Illinois Editorial Roundup:
Here are excerpts of editorials from newspapers published in Illinois.
September 21, 2020
Chicago Tribune
Rooting for government merger mania in cash-strapped Illinois
What would be the most honorable, selfless act an Illinois elected official might consider? Probably this: To acknowledge the state's financial woes and, in the name of overburdened taxpayers, fire oneself.
To say publicly what no fiefdom-building politician ever wants to admit: My city and state would be better off without me and my expensive, wasteful bureaucracy.
Go ahead and roll your eyes, but then applaud Mayor Curtis McCall Jr. of Cahokia near St. Louis, who declares that residents really would benefit if his village along the Mississippi River combined with two nearby communities. 'œI would have to step down from my position as a mayor, and that wasn't an easy choice to make because I love serving the citizens in the village of Cahokia,'ť he said, according to the Belleville News-Democrat. 'œIt wasn't an easy decision to make, but it was a necessary decision to make.'ť
The idea of consolidating and eliminating units of government in Illinois is the long-standing wish of infuriated watchdogs and exhausted taxpayers. This state has more government units than any other: nearly 7,000 of them, including villages, townships, housing authorities and drainage districts. Every one takes its share of dollars from you, the taxpayers. Many of these taxing bodies operate without much scrutiny and offer services that could be handled by others. Many provide taxpayer-funded pensions.
At the same time, Illinois is losing population as residents leave for other states with brighter economic opportunities, lower taxes, less corruption and sometimes, yes, warmer weather. We hear frequently from Illinois Exodus seekers and other fed-up residents who fear the downward spiral's impact. At both the state and local levels, Illinois is deep in debt, yet government entities continue to tax and spend at unsustainable levels. As more Illinoisans leave, and others choose not to come, the burdens rise on those who remain.
Fleeing is always an option. 'œI'm tired of Illinois' multiple levels of corrupt government and out-of-control spending,'ť Tribune reader Kevin Bae of Glenview wrote in a recent letter to the editor in which he said goodbye. 'œPeople here scream for change but vote the same people into office time and time again.'ť
Two other recent letter-writers focused their attention on government spending, offering specific suggestions for downsizing expensive bureaucracies. Jack Shniderman of Northbrook looked at a map and wondered why Illinois has 102 counties and a population of 12.7 million, while California has 58 counties and a population of 39.5 million. 'œLike a business merger, if Illinois merged down to 40 or 50 counties, it would save billions by eliminating redundancies in workers, equipment, pensions, elections, transportation and hundreds of other expenses,'ť he wrote.
A Facebook page 'œEscaping Illinois'ť boasts nearly 50,000 followers and sells T-shirts, coffee mugs, baby onesies and other merchandise. Its posts often lament the state's bleak finances.
Kathleen Reyes of Chicago took aim at the 50-member City Council. 'œMost aldermen have staffs of six to eight employees,'ť she wrote. 'œWe'd save a fortune on salaries and benefits by cutting the City Council to 25 and cutting staffs to a reasonable number.'ť
Idealistic? Improbable? Say what you want, but these are necessary changes for a state not living within its means. As Illinois' fiscal plight deepens, there's been some nibbling around the edges of reform. The state recently consolidated hundreds of downstate and suburban police and fire pension funds into two statewide funds. McHenry County and DuPage County have made progress toward dissolving smaller governments within their boundaries.
Then there is what Mayor McCall of Cahokia and other realists are doing along the Mississippi River. On Election Day Nov. 3, the voters of Cahokia, Centreville and Alorton will decide whether to merge into one city. The survivor community would be called Cahokia Heights. Afterward, a local township might also be dissolved. The area is losing population and has a high percentage of residents living below the federal poverty line, the News-Democrat said. Consolidating government would save tax dollars and allow the larger community to qualify for more federal funds.
'œIf it's going to help the residents of Cahokia, Centreville or Alorton, then I'm all for it because right now, our communities are dying,'ť McCall said. 'œThese are communities of color and we need to do what we need to do to help these communities survive.'ť
Thank you, mayor, for doing what every elected government official in troubled Illinois, should be doing every day: Caring about people and responsible governance, not political fiefdoms.
Say goodbye, we hope, to Cahokia, Centreville and Alorton. Hello to Cahokia Heights and fiscal responsibility.
___
September 20, 2020
The (Champaign) News-Gazette
The Big Ten's deep dive into the dark
Are Big Ten fans ready for some football?
If not, they've got a little more than a month to prepare following last week's announcement that the conference will begin a minimum eight-game schedule Oct. 23-24.
The announcement reversed what was an earlier groundbreaking decision to cancel the season as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic that has wrecked daily life for millions of people living from coast to coast.
While the decision is welcome - any semblance of normality represents a breath of fresh air - the obvious question is why Big Ten presidents and chancellors, acting in concert with athletic administrators, coaches and medical advisers, decided to flip after they flopped.
The powers that be insist they've been assured a violent game that eschews social distancing can be played without posing a coronavirus health threat to the participants.
A cumbersome and comprehensive series of health protocols are being implemented to ensure a maximum effort to minimize a virus threat.
At the same time, the game will be off limits to fans, a banishment that will take a lot of the fun generated by a full stadium.
The Big Ten is not the only conference that has decided to play. The SEC and the Big 12 are playing under the same odd ground rules as the Big Ten.
Other conferences, like the Pac-12, continue to sit out the season for safety reasons.
Frankly, it's hard to argue with either approach.
Fear can be paralyzing, and more is not known about this pandemic and its malicious reach than is known. So it's no surprise that experienced and intelligent people across the country can look at the similar sets of facts and reach different conclusions.
That's particularly so if they have different priorities. That's where the question of revenue comes into play.
Sure, the players and coaches can't wait to get on the field and compete. That's what they do. It's their raison d'etre.
But it would be beyond naive to ignore the collateral economic damage caused to university sports programs by season cancellations.
Just as the original economic shutdowns put in place in states like Illinois last year devastated economies and turned people's lives upside down, so, too, have major college sports programs been subject to similar devastation.
At the same time, the coronavirus has been hugely destructive from a public health standpoint, causing many hundreds of thousands of illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths.
But who is most vulnerable? Certainly not young, strong, healthy athletes who are far beyond physically fit. They just don't fit in the demographic categories that most concern those who follow the pandemic's trajectory.
Still, the coronavirus is not just nasty, but relentless. It must be dealt with carefully.
Big Ten officials persuasively argue that's what they'll do as the seasons unfolds. But they're not miracle workers - this virus isn't going away, and neither are the devastating consequences that go with it.
___
September 17, 2020
Shaw Media
What are we actually teaching out kids at a reopen protest?
When the townsfolk start sharpening their pitchforks, you know an angry mob is about to form.
Clearly, COVID-19 is still a significant concern. An August wedding in Maine '“ with only 65 guests '“ reportedly resulted in seven September deaths. Reasonable minds can agree that crowded classrooms and hallways create some risk of spreading the virus. Not surprisingly, many school districts decided to err on the side of caution and opt for e-learning. Quite literally, they were making a life-and-death decision.
However, remote learning creates its own set of challenges. Most experts agree that in-person learning offers a superior educational environment. And there is stress '“ on parents, teachers and students alike. The stress and anxiety created by this disruption cannot be disputed and should not be disregarded. It is real.
We have nothing but empathy for the teachers who are trying their best to make this work in the middle of a pandemic, the parents who are trying the impossible balance of working from home and remote learning, and especially the children who are enduring it all.
This stress had led to protests from angry parents throughout Northern Illinois in the past two weeks, with groups by the dozens and sometimes hundreds showing up in Wheaton, Crystal Lake, Algonquin, and Dixon, among others.
Unfortunately, at protests in some places such as Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake, the majority of participating parents were maskless.
The CDC Wednesday released new indicators for decision making for schools to reopen. At the top of the list is the correct and consistent usage of masks.
When you show up in a pandemic to make a protest that children can safely return to school and you fail to follow even the most basic social distancing guidelines, you tend to lose some credibility.
School districts had to make a decision, and that process involved data, statistics, expert opinion and reasoned logic.
Conversely, the main argument of the protesting parents seems to be, 'œI want my kid back in school!'ť The anger seems to be growing. It would not surprise us if school districts began to cave into the demands of angry parents.
We understand how disruptive e-learning can be. But part of life is learning to adjust to adverse circumstances. Our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents had to get through World Wars and the Great Depression. Surely, we can manage some social distancing precautions for a period of perhaps 12 months? Our parents and grandparents told us that when the world gives us lemons we should make lemonade. The message we are passing onto future generations seems to be that if the world gives you lemons, demand to see the manager, then scream and threaten until they give you oranges.
We believe that children should return to classrooms as soon as it is safe to do so. If that time is now '“ then so be it. But let's have the decision stem from thoughtful logic based on actual data. The decision should not be based on who screams the loudest.