Editorials
Dolores Klein, Peoria, IL
All across the country women are succeeding as congresswomen, governors, mayors, serious presidential and vice presidential candidates. They deserve accolades for continuing their uphill battles.
They also deserve our continued efforts to secure their places in our Federal Constitution. By crossing state lines to change residence, jobs, etc., they and their children of both genders can lose gender protections, as less than half the states have their own Equal Rights amendments.
As we prepare to vote for Congressional and State representatives, ask the candidates whether they support and will vote to finally secure women’s equality, at the national level, or in Illinois when the three-state strategy comes up again.
I have yet to hear Sarah Palin asked her position on this issue. Does she know that both parties supported its passage in 1972, that one of her heroes, Ronald Regan reversed his support of ratifying the 27th Amendment, to gain the Religious Right’s backing?
We can hope that whichever candidates wins the Presidency, he will fulfill the late columnist Erma Bombeck’s expressed hope and make the Equal Rights Amendment a priority as he takes office.
Christine Azizieh, Peoria, IL
Another day, another story of a politician voting to give them self a pay raise. This time it is Joan Krupa, who evidently thought she deserved to be paid more of our money.
The goons in Springfield vote to give themselves a pay raise and now Joan Krupa wants to join them as a state representative.
People are suffering in this Bushwacked economy, and we need someone fighting for us who thinks more about taxpayers than their own wallet. Unfortunately, Joan Krupa has proven she isn’t a politician who will keep our wallets in mind.
The last thing we need is to send another greedy politician like Joan Krupa to Springfield.
Joyce Harant, Peoria, IL
My background as former President and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Heart of Illinois, causes me to worry that 18th Congressional voters do not realize that only one candidate, Colleen Callahan, supports keeping the government out of your personal and private family planning and reproductive health care decisions. She will promote health preventive services by supporting access to family planning and comprehensive sex education.
Aaron Schock, based on the 2008 Illinois Right to Life Candidate Survey results, indicates that he would take us backwards by supporting legislation that will:
-prohibit women receiving over-the-counter Emergency Contraception at pharmacies
-deny funding to agencies such as Planned Parenthood that currently provide thousands of low income women and families with family planning services because with their private and separate funds, these agencies also offer access to safe and legal abortion services.
-make most abortions illegal in this country. Aaron Schock would even require a woman who was raped to report her rape to the police before getting permission to obtain an abortion. Mr. Shock supports the complete reversal of the 1973 Roe v Wade decision that balanced the interests of individual and private decision making by women when faced with unintended pregnancy and that of the government.
-make embryonic stem cell research illegal.
I will be voting for Colleen Callahan because she respects us and our ability to make our own reproductive decisions.
Debbie L. Adlof, Editor/Owner of The Community Word, Peoria, IL
I’m really excited by the number of editorial letters being sent into the Community Word. As the editor/owner, I try very hard to stay off the editorial page. I want this page to be the voice of the Peoria community, rather than the voice of the editor. However, with that being said, I thought I’d use up just a little bit of space to share some opinions, information and thoughts.
Usually, I receive nothing but positive reactions to the paper. There’s something for everyone. That’s been my goal – to provide the readers with great local news stories and great diverse columnists. So, I have three to four news stories and lots of tidbits of news items. My columnists offer all sorts of perspectives and subject matters. It’s kind of funny though. My two biggest criticisms are:
1. The paper is too liberal.
2. The paper is too conservative.
Really? But, that tells me I’m doing my job of balancing the paper with both liberal and conservative perspectives. There is indeed something for everyone. Complainers are quick to react. However, I’ve noticed that they absolutely LOVE to hate a perspective other than their own. So, the first thing they do is turn the pages to the one columnist they don’t like at all and read and fume, and hopefully think.
Several columnists have let their political opinions be known, so there’s plenty to think about as we quickly approach the election. The paper has had some great news stories lately on several political races and issues. I hope you’ve checked those stories out. I also hope you’ve attended some of the candidate forums and I hope you’ve done your own research on all the candidates in order to be an informed voter. Your country needs you to do just that.
