Minnesota’s 3 steps could benefit Illinois

||| READER FEEDBACK

If you want to raise revenue and dump the budget deficit Illinois languishes under, why not do what Gov. Mark Dayton of Minnesota did? These three easy steps turned a deficit in revenue into a surplus: 1. Raised taxes on the wealthy. 2. Increased the minimumwage. 3. Passed equal pay legislation. Once Dayton set these three steps in motion, voila, Minnesota’s tax deficit became a tax revenue surplus even after the state spent megabuck bucks on education. A surplus of money. Wow. Imagine what that would mean for Illinois. Esther M. Allman, Frankfort

Trump’s maniac theory

President Donald Trump has claimed that the other day’s tragedy in Texas has nothing to due with guns, saying that we have a lot of mental health problems in this country “as do other countries.” Comparing international murder rates then must lead one to conclude that the U. S. has from five to eight times as many homicidal maniacs as countries like the U. K., France, Germany, Sweden and Japan, all countries that limit and regulate gun ownership. It makes you not want to leave the house. ThomasW. Evans, Mundelein

Blackhawks’ silence decisions

Just a casual observation about the Blackhawks and mass murder. The Hawks observed a moment of silence after the terror attack in New York ( Nov. 1), but not after the terror attack in Sutherland Springs ( Nov. 5). I don’t see the difference. Both are indiscriminate acts of violence; why does one garner respect for the fallen and the others ignored? Because the perpetrator was foreign- born and made an online pledge to ISIS and is thus somehow scarier than the native- born white man who came armed for war without an ideology behind his inspiration to kill? Even the Hawks aren’t immune to perpetuating the myth that international terrorism is the gravest threat to American lives. Patrick Lind, Algonquin

Free breakfasts

Lauren Fitzpatrick’s article “Making the Grade” states that a Stanford researcher has discovered Chicago public schools have risen remarkably over the past five years. Sean Reardon, Stanford researcher, says it’s like our kids received “an extra year of schooling squeezed in somehow”

Do you know what Chicago does that other districts don’t? Provide free breakfasts and lunches to ALL students. When kids aren’t hungry, they are ready to learn. Food available to all means no embarrassment for a free meal, no penalty for running late and skipping a meal for families that can afford them.

That’s the major change that happened in the last five years. The rest of the country should follow suit. Caren Tarv, North Park

Kudos to headlinewriters

I wasmoved by the front page headline in a recent Sun- Times (“Coffee & Crime”) to express my appreciation for the cleverness of so many of the Sun- Times headlines. Many years ago, when newspaper pages were still set by hand, I worked as the sports editor of a weekly, with the responsibility of creating headlines that fit in the column space. I realize that is now done by computer, but the headline must still fit the assigned space. To accomplish that, and also to be clever, is an achievement which I salute . . . and enjoy. Keep it up! Stephen B. Goldberg, Buena Park

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