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A conversation with our readers
Readers:
I haven't forgotten what you readers told me more than a year ago. I inserted into the October 1992 magazine a "Reader Response Card" and asked for your opinions about what we can do better, differently and so on.
One thing you told me was you'd like to see more articles about how the system really works and about the key players who operate within the system. We have been listening. In this magazine are three articles about individuals who are very influential:
• Phil Andrew (the feature of our cover story) is a credible advocate of more gun control in Illinois. A former swimmer at the University of Illinois, he himself was the innocent victim of a gunshot wound. He is a living example of why the gun control argument is now emerging as a "health care" issue, not merely a "rights" issue. Jennifer Halperin, our Statehouse bureau chief, tells his story quite effectively.
• David Axelrod has no equal in Illinois when it comes to designing political campaigns. The Chicago expert has not only worked on a number of Illinois campaigns, but also has gained a national reputation because of his efforts around the country. Why is he so effective? That's what Donald Sevener sought to find out.
• Danny Solis is an important Hispanic leader in Chicago whose experience ranges from protests on the streets in earlier years to bargaining within the system now by using his influence as head of the United Neighborhood Organization. He says UNO's status signifies the increasing power of Hispanics in Chicago politics.
Illinois Issues has experienced a major technological improvement in putting together our past two issues. We are now using a Macintosh system (and Quark XPress software) in desktop publishing, a process that gives us more control over the final product. A major transformation such as this is naturally going to cause a little tension, a little confusion and a few glitches, because there is no way to anticipate everything when switching to a new computer system. We went for broke last month, and I'm proud that our staff, under editor Caroline Gherardini's direction, learned what new buttons to push and still maintained their focus on producing a quality product. I'm pleased that the mistakes you saw were held to a bare minimum. After all, what matters to you readers is what's in the magazine, not how it is produced. But for all you technology buffs, I figured you'd be interested in knowing about the changes we've made. Bring on the information superhighway!
Finally, if you don't ordinarily do this, pay attention this month to the masthead on page 2 that lists our board members. Phil Rock, the former Senate president who is regularly called one of Illinois' only real statesmen, became our board chairman October 25 after joining the board earlier this year. New board members this fall include Rob Christie, Nancy Ford, Sharon Gist Gilliam, Don Haider, Sally Jackson, Jetta Jones and Bob Klaus. They join a distinguished group of Illinoisans to help us keep abreast of Illinois trends and the issues we need to tackle. The new board members are profiled in our "Names" section on page 31. See for yourself about the wonderful breadth of experience that is supporting us.
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Readers oppose tax increase and vouchers
The Question of the Month we posed to our readers in October 1993 consisted of two separate questions.
CHICAGO SCHOOL FINANCES:
1) Should the state income tax be increased to help provide a permanent solution to the Chicago public schools' financial crisis?
And the readers replied:
Yes: 34
No: 62.
2) Should "school choice" vouchers for parents be included on a trial basis as part of the overall plan?
And the readers replied:
Yes: 30
No: 45.
A total of 103 readers responded, but not all of them answered both questions. I read every one. It's not a scientific sample, but the raw number of responses indicates you had stronger feelings about the tax increase than about the vouchers.
On the income tax question, several opponents of an increase expressed anger about the Chicago school system's poor financial condition. "Chicago's schools should not be rewarded for failure," wrote an Evanston reader. "There's enough money but not enough commitment." Several readers also pointed a finger of blame at the Chicago teachers' union. "I don't mind supporting education in the city," wrote one, "but the unions have demonstrated their lack of understanding of reality of the economic climate in 1993. I won't pay to bail out a system that is desperate for re-inventing."
A number of readers who support an increase suggested changing the structure to make it a graduated income tax instead of taxing everyone at the same rate. Wrote one supporter: "We must provide a stable long-term fiscal foundation for our state's future. The continued attempts (first the lottery) and now Chicago riverboats to provide educational funding is a sign of our desperation." Another reader, from suburban Wilmette, suggested an immediate income tax increase and added, "Chicago's children are our children, too!"
Still other readers said many other school systems besides Chicago's are facing financial distress. One Chicago reader who wouldn't mind higher taxes to help all school districts explained: "These systems need stability in their budgeting processes so that the administrators can focus attention, energy and creativity on preparing children and youth for a rapidly changing world."
Not many readers added comments about the voucher idea. Of those who did, most expressed the oft-heard pro and con arguments: Supporters said the use of vouchers would increase competition, give parents more choices, and therefore make all schools strive harder for improvement. Opponents argued forcefully that the availability of vouchers, especially in private schools, would devastate the public school system.
Ed Wojcicki
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December l993/Illinois Issues/3
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