letters
Forum: How does she know about charter’s success?
Jill Gottfred, policy manager of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, recently submitted a letter to Forum in which she took issue with a SouthtownStar editorial that questioned the fairness of funding for Southland College Prep Charter High School in Richton Park. She describes the …
Forum: A lesson for Mark Kirk
Phil Kadner’s May 9 column describes how U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk is recovering from his stroke, thanks to the generous health insurance that’s provided to senators. How about the rest of us? Would your insurance take care of you in the same way? What if …
Forum: NATO protesters in the dark
I have read several articles on the NATO protestors and noticed that they erroneously blame NATO for a number of the world’s problems. It made me wonder if the protestors even knew why NATO was formed or exists. Somehow I doubt it. I conducted an …
Forum: Televise the Drew trial
Regarding cameras not being allowed in court for the murder trial of Drew Peterson, it seems a little ridiculous to me. When his story was made into a cable TV movie, instead of being embarrassed and ashamed as he should have been, Peterson reportedly watched …
Forum: Gambling expansion needed now
We in Illinois are up to our necks in the state’s deepening financial crisis and staggering unemployment rates. But a very real solution exists that enables the state to generate revenue and create jobs, all at no expense to taxpayers. The Illinois Revenue & Jobs …
Forum: Retirees unfairly penalized
Do they just want us to die? Many retired state workers are asking that question after the Illinois House passed a bill to end state support for retiree health insurance. A lot of retirees are beginning to realize that killing off a few thousand pensioners …
Forum: Protecting against concussions
It sometimes takes tremendous tragedy to change ideas embedded in our culture. A prime example of this is the “warrior mentality” instilled in football players from the time they start playing. This culture is now under the microscope, with increasing efforts to study the long-term …
Forum: Look in the mirror, folks
In Phil Kadner’s May 8 column, he reported on a Crete Township resident who fears losing his home due to escalating property taxes and declining home value. The man suggested that a petition be circulated and sent to Springfield in support of property tax caps. …
Forum: Tough decisions, votes to save Medicaid
Illinois faces a financial crisis that threatens the viability of its Medicaid program. For years, Illinois has failed to adequately budget for the costs associated with this critical program that provides medical care for low-income children, persons with disabilities and senior citizens. The nonpartisan Civic …
Forum: Emanuel pits workers against homeowners
For we in Chicago, our despotic mayor is a master manipulator of news cycles and perception. Faced with a budget crisis, the mayor, who has been feeding from the public trough his entire adult life as a member of the elite political class, pits homeowners …
Forum: Time to remember why moms are so special
Not long ago, I was asked by my daughter, “Mom, why do you think mothers are so special? I mean dads are special, too, and we love them just the same, but there is something about mothers that is different.” I replied that I had …
Forum: Pension reform progress
Illinois’ public pension systems are the worst-funded of any state, with money set aside now for only 43 percent of the benefits already earned. The national average of 80 percent is almost twice that. As a member of the Legislature’s bipartisan, bicameral Pension Work Group, …
Forum: Obamacare revised mandate an insult to religion
Fran Eaton’s recent column regarding the bogus “war on women” was right on. However, I must comment on her reference to the Obamacare mandate for contraception services being “revised” by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The mandate was not the focus of …
Forum: Gas price conundrum
Would the SouthtownStar ask the gas station operators to explain the following situation? Gas prices recently were about $4 per gallon when the price of crude oil was about $107 per barrel. Overnight, prices went to $4.29 per gallon while the price of oil dropped. …
Forum: Charter school editorial missed point
We at the Illinois Network of Charter Schools were dismayed to read your April 23 editorial questioning the funding for Southland College Prep Charter High School, a successful charter school serving students in Rich Township. The editorial suggests that state funds are being unfairly taken …
