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Chicago Tribune
07-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: President Donald Trump's tariffs are confronting our federal deficit head on
While I am no fan of President Donald Trump, I nonetheless feel his government downsizing and tariffs are a very serious attempt to address two very serious problems our nation is facing. Look no further than in fiscal year 2024: The federal deficit was $1.8 trillion, and in calendar year 2024, the trade deficit was $1.2 trillion. These two economic realities could bankrupt the dollar, seriously crater our economy and make the Depression look like the Roaring '20s. Some say this is crying gloom and doom, that everything is fine and we certainly didn't need to take these drastic actions. All that is required is a few tweaks to that combined $3 trillion? Others say they are only concerned about things going well now — whatever happens in the future, they'll be fine with it. (Sure, they will.) 'Why did we have to rock the boat' is the idea — as in, the time to deal with the boat is not now but when it sinks. If America is going to maintain its standard of living, we have to deal with these two issues and get them fixed. Don't like Trump's approach? Send in a letter suggesting a less painful alternative. It's the easiest thing in the world to complain; it's much harder to recommend a solution, especially one that requires hard choices and painful tradeoffs. — Neil Gaffney, Chicago Manufacturing economy The Tribune Editorial Board is pretty certain tariff diplomacy doesn't work ('Trump's foolish tariffs take the US economy back centuries,' April 3). I say we have to try something. Our parents benefited from raising families with a manufacturing economy that provided well-paying jobs in which things of value were produced. Our elite business and political leaders let these jobs go elsewhere with the promise of cheaper goods imported. However, countless middle-class jobs were lost. Millions of Americans were slowly boiled like lobsters, economically. Meanwhile, the financiers and politicians feasted on lobster, the smart people on the editorial board included. Today, it is clear to me that our global partners seem to have gone a bridge too far with high tariffs on U.S. goods and products. Time to fix things. We have been talking for 20 years with our friends without much to show for it. We will know in 90 days if this be successful. I look forward to the editorial board's apologies and confession that good old Trump was right! So much for the economists, socialists and politicians. — Dennis Demoss, Barrington Be patient with tariffs The Tribune Editorial Board is taking a short-term view of what President Donald Trump is attempting to do and what should have been done decades ago. Other countries abuse tariffs that have been in place for decades. We should have no tariffs between countries, and that is what he is working toward. Be patient. — John Wiedemann, St. Charles Hard times coming As a small business owner in Chicago, I view with horror the new worldwide tariffs from President Donald Trump's administration. I am a longtime bookseller specializing in out-of-print and rare books and selling online through my website and various venues. Much of my income is from overseas sales, but my main clientele is composed largely of middle-class domestic collectors, colleges and libraries. As all books are an easily dispensable commodity in hard times when prices rise for staples and necessities, I have no confidence in Trump's ideas that the pain from tariffs will be short-lived and of overall benefit to small businesses. I have seen this meltdown in book sales play out before with terrible consequences. The year was 2008, and the country was undergoing one of its most severe recessions, with businesses closing all over. At the time, I was still employed as a schoolteacher, so my business weathered the collapse much more easily than it will now. As expected, sales plummeted as book buyers cut nonessentials from hurting budgets, and I had to extend retirement plans to weather the crisis. Now that I am a pensioned, retired teacher with my business as the main source of income, I do not know how my wife and I will be able to weather the sure collapse in sales resulting from the average middle-class family being hit by the predicted $7,000 annual budget shortfall from rising prices. I only hope Republicans in Congress will help block Trump's misguided, thoughtless economic policies. If not, we should watch for a bloodbath between now and the midterm elections. — Carlos M. Martinez, Chicago What is he thinking? President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Heard Island. This island is uninhabited, save for penguins. As the 401(k) accounts of many Americans are tanking, one must wonder: What does this tell us about the president, and what, if anything, is he thinking? — Jeanine Budach, Mesa, Arizona Blaming union labor The Michael Ramirez editorial cartoon of April 4 shows a monkey wrench gumming up the manufacturing gears of the U.S. economy. The wrench is labeled, 'Labor costs, unreasonable union demands.' The first problem with this is that union membership in the U.S. is only 10%. That's down from 20% 40 years ago. Hard to imagine that unions are the problem here, when they represent only 10% of labor. As for labor costs, in this country, a third of the wealth is held by only the top 1% of the population. Apparently, Ramirez thinks we should smash down laborers even more and cut their wages so that company owners can gather even more wealth. Here are some real monkey wrenches in the works of the economy. So many people cannot earn a living wage. They struggle, sometimes with two jobs, and cannot get ahead. The data is clear. The middle and lower classes are falling further behind. And here's a monster wrench in the works. President Donald Trump's tariffs are now going to make things much worse, for everyone. Will the tariffs induce industry leaders to move their manufacturing back to the U.S. and pay their workers more? We'll see, but I doubt it. — Blaise J. Arena, Des Plaines Steep price increases I just had to respond to the letter 'Avoiding cost of tariffs' (April 3). The writer thinks that all you need to do is buy a product made in the USA to avoid tariffs. Let's say that I am a manufacturer whose competitors raised their prices by 20%. I would look at this as an opportunity to raise my own prices. Perhaps not by the same percentage, but I would certainly raise my prices. This, of course, applies to all products, not only automobiles. So yes, I expect steep price increases for just about any product, made in America or not. — Emilio Dilonardo, Bolingbrook Americans will lose David N. Simon claims in his April 3 letter that 'people can buy vehicles made in the U.S. and avoid the cost from tariffs.' That's absolutely incorrect. This administration intends to impose tariffs on imported car parts on May 3. 'Domestic' vehicles contain an average of 40% to 50% imported content. The Bank of America thus estimates the cost of 'domestic' vehicles will go up by an average of $3,285 as a result of these ridiculous taxes that cannot be avoided by buyers of any make. Former Ford CEO Mark Fields told CNN: 'The cost of vehicles will go up. It's just math. The bottom line is there is absolutely no vehicle that won't be impacted by tariffs.' When all new cars become more expensive, demand and thus prices increase for used cars. All Americans will lose. — Stephen Jarzombek, St. John, Indiana What we have seen Apparently, one letter writer ('Reversal on Elon Musk,' April 3) assumes that those of us who oppose everything that the president and his unelected henchman have done are devoid of critical thinking skills. Let me set him straight. We have seen and heard with our own eyes and ears the nastiness, cruelty, lying, gaslighting, misinformation, disinformation, boasting and slash-and-burn tactics of the current administration. Neither of the two megalomaniacs has given the American people any proof of fraud, nor have any individuals been charged with fraud, although hundreds of thousands have been summarily fired, often by email or text. I do agree that these are 'crazy and dangerous times,' but not because of irrationality on our part. We remain clear-eyed about who deliberately stokes fear and intolerance while they arrogantly disregard who suffers as a result of their policies. — Karen Teplitzky, Chicago Not Reagan's party In the March 31 letter by Mike Kirchberg ('Putting our nation first'), his final comment, 'If you're not with us, you're against us,' summarizes the cult of Donald Trump perfectly, and it disturbed me greatly. That comment is not the American way. We root for each other, wanting each other to succeed and not fall, because when one succeeds, we all do. I'm 60 years old. I taught secondary school for over 30 years. I also worked for a Christian missionary nonprofit for six years. Americans have a long history of giving to each other and to our fellow man in other countries. I appreciate it when I can buy American, but sometimes, it just isn't financially feasible. To propagate the 'us versus them' mentality is unkind and doesn't support the American spirit. There is a reason this registered Republican hasn't voted her party since 2012: It no longer resembles the party of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush I once supported, in which we had our differences but respected each other's right to have differences. I desperately hope we can get back there — and soon. — Elizabeth Oswald, Elgin Immediate harm Time has run out. The future of our country's health care can no longer be about second-guessing, finger-pointing or armchair prognostications. It's now about personal safety and minimizing individual risks. Every citizen's well-being is in jeopardy. The rapid dismantling of our public health infrastructure and its ripple effect on private delivery systems will cause immediate and significant harm. From access to curative drug therapies and emergency medical services, to the tracking of infectious diseases and warnings about community safety threats, to scientific breakthroughs and medical advances, we're about to live through an unprecedented period of health care catastrophes. The stunning loss of thousands of federal health care professionals will be devastating. Call them bureaucrats, but these dedicated, nonpartisan professionals have improved and saved your life many times over. Think: COVID-19, Meals on Wheels, Alzheimer's research, fentanyl awareness and diabetes prevention. I've worked in the health care field over 40 years and have seen it through a public and private lens and from a payer and provider perspective. Access, affordability and quality have always challenged the industry. But never has there been a future in which doom and gloom has been so real, for so many. Pharmaceutical and medical device monitoring, cancer screenings, immunizations, smoking cessation, mental health, drug abuse, social determinants of health, cybersecurity and reproductive rights will all suffer significant and deadly setbacks. Chaos will prevail. And, there is no plan! It's up to us and our personal medical support networks to collectively fill the void created by the nation's new health care leadership that has no management experience or no credible scientific or medical background and stands on a foundation of conspiracy theories and false narratives. We're in a place of peril — and we're on our own. — Lindsay Resnick, Chicago It's time to show up On a recent Saturday, I went to see the local version of the protests that were held nationally at Tesla dealerships. I saw one of the problems with the effort to oppose the Donald Trump regime. Pro-Trump counterprotesters showed up in superior numbers. They made themselves more visually impressive by bringing large flags. This was not a good look for the future of democracy. It made it look like this was Trump country, which it demonstrably is not. Kamala Harris was an 11-point winner in Illinois and a 42-point winner in Cook County, where the dealership was. Where was the representation on the day of the protest from that overwhelming majority? My college social sciences teacher taught me that the organized minority beats the disorganized majority. This was a textbook example of this principle. The kind of Trump supporters who showed up on this day are a tight-knit bunch for whom supporting Trump is a life-defining characteristic because they have been drilled to believe that they are under an existential threat. It astonishes me that there is, still, so much apathy on the other side. As we are now seeing dramatically demonstrated, people who don't want to think about politics will be ruled by those who do. If those who want to undermine democracy show more interest than those who want to preserve it, superior numbers on the latter side won't help. It doesn't matter how big your stick is if you don't swing it. If Trump supporters cannot be made to look like the minority that they are in Cook County, what reason is there for the regime to think that it does not have enough popular support to carry on with its program? In its collective mind, it stretches whatever support that it sees, like when it claims that a historically slim margin of victory was a popular mandate for radical changes. People must demonstrate that this is not so. Changing attitudes will require showing enough interest to make the numbers count. Americans failed at that in November. They must not assume that the supply of second chances is unlimited. Find a protest, be there and express yourself.
Chicago Tribune
08-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: The policies of pharmacy benefit managers continue to erode community pharmacies
The Tribune Editorial Board rightly acknowledges that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) play a significant role in cost of medications, but it underestimates their destructive impact on patient access to care and community pharmacies ('Another layer of bureaucracy isn't the answer for beleaguered pharmacies, Gov. Pritzker,' March 3). PBMs, operating with little transparency or oversight, continue to manipulate reimbursements, imposing multitudinous fees, and steer patients to their own affiliated pharmacies, all while extracting billions in profits at the expense of patients and local pharmacies. The consequences of unchecked PBM practices are clear in Illinois, where more than 80 pharmacies closed in 2024 alone. These closures are not just numbers; they represent real communities losing essential health care access. Pharmacy deserts — areas with limited or no access to prescriptions and pharmacist services — are expanding, disproportionately affecting rural areas and underserved urban communities. When local pharmacies close, patients face delays in obtaining medications, reduced access to pharmacist counseling and disruptions in continuity of care, particularly for those with chronic conditions. While PBMs claim to lower costs, the reality is that they frequently retain manufacturer rebates and negotiate prices in ways that increase patient out-of-pocket expenses. The Federal Trade Commission and state investigations have extensively documented how the three largest PBMs that control nearly 80% of prescription claims — CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx — inflate drug prices, restrict access to necessary medications and engage in anti-competitive practices that limit patient choice. In 2022 alone, PBM-negotiated rebates totaled $236 billion — savings that should be passed on to consumers but are instead used to boost PBM profits. Illinois pharmacists are on the front lines of patient care, ensuring medication safety, patient adherence and accessibility. Yet, PBM policies continue to erode the sustainability of community pharmacies and even affect major chains. If Illinois fails to act, pharmacy closures will accelerate, deepening health care disparities across the state. We urge policymakers to implement meaningful PBM reforms that prioritize patient access, enforce transparency and ensure fair reimbursement for pharmacies. Gov. JB Pritzker's approach to lowering the cost of prescription drugs is spot-on. By shining the bright light of transparency on the PBMs, we will redirect the benefits from the PBM middlemen and return them to the plan sponsors, the patients and the pharmacists who care for them. The people of Illinois deserve a pharmacy system that works for them, not one controlled by corporate middlemen prioritizing profit over care. Without action, more communities will continue to lose access to essential health care services. — Garth Reynolds, executive director, Illinois Pharmacists Association, Springfield Broadway makeover If you drive along Broadway between Montrose and Devon avenues, you'll see the types of strip malls, drive-thrus and big-box stores that are more reminiscent of the suburbs than a city. The Broadway Land Use Framework Plan aims to change the state of Broadway and allow this portion of Chicago to be a city. A city is a place for people and businesses to live and thrive together, not for people to drive to the Starbucks shack for a costly coffee-type drink. All of the best parts of Chicago are the parts we have allowed to continue functioning like a city. They also happen to be the parts that are the most in demand, with the highest home prices and rents. These areas are generating the most taxes for the city per acre and are lowering the tax burden for the residents elsewhere throughout Chicago. It's time for this area to become the city again and start contributing its fair share to Chicago's housing and commercial markets. Adoption of the Broadway Land Use Framework Plan by the City Council would allow midrise, mixed-use commercial and residential buildings to go up over time and usher Broadway back into the fold as the city. — Allison Darrahill, Chicago A catalyst for change Each day, social workers help millions of Americans navigate life's challenges, and their skills are needed now more than ever. Social workers work in many areas of our society — hospitals, schools, social service agencies, libraries and hospitals, to name a few. As a social worker at Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois, a child welfare agency, I witness daily the power of compassion and hope in being a catalyst for positive change in others' lives. That's why the 2025 theme for Social Work Month, Compassion + Action, truly resonates with me. In a world where so many are facing daily struggles in their lives, the theme speaks to the core of our profession: the need to transform compassion into tangible action and produce positive, lasting results. It calls on social workers to not only provide support but also to engage in advocacy, influence policy and work toward long-term solutions. We need to empower social workers to continue doing the vital work of meeting people where they are and providing compassionate guidance and help to overcome adversities. To my fellow social workers, thank you for your dedication and unwavering support of those in need. And to our community, I urge you to support policies and initiatives that strengthen social services and invest in the well-being of our children and families, not only during Social Work Month but also year-round. Together, we can build a more compassionate world. — Mike Bertrand, president and CEO, Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois, Oakbrook Terrace Halftime show flaws Steve Hetzel's letter ('Value of halftime show,' Feb. 15), which implies Tribune sports columnist Paul Sullivan was living with 'the privilege of being white' when he criticized Super Bowl LIX's hip-hop halftime show, is grossly unfair and misses the point entirely of Sullivan's column ('Worst Super Bowl ever?' Feb. 11). Playing the race card is cheap. With a lifetime of sports reporting under his belt, Sullivan was employing his always-witty prose to raise the very real question as to whether the NFL had lost its way in how it presented this year's Super Bowl as America's premiere football event. Anyone who remembers the jaw-dropping halftime extravaganzas from the 1990s can relate to Sullivan's cutting remarks. Featuring superstars such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Gloria Estefan and produced by the likes of the Walt Disney Co. — a corporation that had its finger on the pulse of Americans of all ethnicities — the spectaculars were must-watch TV. When the NFL hired corporate entertainment groups such as MTV and Clear Channel Entertainment to produce its shows in the 2000s, they became more technicalized and formulaic. When the organization signed rapper Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2019, the performances narrowed further, centering around hip-hop while shunting aside rock, country, pop and other music genres that are also reflective of America's melting pot. Perhaps Sullivan exaggerated when he wrote 'tens of millions' of viewers don't like hip-hop, but whole generations of Americans have never given it agency. Even today, gangsta and drill rappers make headlines right here in Chicago when their music explodes into rivalries and retaliatory murders. While hip-hop has its adherents, it is indisputably a disruptive art form. So when Sullivan, a three-time Illinois Sportswriter of the Year, asked the important question of where pro football is going when it promotes hip-hop's divisiveness over harmony and celebration in its halftime shows, I only hope the NFL is listening.
Chicago Tribune
13-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: Illinois should follow President Donald Trump's example and cut the waste
The Land of Lincoln should get on board the Trump train. President Donald Trump has asked the Treasury secretary to stop production of the penny because it is costing us more than 3 cents per penny. President Abraham Lincoln was a frugal man and would agree with saving precious tax dollars. On Wednesday, we celebrated Lincoln's birthday. Our state should follow Trump's example and get our fiscal house in order. Let's cut the waste, eliminate the fraud and cancel the pet projects. Should we call Elon Musk and see if he's available? — Elise McSwine, Plainfield Treated like pocket change The president announces the end of the penny on social media. But think of the numismatists! In all earnest, though, here's yet another case of the president overriding a federal act, indeed one passed into law by the Founding Fathers: the Coinage Act of April 2, 1792. This push is the opposite of Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, which provides that the president 'shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.' This may be less consequential than, say, the elimination of two federal agencies (with more certain to come), but no less telling of the contempt in which this administration holds our constitutional democracy, as little more than pocket change. — Paul W. Mollica, Chicago Rounding sums in Canada The Tribune Editorial Board's well-reasoned editorial in favor of phasing out the 1-cent coin stops short of explaining the Canadian system ('Trump and Musk have pennies in their sights. On that we can agree,' Feb. 11). Although cash transactions are rounded to the nearest 5-cent sum, noncash transactions are not. They are charged at the exact amount, so the editorial's hypothetical $3.11 soda, paid for by debit or credit card, would cost a customer exactly $3.11. — David Passman, Skokie Destroying greatness I, at 95 years of age, was able to get to the polls and vote for the president of the United States on Nov. 5. I voted for the president. I did not vote for a change in the government or the Constitution, nor anarchy. I was under the illusion that the president would govern and do what's best for the people, of which I am one. Presidents have come in all sizes, shapes and ages, but never in all my years have I seen one quite like this one. We, as a nation, have been subject to the utterings so widespread in the imagination of ridiculousness. This man, if he cared for the welfare of the people, could have been a good president, but he has appointed himself as master creator of 'America Great Again' by destroying it. I have lived through America when it was great. Our country was never perfect, of course; however, it was among the best in the history of the world. We citizens respected our country and were proud of the progress that it made. Unfortunately, these days, only those who represent us as citizens can alter the present circumstances that we are now facing; only they can be the heroes now and in the future. — Mary Lou Winkler, Miami, Florida We must take action As we the people watch the actions of a 'band of brothers' capturing the U.S. government, there seems to be a general sense that nothing can stop the insanity. We are watching our country being destroyed, not by bombs and rockets but from the inside by oligarchs and their minions taking over the technology and data that support and protect the people. If invaders were destroying the factories and farms that provide food, goods and services to everyone, we would be arming ourselves to repel the attacks, Since many of us don't understand that these computer programs, data and other technology support everyone, we sit watching the capture and dismantling and feel helpless to do anything about it. Our government was originally an experiment, which has worked reasonably well for 250 years. Now it is being challenged by an ignorant bully, who claims to have great wealth and would like to be king of the world. He was elected to be president by less than 50% of voters after a campaign during which he told enormous lies and made statements of exactly how he wanted to consolidate power. His main tool is a very clever, very rich individual who was not elected by anyone and who is taking control of huge government departments by capturing the computer systems that distribute our money throughout the country and the world. If we sit and wait for the results of this internal coup, it will be very difficult for us to regain our freedom and independence. We must take action now, to stop the takeover of our country and our lives by Donald Trump and Elon Musk. — Stephen Nelson, Glen Ellyn Will democracy survive? The U.S. Constitution is the bedrock of our democracy and our freedom. It sets up a system of limited government by dividing power among the president, Congress, the courts and the people, so that nobody can have unlimited power. Our new president has been taking unprecedented steps to exceed the limits of his powers by trying to single-handedly change the Constitution and abolish agencies and programs created by Congress simply because he doesn't like them. He is ignoring the limits of presidential power granted by the Constitution. If he is allowed to succeed, he will change our system of government, which could lead to a dictatorship. Those who don't believe this are either in denial or are not paying attention. Our democracy is fragile. It's held together by the rule of law — a system of government that prevents the arbitrary use of power. But if that respect is lost, and the rule of law fails, then whoever has the most power will prevail. Congress, the courts and the people don't have a military or a large police force under their command; the president does. I think a lot of people think our culture is changing too fast, and they like the idea of a strongman who will take control of the situation and make things right. But be careful what you wish for, because you might get it. In political terms, 'strongman' is interchangeable with 'dictator,' as in Fidel Castro and Vladimir Putin. If the president decides to take control because no one stops him, then democracy is lost, and so is freedom. And we are left with a dictatorship. I don't think I'm an alarmist, but I am very concerned that we might not have a democracy in four years. Could it really happen here? The real question is: What's to stop it? — Jim Skaar, St. Charles Send Blagojevich overseas I actually hope President Donald Trump does appoint former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to be ambassador to Serbia. I'd rather have him in Belgrade than Chicago.
