City Council and pope concur: Medicare for All is a common-sense solution

While it didn't make headlines, Chicago recently became the largest city in the U.S. to pass a resolution calling on Congress to support Medicare for All. The resolution was adopted the same day that Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native, called upon nations to enact universal health care as a moral imperative.

As physicians practicing in the Chicago area, this moral imperative couldn’t be clearer. Every day, we witness how our health care system prioritizes profits over patients. We see and live the gaps, inefficiencies and devastating consequences of this fragmented system.

While a city-level, nonbinding resolution might seem trivial, this unanimous vote supporting Medicare for All is a declaration that the status quo is no longer acceptable. It’s a rejection of small-scale reforms that force our patients to lose limbs because they chose paying rent over buying insulin. It’s a cry against systems that force us to stand by as women die prematurely of breast cancer because they can't afford a biopsy.

Chicago’s resolution reflects a growing recognition that incremental changes and new direct-to-consumer price reductions (such as TrumpRx) are simply not enough. It also signals an important shift: Medicare for All is no longer a fringe proposal but is now recognized as a common-sense solution. That recognition was echoed just one day prior to the City Council vote when Illinois Democratic primary voters chose Juliana Stratton, who made Medicare for All central to her campaign for the U.S. Senate nomination.

There is a growing consensus that the federal government should ensure all Americans have health care coverage. Medicare for All represents a solution to providing that coverage while building upon ongoing efforts to reduce health care costs and, per the words of Pope Leo XIV: "Universal health coverage is … a moral imperative for societies that wish to call themselves just.”

It is time to move beyond the complicated, inadequate reforms of the Affordable Care Act. There is a growing clarity, and now an increasingly prominent insistence, that a universal, national health program is the best next step. The rest of the Illinois Democratic coalition should take heed and find the courage to move in step with this rising public will.

Drs. Monica Maalouf, Winnie Lin and Alec Nicolas Angelo Jotte

Paying fair share of taxes benefits Americans

At the parking garage near Grant Park, I entered the elevator with six other 70-somethings. As the door closed, I turned and asked, "Were you at the 1968 Democratic Convention too?" Same vibe at the "No Kings" rally, but no violence.

I was not there for myself, but for the others who have been more adversely impacted by the fascist movement that is now our government. I was there for my children, grandchildren and yet unborn great-grandchildren. I was also there to honor my parents and grandparents, whose generations fought against fascism in World War II.

I admire those who want to take action by protesting, but I could see on their faces that they did not know or understand how our democracy was taken away.

Simply put, following the Great Depression and World War II, our society transformed into a more perfect union. That growth was funded through taxes — to pay for education, infrastructure, research, fighting poverty and so much more.

The new tax code was founded upon a principle born out of World War II, when illegal profiteering was "accepted" to facilitate the war effort. By the 1950s, the top-tier tax bracket was 90% to prevent excessive profits.

In turn, the taxes on those profits funded social services and a growing economy, as well as government.

The decline of the middle class can be linked with policies under the Nixon administration, including the 90-day freeze on all prices and wages. Next was Ronald Reagan’s trickle-down tax plan, then George W. Bush’s tax cuts, followed by not one but two Donald Trump tax cuts. In this time frame, the growth of American billionaires has grown exponentially, exceeding the robber barons of the 19th century Gilded Age. The post-World War II economy was designed to prevent having billionaires.

Republicans hate taxes. But taxes allow those people to make money and pay for the society they live in too. There is a great reversal taking place. But the problem remains that when we as a society forget our history, the door will once again be open to fascism.

Steve London, Edgewater

We’ve seen this war scenario before

Once again, we are watching a war unfold with familiar justifications and predictable consequences.

It begins with certainty; claims are presented as urgent and undeniable. Soon, those claims shift. What was once about an imminent threat becomes a need for regime change and then something else altogether. The reasoning evolves, but the destruction does not.

The world hesitates. Many nations step back. Yet a powerful few drag us into a conflict often influenced by allies with deep political clout in Washington, D.C. What follows is not strategy but suffering: Families displaced, lives shattered and futures erased.

What is most troubling is how little seems to be learned. Humanity has witnessed immense tragedy in recent memory. The calls for restraint, diplomacy and basic decency are not new. Yet they are repeatedly ignored. Now we hope the war may come to an end, but what is ultimately driving us in that direction?

If we are honest, it often comes down to interests measured in barrels, markets and margins. How sad — oil prices are valued above faith teachings, humanity and even our own better judgment.

Irfan Sarwar, Wheeling

Voting is an all-American right

While passing out primary election materials, I saw a man intentionally shove a woman wearing a hijab as she approached the polling location, causing her to stumble. Fortunately, she sustained no injury.

I confronted the man for his inappropriate actions — a potential hate crime— until he agreed to leave the site. When the woman returned after voting with her two children in tow, she shared that such unpleasant interactions were not unusual for her, a Muslim woman living in Cook County.

The woman's commitment to our electoral process is exactly what makes democracy so powerful. Everyone's voice matters equally at the ballot box.

The fact that the Muslim woman was assaulted should not be surprising, considering the level of racist discourse coming from the president. The federal administration is doing everything it can to make people feel like their vote doesn't have an impact.

The so-called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, which passed in the House and is now being debated in the Senate, will disenfranchise all voters and disproportionately impact minorities, the working class and women.

The requirement for in-person documented proof of citizenship is not easily implemented, which is on purpose. Over 21 million Americans do not have documents readily accessible, and about 69 million married American women do not have a birth certificate with their married legal name on it.

Before the 2024 election, the percentage of Americans who registered to vote in person hovered around 11%. In Cook County, we are expanding voting opportunities through same-day voter registration, a montlong early voting period, mail-in ballots and expansive polling locations. I led the effort to triple the number of languages in which our ballots are available (the VOTE Ordinance).

We must stand with those on the front lines fighting against voter suppression and civil rights violations, for history shows us that the suppression of rights eventually comes for us all.

Cook County United Against Hate supports communities pushing back against bigotry by leveraging County resources to investigate, educate and prosecute hate crimes. Our 90 partners are committed to building awareness and creating welcoming spaces. I invite all people of goodwill to join me in signing the pledge against hate at CookCountyUnitedAgainstHate.com.

Scott Britton, Cook County commissioner, 14th District

Holding parents accountable

The so-called "teen takeovers" or "trends" are concerning. It is not simply the gathering of large numbers of youth, but the reality that, more often than not, a small group within the larger one damages property or, worse, engages in behavior that leads to a teenager being hurt or killed. We must protect our children.

Yes, we need programs for youth to be involved in, but few programs can be offered at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Months ago, I asked the city of Chicago to consider holding parents and guardians more responsible. The city failed to respond. I am now asking the City Council to pass an ordinance requiring police to issue a warning to parents the first time their children are detained. And if a youth is detained a second time, a fine between $300 to $500 should be imposed on the parents. The money generated by those fines should fund youth programming and preventive measures.

The teen "takeovers" or "trends" are not just a community program responsibility or a police responsibility. They are also a parental responsibility. The summer is about to begin. Let's be preemptive and not just reactive. Parents must step up. Property protection is definitely an issue, but the most important issue is our children's safety. That is our responsibility.

It's time for parents to step up or be held accountable.

Rev. Michael L. Pfleger, senior pastor, Faith Community of St. Sabina Church

Weaponizing Loyola student’s murder to spread hate

The tragic murder of Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman predictably has been weaponized by the far right to attack all migrants to this country. Using this "logic," why don't the same people blame all white people for the crimes of Adolf Hitler?

Numerous studies from across the political spectrum, including the libertarian Cato Institute, show that migrants are far less likely to commit crimes than people born in this country. This means nothing to the political vultures who promote hate against marginalized groups. Discrimination and more violence follow predictably in the wake of such campaigns.

For the record, many of the same people making political hay out of Gorman's murder found nothing illegal about the deaths caused by the 2020 storming of the U.S. Capitol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol's murderous rampages. Oh, and many of their leaders, right on up to the White House, find no problem in palling around with Hitler-loving creeps like Nick Fuentes and David Duke.

Andy Thayer, Uptown

Paying for bad news

As a loyal Sun-Times reader, I'm glad to pay a couple of bucks for the print edition. Also, I sometimes look forward to the more expensive Sunday edition because it usually includes a worthwhile supplement. But — and maybe you saw a "but" coming — last Sunday's supplement was too much to bear for a White Sox fan. The 2016 Cubs World Series victory was maybe the worst year for Sox fans, and don't forget, we recently had a year that set a record for most losses. So, thanks a lot for making us think about that terrible year once again and for charging an extra couple of bucks to do it.

Jim Bruton. Avondale

Kennedy Space Center no more?

Watch for the Trump Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. You know it’s coming.

Alan Stoeck, Tinley Park

Cheesy tidbit

You wouldn’t know it from food writer Maggie Hennessy’s three articles in Wednesday’s Sun-Times, but it is possible to get a hamburger without cheese in Chicago. You just have to declare, in a firm voice, “No cheese.” And then repeat your statement.

Robert Cloud, Gold Coast