Gut-punched doesn’t begin to describe my feeling about the Trump administration’s gutting of federal health care agencies.
You see, I am the full-time caretaker of my 26-year-old son, Gabe, who has spent more than one-fifth of his life bed-bound with myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME, an infection-associated chronic condition and illness, or IACCI.
A bout of mononucleosis in the summer of 2018 has turned Gabe’s life and my family’s life into a nonstop nightmare. Imagine living within the confines of four walls mostly in silence because of brain fog and sound sensitivity. Imagine never stepping out of your bedroom and being totally dependent on your parents for everything. My son had a full life as a university student, volunteer, employee, friend and bandmate before mono hit. In fact, he still tests positive for the Epstein–Barr virus.
But this is what IACCIs do. They don’t kill but steal dreams, potential and full lives. They steal one’s ability to care for one’s self and to be a productive member of society.
According to World ME Alliance, 17 million to 30 million people across the world are estimated to have ME. Many go undiagnosed because there is only a handful of true experts. There is no treatment approved by the Food and Drug Administration or cure for ME. For most ME patients, it is a lifelong condition, with a 5% recovery rate, according to the World ME Alliance. Another sobering fact is the economic impact: up to $362 billion in the U.S.
ME and other IACCIs have been grossly underfunded and under researched for decades by all administrations, but now the health agencies have been depleted by President Donald Trump, what hope is left? How can these patients and millions of other Americans with all variety of illnesses ever dream of a cure or treatment that can give them back their lives?
The Trump administration’s actions are cruel and unnecessary. They must be stopped.
— Rebecca Groble, Evanston
RFK’s thought process
The problem with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as secretary of the Health and Human Services Department is not just that he believes many of the greatest achievements in modern science and medicine are essentially fraudulent — vaccines, HIV medicines, pasteurization and fluoridated water, for example. After all, he could, as he has, walk back these bizarre claims and promise not to follow his previous thinking. However, it still leaves one to ask: What kind of thought process leads to so many comically awful, evidence-less conclusions?
It is his thinking process that should scare all of us, not simply the awful details of his track record. That irrational thinking mode cannot be jettisoned at the drop of a confirmation. It defines the man and predicts the performance to come.
That is actually the warning that many members of his family, the people who know him best, sounded loud and clear.
— Dr. Sheldon Hirsch, Wilmette
Strengthen ethics laws
In his State of the State speech, our governor chose not to speak about strengthening our state government ethics laws. I have been hearing, however, that civic organizations are increasing attention to that problem. Thank you, civic organizations. And thank you, Chicago Tribune, for your “Culture of Corruption” research.
One example of corruption in our state legislature that I hear about is conflicts of interest. That’s when a legislator votes for a bill that would result in a personal benefit, (financial or otherwise, or votes against a bill that would result in personal harm, financial or otherwise.
I wanted to read what Illinois law says about state legislators putting personal benefits above what would benefit the people of Illinois but found no law addressing it. A bill on conflicts of interest was introduced in 2020 and had two co-sponsors but died in committee.
Well, if a smelly practice keeps recurring, how about a state legislator introducing a bill this year and telling Tribune readers about it? We could discuss it with the representatives and senators who represent us in Springfield, and there might be more than two co-sponsors to help the bill become a needed law.
— Elona Vaisnys, Chicago
Why we need tolling
The recent editorial “On tolls, Indiana looks to take a page out of Illinois’ book” (Feb. 19), criticizing tolling as an undue financial burden, overlooks a crucial fact: Investments in our roads and infrastructure ultimately need to come from taxpayers in some form, and tolling road users is a more equitable and effective way to fund infrastructure. This is especially true in a metropolitan region such as Chicago, where multimodal transportation options abound.
Rather than an indiscriminate tax on all residents, tolling ensures that those who use roads the most contribute proportionally to their maintenance and expansion and not the 26.5% of households in Chicago and 12% of households in the Chicago metropolitan area that do not own a car, according to 2023 Census Bureau data.
Thanks to the Illinois Toll Highway Act, we can be assured that all toll revenue is used exclusively for the operation, maintenance and improvement of the tollway system. This user-fee approach means that frequent drivers bear more of the expense, while those who rely on Chicago’s extensive public transportation network — including buses, commuter trains and bike lanes — are not forced to further subsidize road maintenance they rarely benefit from. In a region with robust transit alternatives, tolling also serves as an incentive for commuters to explore more sustainable transportation modes, reducing congestion and emissions.
Roadway tolls also provide a stable revenue stream, unlike gas taxes, which are diminished due to improved fuel efficiency and the rise of electric vehicles. The continued good management of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority ensures that toll revenue for infrastructure investments keeps pace with growing demand without disproportionately shifting costs onto homeowners through rising property taxes; the same formula Indiana is following to maintain lower property taxes.
Revenue generated from tolling can be Illinois’ answer to improved roads, bridge maintenance and transit enhancements, benefiting all commuters.
Rather than dismissing tolling as an inequitable cash grab, policymakers should recognize it as a fair and necessary strategy to maintain and modernize transportation infrastructure.
By doing so, we can create a more balanced, efficient and sustainable transportation system for everyone.
— Jeff Swirenski, Chicago
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