Let's hold Democrats to a higher standard

More and more of my suburban neighbors have been voting for Democrats and that's great. I'm relieved to have new leaders in Washington who value decency and democracy. But after four years spent complaining about Trump's corruption, let's hold the Democrats to a higher standard.

Earlier this month, I helped plan Schaumburg Area Progressives' "Patients Over Profits" protest near Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi's office in Schaumburg. Rep. Krishnamoorthi remains in the shrinking minority of Chicagoland's congressional delegation who opposes insuring everyone through Medicare for All.

I find it problematic that, in his short career, my congressman has taken over $400,000 in corporate PAC money from insurance, pharmaceutical and health care provider lobbies. He's also received almost $2 million from health industry professionals - more than almost every other member of Congress. Whether that money influences his judgment is not for me to say, but it surely presents a troubling conflict of interest.

You don't have to agree with me that health care is a human right, or that employers shouldn't control your access to health care, to be bothered by corporate money in politics. Rep. Krishnamoorthi has also taken corporate donations from out-of-state arms manufacturers like Lockheed Martin while voting to increase the Pentagon's budget. He's taken money from ComEd's parent, Exelon, currently embroiled in a bribery scandal. He raised millions of dollars for his last election - with no Republican even running against him.

And the worst part is, he's not alone. I urge all of my neighbors in the newly-blue collar counties to learn how their representatives finance their campaigns and to hold them to high standards. After four years of suffering and greed, we finally have a chance at real change in our country. Let's not blow it by letting companies that benefit from the status quo put the brakes on progress.

John Kokoris

Elgin