A conversation with our readers

Readers:
I am excited about the second part of our lengthy investigation into the welfare system in Illinois. Donald Sevener, the author of this two-part series (the first article was published in February), has spent months finding out what works and what hasn't worked with existing welfare programs. Many politicians now endorse "welfare reform" initiatives that would give recipients benefits for only two years, presumably because that is long enough to find a job. But is such a requirement realistic? Maybe not. Probably not. Sevener's in-depth reporting describes and explains why a two-year-and-out program is too simplistic for people who really want to solve the welfare problem. See page 28.

Was it just me? Or did you also think a lot of political junkies were hedging more than usual in conversations about who would win the Democratic nomination for governor? I saw people muttering with great uncertainty in suggesting that well, Dawn could beat Roland, but then again, maybe not. Because of the way the campaigns and polls were developing, many seemed reluctant to prognosticate with great confidence. I found it refreshing, as election day approached, to have a race in which the outcome of a major race seemed up in the air and only the voters would decide. On page 6, veteran columnist Charles Wheeler discusses the implications of this very long campaign season that will continue until November.

Polls tell us that crime is one of today's hottest political issues. Of growing concern are reports of gang activity and gang violence in Illinois, not only in Chicago, but also in middle-sized cities such as Rock Island and Peoria and in smaller communities as well. Anyone for whom the vision of a gang emanates primarily from West Side Story or inner-city Chicago is way behind the times. Jennifer Halperin, our Statehouse bureau chief, went to Rock Island to look more deeply into the issue of gangs and law enforcement's response to gangs. What she learned is a bit disturbing, especially if you'd like to think an imminent solution is possible. Her account begins on page 13.

Mayor Richard M. Daley is running Chicago in an era that is politically far different from the one in which his father was Da Boss. Comparisons are inevitable, but what's ultimately more important is the effect that Daley II is having on one of our nation's most magnificent cities. Chicago journalist David Roeder, in an article beginning on page 23, examines the mayor's style of leadership and how he tries to get things done.

I've been asked on occasion how Illinois Issues is going to participate in the emergence of the "information superhighway" and the trend for magazines and newspapers to offer some kind of computer online access to readers. My first step is to ask you - especially those of you with computers and modems - what you think. Please give strong consideration to completing our informal survey on this topic. It's on page 37. Thanks!

Readers back incentives for welfare-to-work

We posed two questions, both about welfare, in our February Question of the Month:

1) Do you believe there should be more incentives for welfare recipients to get jobs? And you responded:

Yes 59

No 12

Other 4

2) Do you believe the government has a responsibility to provide assistance to people in need? And you responded:

Yes 50

No 15

Other 9

And we added: If you answer "yes" to both questions, how can both be accomplished?

Some of your responses included disparaging remarks about people on welfare and great frustration with the system. One called welfare recipients lazy; another suggested sterilizing women on welfare after delivering their first "illegitimate child."

"Stipulations should be made to assist the poor only if they are interested in obtaining some type of job," wrote another reader. "The majority of welfare recipients take advantage of the government programs. Some use the money for drugs. Strict regulations should be developed to assist the poor. The current system is a waste of taxpayers' money."

"We have destroyed self-worth and human dignity," wrote another.

A reader from Rockford said more funding could be found for welfare programs by reducing state employees' wages, adding a sales tax to professional services, increasing the income tax and fines for traffic violations and cutting back the state library system.

A Springfield reader said that a welfare recipient who finds a job making $4.25 an hour does not earn enough to live on and should not have all benefits cut immediately. This same reader suggested increasing income taxes for people earning more than $50,000 a year. Someone else said people who earn the minimum wage should still receive assistance for medical care and child care. A Chicago reader strongly advocated more public-private partnerships to provide welfare recipients with more training, education and counseling.

"Workfare and Earnfare should be expanded and mandatory," concluded another.

Of those who said the government does not have a responsibility to provide assistance to people in need, some used rather harsh language, such as the one who wrote: "Let recipients get off their dead butts and do what is necessary to get jobs." Another lamented that some families have been on welfare "for generations and think it's their way of life. They never did know the meaning of the word work. What a waste of humanity."

A couple of readers consider assistance to be the family's responsibility, and one said it is too easy to turn to the government for help. "People can only better themselves by being self-reliant," she wrote.

Ed Wojcicki