GOP candidates lack substance
These are tough times for social conservatives and evangelicals.
The GOP presidential frontrunner, Rudy Giuliani, is a social liberal who favors abortion, practices serial monogamy (picking out the next partner before jettasing his current mate), rooms with a gay couple during a messy divorce and is somewhat estranged from his son and daughter.
This is not exactly what the Focus on the Family crowd looks for in a president.
The only other prominent contenders, Mitt Romney and John McCain, don’t quite fit the bill. Romney led the evil liberal state of Massachusetts, looking and sounding a lot like one of the dreaded Kennedy clan. McCain is still not forgiven for his trashing of the Christian Right in 2000, before he got religion on the subject of religion and made nice with them.
From stage right enter Fred Thompson, former senator, multimillionaire, lobbyist and, most famously, New York City District Attorney Arthur Branch on “Law and Order.” He appears to have the look, demeanor and political philosophy that social conservatives and evangelicals can rally around. He comes from the right part of the country, spouts socially conservative talking points and doesn’t have the baggage that all the other GOP frontrunners do.
Trouble is Thompson has no accomplishments or vision to offer in all his many years in public service. He’s viewed as lazy by his former colleagues, appears befuddled in public appearances so far and at 65 is woefully out of place in the current cauldron of critical issues facing our nation.
The GOP is fond of bashing Hollywood types when they are of the Sean Penn or Tim Robbins liberal bent. They love Thompson because as New York District Attorney Branch he personifies the heroic conservative mold that propelled Ronald Reagan from B actor to the presidency.
They have misjudged Thompson, however. In real life he is more like the Peter Sellers character Chance the gardener in the 1979 movie “Being There,” whose simple-minded, TV-inspired statements were considered profound.
In 2008, America needs a suit, or a dress, with substance.
Walt Zlotow, Glen Ellyn
County home rule needs voters’ OK
Isn’t it nice to learn that smokers are still considered to be good for something by the DuPage County Board of Commissioners ... like additional taxes ... again?
This is a portion of what H.B. 0556 is about, even though the same proposal to allow Illinois counties home-rule authority for taxation was defeated last year. This is also one of the reasons why the assembly vote has been postponed so many times. This year the same taxation authority is being proposed as an amendment to the pending General Assembly tobacco tax bill.
Home rule for Illinois counties is in violation of our Illinois Constitution, unless they are given that authority through a referendum/public vote by residents.
Garnet Dawn Scheuer, Lake Bluff
All must be ready to help neighbors
The recent letter to the editor from Margaret Moriarty appeared in your paper on Friday, Sept. 14, and I was moved to respond to her harsh comments.
First, the lesson learned from 9/11, Katrina and the subsequent emergency response training is that government cannot be expected to be everywhere at once. We, as citizens, must prepare ourselves and be ready to help one another.
Second, Margaret stated that she had electricity but did not say that she helped others. Perhaps she does not know how to be helpful. There were a variety of acts of kindnesses offered to us by our neighbors and friends: space in a refrigerator/freezer for our food, electricity to charge our cell phones, lodging, invitations for a home-cooked meal, use of a washer and dryer, help in clearing our roof of large tree limbs, etc.
Third, Margaret needs to take the blinders off and go beyond the limits of her own property borders to see the outstanding response that this emergency was given by the Elmhurst administration, police, firemen and public works personnel. A plan was in operation and was obvious even to this untrained eye. Trees blocking streets and preventing travel by safety vehicles — firetrucks and ambulances — were removed first over those on private property such as Margaret’s.
The remaining 41 households in College View whose electricity was finally restored on Monday, Aug. 27, at 2:33 p.m. are very grateful to the intervention by the city’s administration (manager, mayor and our alderman, Mike Regan) with ComEd to overcome a snafu to get us electricity.
And finally, at the end of her letter, Margaret got to its real purpose, which is not the welfare of her neighbors. The purpose of her letter was to make a political attack as proven by the fact that she took the time and effort to send her letter to all three local papers.
Charlotte Mushow, Elmhurst
Casinos not good for state, society
Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that will expand gambling with three casinos — one for Chicago and two more at locations to be determined later — all in an effort to find an “easy” source of revenue for the state.
If the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago and other municipalities want to create or maintain a successful gambling industry, there must be losers — and lots of them. Far too many public school systems have failed to adequately equip students to read, write and understand basic arithmetic. Now the government wants to take advantage of these under-educated citizens in casinos where the odds are stacked against them?
The problem is not just with those who lose financially — that’s obvious — but the wider community also loses as gamblers engage in destructive behavior: they commit crimes, run up large debts, damage relationships with family and friends, and commit suicide at rates alarmingly higher than the rest of society.
According to the 1999 National Gambling Impact Study Commission Report (June 1999, pp. 7-27), individuals with gambling problems are disproportionately represented among the homeless. A survey of homeless service providers in Chicago found that 33 percent considered gambling a contributing factor in the homelessness of people in their program.
Casinos are no economic panacea — even in Illinois’ big cities. It would actually add to the homeless problem, bring increases in crime, home foreclosures, suicide, domestic abuse and alcohol abuse while creating broken families and new addictions. The social costs of gambling certainly far outweigh the financial benefits.
David E. Smith, executive director, Illinois Family Institute, Glen Ellyn
D.C. residents should be allowed to vote
The U.S. Senate recently failed to reach the required 60 votes to end debate on the landmark DC House Voting Rights Act of 2007. The setback for the legislation, which passed the House several months ago, was spearheaded by Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and others.
The League of Women Voters U.S. issued a statement: “League members nationwide are saddened beyond words that after 200 years, Americans in our nation’s capital must wait even longer to have the same rights as the citizens of Baghdad or virtually any other capital in the world.”
“Sen. McConnell and those in his ranks should be ashamed of themselves. Standing right here on DC soil, they have told more than 600,000 people …that they should pay taxes and fight for our country, but they don’t deserve the right to vote.”
Sen. McConnell and the Republicans voting with him against the bill said it is unconstitutional because Washington, D.C., is not a state. However, the founders never intended that the citizens of D.C. not have the right to vote. Initially, Alexander Hamilton proposed to let D.C. residents vote with Maryland or Virginia until their population grew, at which time Congress would give D.C. voting representation. Today, Washington, D.C., has a larger population than Wyoming, but still no voting representation in Congress.
How has our country arrived at the point where the Constitution is conveniently ignored to suspend habeas corpus and wiretap Americans without a court order, and the Constitution is conveniently invoked to deny 600,000 citizens, who live, work and pay taxes, representation in Congress?
Jan Kay, president, Wheaton League of Women Voters
