected to continue. Naperville ratepayers deserve a contract that allows flexibility to take advantage of lower-cost clean energy.

IMEA wants Naperville to sign a new contract by April 2025, but our current contract allows us until September 2030 to provide notice. The longer we wait to decide on our next electricity supplier, the less uncertainty. The less uncertainty, the less risk. Other utilities address uncertainty through regularly updated integrated resource planning, which is absent from the existing and proposed contracts.

It would be fiscally irresponsible to sole-source a $2 billion contract. Due diligence, putting the contract out to bid and public engagement will take time.

Naperville should not be rushed by IMEA’s artificial deadline.

Naperville must also do its part to address the climate crisis. Signing the proposed IMEA contract would put us firmly in the category of environmental laggard. Instead, Naperville can lead in statewide efforts to retire coal. Our community can work together to create a future where low-price, reliable energy is sourced in a sustainable manner.

NEST is a designated task force of the city charged with advising on sustainability issues. We operate independently of the city government, and the views expressed are entirely our own.

— Catherine Clarkin, Maureen Stillman, Barbara Benson and Fernando Arriola, NEST

Creating new transmission lines

The U.S. power grid as it stands today is a major obstacle in efforts to fight climate change. The network consists of three grids (East, West and Texas) and is further divided into 12 transmission planning regions; they share little power between them. This makes it very difficult to build the long-distance power lines needed to transport wind and solar power nationwide.

The climate stakes are high! The billions of dollars approved last year under the Inflation Reduction Act for solar panels, wind turbines, electric cars and other technologies are at risk if the U.S. cannot approve and build new transmission lines at a faster pace.

Just to put it in perspective, transmission capacity would need to more than double to reach the goal of 100% clean electricity generation by 2035.

Plans are underway to upgrade 100,000 miles of transmission lines over the next five years. This will include deploying grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) such as high-performance conductors and dynamic line ratings that will enable existing transmission lines to carry more power.

The Big Wires Act introduced in 2023 would set a minimum requirement for inter-regional transfer capacity and include GETs among the technical options for meeting the requirement. It would require the sharing of energy from regions with excess capacity to other regions facing energy deficits. This in turn would help get clean energy such as solar and wind power from states where it is produced to states where it is needed.

The grid is an important part of our energy system and how we manage it will determine how susceptible we become to weather-related events caused by climate change.

Readers can write their members of Congress at www.house.gov and ask them to support the Big Wires Act (H.R.5551/S.2827).

— Joseph Reitmeyer, Mount Prospect

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