LETTERS
City Hall responsible
for Chicago Police
After reading an article in
your publication, "A View
from Chicago," (see Illinois
Issues, June 1998, page 37), I
couldn't help but take pen in
hand. As a retired Chicago
police officer I, too, am concerned about the Chicago Police
Department. Jim Ylisela, in his article,
missed a very important point: How
many of the officers involved in the
stealing of drug money and shakedowns became police officers as a
direct result of Mayor Daley's affirmative action process? As for the Mearday case, the officers involved lost their
jobs because of political pressure not
facts, and, yes again, these officers will
be reinstated to their jobs after due
process in court. At this time I believe
the problem with the C.P.D, originates
in City Hall.
The citizens of Chicago cannot
afford to lower standards but must
demand higher standards and let the
make-up of the department fall where
it will. As for Superintendent
Rodriquez, if he did what the columnist states he did, why wasn't he
charged with "obstruction"? I think
Ylisela should confine his remarks
about excessive force, racial tolerance
and diversity to the journalism ranks
and leave the Chicago Police Department alone while they try to work
under very difficult times.
Randall B. Bassie
Retired Chicago Police Officer
Humor falls flat
Humor is a wonderful tool. That is,
until it falls flat. Mike Cramer's cartoon depicting Illinois prison inmates
doing jobs such as income tax processing, day care and home safety inspections fell real flat (see Illinois Issues,
July/August 1998, page 44). The cartoon followed recent news flaps over
inmates doing processing of driver's
licenses and registrations.
The cartoon only added to the
stereotypes of Illinois' inmates as
permanent waste in society. Cramer's cartoon builds the image of all
prisoners as a permanent
pariah on society without
any distinction to a public
overwhelmed with crime and
the shadowy images of how
to solve the increasing breakdown of society.
Of course, the fact that Illinois politics and public policy exploit crime in
the state for the purposes of local economic development is protected as if it
were an endangered species. In July,
Gov. Jim Edgar said, "This spring I
announced my intention to bring a
prison near Savanna because the Army
Depot will leave more than 400 people
out of work. ... I remain committed to
building a prison near Savanna in a
timely and cost-efficient manner to
offset those lost jobs for Army Depot
workers and their families."
The future prison housing more
than 1,200 inmates would join others
operated by the Department of Corrections. Currently, Illinois has 42,350
prisoners in 26 prisons, 17 camps and
11 work release institutions and 14
individuals in out-of-state facilities. In
case there is any lingering doubt about
Illinois' prisons being an economic
development tool first and foremost,
get rid of the illusions. Edgar the
prison builder made it clear as part of
his legacy to the state to make sure
more prisons were built in Illinois to
spur the local economies.
So much for the rehabilitation of
people in prison and improving their
poor communities. Instead of poking
fun at Illinois' prisoners, we should be
finding ways of reducing the numbers
and closing facilities.
Doug Dohmeyer
Chicago
Schools offer no thanks
After nine months of waiting, a
reasonable person can now assume
Illinois schools will probably never tell
taxpayers, "Thank you for the extra
cash." Late last year in a special legislative session we (Illinois taxpayers)
forked over nearly one-half billion
dollars in new state school funding
aid. Taxes were soon raised on
cigarettes, gambling and long
distance phone calls. Those citizens
who want to support education
with gusto should start smoking
and gambling while talking on the
phone.
Kim Alexander
Delavan
Citizens disciplining
lawyers? Dream on
Regarding the article in the June
1998 issue titled, "Citizens could
have a hand in disciplining judges"
(see page 8), it will never happen.
Lawyers own the judiciary. Lawyers
become judges and continue to
attend Bar Association meetings
and party and revel with lawyers.
And you're naive enough to think
they will allow an honest human on
the Disciplinary Committee?
Dream, dream, dream.
O. G. Ferrari
Alton
Correction
Illinois Issues reported in June
(see page 38) that lawmakers had
raised the income ceiling to $14,000
for a program that provides cash
grants to the elderly to help offset
property taxes and pay for medication. According to the Department
of Revenue, the ceiling is $16,000,
beginning with the 1998 grant year.
How to write us
Your comments on articles and
columns are welcome. Please keep
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reserve the right to excerpt them.
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Illinois Issues, K-10
P.O.Box 19243:
University of Illinois at Springfield
Springfield, IL 62794-9243
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Ilissues@uis.edu;
Editor; boyer-long.peggy@uis.edu
Web site: www.uis.edu/~ilissues/ilissues.htm
44 ¦ September 1998 Illinois Issues