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Regarding the op-ed by Ray LaHood and Jim Nowlan, two former Republican officeholders (“GOP should challenge Illinois’ voting district map. But it won’t.,” Dec. 4): They complain Democrats won about 70% of Illinois House contests in 2022, even though, in their words, Illinois voters “cast around 70,000 more votes statewide for Republican rather than for Democratic candidates for the Illinois House.” They say this shows that Republicans have been victimized by gerrymandered district boundaries, which have negated the will of the majority of citizens. The authors see little purpose in complaining, though they clearly are complaining, because they expect elected officials won’t react fairly.
On examination, it turns out their contention is just a distortion of the facts. I was very surprised by the Republicans’ vote edge that they cite, considering Illinois seems to usually be a Democratic state based on all I know, even though I am an independent voter, so I looked up the results.
There is an obvious reason for citizens casting more votes for Republican candidates. Republican voters simply were given more opportunities to vote for their party than Democratic voters.
I find it disappointing that the authors of this op-ed don’t make this clear. Of course, some bias exists in the Illinois district map drawn by the Democrats, just as a clear bias also exists in maps drawn in North Carolina, Texas and in other states by Republicans, but that isn’t why the Republican voter total was larger in 2022. They just gave their voters more chances to vote for them than the Democrats did. In districts where voters were given a choice between parties, they often went Democratic.
The Republicans won fewer seats because they simply lost this election.
— William Schultz, Grayslake
Fair redistricting
Once again, Republicans Ray LaHood and Jim Nowlan are advocating that Democrats in Illinois engage in unilateral disarmament in redistricting of legislative districts. If they were really serious, they would look to Wisconsin or Ohio or Alabama or all the other Republican states that gerrymander even more extremely.
If LaHood were really serious about fair representation, he would get his former Republican colleagues in the U.S. House to support legislation requiring fair redistricting in all states, not just Democratic ones.
— Frank L. Schneider, Chicago
Old Town redevelopment
The dynamics of the Tribune’s coverage recently of the battle between Northwestern University and neighbors opposing a redevelopment of the football stadium near their homes is playing out now like the biblical David, in the form of Old Town neighbors, and Goliath, the developer Fern Hill.
For more than two years now, the community has been directed to engage in a so-called transparent survey with the promise of a replacement grocery store for the former Treasure Island. The developer’s actual plan is to alter the very gateway to Old Town at LaSalle Drive, North Avenue and Wells Street from its current zoning with low and midrise buildings clad in historic red-brown brick architecture and dramatically change its appearance and the heartbeat of a long-standing community by building a 36-story behemoth. It would add hundreds of people and more automobiles to a crowded area and the current nightmare of traffic congestion along almost-impassable local corridors. That would erode property values and impede the access of Chicagoans and tourists to Old Town’s shops and entertainment and the Old Town Triangle’s historic preservation district. It basically fails the test of sound urban planning.
If all who care as much as we neighbors do in preserving the character, safety and value of Old Town and decry Fern Hill’s overdevelopment plans, join us in our battle by contacting Ald. Brian Hopkins at ward02@cityofchicago.org to deny this developer’s proposal.
— Corinne Svoboda, Chicago
Assault allegations
I understand media companies’ perspective that they must share two sides of everything, unless of course Israel is involved, in which case Israel’s representation of fact is diminished and not believed until all avenues of confirmation have been completed. But in the case of sexual assaults by Hamas, I don’t understand why the Associated Press and other news organizations continue to include that “Hamas has rejected allegations that its gunmen committed sexual assault.”
Chicago Tribune Opinion
First of all, they aren’t gunmen, they are terrorists. Second, there is forensic evidence of sexual assault, there is witness testimony of sexual assault, and if that wasn’t enough, there is Hamas-produced videos of them committing rapes and sexual assault. Why is the lying claim even being published? This is beyond the pale. No wonder all of the women’s rights organizations including U.N. Women refused to condemn Hamas — since all of the media continues to trumpet the claims of a lying, terrorist organization, against all other evidence. Stop it!
— David Elovic, Skokie
No ceasefire
Despite all the antisemites who have come out of the woodwork since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, I applaud the United States for having Israel’s back and vetoing the U.N. resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire. A ceasefire in Gaza would be rewarding Hamas for their monstrous atrocities. Antisemites think it’s OK to slaughter Jews. They see nothing wrong with killing over 1,200 innocent Israeli civilians, beheading babies, raping women, taking over 200 hostages, including women, young children and babies, and torturing the hostages. They won’t accept the fact that Hamas is killing their own people by using them as human shields. The fact that a Hamas command center is in a hospital alone says they have no respect for human life.
— JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater, Florida
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