A bad package deal
Like any Chicagoan, I am in favor of the City Council finding new and creative ways to fund the city services we all rely on. But I have to speak out against the proposal by Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) to charge residents and businesses $1.25 per package they have delivered.
This proposal would be a nightmare for both private residents and businesses.
As for residents, while it might seem like this tax would primarily be paid by the idle rich having their online impulse buys delivered to their high-rise condos, my experience suggests otherwise. Two examples: I have many neighbors in Rogers Park who don’t own cars but do have pets. So they get heavy items like cases of dog food or boxes of cat litter delivered regularly, since lugging those products from grocery stores is just not realistic for them. I have other neighbors who are pretty much home-bound for health reasons or age, and they get groceries and takeout meals delivered regularly, even daily.
I did the math: If a resident got one delivery a day (not an unrealistic or excessive number, based on what I see on front porches and in mail rooms), he or she would pay $456.25 a year. Perhaps that’s nothing for the well-off, but for someone who has to rely on delivery, it’s a lot of money. And as much as we all like to support local mom-and-pop businesses, some things are only available by delivery.
Other questions remain: Can this tax legally be applied to deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service? Or would it just be Amazon and other such private delivery outfits?
Finally, the proposal includes packages delivered to businesses. As anyone who has watched a bookstore or other retail shop take deliveries can attest, they would have hundreds of deliveries a month to pay this tax on (assuming each individual box is a separate item to be taxed, which seems to be the case). Ever see a Sysco or beverage distribution truck unload at a restaurant? Dozens or scores of boxes every day or two.
In short, this proposal does not need to be sent back to the drawing board: It needs to be repackaged and addressed "return to sender."
Bill Savage. Rogers Park
Dampening the vibe at Christmas tree event
I’ve lived in Chicago a long time, and for the past decade I’ve gone to Navy Pier to welcome the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw and the hundreds of Christmas trees it brings for families who need them. It’s a more than century-old Chicago tradition: volunteers, parishes, charities and Coast Guard sailors working side by side with no fuss and no politics — just service.
That didn't happen this year. At Polk Bros Park, I saw an admiral, more than a dozen captains, color guards, the Secret Service, and over 50 Chicago police officers. I have never seen anything like it.
The Coast Guard did everything right. This wasn’t its doing. The shift took place the moment Kristi Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security, decided to show up. Most civilians don’t realize that when a Cabinet member attends an event, protocol forces senior officers to appear too — and that automatically translates to a huge security apparatus.
That’s the real issue: What is normally a sweet, low-key Christmas tradition suddenly became a high-security, high-risk environment that also included protest, which is absurd for a charity Christmas event attended mostly by volunteers and families with small children. No one planned for that, and no one attending asked for it.
The next day, when the cameras and security details disappeared, the cutter looked like itself again — the park was covered in another half-foot of snow. That’s the version Chicago knows and loves.
We don’t need political staging around the Christmas Tree Ship.
We need community, service and safe places to carry out heartfelt good deeds by the families who are teaching their children well by offloading Christmas trees for those in need at Navy Pier with the venerable Coast Guard.
Kathy Gregg , Streeterville
Lame landmark
It's astonishing to see the staff and members of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks twist themselves into pretzels to justify the preliminary landmarking of the architecturally mediocre building at 30 N. LaSalle St. that replaced Adler and Sullivan's true landmark, the Chicago Stock Exchange Building. Clearly, it was not about recognizing the present building's architectural significance. It was about making it possible for the developer to achieve a sizable real estate tax reduction. It seems like such a cynical move, and it really calls into question the commission's understanding of its own mission — to protect the truly worthy architectural gems of our city.
Walter Gallas, Edgewater
Streamlined City Council
I have a good idea about cuts that will help the city create a passable budget. How about we get rid of 30 City Council members and their budgets? New York City has three to four times as many people as we do with 51 City Council members. So realistically, I think 20 alderpersons should be able to handle Chicago's population. I think it’s a good place to start. Less politicians equals less taxes.
Nick Ferraro, Dixmoor
Slap on the wrist
Some steal $1,500 from a bank and get prison time.
Meanwhile former Cook County Judge Patricia Martin stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a World War II veteran and got probation. Talk about privilege.
Jim Lanham, Joliet
Not at peace with Trump’s FIFA prize
With the U.S. co-hosting the World Cup in 2026, was now a good time for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to embarrass the entire organization by giving Donald Trump a fictitious peace award? These CEO sycophants are working overtime to outdo each other.
Michael Cronin, Riverside