Casey Means is poor choice for surgeon general

The surgeon general is often called the “nation’s doctor.” In a time of vaccine hesitancy and outbreaks of preventable diseases, this title carries enormous responsibility. Whoever occupies that office should demonstrate an unwavering commitment to science and patient care.

That is why the nomination of Casey Means for surgeon general is so deeply concerning.

My concern isn't about nutrition or chronic disease prevention, which deserve national attention. It’s about her rejection of core professional principles and the message her nomination sends to future doctors like me.

A central responsibility of the surgeon general is to serve as a trusted, clear voice for evidence-based medicine. Ambiguity in moments of crisis can further erode trust and cost lives.

Vaccine recommendations illustrate this responsibility. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine vaccine is one of the greatest public health interventions in history. When a potential surgeon general appeared reluctant to confirm this scientific consensus until recently, it undermines the clarity that public health leadership requires.

Clinical credibility is important. Physicians gain trust through knowledge, patient care and responsibility. Means isn't board-certified or licensed to practice medicine. She left her otolaryngology residency voluntarily, citing disillusionment with modern medicine.

During her nomination hearing, she stated she was not planning "on prescribing prescriptions to Americans." Yet her public health recommendations would affect over 340 million Americans.

Means has become a wellness industry figure with a platform criticizing modern medical practices. Her professional journey shows a clear contradiction: rejecting the legitimacy of medicine while now aiming to be its leading advocate.

Medicine is imperfect. As a medical student on the South Side, I see the inequalities and challenges of the American health care system.

However, I’ve learned these realities don't excuse us from responsibility but should strengthen our commitment to patient care. Change in medicine has never come from abandonment. It has come from commitment.

Casey Means has fallen short of the professionalism that inspired many of us to pursue medicine. She is a medical doctor by degree only and doesn’t meet the standards for the surgeon general of the United States.

America needs a surgeon general who inspires the next generation to stay, to serve and lead — not to walk away. A surgeon general who believes in medicine enough to practice it.

Chuka Onuh, medical student, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

Wind turbines would harm birds passing Lake Michigan

Here we go again, with “Why aren’t there wind turbines in Lake Michigan?” in WBEZ's Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco's story in Sunday's Sun-Times. Would state Rep. Marcus Evans Jr., D-Chicago, and Springfield realize these efforts are moot? The lake is a migratory bird superhighway, along with a sanctuary on the Southeast Side. Don't tall buildings Downtown kill enough birds right now? Have people noticed the bird population has already diminished?

Sixteen years ago, I sat on a committee to consider placing 40 turbines east of Northwestern University. Along with a fellow member, we submitted a minority opinion in opposition. Birds weren't an issue then, but Evanston had no deep water port, its ComEd substation limited any electricity generated, and access to the shoreline for anything else was nonexistent. Needless to say, the lake bottom belongs to the state of Illinois.

Fred J. Wittenberg, Evanston

Airport annoyances

What is going on right now at airports amid the partial government shutdown is completely unacceptable. People's long-planned vacations and business events are being ruined by missed flights. I don’t know how anyone who is chronically ill or has small children can stand in line for hours. I am worried I may not be able to do that for my upcoming trip. What if the TSA workers all quit?

There are possible solutions even if Congress cannot agree on current legislation:

1. Provide emergency money to pay Transportation Security Administration agents and air controllers. This money could be paid back once they receive their federal pay.
   
2. Make separate budget categories for transportation and immigration enforcement, which are, after all, very different things — but both fall under the Department of Homeland Security — so this problem does not happen ever again.
   
3. States could pay TSA agents as a loan to be paid back when their regular pay arrives. If the amount is too overwhelming, they could give them half their pay, and that might be enough to carry them through till the end of the problem.
   
4. The National Guard could be employed to do many of the TSA tasks. Years ago when I was an Andy Frain Services usher, much of what is handled by TSA now was handled by myself and others who simply came in for the day. Yes, you need training to understand what you see on an X-ray, but you do not need a lot of training to help load things onto conveyor belts, remove trays, direct people, etc. Use the National Guard or temporary personnel to handle these things, and let the TSA agents focus on the X-rays.
   
5. We have to make sure this does not happen again. Something must be done. Three hundred TSA agents have quit already, and I’m sure there are more on the way. The problem isn’t just because of this incident but because of repeated incidents. To hire more people to replace them, they must be assured their income and lives will not be repeatedly disrupted. There must be a different funding plan for the future.

This is a crisis that cannot wait.

Joyce Porter, Oak Park

Start a new chapter, Dennis

Happy 75th anniversary, "Dennis the Menace." Time to retire.

Sandra Minor, McHenry