Runoff primaries would make candidates more accountable

The Illinois General Assembly should consider adopting a runoff election system for primaries. Ten other states have runoff rules in place for when a candidate fails to secure a majority of votes in a primary.

Policy discussions would be more compelling and issues- driven in the shorter campaign period between the first election and the runoff. For me as a Democratic voter, researching and comparing the various policy points of eight different attorney general candidates felt like a struggle. Similarly, allowing a billionaire candidate to buy seemingly endless TV time a year before the election left the other candidates fighting for scraps in the governor’s race.

Serious campaign finance reform must be passed to prevent this auction of an election from happening again. We need a new primary system in place to ensure that Illinois’ elected officials will be accountable to the people. John Gargiulo, Logan Square

Alive and well

It is difficult to put into words the utter joy and feelings of patriotism I felt Tuesday night as I crawled safely into bed knowing that in our great state, anyone, and I mean anyone, can ( with Michael Madigan’s blessing and a billiondollar trust) become governor. Democracy is alive and well in the heartland of America.

Daniel Seltzer, Oak Park

Best for business

Germany, with its high worker wages ( substantially higher than ours), high taxes and strict government regulations, has the world’s highest trade surplus. To make American goods more competitive globally, our companies must keep CEO salaries more in line with international standards, that is, paying CEOs about 40 times the median worker’s wage instead of 400 times or higher.

Further, how about focusing on providing the best possible service to customers instead of maximizing corporate profits? As taught at Harvard business school, focusing on customers’ requirements results in greater efficiency and high- quality products. Being ethical and responding to community needs is not only good for one’s soul, it is ultimately best for business success.