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player ready...The Tribune Editorial board misrepresents the U.S. Constitution with its editorial “Want an education freedom tax credit? Indiana says it is here to help” (Sept. 20).
The board touts a billboard on the Indiana side of the border with Illinois that brags about the state’s “education freedom tax credit.” It is a great name for the state’s program, I will admit. So was the name for Illinois’ old program, Invest in Kids. “School choice” is also a good one. But no matter how you name it, these programs still offer taxpayer money for private education. And in Chicago, private means religious much of the time!
The editorial board states that in denying Illinoisans this federal tax credit, Gov. JB Pritzker is bowing to the teachers unions. The only thing he is bowing to is the U.S. Constitution. What part of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause does the editorial board not understand? No governmental entity can establish any religion. Is there a greater way to establish a religion than to have the government help pay for tuition at a religious school?
The Founding Fathers kept religion and government separate for very good reasons. They came from England, a nation steeped in religious warfare. They wanted none of that in their new democracy.
Ironically, in the same section of the paper, on the Nation & World page, there is an article about freedom of the press (“Outlets denied White House access”), a freedom also in the First Amendment.
Does the editorial board only adhere to part of that amendment?
— Jan Goldberg, Riverside
A ‘black void’? Really?
“Illinois these days is a black void where school choice is concerned.” That is the online meta description for the Sunday editorial.
Seriously?
— Phil Vettel, Chicago
Pritzker’s run for 3rd term
I find it interesting that Gov. JB Pritzker calls out President Donald Trump for wanting to be “king,” yet here he is running for a third term! Illinois is one of only 13 states left that allows more than two terms for governor.
Pritzker is spending millions to ensure he wins a third term. He may want to look in a mirror when saying Trump is an “authoritarian” or a “dictator.”
Pritzker’s hypocrisy knows no bounds.
— David Bohac, Willow Springs
Supporting older adults
As a gerontologist who grew up in Illinois and now lives in Chicago, I have spent my career thinking about what it takes for people to live healthy, secure and meaningful lives as they age. My connection to this issue is also deeply personal. I grew up in Whiteside County, and some of the older adults I love most still live there today.
That is why I have been paying close attention to Illinois’ policies affecting older adults.
In 2024, Gov. JB Pritzker issued an executive order establishing the state’s Multi-Sector Plan for Aging. The resulting “EngAging Illinois” plan is a 10-year road map addressing four broad areas: livable and connected communities, health for all ages, caregivers and the affordability of aging. The plan was developed with input from state agencies, aging experts, advocates and Illinois residents.
There have also been concrete changes. Illinois expanded its Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program, raising the household-income eligibility threshold and allowing qualifying homeowners to defer property taxes.
And in 2026, legislation signed by Pritzker included additional investments in nursing homes, supportive living, dementia-focused services and adult day services.
These policies matter to me not simply as a professional, but also as someone whose roots — and whose loved ones — remain in Illinois communities where aging is part of everyday life.
— Michael Pessman, Chicago
Protest property taxes
I came to Evanston in 1989. Then, as now, Cook County homeowners’ property taxes were out of control. Assessments and real estate levies rose far beyond inflation. Irate taxpayers fought back. We must fight back now.
Everyone can take seemingly small actions that, collectively, bring big change. Call your local officials to demand relief. Tell your county officials and state senators and representatives in Springfield you’ve had enough. Write letters like this to every news outlet.
In the Sept. 6 Tribune (“Quotes of the week”), Libertarian Cook County assessor candidate Nico Tsatsoulis is quoted as saying: “The way things work today is that the tax levy has nothing to do with the actual value of the properties. It only has to do with how much money politicians want to raise.” Property values of even modest homes are also unfairly aligned with the teardowns and values of huge homes built in a neighborhood.
In addition, the word “politicians” in this context means more than those actually elected to office. It can mean, for example, school district administrators who decide how many tax dollars they “need.” Think six-figure salaries for suburban high school administrators. Consider eye-popping car allowances.
Pay close attention to tax referendums asking ever more for school “needs.” Do they really “need” all they ask? Schools aren’t the only taxing bodies driving taxes higher but by far are the largest.
My letter took just minutes to write but will have a big impact along with all the others we write.
Pick letter writing or whatever action is right for you. Let those taxing our homes exorbitantly know we’ve had enough!
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— Thomas Laue, Evanston
How to keep the Sox
As a lifelong Sox fan, I am tired of reading about how the new Sox Park should be surrounded by bars, restaurants and retail shops while staying put in Bridgeport.
The Sox have been in their current park for over 30 years, and since that time, how many bars, restaurants and retail shops have been opened? One? Two?
Why would a third iteration of Comiskey Park bring a new and improved entertainment district?
If Bridgeport was serious about making the area a destination stop, it has a few years to prove it before ownership changes hands. Put something on the board that will keep the Sox in place, and give them a reason to stay.
— Rocky Miller, Chicago
Pushback is a bit bananas
The editorial on neighborhood objectors (“Northwestern’s Ryan Field, Amtrak, Emanuel, Quantum, O’Hare Flyer all beset by objectors,” Sept. 9) brings to mind the NIMBY (“not in my backyard”) movement of the 1970s. What started as an environmental movement in opposition to hazardous facilities and waste disposal sites gradually grew to oppose most anything that disrupted the neighborhood. It became so widespread that a new acronym developed: BANANA, or “build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone.”
— Lou Sytsma, Palos Heights
If we want a better world
There is a quiet but enduring conviction that we are still capable of building a better world. Not because history bends toward justice, equality, dignity and compassion on its own, but because people do.
The truth is simple: The poor will not be lifted unless we lift them. The hungry will not be fed unless we feed them. Justice will not reach those denied it unless it is insisted upon, loudly and repeatedly. Teachers will not be valued unless we choose to value them. Students will not thrive unless they are given what they need to learn and the freedom to speak.
The same is true for those who too often find themselves pushed to the margins of society. The LGBTQ+ community and people living with disabilities deserve the same dignity, respect and opportunity as everyone else. Those things will not simply be given. They must be protected and defended.
Clean air, safe water, protected forests, rebuilt infrastructure — none of these arrive by decree. They arrive through responsibility, through the dedicated work of building, maintenance and repair.
Peace does not come from wishing. It comes from refusing to accept the machinery of war as inevitable. It comes from redirecting talent and resources toward healing, toward health, toward the future we claim to care about.
And our children will not inherit a better world unless we build a better world.
The means exist. The skill exists. What remains is the will.
A better world is not just going to happen on its own. We cannot leave the job to others or just hope for the best. A better world must be made. A better world requires work. A better world demands commitment.
— Alan Wohlman, Chicago
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].