Letters                                                                                 

Tension under Kustra's proposed teaching system

Editor: Once the Republicans gained control of the Illinois House, their assault on tenure was predictable. Bob Kustra's intrusion in the argument is unwelcome, however. The argument for or against tenure should be made by educators, not politicians. The purpose of tenure is to guarantee against arbitrary dismissal, presumably for espousing ideas contrary to those held by persons in political office. Under Kustra's proposed system, teaching would be for sale by those in office — as political appointments. This unfortunate situation was once the norm in Chicago, and may well be in certain tightly controlled communities now. In totalitarian regimes this system eliminates intellectuals with unpopular political views. It was certainly the rationale for Hitler's dismissing persons with non-Nationalist views.

Mr. Kustra's argument leaves many questions unanswered. If our educational system is such a failure, why do we have the best graduate schools in the world? Why are we the most technologically advanced nation? Would a performance-based evaluation be colored by one's political views? What guarantee is there that the committee appointed would have judgments superior to those of a tenure committee?

As for Mr. Kustra's lament that the early retirements cost the taxpayers too much money, consider this: For years the legislature funded its own pension fund at the expense of the teachers' funds. I find this objectionable as a taxpayer and as an educator. Also, as a taxpayer and educator, I demand accountability for telling the truth, Mr. Kustra.

W. Darrell Semelroth
Triton College
River Grove

Cap interest on debt

The Balanced Budget Amendment favored by Illinois House Speaker Lee A. Daniels (Q&A Interview, February 1995, p. 30) is "overkill," because it destroys the power of the federal government to borrow money, despite this country's high credit rating.

A superior alternative to such a drastic and draconian measure is to cap the interest which the government can pay on its debt. Many people might consider it worth lending money to the government at a reduced interest rate, because it is a very safe loan, and government bonds are of exceptionally high quality.

It is not the debt, per se, which is bad. The only bad part of the national debt is the high interest which must be paid on it. Lower the interest to an acceptable rate, and it will be fine.

Undoubtedly the government will find it harder to borrow money at a lower interest rate, but a law capping the interest on government bonds is not nearly as restrictive as an amendment requiring a balanced budget. The former is reasonable, but the latter is unreasonable.

Instead of allowing the government to borrow money only during wartime, allow the government to pay higher interest rates only during wartime. This again would be a superior alternative to the unnecessarily drastic amendment now being considered in Congress.

A law capping the interest on government bonds would attack the problem with surgical precision, whereas a balanced budget amendment is irresponsible overkill.

Kenneth J. Epstein
Chicago

Questions Republicans' priorities

Editor: According to your March issue ("Schools are riding on empty," page 14), a Republican state senator, Doris Karpiel [Republican from Carol Stream], believes Republicans oppose higher taxes because they think that will jeopardize GOP majorities in the legislature.

In other words, the future of the Republican Party is more important than the education of the next generation? But why not then pass a temporary tax increase which will need to be renewed in two years by the next General Assembly?

William L. Day
Springfield

Readers critical of Topinka

Editor: Jennifer Halperm's profile of State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka ("The GOP's sassiest pol," March 1995, page 10) painted a tough lady. The kind of person most of us admire.

However, with the bravado there is a missing element, Topinka's compassion for the poor. Halperin recited a testy story of two former Statehouse reporters going to work for $65,000 each to promote her name for higher office.

She can spend more for PR people than her Democratic predecessor did, but what else did she do? In the process of changing her office she fired long-time staff that handled a banking program for people on public aid. The "Smart Money" program was a bipartisan effort initiated by former State Treasurer Pat Quinn to bring banking services back to low-income neighborhoods in Illinois. The program had the backing of Gov. Jim Edgar's public aid administrators.

"Smart Money" served the public well by:

•Reducing check-cashing fees to people on public aid;

•Reintroducing banking to poor neighborhoods; and

•Reducing government costs by direct deposit of money instead of through costly paper check through currency exchanges.

Here is a case where government did something right! But, this free enterprise effort that benefitted over 5,000 citizens was dumped. The opponents to "Smart Money" were [members of] the currency exchange industry. They also contributed $500 to Topinka's campaign.

As Topinka builds her image as a "sassy" pol, people also need to remember her brazen disregard of both the poor and the bankers trying to revitalize the poor neighborhoods of this state.

Doug Dobmeyer
Chicago

Editor: I have enjoyed learning more about Judy Baar Topinka. It has been encouraging to watch the ranks of women grow on the state level.

However, I must air one concern. In your article from the March issue of Illinois Issues, you make reference to Top-

40/April 1995/Illinois Issues

Letters                                                                                 

inka's reputation as a patron of Goodwill Stores. This is the second time I have seen her shopping habits mentioned, and I had the same feeling reading it again.

My husband and I have a combined income of just over $60,000. We have one daughter in college and a son entering college this fall. We are not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination but have lived comfortably and within our means. Through the years as I have cleaned my own closets, I have taken numerous items to Goodwill thinking I was helping someone less fortunate than I. Apparently my view of the Goodwill Store is different from that of Judy Baar Topinka. With a salary of over $80,000 a year, Topinka is much more fortunate than many in Illinois. I do hope she is considerate enough to not purchase all of the "good" stuff at Goodwill so others with less income can take advantage of the Goodwill Store also.

Carolyn Brown Hodge
Paris

Vision of 1995

Editor: It's the spring of '95
And the robins are a-singing
The doctors and the IMA are happy
The lawyers and the unions are cringing.

The Republicans are on the move
They're making lots of waves
Their leadership's impressive
As long as Pate behaves.

Lee and Pate are doing fine
They like ruling by decree
They find leadership so divine
While Madigan is up a tree.
Edgar says we don't need taxes
What we need are spending lapses
"We need an airport in Peotone.
Why doesn't Daley leave me alone?"

Kustra's back in office
He's off the radio waves
He's made his deal with Edgar
And will soon be getting raves.

He plans to go to Washington
Where all the big boys play
But the deal's not done 'cause we don't know
What George Ryan has to say.

Topinka is the Treasurer
She'll do her job with glee
She'll tell Edgar like it is
And make his life a misery.

Lolita is Comptroller
She is so debonair
She needs her bodyguards around her
"Hey, this is laissez faire!"

George Ryan and Jim Ryan
Are causing one big mess
People are going to the A.G.'s office
To take their driver's tests.

The Republicans have an agenda
Now they must learn to lead
It's easy throwing sound bytes around
But it takes guts to succeed.

So all you Democrats take heart
The voters soon will be arising
The elephants will start to squirm
They'll do some compromising.

'Cause that's democracy at work
The citizens must be protected
No matter what it costs or takes
As long as they get re-elected.

Myron Kulas
La Grange

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Letters to the Editor
Illinois Issues
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