Illinois became the 21st state on Dec. 6, 1818. Its state constitution begins with the words: “We, the People of the State of Illinois.” Our state constitution goes on to say: “All men are by nature free and independent and have certain inherent and inalienable rights among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these rights and the protection of property, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..”
If political power is inherent in the people, should the ability to influence elections be determined disproportionately by the amount of money a person or organization can spend? Does unlimited election spending enhance the political voice of Illinois citizens, or does it allow concentrated wealth to exercise disproportionate political power?
Right now, unlimited outside money, including foreign-linked money, is flooding our elections. Billionaires and secretive super political action committees, with no stake in our communities, are shaping our future.
Americans get it, and we’re fighting back. Twenty-five states have called for a constitutional amendment to restore the ability of Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on money in elections. This movement didn’t start in Washington. It started in living rooms, town halls and letters just like this one.
On Sept. 17, we commemorated the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The best way to honor the Constitution is to strengthen it.
Talk with your neighbors, contact your elected officials and urge them to help make this amendment a reality. We have amended the U.S. Constitution 27 times before. We can do it again.
— Cheryl Scantlen, Downers Grove
Head Start’s effectiveness
One of the most impactful moments I have witnessed in 32 years of working in education, five of them with Head Start, happened recently at a family event. Our home visiting program regularly gathers to share a meal, engage in a developmental activity and create a community for families.
Two girls were completing a puzzle together. The younger of the two said, “Kids make fun of my hijab at school. Do they ever do that to you?” The supportive conversation that followed happened because there was space for it to happen. For a young girl growing up isolated from other Muslim children and attending a school where a hijab is something to tease someone about, it is everything.
In our home visiting program, almost 90% of the parents are newcomers to the United States, who speak over 10 different languages. To accommodate this, we have interpreters and devices that make communication, culture, connection and community possible.
The federal Administration for Children and Families, in its proposal for reducing “the federal burden” on Head Start programs, wants to remove all federal regulations “regarding home-based program design, instructional activities for home visits, curriculum, staff support, adapting curriculum, and group socialization structure.” But as standards are lowered, funds will be, too, resulting in families having fewer opportunities to connect. That would diminish the effectiveness of the program.
The administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking also states that instruction must be delivered in English, and if a child does not speak English, then there must be a priority to teach the language. Educators agree that instruction works best when children first learn concepts in their home language while gradually building skills in English. Not honoring a family’s home language would mean the welcome and validation that families feel in the program would be erased. The funding for the interpreters and translators would be eliminated.
This is just two of the hundreds of standards that the proposed rulemaking has put on the chopping block. The current standards have been developed by experts in the field of education and have proved effective through the program’s success rate.
If the standards are deleted, so will opportunities for two young girls to connect over a puzzle and find value in who they are.
— Cara Craig, education specialist, Childcare Network of Evanston
Pollution from power plants
The commitment by President Donald Trump’s administration to Make America Healthy Again continues.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, whose mission is to protect human health and the environment, plans to repeal rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. Earlier this year, the agency eliminated greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks.
That’s quite the one-two punch. Fossil fuel-fired power plants alone account for about a quarter of the nation’s climate pollution, second only to transportation. Power plant pollution has also been linked to asthma, chronic lung disease, heart attacks and neurological damage in children. Air pollution causes an estimated 100,000 U.S. deaths annually.
The EPA says ending the power plant rule would save the power plant industry more than $300 billion in costs. The change would also allow utilities to “make the best decision for the ratepayers based on cost and cost savings, instead of being required to shut down facilities.”
You may not want to hold your breath while waiting for lower utility bills — but you may need to hold it when you step outside.
— Steven M. Ostrowski, Lombard
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Repeating mistakes of history
President Donald Trump falsely blames Ukraine for Russia’s invasion. That would be like blaming Czechoslovakia for Adolf Hitler seizing part of its territory in 1938 and the entire country in 1939. Trump claims that Ukraine is responsible for high diesel prices, which is also untrue.
Ukraine first attacked a Russian oil facility in April 2022 and ramped up its attacks on Russia’s energy supplies in 2025. The surge in crude oil and diesel prices started in February when Trump started his ill-fated war with Iran.
Trump went to war with Iran even though U.S. intelligence said it didn’t have a nuclear weapons program. Trump ignored warnings that Iran would respond by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz and attacking our allies and bases in the region. Iran’s allies have taken control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and attacked an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia, reducing the world’s energy supplies even more.
So far, the Trump administration’s negotiations over Ukraine involve giving Russian President Vladimir Putin what he wants while demanding no concessions from Russia. Meanwhile, Russia supports Iran by supplying it with weapons and intelligence that it can use against the U.S. The Financial Times recently reported that Russia is also helping Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles.
Appeasement didn’t work with Hitler, and it won’t work with Putin. A second war in the Middle East over weapons that don’t exist is another recipe for disaster.
Trump failed to learn from the mistakes of history, so the rest of us are doomed for him to repeat them.
— Mike Mosser, Chicago
$5,000 for voting Republican?
If you really believe you’re going to get $5,000 if you vote Republican this November — in a country with $40 trillion in national debt — I’d like to sell you the most amazing triumphal arch in Washington. D.C. Or a glorious National Mall Reflecting Pool. Or a most luxurious Air Force One with all the latest security features. And low gas prices. And a skyrocketing economy — the “hottest” in the world. And Greenland, too — the whole country!
Have the die-hard Donald Trump supporters figured it out yet? Should the rest of us tell them?
— Frank Kern, Chicago
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