Monday Letters: Injured military heroes deserve respect

How inspiring to see how many injuries and fears of acceptance military heroes have conquered through sports in the Invictus Games.

This camaraderie of of military men and women injured in war is composed of many nationalities, regions and color, yet they compete as a team, as they did in battle.

How can anyone possibly thing Donald Trump can be commander-in-chief of our military personnel when he has shown such disdain for the Hispanic, Muslim and female population, many of whom are now serving heroically in our military around the world.

They deserve a president who respects citizens, with dignity, compassion and in honor.

Carol Zmudka, Elmwood Park

Good for jobs

Illinois has an opportunity to jump-start its green economy with job growth and clean energy. Last week I joined over 1,500 working men and women at a rally in Springfield to support legislation that will do exactly that. The Next Generation Energy Plan, SB1585, helps expand the state’s clean economy, preserving and creating good-paying jobs that employ our neighbors, our friends and our families.

This comprehensive, energy reform legislation grew out of discussions between ComEd, Exelon Generation, the Clean Jobs Coalition and community stakeholders. It is a forward-thinking bill that shows how smart, responsible policies can create sustainable jobs while spurring a new era of renewable energy and energy efficiency that benefits our economy.

Currently, thousands of workers are employed at nuclear energy plants across the state that produce electricity without carbon emissions. These jobs, however, are at stake without legislative intervention. The loss of these jobs would strike a devastating blow to entire communities, and result in irreversible harm on our working class neighbors. The NGEP bill will save these jobs by establishing the Zero Emission Standard, an innovative solution that focuses on at-risk nuclear plants recognizing them as a key source of zero emissions electricity.

The bill will also enhance the reliability of the grid, adjust pricing policies to eliminate the unfair cost shift, provide a solar rebate to lower upfront costs for solar, provide $1 billion in funding for low-income assistance, and nearly double energy efficiency programs.

The smart energy policies in this plan will benefit all communities — from jobs to clean energy to important financial assistance for struggling communities. The NGEP is the jobs-creating bill we’ve been waiting for.

Every day, we hear stories from working class families across our state who are unsure of what their futures hold. With jobs at risk and unfair polices shifting costs to vulnerable residents, the NGEP offers smart solutions that will help grow our green economy and put Illinois residents to work.

The Next Generation Energy Plan offers a promising glimpse into what the future of our state could be — a future where jobs are saved and new ones created, as environmental innovation produces positive economic benefits. This is a future that will benefit our communities, and one that can soon become reality if this important measure is passed, leading us on a path to a cleaner tomorrow.

Michael T. Carrigan,

president, Illinois AFL-CIO

The real problem

David Orr’s May 19 tiresome obsession with technology to cull Illinois voting rolls [“How to clean up Illinois’ voter registration rolls”] suggests we should automate him. The lack of meaningful jobs and affordability in housing, health care and retail pricing are the real reasons for this problem.

Gary Barnes, Oak Park

Not truthful

Hillary Clinton has said that as secretary of state she had received State Department approval to conduct official business using personal email on her private server. The State Department inspector general report says that such approval had never been given. The conclusion to be reached here can be summed up by saying, “Liar, liar, pantsuit on fire.”

Gerald Weisberg, Lake View