ILLINOIS EDITORIAL FORUM
By Chris Miller
As a former U.S. Army nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons specialist I was always skeptical of the assertion that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. After I hit ground in Iraq in April, 2003, it soon became clear he didn’t have any. The U.S. searched the entire country for months trying to find them, but to this day nothing more than a few dusty chlorine gas mortars have ever turned up in Iraq. What would have happened if Hussein had complied with the IAEA inspection regime voluntarily? The 2003 Iraq war would likely never have happened. Because he did not comply, it was open to conjecture whether Iraq possessed nuclear weapons or were trying to acquire them. The rest is history.
In view of that, why would we dither, delay, or play politics with a treaty that would allow us to continue a responsible, voluntary inspection regime with a partner state that we know for a fact, with certainty, has nuclear arms, lots of them, and is simply waiting for the U.S. Senate to sign on the dotted line? Why would we risk significantly setting back relations with Russia and at the same time make it much harder to verify that their nukes are secure? Ask the Senate GOP leadership.
The old START (STrategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was negotiated and signed in the early nineties under President George H.W. Bush, based on a concept by President Ronald Reagan. The treaty served the U.S. well through the era of instability at the end of the Cold War and the New START would simply continue what was already a good idea. It has served us well for the last two decades and, if passed, would continue to today. It would reduce nuclear stockpiles by one third on both sides, still leaving America with more than enough firepower to defend itself. It would responsibly allow mutual transparency and allow us to monitor Russia’s nuclear weapons and material.
In addition to the original concerns START was designed to address, more modern concerns may be added to the list of reasons New START must be passed now, not later. Nuclear proliferation is a tremendous concern today, especially since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Reducing stockpiles means less nukes and nuclear material that could fall into the hands of unstable states or groups. Fewer nuclear weapons, less nuclear material, and better control makes us all safer. North Korea and Pakistan have already acquired nuclear weapons through the back door and Iran is certainly trying to. The
black-market smuggling ring led by Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan shows there is a hot market worldwide for nuclear technology. For an entire year already America has been unable to account for all of Russia’s nuclear material and there are certainly buyers out there who will stop at nothing to acquire it. New START would close the loophole. Not doing so is like crossing our fingers and hoping nothing happens.
Nuclear terrorism is the ultimate threat to United States and its allies. Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden have already stated they are attempting to acquire nuclear weapons. They’re not alone. Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and Hamas would also jump at the chance. Hollywood never stops thinking up movie plots involving a nuke smuggled into America. If they can think of it, so can terrorists and extremists. For these reasons the U.S. military is also urging the passage of New START. Keeping nuclear weapons and material out of the hands of terrorists is a top national security priority. Not signing New START would be reckless and leave us vulnerable to attack.
The Senate Republican leadership opposes passing the treaty because of politics. They are more concerned with opposing President Obama than they are keeping America safe. There is bipartisan support for the treaty and it would and certainly should be ratified, if only the GOP leadership would put politics aside and put our security first. START was entered into between two states that possessed the nuclear arms to ensure they would mutually destroy one another in a nuclear attack. ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ kept America and the USSR at a standstill. Today, unstable states and terrorist groups are not so inclined. Extremists and terrorists are unconcerned about the destruction a nuclear attack would create on both sides and many are already fully prepared to die for their cause.
GOP opposition to New START is outdated, out of touch, and disastrously dangerous. The treaty needs to be ratified by the U.S. Senate as soon as possible so that we can jointly and responsibly reduce and monitor nuclear weapons and material, prevent nuclear proliferation and terrorism, and put our security first.
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Chris Miller is a Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge recipient and eight-year U.S. Army veteran, having served two tours in Baghdad, Iraq. He is currently a law student and a fellow with the Truman National Security Project.
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Copyright (C) 2010 by Illinois Editorial Forum. 12/10
Showing posts with label ILLINOIS EDITORIAL FORUM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ILLINOIS EDITORIAL FORUM. Show all posts
Monday, December 20, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
ILLINOIS EDITORIAL FORUM
By Woods Bowman
The Illinois state budget is like the Nightmare on Elm Street movies – progressively more horrific sequels that seemingly never end. Maybe this time it will have a happy ending, but I doubt it.
The 2010 crisis is the result of a chronic budget imbalance. Spending has been growing faster than revenue, so slash-and-burn spending cuts that don't lower growth in spending and tax increases that don't increase growth of tax receipts will provide but temporary relief.
There are three things citizens should know about the state budget.
First, when commentators speak of the deficit as $13 billion or so, they are mixing two numbers that require different solutions. In doing so, they grossly understate the size of the problem.
Second, while the state provides very little service directly, it underwrites the way local school boards, medical providers and pension systems provide services. Given the integral role of the state, it would be unwise to solve the problem with spending cuts exclusively.
Third, although a tax increase (probably income) is a necessary part of any budget solution, without tax and spending reforms even that won't prevent another budget crisis within a few years.
Here’s the real nub of the state budget problem:
The deficit consists of two parts: a one-time piece, like old unpaid bills, and a recurring piece that will cause new bills to go unpaid. These two are nearly equal parts of the $13 billion figure.
The unpaid-bill figure does not include the state's $73 million underfunded pension system – the largest in the nation. This is money the state owes its employees and former employees for services already provided and for that reason cannot take the obligation out of the debt.
Once old bills are paid, they are paid for good and off the books. Any spending cuts or new taxes for this purpose could and should be temporary. But the recurring piece is a different matter. It can be eliminated only by permanent spending cuts and tax increases.
Nearly a quarter of the state budget goes to Medicaid. The good news is that the federal government reimburses nearly half of this amount. That is also the bad news, because $2 of cuts are necessary to achieve $1 in savings and federal law imposes lower limits on types of services and scope of coverage a state must provide to receive any federal reimbursement. Simply put, that means sick people receive fewer services and they remain sick and get sicker instead of better.
Another quarter of state spending goes to school districts and local governments. It only pushes the problem onto the property tax -- the dominant tax source at local levels. Cutting appropriations to state universities and scholarship aid, which are 4 percent of the budget, would force increases in tuition and parental contributions.
Ten percent of state spending goes for debt service and pensions that, as legal obligations, cannot be cut -- period. Finally, nearly 8 percent of spending is for transportation, which is financed by taxes on gasoline license fees and the like.
These objects of spending account for over two out of every three dollars flowing through the budget. Thus a 10 percent budget cut translates into a 30 percent cut, more-or-less, in the remainder of the budget. This is why it would be unwise to try to cut our way out of the problem.
It is necessary to reduce the rate of increase in spending and increase the rate of increase in revenues. This is why various proposals for limiting the growth in pension funding requirements are on the front pages now.
This is also why it’s important to find ways to make Illinois’ tax system more progressive.
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Bowman is Professor of Public Service Management at DePaul University in Chicago. He was a former legislator and past chair of an Illinois House Appropriations Committee.
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Copyright (C) 2010 by the Illinois Editorial Forum. 4/10
By Woods Bowman
The Illinois state budget is like the Nightmare on Elm Street movies – progressively more horrific sequels that seemingly never end. Maybe this time it will have a happy ending, but I doubt it.
The 2010 crisis is the result of a chronic budget imbalance. Spending has been growing faster than revenue, so slash-and-burn spending cuts that don't lower growth in spending and tax increases that don't increase growth of tax receipts will provide but temporary relief.
There are three things citizens should know about the state budget.
First, when commentators speak of the deficit as $13 billion or so, they are mixing two numbers that require different solutions. In doing so, they grossly understate the size of the problem.
Second, while the state provides very little service directly, it underwrites the way local school boards, medical providers and pension systems provide services. Given the integral role of the state, it would be unwise to solve the problem with spending cuts exclusively.
Third, although a tax increase (probably income) is a necessary part of any budget solution, without tax and spending reforms even that won't prevent another budget crisis within a few years.
Here’s the real nub of the state budget problem:
The deficit consists of two parts: a one-time piece, like old unpaid bills, and a recurring piece that will cause new bills to go unpaid. These two are nearly equal parts of the $13 billion figure.
The unpaid-bill figure does not include the state's $73 million underfunded pension system – the largest in the nation. This is money the state owes its employees and former employees for services already provided and for that reason cannot take the obligation out of the debt.
Once old bills are paid, they are paid for good and off the books. Any spending cuts or new taxes for this purpose could and should be temporary. But the recurring piece is a different matter. It can be eliminated only by permanent spending cuts and tax increases.
Nearly a quarter of the state budget goes to Medicaid. The good news is that the federal government reimburses nearly half of this amount. That is also the bad news, because $2 of cuts are necessary to achieve $1 in savings and federal law imposes lower limits on types of services and scope of coverage a state must provide to receive any federal reimbursement. Simply put, that means sick people receive fewer services and they remain sick and get sicker instead of better.
Another quarter of state spending goes to school districts and local governments. It only pushes the problem onto the property tax -- the dominant tax source at local levels. Cutting appropriations to state universities and scholarship aid, which are 4 percent of the budget, would force increases in tuition and parental contributions.
Ten percent of state spending goes for debt service and pensions that, as legal obligations, cannot be cut -- period. Finally, nearly 8 percent of spending is for transportation, which is financed by taxes on gasoline license fees and the like.
These objects of spending account for over two out of every three dollars flowing through the budget. Thus a 10 percent budget cut translates into a 30 percent cut, more-or-less, in the remainder of the budget. This is why it would be unwise to try to cut our way out of the problem.
It is necessary to reduce the rate of increase in spending and increase the rate of increase in revenues. This is why various proposals for limiting the growth in pension funding requirements are on the front pages now.
This is also why it’s important to find ways to make Illinois’ tax system more progressive.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bowman is Professor of Public Service Management at DePaul University in Chicago. He was a former legislator and past chair of an Illinois House Appropriations Committee.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (C) 2010 by the Illinois Editorial Forum. 4/10
Monday, August 10, 2009
ILLINOIS EDITORIAL FORUM
By Soo Ji Min
Bianca (not her real name) is a 17-year-old pregnant woman who lives in Chicago and is already raising a 1-year-old child. She has made the difficult decision to get an abortion and cannot tell her mother because if she did, Bianca and her daughter would be thrown out onto the streets.
The state isn’t making things easier either. Recently, the injunction on the 1995 Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act was dissolved by the U.S. Court of Appeals thus requiring notification either by phone or face-to-face, to a person over 21 years of age who is a parent, grandparent, step-parent living in the household or the legal guardian of the pregnant youth. That means if Bianca -- and countless others like her under the age of 18 -- tried to access an abortion after 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, the abortion provider would be legally bound to give at least 48 hours notice to an adult family member.
While parental notification laws are intended to protect young women, they assume that all young women can safely involve their family in the decision to terminate a pregnancy. Ideally, young women would freely inform their parents or other trusted adults. And most do.
According to a study published in Family Planning Perspectives, 74 percent of 15-year-old women report that at least one of their parents knew about their decision to have an abortion. For 14-year-old young women, this percentage grows to 90 percent.
However, the government cannot mandate good family dynamics or strengthen a family’s ability to engage in effective and positive communication. Interestingly enough, parental notification laws mandate family involvement only after a young woman already has become pregnant.
Like Bianca, more than half of young women who do not involve a parent in their decision to seek an abortion cite fear of abuse or eviction. The American Medical Association (AMA) reports that some young women will go to extreme and unhealthy lengths to keep pregnancies secret, including running away, obtaining illegal abortions, or self-inducing abortions.
The AMA, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and many others have cited the risk to teens’ health in opposing these laws. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “mandating parental notification does not achieve the intended benefit of promoting family communication, but it does increase the risk of harm to the adolescent by delaying access to appropriate care.”
Requiring parental notification or consent can expose young women to these risks. Furthermore, research has shown that when a Texas parental notification law was implemented in 2000, the odds increased that a young women’s pregnancy would result in a second-trimester abortion. Although abortion is among the safest surgical procedures for women, risk of complications increase as the pregnancy progresses.
The Illinois law permits a young woman to seek a waiver by obtaining a court order. But there’s little proof that the state courts are prepared to handle the judicial bypass procedure, which mandates a 48-hour turnaround and absolute privacy. Additionally, young women who already face multiple barriers to accessing legal health care -- based on culture, language, religion, economic or immigrant status -- will encounter even greater obstacles if forced to navigate through the judicial bypass procedure.
Rather than continuing to restrict health options for adolescent women, we should focus on ensuring that all youth have access to the information and reproductive health care they need and deserve.
Medically accurate, age appropriate, comprehensive sexual health education, proven to reduce unsafe sexual behaviors, should be taught in all Illinois schools. All teachers in Illinois should receive sexual health education as part of their basic training. As considerable research has shown emergency contraception to be safe and effective, it should be made available without a prescription to all adolescents without delay.
These are solutions that will reduce the need for abortion without compromising the health of young women in Illinois, and are solutions that our policymakers, legislators and courts should support.
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Min is the executive director of the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health.
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Copyright (C) 2009 by the American Forum. 8/09
Bianca (not her real name) is a 17-year-old pregnant woman who lives in Chicago and is already raising a 1-year-old child. She has made the difficult decision to get an abortion and cannot tell her mother because if she did, Bianca and her daughter would be thrown out onto the streets.
The state isn’t making things easier either. Recently, the injunction on the 1995 Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act was dissolved by the U.S. Court of Appeals thus requiring notification either by phone or face-to-face, to a person over 21 years of age who is a parent, grandparent, step-parent living in the household or the legal guardian of the pregnant youth. That means if Bianca -- and countless others like her under the age of 18 -- tried to access an abortion after 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, the abortion provider would be legally bound to give at least 48 hours notice to an adult family member.
While parental notification laws are intended to protect young women, they assume that all young women can safely involve their family in the decision to terminate a pregnancy. Ideally, young women would freely inform their parents or other trusted adults. And most do.
According to a study published in Family Planning Perspectives, 74 percent of 15-year-old women report that at least one of their parents knew about their decision to have an abortion. For 14-year-old young women, this percentage grows to 90 percent.
However, the government cannot mandate good family dynamics or strengthen a family’s ability to engage in effective and positive communication. Interestingly enough, parental notification laws mandate family involvement only after a young woman already has become pregnant.
Like Bianca, more than half of young women who do not involve a parent in their decision to seek an abortion cite fear of abuse or eviction. The American Medical Association (AMA) reports that some young women will go to extreme and unhealthy lengths to keep pregnancies secret, including running away, obtaining illegal abortions, or self-inducing abortions.
The AMA, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and many others have cited the risk to teens’ health in opposing these laws. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “mandating parental notification does not achieve the intended benefit of promoting family communication, but it does increase the risk of harm to the adolescent by delaying access to appropriate care.”
Requiring parental notification or consent can expose young women to these risks. Furthermore, research has shown that when a Texas parental notification law was implemented in 2000, the odds increased that a young women’s pregnancy would result in a second-trimester abortion. Although abortion is among the safest surgical procedures for women, risk of complications increase as the pregnancy progresses.
The Illinois law permits a young woman to seek a waiver by obtaining a court order. But there’s little proof that the state courts are prepared to handle the judicial bypass procedure, which mandates a 48-hour turnaround and absolute privacy. Additionally, young women who already face multiple barriers to accessing legal health care -- based on culture, language, religion, economic or immigrant status -- will encounter even greater obstacles if forced to navigate through the judicial bypass procedure.
Rather than continuing to restrict health options for adolescent women, we should focus on ensuring that all youth have access to the information and reproductive health care they need and deserve.
Medically accurate, age appropriate, comprehensive sexual health education, proven to reduce unsafe sexual behaviors, should be taught in all Illinois schools. All teachers in Illinois should receive sexual health education as part of their basic training. As considerable research has shown emergency contraception to be safe and effective, it should be made available without a prescription to all adolescents without delay.
These are solutions that will reduce the need for abortion without compromising the health of young women in Illinois, and are solutions that our policymakers, legislators and courts should support.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Min is the executive director of the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health.
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Copyright (C) 2009 by the American Forum. 8/09
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
ILLINOIS EDITORIAL FORUM
By Elia Arenas
I grew up hard-working, and started at the age of 15 to supplement my family’s income when my father became very ill and required surgery. I stopped going to school to sustain our family, and would go on to work at the same job for 37 years.
After being terminated from the job in 2008 because the business was closing, I did not know what to do. Without a high school degree I could not apply for jobs. I learned of the opportunity to gain my General Education Development (GED) and registered. I will graduate soon, that is, unless Illinois legislators cut the program before I have the opportunity to finish.
Due to our state’s budget crisis, adult education programs are facing severe cuts to their budget. Most programs will have to close down completely so people looking to attain their GED, participate in career preparation, or take English-as-a-Second-Language lessons are in a tough situation. Adult education classes are the only opportunity for adult learners who did not attain a U.S. education as a youth, to get back on track and advance.
People attending adult education classes work hard to keep up with the lessons and fortify lifelong skills for their professional development. Most are motivated by the desire to gain different employment with more responsibilities and higher wages. GED programs allow people to get out of poverty and support their families. According to Women Employed, 1.8 million people in Illinois do not have a high school diploma and need adult education programs.
These services provide the social environment that encourages learning and facilitates improvement. Many adult candidates left school and are returning decades later. Staff provide nurturing guidance where needed and motivate students to be dedicated to their goals and strive to succeed.
As more Illinois residents participate in educational opportunities, we create role models within families that contribute to communities. Motivating others to seek an education and promoting its attainability encourages more Illinoisans to complete their education.
Our economic conditions forced many people, including myself, to start anew and build new skills for a job search. As there are significant amounts of workers retraining in skills to change jobs and put their best foot forward in their career changes, Illinois must not limit these opportunities.
If Illinois is to remain a desirable state for business creation, we must maintain a workforce that is prepared and trained. If we do not have the human capital required, no businesses can be created or expanded and our economic slump will continue. Legislators cannot ignore the total loss involved in cutting adult education programs; diminished human capital in the future and the current loss of matching federal dollars intended to generate more educated workers.
Illinois is harmed additionally because low-income workers are rarely allowed to progress and earn higher wages. This reduces the capacity of the state to generate more revenue in the form of income and sales taxes. As people earn more, they could afford to pay a little more in income taxes. With earning a higher income, people also consume more goods and generate more sales taxes. Through short-sighted planning, legislators will lose out on opportunities to improve our state if these budget cuts remain.
On the one hand, we expect residents of Illinois, especially immigrants, to be productive citizens. But on the other hand, we are about to eliminate almost every resource available to people who are ready, willing, and able to better themselves.
The long-term economic and social impact of cuts to adult learning will reverberate for generations. Illinois must act quickly, and raise the revenue necessary to invest in our families.
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Arenas is a community activist and a student at Malcolm X College in Chicago.
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Copyright (C) 2009 by the Illinois Editorial Forum. 7/09
I grew up hard-working, and started at the age of 15 to supplement my family’s income when my father became very ill and required surgery. I stopped going to school to sustain our family, and would go on to work at the same job for 37 years.
After being terminated from the job in 2008 because the business was closing, I did not know what to do. Without a high school degree I could not apply for jobs. I learned of the opportunity to gain my General Education Development (GED) and registered. I will graduate soon, that is, unless Illinois legislators cut the program before I have the opportunity to finish.
Due to our state’s budget crisis, adult education programs are facing severe cuts to their budget. Most programs will have to close down completely so people looking to attain their GED, participate in career preparation, or take English-as-a-Second-Language lessons are in a tough situation. Adult education classes are the only opportunity for adult learners who did not attain a U.S. education as a youth, to get back on track and advance.
People attending adult education classes work hard to keep up with the lessons and fortify lifelong skills for their professional development. Most are motivated by the desire to gain different employment with more responsibilities and higher wages. GED programs allow people to get out of poverty and support their families. According to Women Employed, 1.8 million people in Illinois do not have a high school diploma and need adult education programs.
These services provide the social environment that encourages learning and facilitates improvement. Many adult candidates left school and are returning decades later. Staff provide nurturing guidance where needed and motivate students to be dedicated to their goals and strive to succeed.
As more Illinois residents participate in educational opportunities, we create role models within families that contribute to communities. Motivating others to seek an education and promoting its attainability encourages more Illinoisans to complete their education.
Our economic conditions forced many people, including myself, to start anew and build new skills for a job search. As there are significant amounts of workers retraining in skills to change jobs and put their best foot forward in their career changes, Illinois must not limit these opportunities.
If Illinois is to remain a desirable state for business creation, we must maintain a workforce that is prepared and trained. If we do not have the human capital required, no businesses can be created or expanded and our economic slump will continue. Legislators cannot ignore the total loss involved in cutting adult education programs; diminished human capital in the future and the current loss of matching federal dollars intended to generate more educated workers.
Illinois is harmed additionally because low-income workers are rarely allowed to progress and earn higher wages. This reduces the capacity of the state to generate more revenue in the form of income and sales taxes. As people earn more, they could afford to pay a little more in income taxes. With earning a higher income, people also consume more goods and generate more sales taxes. Through short-sighted planning, legislators will lose out on opportunities to improve our state if these budget cuts remain.
On the one hand, we expect residents of Illinois, especially immigrants, to be productive citizens. But on the other hand, we are about to eliminate almost every resource available to people who are ready, willing, and able to better themselves.
The long-term economic and social impact of cuts to adult learning will reverberate for generations. Illinois must act quickly, and raise the revenue necessary to invest in our families.
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Arenas is a community activist and a student at Malcolm X College in Chicago.
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Copyright (C) 2009 by the Illinois Editorial Forum. 7/09
Monday, July 27, 2009
ILLINOIS EDITORIAL FORUM
By Dawn Dalton and Sharmili Majmudar
Chris was raped by a friend. Kiran was degraded and humiliated at home every night after work. Mischelle is living a life filled with violence and shame. Maria was beaten in front of her children by their father. Stories like these are all too common.
These survivors were assisted by the sexual assault and domestic violence agencies across Chicago and Illinois. They received counseling, legal advocacy, shelter and support in escaping the violence in their lives. Because of this, they no longer are trapped by abuse, but have found healing, safety and justice.
On May 31 our state legislators passed a budget that decimated the infrastructure of human services throughout the state. Due to this action, agencies laid off staff, closed offices in already underserved communities and cut services because the 60 to 100 percent cuts they received in contracts from the state. Domestic violence shelters closed and rape crisis centers operated at service levels as if it were 1979 as opposed to 2009. When the option was put forward for a tax increase versus meeting the needs of Illinois constituents, a vote was taken and decisions were made. Human needs are not important to our general assembly.
One has to wonder why, when we are living in an economic climate that is leaving more people in need of human services, would our state legislators make a choice to put human services first up on the chopping block when they are the services that are depended on by so many of their constituents?
Right now every budget is being downsized, from local government to large corporations to small nonprofit organizations. Difficult decisions are being made and cuts are inevitable. These are the realities with which we are living. However, the budget reflects what is important to the body that governs it.
So if our state budget allows for half of our human needs to be met, how does that reflect what we voted for when we went to the polls? What does it say about their values when elected officials put future ambitions above immediate need? How will it impact the next time you go to the polls to cast your vote?
And, don’t be fooled about the capacity of private philanthropy carry the load that the state legislators have refused to pick up; Laura Thrall, CEO of United Way, reminds us that there is approximately $200 million available from private sources, not nearly enough to fill the gap for human service organizations. Government has a particular role in ensuring the health and safety of its citizens -- this is not time to pretend we can pass the buck without dire consequences.
We are citizens of Illinois and we all know someone who has benefited from human services, including rape crisis and domestic violence. But more importantly, we are your daughters and sons, your friends and neighbors, your family and community. We are Mischelle, the woman on your block who is facing her abusive partner with courage and making a plan for her and her children’s safety. We are Chris, the teen who was raped by a friend and is in the emergency room, shaken and brave. We are Kiran; we are Maria.
The tax increase will be up for a vote again as early as January. We need our legislators to show the courage that Mischelle, Chris, Kiran, Maria and countless others do every day; we need our legislators to meet the needs of Illinois’ citizens, now more than ever. Because a bad budget doesn’t just cost services and jobs; it costs lives.
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Dalton is executive director of Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network. Majmudar is executive director for Rape Victim Advocates.
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Copyright (C) 2009 Illinois Editorial Forum. 7/09
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
ILLINOIS EDITORIAL FORUM
By Mark Heyrman and N’Dana Carter
The Illinois legislature recently called for a special session after Governor Quinn vetoed the proposed “doomsday budget” passed by the House and Senate. This budget would have drastically cut mental health services. State legislators now have the chance to reconsider their priorities and should pass a fair budget. Last year over 700,000 people in Illinois suffered from a serious mental disorder and any cuts to these programs will harm not only those using these services, but also their family and friends.
One of those 700,000 people is Ms. Carter, long-time resident of Chicago’s south side. She excelled professionally with a career spanning over 20 years and was heavily involved in local civic organizations. She developed depression after suffering extreme setbacks. She could not take a promotion due to the interference and anxiety and eventually had to stop working. She utilizes mental health services in order to gradually regain her life back.
People with mental disorders face a variety of challenges. They are made to feel ashamed and have few places they can go to for help.
Mental health services provide a support system for people that are feeling stress, anger, and considering suicide. In a respectful environment with trained staff, people with mental disorders can deal with issues and become better equipped to navigate their lives.
Youth in these programs often need help in learning to write and how to process and deal with their everyday problems. Young people who experience trauma require assistance to achieve healthy functioning. They are vulnerable because they have not fully developed social skills. Without these resources they often end up on the streets and homeless without any alternatives.
People who are deprived of mental health services sometimes use alcohol or illegal drugs to treat their symptoms. Some even end up in the criminal justice system. Lack of well-developed social or intellectual skills translates into individuals lacking tools to avoid harmful behavior.
Mental health services in Illinois have long been underfunded. Indeed we rank among the bottom of the 50 states in per capita spending for mental health services, despite being the eighth richest state in per capita income. Our community mental health system has been stressed by the need to accommodate a 95 percent reduction in state hospital beds. Even with existing funding, we have long been turning people away from hospitals and community providers. With additional cuts under the “doomsday budget” 70 percent of the locations in Illinois will be closed to persons who need them.
As Illinois sorts out the budget crisis, it must not forget its responsibility to the public.
Too often mental health gets low priority, but legislators especially need to think about the long-term economic and social impacts of these service cuts. According to Mental Health America of Illinois, every dollar spent on mental health services saves $5 on overall healthcare costs. This would help in the state’s attempt to manage skyrocketing healthcare costs and be more efficient with taxpayer dollars. Mental health services are designed to help people recover from an illness and allow them to lead productive lives. Illinois should invest in its residents and develop the human capital needed for a healthy workforce. People, like Ms. Carter, faced dramatic events in their life and need some assistance to return to their full potential.
The need for mental health services is increasing in Illinois and across the country because of the pressures placed upon our citizens by increased unemployment, evictions and foreclosures and loss of income and assets. Now is not the time to cut those services.
Some legislators want to wait for reform in departments before deciding to fund a humane sensible budget. But the pressing needs of persons with mental illnesses will not wait. We must stabilize essential programs to protect those who are most vulnerable in the state. Cutting this vital care will only make Illinois’ economic recovery that much more elusive. Public officials must think of the long-term health of residents, and pass the revenue necessary to meet its responsibility to Ms. Carter and the hundreds of thousands of others doing all they can to win back their lives.
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Heyrman is chair of the public policy committee of Mental Health America of Illinois. Carter is an activist with Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP).
One of those 700,000 people is Ms. Carter, long-time resident of Chicago’s south side. She excelled professionally with a career spanning over 20 years and was heavily involved in local civic organizations. She developed depression after suffering extreme setbacks. She could not take a promotion due to the interference and anxiety and eventually had to stop working. She utilizes mental health services in order to gradually regain her life back.
People with mental disorders face a variety of challenges. They are made to feel ashamed and have few places they can go to for help.
Mental health services provide a support system for people that are feeling stress, anger, and considering suicide. In a respectful environment with trained staff, people with mental disorders can deal with issues and become better equipped to navigate their lives.
Youth in these programs often need help in learning to write and how to process and deal with their everyday problems. Young people who experience trauma require assistance to achieve healthy functioning. They are vulnerable because they have not fully developed social skills. Without these resources they often end up on the streets and homeless without any alternatives.
People who are deprived of mental health services sometimes use alcohol or illegal drugs to treat their symptoms. Some even end up in the criminal justice system. Lack of well-developed social or intellectual skills translates into individuals lacking tools to avoid harmful behavior.
Mental health services in Illinois have long been underfunded. Indeed we rank among the bottom of the 50 states in per capita spending for mental health services, despite being the eighth richest state in per capita income. Our community mental health system has been stressed by the need to accommodate a 95 percent reduction in state hospital beds. Even with existing funding, we have long been turning people away from hospitals and community providers. With additional cuts under the “doomsday budget” 70 percent of the locations in Illinois will be closed to persons who need them.
As Illinois sorts out the budget crisis, it must not forget its responsibility to the public.
Too often mental health gets low priority, but legislators especially need to think about the long-term economic and social impacts of these service cuts. According to Mental Health America of Illinois, every dollar spent on mental health services saves $5 on overall healthcare costs. This would help in the state’s attempt to manage skyrocketing healthcare costs and be more efficient with taxpayer dollars. Mental health services are designed to help people recover from an illness and allow them to lead productive lives. Illinois should invest in its residents and develop the human capital needed for a healthy workforce. People, like Ms. Carter, faced dramatic events in their life and need some assistance to return to their full potential.
The need for mental health services is increasing in Illinois and across the country because of the pressures placed upon our citizens by increased unemployment, evictions and foreclosures and loss of income and assets. Now is not the time to cut those services.
Some legislators want to wait for reform in departments before deciding to fund a humane sensible budget. But the pressing needs of persons with mental illnesses will not wait. We must stabilize essential programs to protect those who are most vulnerable in the state. Cutting this vital care will only make Illinois’ economic recovery that much more elusive. Public officials must think of the long-term health of residents, and pass the revenue necessary to meet its responsibility to Ms. Carter and the hundreds of thousands of others doing all they can to win back their lives.
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Heyrman is chair of the public policy committee of Mental Health America of Illinois. Carter is an activist with Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP).
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Friday, May 29, 2009
UPDATE: 87-year-old Chicago hunger strike participant hospitalized in Springfield. Click Here to Read Story.
Watch Mahaley Summerville's Personal Testimony
What would you do to save a child’s life? What would you do to save the lives of 300,000 children?
I work for the American Friends Service Committee but now I’m at the Capitol in Springfield with five other people from various communities in Illinois doing a hunger strike. We are hungry for justice. We felt this drastic step was necessary to demonstrate to our legislators the seriousness of cutting human services for the most vulnerable people.
I’m here participating in this hunger strike for my granddaughter who is a type 1 diabetic who requires two different types of insulin, and takes four to six shots every day even on holidays. I’m going hungry for five days for my granddaughter and the 300,000 children that would lose healthcare if the human service budget cuts are passed by the legislature. My five days of hunger is not detrimental to my life as the loss of healthcare is to the lives of the 300,000 children if those cuts occur.
My granddaughter will celebrate her seventh birthday on Sunday, May 31. I may not be there to celebrate her birthday but when I go home I want to tell her I love her. I want to go home knowing that my granddaughter and 300,000 have healthcare.
I work for the American Friends Service Committee but now I’m at the Capitol in Springfield with five other people from various communities in Illinois doing a hunger strike. We are hungry for justice. We felt this drastic step was necessary to demonstrate to our legislators the seriousness of cutting human services for the most vulnerable people.
I’m here participating in this hunger strike for my granddaughter who is a type 1 diabetic who requires two different types of insulin, and takes four to six shots every day even on holidays. I’m going hungry for five days for my granddaughter and the 300,000 children that would lose healthcare if the human service budget cuts are passed by the legislature. My five days of hunger is not detrimental to my life as the loss of healthcare is to the lives of the 300,000 children if those cuts occur.
My granddaughter will celebrate her seventh birthday on Sunday, May 31. I may not be there to celebrate her birthday but when I go home I want to tell her I love her. I want to go home knowing that my granddaughter and 300,000 have healthcare.
--Margaret Jackson, age 55, Homewood, IL
Watch her personal testimony
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Community residents continue their hunger strike in the State Capitol building, with only a few days left in session and more than $7 billion in cuts to vital state programs and services looming. Close to 200 community allies will join Hungry for Justice, an ad hoc group of residents aged 24 to 87, to send the clear message to the Legislature that they must protect the safety net for seniors, children, and working families, and pass a fair revenue increase.
“I’m blessed to be in good health, but what about all the seniors who aren’t?” said Brenda Hobson of Westchester, age 65. “If the General Assembly votes cut these programs, we’re all in trouble. That’s why I’m here.”
Slashing core programs such as home care services for seniors and people with disabilities, prevention programs that reduce violence, teen pregnancies, and substance abuse, and education and safety programs such as parent patrols and Grow Your Own teachers is unacceptable. An estimated 5 million Illinois families depend on these programs. At a time of economic crisis, cuts to our safety net are the worst possible action the Legislature can take.
“I’m not worried about my health,” said Mahaley Somerville, 87. “I’m worried about the health of my communities if we try and fix this budget by removing these programs.”
“I’m not worried about my health,” said Mahaley Somerville, 87. “I’m worried about the health of my communities if we try and fix this budget by removing these programs.”
“My focus is the children – what will happen to them if we cut education and healthcare?” said Linda Sarate, who today joined the original 5 hunger strikers and will continue with them through May 31st. “Our communities are already suffering – every day I see the food pantry lines across the street get longer and longer. I’m joining the fast because people’s ability to live is already on the line.”
Hungry for Justice plans to continue the hunger strike until May 31st unless the General Assembly passes a budget that raises new revenue, increases tax fairness for working families, and protects the safety net. New hunger strikers will join every day, and faith and community members plan on supporting Hungry for Justice in Springfield and across the state by undertaking one-day solidarity fasts. Hungry for Justice is staying at the offices of the Black Caucus in Springfield, and appreciates their providing haven for the hunger strikers.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
ILLINOIS EDITORIAL FORUM
By Sen. Mattie Hunter and Rep. Arthur Turner
Suppose you're a white person who uses drugs. Now suppose you're a black person who uses drugs. Think you run the same risk of being arrested and incarcerated?
Think again: Recent reports highlight vast differences in the way blacks and whites are treated, despite similar rates of drug use. Fortunately, Illinois has just enacted a measure that lays the groundwork to help address this inequity.
Using new data from 34 states, Human Rights Watch found that black men are nearly 12 times as likely to be imprisoned for drug convictions as adult white men. Illinois had the highest black drug offender admission rate and the second highest black to white ratio of prison admission rates for drug offenses.
The Sentencing Project, which analyzed 43 of the nation's largest cities from 1980 to 2003, found that the rate of drug arrests for blacks increased by 225 percent, compared to 70 percent among whites, despite similar rates of drug use. In Chicago, the disparity between black and white arrest rates more than doubled since 1980. Yet at the same time, this racial gap in drug arrests declined in Los Angeles and New York.
The reports conclude that policies regarding the War on Drugs significantly contributed to these racial disparities. High rates of incarceration among people of color can indicate bias within the justice system, whether conscious or unintentional. For those incarcerated, the consequences for their families, communities and future job prospects can be devastating.
Problems of racial inequality are deep and complex, but solutions exist. A new proactive tool that states are adopting to inform policymaking is a “racial impact assessment.” These assessments are much like environmental impact statements and fiscal impact notes.
“Examining the racial impacts of public policies makes sense because many problems are predictable, and thus preventable,” says Terry Keleher, director of the Midwest Office of the Applied Research Center, a policy institute that focuses on race issues.
In neighboring Iowa, where a year ago, its prisons and jails had the nation's highest rate of racial disparity, state leaders have taken bold action. Earlier this year, they passed the Minority Impact Statement Bill, the first of its kind in the nation, which requires examination of the racial and ethnic impacts of all new sentencing laws prior to passage. This enables legislators to anticipate any unwarranted disparities and consider alternatives to accomplish goals without compromising public safety.
Upon signing the bill, which garnered broad bipartisan support, Iowa Governor Chet Culver said, "Minority Impact Statements will serve as an essential tool for those in government -- and the public -- as we propose, develop, and debate policies for the future." Connecticut has since enacted a similar law.
A related measure, recently approved by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law in October by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, creates a Commission to Study Disproportionate Justice Impact.
The Commission will assess the nature and extent of the harm caused to minority communities through the application of Illinois drug and sentencing laws, then develop findings and offer recommendations for equitable policy change.
“This measure can help legislators enact smarter drug laws that can reduce crime, increase opportunities for individuals, restore families and save tax dollars” says Melody Heaps, president of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, which serves people across Illinois in need of drug treatment and other rehabilitative services.
For Illinois, explicitly exploring the racial impacts of public policies is an important step for eliminating institutional bias. For communities of color, it may prove to be a giant leap towards justice.
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Hunter is a State Senator (D-District 3). Turner is a State Representative (D-District 9).
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Copyright (C) 2008 by the Illinois Editorial Forum. Letters should be sent to the Forum, P.O. Box 82, Springfield, IL 62705-0082 11/08
Suppose you're a white person who uses drugs. Now suppose you're a black person who uses drugs. Think you run the same risk of being arrested and incarcerated?
Think again: Recent reports highlight vast differences in the way blacks and whites are treated, despite similar rates of drug use. Fortunately, Illinois has just enacted a measure that lays the groundwork to help address this inequity.
Using new data from 34 states, Human Rights Watch found that black men are nearly 12 times as likely to be imprisoned for drug convictions as adult white men. Illinois had the highest black drug offender admission rate and the second highest black to white ratio of prison admission rates for drug offenses.
The Sentencing Project, which analyzed 43 of the nation's largest cities from 1980 to 2003, found that the rate of drug arrests for blacks increased by 225 percent, compared to 70 percent among whites, despite similar rates of drug use. In Chicago, the disparity between black and white arrest rates more than doubled since 1980. Yet at the same time, this racial gap in drug arrests declined in Los Angeles and New York.
The reports conclude that policies regarding the War on Drugs significantly contributed to these racial disparities. High rates of incarceration among people of color can indicate bias within the justice system, whether conscious or unintentional. For those incarcerated, the consequences for their families, communities and future job prospects can be devastating.
Problems of racial inequality are deep and complex, but solutions exist. A new proactive tool that states are adopting to inform policymaking is a “racial impact assessment.” These assessments are much like environmental impact statements and fiscal impact notes.
“Examining the racial impacts of public policies makes sense because many problems are predictable, and thus preventable,” says Terry Keleher, director of the Midwest Office of the Applied Research Center, a policy institute that focuses on race issues.
In neighboring Iowa, where a year ago, its prisons and jails had the nation's highest rate of racial disparity, state leaders have taken bold action. Earlier this year, they passed the Minority Impact Statement Bill, the first of its kind in the nation, which requires examination of the racial and ethnic impacts of all new sentencing laws prior to passage. This enables legislators to anticipate any unwarranted disparities and consider alternatives to accomplish goals without compromising public safety.
Upon signing the bill, which garnered broad bipartisan support, Iowa Governor Chet Culver said, "Minority Impact Statements will serve as an essential tool for those in government -- and the public -- as we propose, develop, and debate policies for the future." Connecticut has since enacted a similar law.
A related measure, recently approved by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law in October by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, creates a Commission to Study Disproportionate Justice Impact.
The Commission will assess the nature and extent of the harm caused to minority communities through the application of Illinois drug and sentencing laws, then develop findings and offer recommendations for equitable policy change.
“This measure can help legislators enact smarter drug laws that can reduce crime, increase opportunities for individuals, restore families and save tax dollars” says Melody Heaps, president of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, which serves people across Illinois in need of drug treatment and other rehabilitative services.
For Illinois, explicitly exploring the racial impacts of public policies is an important step for eliminating institutional bias. For communities of color, it may prove to be a giant leap towards justice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hunter is a State Senator (D-District 3). Turner is a State Representative (D-District 9).
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Copyright (C) 2008 by the Illinois Editorial Forum. Letters should be sent to the Forum, P.O. Box 82, Springfield, IL 62705-0082 11/08
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
ILLINOIS EDITORIAL FORUM
By Jay Travis and Diane Doherty
Eulonda Cooper is in the eye of the storm. A spirited, hard-working mother of four who lives in an affordable rental unit in the Kenwood Oakland community, she is being denied the safety and security that any hard-working American deserves. She sits on the local school council of two elementary schools and is a member of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization.
Eulonda Cooper is in the eye of the storm. A spirited, hard-working mother of four who lives in an affordable rental unit in the Kenwood Oakland community, she is being denied the safety and security that any hard-working American deserves. She sits on the local school council of two elementary schools and is a member of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization.
In a community that has rapidly gentrified since the mid-90s, she is concerned about the impact the Olympics would have on the price of housing in her neighborhood. Many of the people she knew in the neighborhood are gone; priced out due to escalating rents or moved out due to the CHA Plan for Transformation, which resulted in the loss of over 3,000 rental units. "The Olympics cannot be used as a tool to finally push all of us out. I want my children to live in stable, quality housing in this neighborhood." For her, the fear that the Olympics could mean displacement...is very real.
The convenient opinion is that the people who have lived in this community for decades – hard-working, law-abiding citizens who work as bus drivers, single parents, teachers, nurses aides, security guards, police officers and other honorable professions…need to go. The Olympics are an opportunity to finally invest in the communities that have suffered through municipal, state, and federal disinvestment.
We have been concerned about this issue for a long time. Community groups have organized forums since January, and residents have clearly expressed their concerns around being left out of the Olympic process. Community members have met with local aldermen, the department of planning, and Chicago 2016 representatives to express these concerns, but to no avail.
We have been concerned about this issue for a long time. Community groups have organized forums since January, and residents have clearly expressed their concerns around being left out of the Olympic process. Community members have met with local aldermen, the department of planning, and Chicago 2016 representatives to express these concerns, but to no avail.
This led to the formation of Communities for an Equitable Olympics 2016 (CEO 2016), a coalition of community and labor organizations, working together to win enforceable community benefits in conjunction with Chicago’s Olympics bid. Members include Action Now, American Friends Service Committee, Brighton Park Neighborhood Coalition, Centers for New Horizons, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Grassroots Collaborative, Illinois Hunger Coalition, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, MAGIC, Metropolitan Alliance of Congregations, Service Employees International Union Healthcare IL/IN. We have come together to form a broad and deep coalition of South Side and city-wide groups organizing for justice and equity.
One major area of concern is Chicago’s plan to build the Olympic Village at the site of Michael Reese Hospital. Mere minutes from downtown, the 37-acre plot represents a potential bonanza for the city and developers and the prospect of hosting the games provides the city with an excuse to secure the prime lakefront property. The plans for Michael Reese set the stage for a land grab that will push out low-income residents and seniors in the area. The city plans on building over 7,000 units of housing at the site -- regardless of whether we win the bid for the games -- sending local property taxes and rents skyrocketing. With all that’s at stake, we know that it will take a broad and deep coalition to move our efforts forward -- to ensure that South Side communities not only survive in the coming years, but thrive.
Members of CEO 2016 have been intensively organizing and strategizing around the core platform of our campaign, which stipulates that affordable housing, living wage jobs and workers’ rights, transportation, public subsidy accountability, public space, education and public safety are among the issues that the city and Chicago 2016 need to address. To effectively do this, the community must be at the table. In a true mixed-income community, the institutions that impact our quality of life must be a high level of efficiency for all residents, regardless of race or economic status. As a society, we have failed at this.
In the last few weeks, over 500 community residents organized by CEO 2016 have come out in support of a process that incorporates the voices of the communities that will be directly impacted by the games. And that number is growing, as grassroots leaders insist on a seat at the table. Chicago cannot develop billion-dollar plans for the South and West Sides without any real community input.
So, in the Mid-South community that has experienced 12 school closings since 1997 and is being rapidly gentrified, the Olympics should not be used as a tool to complete the process of removing working and low-income families from the neighborhood. In essence, the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid is about the future of African-American and Latino families on the South Side of Chicago who are in jeopardy of being swept out as Chicago expands the Loop south.
Every Chicagoan should benefit from the Olympics, not just a privileged few.
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Travis is executive director of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization and Doherty is chair of Grassroots Collaborative.
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Copyright (C) 2008 by the Illinois Editorial Forum.
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Travis is executive director of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization and Doherty is chair of Grassroots Collaborative.
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Copyright (C) 2008 by the Illinois Editorial Forum.
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