I tried to enjoy the fireworks last Wednesday night, but in many ways it felt less like a Fourth of July celebration and more like visiting a dying friend. The terrible memories of the debate linger.
One of the candidates appeared to be an elderly man with cognitive decline, and the other was a bombastic, lying, egotistical, self-absorbed bombast with a history of racism, misogyny, and vulgar language and behavior. It is truly astonishing that one person can tell more lies in 90 minutes than most people do in their entire lives.
A political party has forgotten its patriotic duty, and most of its elected officials and other leaders have become sycophants and lackeys who slavishly follow its flawed leaders in a manner frighteningly reminiscent of 1930s Germany, while its members who speak their conscience are isolated and ostracized.
The other party is paralyzed, divided between a far-left that is hopelessly out of touch with the beliefs of most Americans, and a center that is all too small.
Only a minority of the country does not see the U.S. Supreme Court as hopelessly biased, and, to the best of our knowledge, two justices have been bought off by right-wing billionaires.
To say the legislature is dysfunctional seems an understatement and the behaviour of some lawmakers is embarrassing both nationally and internationally.
Our leaders need to do more, or we will no longer be a “city on a hill” but a society doomed to decline.
— Elliot Weisenberg, Chicago
Are Americans tired of this?
Donald Trump. Joe Biden.
Neither is fit for duty.
To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, if a convicted felon, an insurrectionist, and a drunkard compete for the presidency, our honored dead may have died in vain.
My question is to the American people: Are you tired of being taken advantage of?
During my lifetime, every election has had the same result, regardless of which party won: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and the only thing that changes every year is that the list of poor people gets longer.
Are these middling candidates really the best that political parties have to offer, and are we content to be talked down to time and time again?
This election has been a disgrace and continues to make America the laughing stock of the world. The absolute and utter stupidity of this election was entirely avoidable. The political parties have revealed themselves to be useless cults.
sufficient.
I Demanding Political parties are abandoning Trump and Biden in support of candidates who are not an elite aristocracy of privilege, but public servants willing to assume the solemn duties of public service.
There's nothing left to say.
— Steven Sonnefeld, Manteno, Illinois
I feel abandoned by the Republican Party.
As a lifelong conservative, I can't help but feel disgusted and abandoned by the Republican Party. President Joe Biden's closest political allies have not hesitated to publicly air their concerns about his continued run for office. Good for them. Where are our elected Republicans and the doubts they have about Donald Trump? Why aren't they at least troubled by his record on everything from his careless handling of classified documents to his involvement in the riot at the Capitol? Apparently their political future matters so much that they are willing to pander to a man who has been convicted of multiple felonies and faces further charges.
My heroes are Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheney, Chris Christie, Larry Hogan, Mitt Romney, and anyone else who was willing to sacrifice their own ambition to tell the truth.
The survival of our democracy is at stake. Wake up, Republicans!
— Diane P. Verratti, Waukegan
The Democratic Party caused chaos
It seems that honest, forthright Democrats have finally taken a page from the Republican Party: using fear to sway voters. Unfortunately, honesty and forthrightness have once again prevailed, and Democrats can only use the lesson to their own detriment.
Can someone please tell the Democrats (if they don't deny, obfuscate, or lie) that they should be threatening the swing vote by pointing out their opponent's flaws, not their own? And while all this lamentation about what is essentially a beauty contest, these debates have been largely beautyless. Without the Democrats, most of us would have forgotten the debate fiasco.
Sure, living in Chicagoland, we know disappointment all too well, but who could imagine that even the Cubs would be stupid enough to tell their fans, “Wow! We're really bad this year! I honestly don't know why anyone's still rooting for us”?
What's next for Democrats? Wait until 2028?
— Jim Koppensteiner, Niles
Financial Transparency
Regarding the editorial “State Treasurer, Biden and Trump Have Something in Common” (July 1): The State Treasurer's Office does not typically attract media attention. I was surprised by a recent editorial criticizing my office for “touting a record $130 million in revenue in the state's investment portfolio.” Transparency is a big tenet of my administration. Since 2015, I have regularly reported on the ups and downs of the state's investments on our website and through news releases.
I was equally surprised by the prediction that I would lose that income “if the market goes bad.” The Tribune editorial board doesn't seem to know how to run my office. I'm prohibited from investing my state portfolio directly in the stock market.
As Treasurer, through bull and bear markets, my office has consistently made millions of dollars for Illinois taxpayers. The Editorial Board is correct that I persuaded the Legislature to change “ultra-conservative” state law to allow my office to invest in highly rated corporate bonds, a move the Editorial Board describes as a “smarter” and “common sense step.”
They also persuaded the state legislature to allow them to invest in safe municipal bonds, such as those issued by Illinois school districts to buy land and construct buildings, and prime money market funds, which emphasize safety and liquidity.
We have made commonsense reforms to improve returns by extending the average weighted maturity of our investments, made possible by coming into a healthier fiscal position in the state and working with the Governor and Legislature on innovative ideas.
The Legislature gave me the authority to invest in longer-term assets. Two examples are the Illinois Growth and Innovation Fund (ILGIF) and the FIRST Fund. ILGIF investments in Illinois-based venture capital have demonstrated an internal rate of return of over 14%. Through ILGIF, we have invested in 585 Illinois companies, created 19,000 jobs in Illinois, and attracted over $57 billion in private investment. We expect to replicate that impact on jobs and the economy through FIRST Fund infrastructure investments.
In 2018, the editorial committee Recognized me He described my “diplomatic” style as a good steward of taxpayer dollars and resists governing by headlines, saying he likes how I have “found creative ways to protect taxpayer investments and help residents better protect their money.”
Thank you for elevating regular disclosure of the state's investment portfolio earnings to the level of reporting worthy of a presidential campaign. Publishing monthly earnings reports is not political “advertising.” It's transparency. It's showing the public that I'm doing the job I was elected to do.
— Illinois Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs
Mayor's response to the violence
After more than 100 people were shot over last holiday weekend, leaving at least 19 dead, the mayor's best response was, “We stand here today talking about a violent weekend that was the result of generations of disinvestment.”
Are you kidding me? Enough with the platitudes and excuses. If Mayor Brandon Johnson has nothing to say, he shouldn't say anything. Same for the Chicago Police Chief.
— Mike Rice, Chicago
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