Vox Pop

In the loop: Oct. 26

Newsdesk — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:53:37 -0500

The editorial board welcomed a group of students from DePaul University to its meeting Monday.

Should women be invited to join President Barack Obama and his inner circle at informal games of pick-up basketball? Members of the board discussed whether the face time men in Washington who get with the president during games give them an unfair advantage over female counterparts. One board member said that it shouldn’t matter, since policy wasn’t being discussed during the games.

“I don’t think that’s fair,” said another board member. “I think business does take place on the court.”

Even if women don’t want to get on the court with the president, one board member asked if there are other informal ways for women to get face time Obama. What do you think?

From hoops to hype… The discussion turned to Disney’s recent announcement that it would refund money to parents who had purchased videos from its Baby Einstein series. Watching Baby Einstein programming was supposed to make kids smarter. But a recent study showed that the videos were associated with slower acquisition of new words.

Many of the students visiting from DePaul talked about their childhood experiences with the tube, learning from Sesame Street, Schoolhouse Rock, and other shows on Nickelodeon and PBS. Does educational television truly help kids learn? That’s a debate that isn’t likely to be settled anytime soon.

Finally, one of the board members brought up the Tribune story about recent complaints regarding smoking in an Evanston park. Families are upset that one of Evanston’s neighborhood parks is largely populated by smokers from a nearby treatment facility for mentally ill patients. Are their complaints founded? The board was skeptical. As one board member said, there are many other parks close to the one in question. If the families are bothered by the smoke, why not take their kids to one of the other parks?

One board member said that smoking could technically be banned in that park. However, one DePaul student pointed out that people are running out of places to smoke. If they’re banned from the park, they’ll just move to another park.

Should smoking be prohibited in certain city parks, or should the community try to work around the smokers who have “taken ownership of that park?”

—Evan Minsker, Editorial Board Intern

In the loop: October 19

Newsdesk — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:13:35 -0500

The editorial board welcomed 8th grade students from Thomas Middle School in Arlington Heights Monday to sit in on the meeting.

Almost everybody in the room had an opinion about the “balloon boy,” Falcon Heene, and his family. Should the Heene kids be taken away from their parents? Some of the students thought so. One student said the family “had enough chances to screw up the kids.” Another cited an episode of Wife Swap, which featured the Heenes, as an example of bad parenting.

One board member disagreed, saying the parents were “goofy” but didn’t put the kids in the way of physical harm. One of the students concurred, pointing to Jon and Kate plus 8 as an example of kids who weren’t taken away though they were exploited on reality television.

Many people in the room pointed out that the event took up a lot of people’s time and, more importantly, money. Should the parents pay a fine to help offset the tax dollars that went toward the balloon chase?

The conversation shifted to the Northwestern University Innocence Project. A group of journalism students at Northwestern’s Medill School uncovered new evidence that proves the innocence of local death row prisoners. The Cook County state's attorney has subpoenaed the students' grades, notes and recordings pertaining to the story.

One board member pointed out that the state’s attorney can do the same investigating and reporting that the students have done. He said that a subpoena for notes should be a last resort decision. “This sounds a lot like the first resort,” he said.

Later, the board discussed Obama’s plan to give seniors $250 to make up for the lack of an increase in Social Security next year. The plan would cost an estimated $13 billion, leading one board member to plead for the White House to stop spending. “Just for a day,” he said.

--Evan Minsker, Editorial Board Intern

In the room: Chicago Transit Authority

Newsdesk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:07:06 -0500

Chicago Transit Authority visited the editorial board Monday to discuss the 2010 budget, which includes proposed fare hikes, layoffs and service cuts.

The CTA is trying to make up for a $300 million funding shortfall due to increased union wages and reduced public funding. Richard Rodriguez, president of the CTA, presented the budget to the board along with Terry Peterson, chairman of the Chicago Transit Board.

One of the means to offset the deficit is a fare increase. Peterson said the most financially dependent CTA customers are bus riders, not train riders, so regular bus fares will increase by only $.25 from $2.25 to $2.50 while express bus and train fares will increase by $.75 from $2.25 to $3. Rodriguez said he made no changes to student or reduced-fare passes.

Rodriguez said that a smaller fare increase would necessitate bigger service cuts. He said that although the plan calls for buses and trains to run less frequently, the CTA plans to spread the burden evenly across the city. The CTA plans to eliminate nine express bus routes:

•    X3 King Drive Express
•    X4 Cottage Grove Express
•    X9 Ashland Express
•    X20 Washington/Madison Express
•    X49 Western Express
•    53AL South Pulaski Limited
•    X54 Cicero Express
•    X55 Garfield Express
•    X80 Irving Park Express

CTA officials discussed ways the deficit could be offset. Rodriguez said he was “optimistic” about getting more public funding from the state legislature.

However, Rodriguez said he could still use help from the CTA workers union. He said that if the union had a salary freeze and enacted furlough days, as the non-union CTA workers have done, the CTA could restore some of the planned service cuts. Peterson said that the unions have expressed an interest in working with the CTA.

One editorial board member mentioned that the CTA has been hurt financially because it has to provide free rides for seniors, under state law. Rodriguez said that he’d like to see the state fund the program.

Should seniors stop riding for free? Should the union workers defer a pay raise next year? What do you think?

--Evan Minsker, Editorial Board Intern

In the room: Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities

Newsdesk — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:50:46 -0500

The Monetary Award Program (MAP) is a need-based grant that gives low-income students attending community, private or public colleges and universities in Illinois up to $4,900 per year to cover expenses.

The program is funded by the state. And this year, funding has been cut by more than 50 percent. The state budget originally called for $400 million in MAP funding. But currently, only $190 million of that has been allocated for the grants.

Eight representatives from the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities met with the editorial board on Monday, arguing that the funding had to be restored, and soon. John Peters, president of Northern Illinois University, called the cuts “surprisingly drastic.” And the group said that if the legislature pushes back funding restoration to 2010, it will be too late to keep many of MAP’s grantees in college.

“This has to be solved in the fall—in the veto session,” Peters said. “We have to impress upon the governor the drastic nature of the cuts.”

If funding isn’t restored by Nov. 1, Peters said, many of the students will lose their grants for the spring semester. And Peters said the group estimated that one-third of those who lose their MAP grant will drop out of college.

“Our concern is that the drastic nature of the cuts will scare away the freshmen,” Peters said. “We’re worried that the first-generation college freshmen will go and never come back.”

Alan Ray, the president of Elmhurst College, said cutting MAP funding will come as an unfair surprise to parents and students. He also reiterated the worry that students without their grants will forgo a college education.

Who opposes giving MAP the money that the original budget called for?

“I have talked to no leader who is against restoring MAP funding,” Peters said.

The problem, as always, lies in finding the necessary funds. When a member of the board asked how legislators should come up with the money, the room momentarily went silent. Peters said it was outside his area of expertise. That, he said, was for lawmakers to figure out.

—Evan Minsker, Editorial Board Intern

In the loop: Oct. 1

Newsdesk — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:58:50 -0500

In a couple of hours, we’ll know if Chicago will, indeed, be the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Which way will the vote go? “Anyone who says they know what will happen is lying,” said one member. “The internal dynamic of the vote is impossible to predict.”

From Olympic sports to contact sports: A study commissioned by the NFL found that former players are diagnosed with a memory-related problems (like dementia or Alzheimer’s) at a rate 19 times that of all men ages 30 to 49.

What can be done to better protect the men—and boys—who play football? A few members tossed around the idea of a concussion limit: Two knockouts and you’re done.

Another member said players had to be given more rest time after a concussion. That’s something that often doesn’t happen—football’s macho culture pushes players back into action far too quickly. Take the example of Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for the Florida Gators, the No. 1 team in college football. Tebow suffered an extended blackout in the third quarter of Florida’s 41-7 victory at Kentucky Sept. 26. Although he reportedly can’t watch television or read yet, fans, teammates and even coaches are saying Tebow’s too tough to be sidelined when Florida returns to action Oct. 10 against rival LSU. (The team has a bye this weekend.) One poster on tebowzone.com, a blog devoted to Tebow, wrote, “With a ‘mild’ or ‘normal’ concussion, you would expect a player to be out maybe 2-3 weeks. But this is Tim Tebow we’re talking about. I can almost gaurantee [sic] he will be suited up on the field for LSU in two weeks.”

What do you think? Is two weeks enough recovery time for a brain-scrambling hit? Would you let your kids suit up if taking the field meant risking permanent neurological damage?

The conversation then turned to charter and magnet schools, and what one board member called “an imbalance of supply and demand.”

How should schools craft the right racial mix in magnet schools? Should racial diversity be a priority? Under a recently lifted consent decree, the Chicago Public Schools magnets were considered desegregated if they maintained enrollments that were 15 to 35 percent white, and 65 to 85 percent minority.

Without the consent decree quotas, those numbers may shift. Does it matter? Should maintaining racial diversity within magnet schools remain a priority?

—Sara Peck, editorial board intern

In the loop: Sept. 28

Newsdesk — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:21:54 -0500

The International Olympic Committee will announce the host city for the 2016 Summer Games on Friday. Will it choose Chicago? Or will it, instead, give a nod to Tokyo, Rio or Madrid?

And how will Chicagoans feel immediately following the announcement? Will a winning bid mean euphoria? Will a snub lead to a letdown?

The editorial board discussed all of that at its Monday morning meeting.

One board member argued that if Chicago wins the bid, a fifth star should be added to the Chicago city flag. The four stars currently on the flag commemorate Ft. Dearborn, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Century of Progress Exposition of 1933-34.

The Olympics would showcase the city for the world, the board said. But large scale events can also leave behind a positive legacy in other ways. For example, the world’s first Ferris wheel was constructed at the 1893 Exposition. The building housing the Museum of Science and Industry was also built for that event.

Even if Chicago fails to land the Olympics, the bid process may leave a positive legacy. As one board member pointed out, cities rarely get the opportunity to recreate themselves wholesale, to rethink how parks are used or how public transit is configured. The long-term planning done by the bid committee can provide a blueprint for city planners on how to make Chicago a better place to live, work and do business. And that’s true even if we don’t land the Olympics.

Later, the board discussed a proposal by top Pentagon officials to end the U.S. military’s longstanding ban on women serving in submarines. As one board member said, anyone who wants to live underwater for six months at a stretch, while serving our country, should be allowed to do so. Two board members asked, “What’s taking them so long?”

Also, the board discussed the news Saline County Circuit Judge Todd Lambert issued a preliminary injunction Monday morning blocking Gov. Pat Quinn from laying off 2,600 state workers. The layoffs were one element of a plan to cut $1 billion in state spending. The judge ruled in favor of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees’ (AFSCME), which had challenged Quinn’s right to lay off unionized workers. As one board member quipped, “It’s official—AFSCME runs the state.”

—Evan Minsker, Editorial Board Intern

In the loop: Sept. 24

Newsdesk — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:55:45 -0500

Today was pretty much a mixed bag for the board—sexual fetishes, delinquent aldermen and inmate release programs dominated the discussion. Don’t worry, readers, your deluge of letters about the editorial “U.S. Waffles on Honduras” (Sept. 22) has been noticed. The board discussed its stance on Honduras and public reaction to the issue.

One member brought up the comings and goings of Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th), who is said to split her time between Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Some have reported that “split” is more like full time in Washington with sporadic Chicago visits for Jackson, who is married to Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Is that the case? Is that fair? Does office time really matter if the job gets done? “I think that if you’re going to be an alderman, your constituents need to be able to talk to you,” one board member said. Another member disagreed. “She wasn’t elected to be here, she was elected to do the job. If she gets the job done, there’s no problem,” he said.

Next, the question of animal cruelty resurfaced. Should “crush” videos—when people film small animals being killed as part of a sexual fetish—be protected by the 1st Amendment?

No one defended the videos, but the board did debate whether the videos should be criminalized. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a case challenging a 1999 federal law that criminalized trafficking in photos and videos of animal cruelty. Free speech advocates say the 1st Amendment protects material even as offensive as “crush” videos. Animal rights activists claim that animal cruelty is not protected under the 1st Amendment and its depiction should be criminal.

What do you think?

The board rounded out the meeting with a discussion of an early release program that the Illinois Department of Corrections is implementing. The program will cut costs by releasing minor drug and theft offenders who have less than a year left on their sentences. The state also plans to allocate additional funding for diversion and rehabilitation programs, giving judges options other than short prison terms for low-level drug offenders. Is this a good idea? The board was split. Some said that it will save money and could help reduce recidivism. Others said letting offenders out of prison early weakened the deterrent effect that the certainty of prison time has on would-be criminals.

“When we say two years in prison, we should mean two years,” one member said.

—Sara Peck, Editorial Board Intern

In the room: Alex Kotlowitz

Newsdesk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:51:27 -0500

Though Chicago homicide rates have gone down by at least 11 percent since January, few call it a triumph. Many neighborhoods in Chicago still have the air of danger. “It doesn’t feel safe,” said one board member, a South Side resident. “I just assume everyone on the train is packing.”

The board met on Tuesday with Alex Kotlowitz, an author, journalist and professor whose 1991 book, “There Are No Children Here,” detailed the lives of two West Side boys cocooned in gang violence. Violence is something still far too familiar in the lives of many Chicago kids. The front-page story in Tuesday’s Tribune told the story of nine high school students shot in September.

“No one is going to talk to those kids about what happened,” Kotlowitz said. “They’re just going to have to move on… The homicide rate doesn’t even begin to help us understand the problem.”

“I think communities have a kind of violence fatigue,” said a board member who recently saw a blood-stained shooting victim stumble into a currency exchange on the South Side. “I think we’re so used to the violence that it has to be so horrific to attract our attention.”

“Incredible distrust exists in these communities, both between the people and the authorities, but also between neighbors,” Kotlowitz said.

There are ongoing efforts to change that. CeaseFire is a grassroots program that trains gang veterans, many of whom have served time in prison, to intervene in conflicts and head off retaliatory shootings. Kotlowitz is working on a documentary about CeaseFire, which is in the pre-production stages.

Kotlowitz discussed a program used in New Haven, Conn. called the Child Development Community Policing Program. The initiative studies the effect of violence on children. Workers knock on doors to seek out kids and families directly touched by violence and refer the kids for psychiatric follow-up. Could that type of program work on a dramatically larger scale? Chicago has a population 23 times that of New Haven.

“We’ve completely underestimated the effect that violence has on individuals,” Kotlowitz said.

—Sara Peck, Editorial Board Intern

In the loop: Sept. 21

Newsdesk — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:32:59 -0500

Most people would agree that videos of animals being tortured are offensive. But should it be illegal to sell such videos? To possess them? Next month, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether or not the sale of videos featuring animal torture is protected by the First Amendment.

There’s plenty of offensive material for sale, everything from racist screeds to bomb-making manuals. And almost all of it is protected by the First Amendment. An exception: child pornography. Does animal torture belong in the same category as child porn? Or does it belong with all of the other objectionable material on the market—offensive to many, but still legal?

Later, the board discussed a possible troop increase in Afghanistan. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, recently said he needs more troops. What he didn’t say is how many troops he needs. Is he asking for 10,000 or 40,000 troops? And, as one board member said, “It’s not clear how he wants to use these troops.”

Finally, the conversation turned to roads and traffic. The board specifically discussed Tribune reporter Jon Hilkevitch’s story about the Illinois Department of Transportation’s reassessment of Willow Road. One member of the board asked, “What are the three easiest things to do to ease road congestion?” Will congestion pricing on the Illinois tollway do the trick? How about building concrete roads, which require less maintenance, and would mean fewer road repair projects in the future? What do you think are the three best ways to ease road congestion in the Chicagoland area?

—Evan Minsker, Editorial Board Intern

Quinn caves

Newsdesk — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:12:12 -0500

Gov. Pat Quinn offered a fine rationale Wednesday for firing James Montgomery and Frances Carroll, University of Illinois trustees who refuse to resign in the wake of a serious scandal at the school. Then Quinn caved. He said he’s leaving Montgomery and Carroll on the U. of I. board. With that, Quinn again proved that the people of Illinois cannot rely on him for decisive leadership. Seven months into his tenure, he is the incredible shrinking governor.

Quinn gave an excruciatingly repetitive explanation Wednesday—he does that when he’s anxious—for not dumping the two trustees. It was as if he tried to convince himself there’s justification for his inaction. There isn’t.

Montgomery and Carroll need to go so the U. of I. can begin to recover from the rigged-admissions debacle that occurred on their watch. But thanks to Quinn, Montgomery and Carroll still could be on the board when it faces its most urgent task: firing U. of I. President B. Joseph White and Chancellor Richard Herman for their roles in the Clout U. scandal. The two holdover trustees cannot be part of that discussion.

Earlier this month, Quinn followed the recommendation of an investigative panel he’d empowered, and asked every trustee to step down. Seven of the nine have. When Montgomery and Carroll stiffed him, Quinn suggested he’d deal with them last week. No action. Then he stalled until Monday. Still no action. On Tuesday he said he’d act with “certainty and with dispatch” on ... Wednesday. Instead he laid out why the holdouts need to leave—and then said they can stay: “I’m not going to get involved in a litigation battle with those two.”

As if some potential lawsuit is reason enough for a governor who wants to rebuild public confidence in the U. of I. to run away frightened. Lawsuit? Bring it on. We wrote here Aug. 16 how we hope that, if any such lawsuit comes to trial, every plaintiff who wants to justify tolerance for cheating young people out of fair shots at U. of I. degrees will take the stand and testify.

The governor allegedly is a bold populist. Time and again, though, he won’t stand firm if doing so would offend someone powerful:

Quinn supported holding a special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama—until it occurred to Sen. Dick Durbin and other top Democrats who had taken the same position that their party could lose that election. Then Quinn caved.

He wanted to increase teachers’ pension contributions—until he spoke to a teachers’ group that objected. Then he caved.

Is another cave coming? Quinn says he wants most unionized state workers to save the state money by taking unpaid furlough days. Labor leaders said they’ll, um, get back to him in September. Every day Quinn lets them stall, he digs this year’s budget chasm a little deeper.

Enough caves, Governor. Suck it up.