Letters: Don't believe rhetoric on workers comp reform

After reading an op-ed by the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association’s (ITLA), which continued a false narrative regarding the Illinois workers compensation insurance market, we felt the need to set the record straight.

While the reforms of 2011 have reduced costs some, more can be done to further reduce costs for employers and care for injured workers. The real facts are these:

* The wage replacement and medical costs that drive workers compensation continue to be much higher here than in most states. According to the annual, national Oregon study of workers compensation systems, Illinois has the seventh most expensive such insurance costs in the nation (down from fourth a few years ago).

* The Illinois Department of Insurance reported the five-year average profit for Illinois workers compensation insurers was 0.8 percent, significantly lower than the 4.4 percent nationally.

Instead of sensationalism and deception, the ITLA should work with insurers on meaningful measures such as Medicare-based fee schedules and drug reforms that lower costs and do not adversely impact worker’s well-being.

Jeffrey Junkas

Assistant Vice President, State Government Relations, Property Casualty Insurers Association of America

Kevin Martin

Executive Director, Illinois Insurance Association

Stephen Schneider

Midwest Region Vice President, American Insurance Association

Trump attack on McCain despicableI am a proud veteran of the armed forces of the United States. Donald Trump’s derisive characterization of John McCain’s hero status as a prisoner of war last weekend is reprehensibly despicable. Senator McCain suffered irreparable, and unspeakable acts of torture during those five years of captivity at the hands of his North Vietnamese tormentors. All should know that Mr. McCain chose to remain under the yoke of enemy imprisonment to endure further punishment until his other American GI comrades had been released. Trump would never have survived such sadism.

Notwithstanding the fact that I may disagree with most of his policy positions, Mr. McCain nevertheless deserves to be honored and respected by every American for his outstanding service to this nation. It is very convenient for Trump to use an excuse of college student deferments and bad feet to evade military service as he now derides McCain who served the United States of America with honor and distinction.

Trump, with this ego-mania mindset, deserves not the trust of the American people to be its leader, nor to be its international spokesman, and most assuredly not to be entrusted with the control of this nation’s nuclear response codes known as the “Football.”

Earl Beal, Terre Haute

Now Donald Trump is attacking John McCain? Of all the low down, bone-headed things he’s done this one ranks among the lowest. When a normal person finds himself in a hole, he stops digging. Trump’s not normal. He can’t help himself. It’s beginning to look like the Deeply Disturbed Donald will eventually bury himself alive.

Tony Galati, Lemont

American drug use to blame for El Chapo

El Chapo is America’s fault. We, as a people, refuse to stop using illegal drugs and our president along with other politicians want to decriminalize these drugs. What will be the effect? More use. After all, it’s legal in some states.

The cartel is ahead of the game. Ask anyone in the field and they will tell you brown heroin is flooding the market — more billions for the cartel. Some have told me that if the people who use it anyway we might as well tax it — well that is not working. Check the states and the revenue is not matching their expectations. Why? The kid on the corner can sell it cheaper and it is not a violent crime, so the chances are they won’t go to jail if they are caught. And if you ever used that time-worn phrase “it’s only weed,” you are giving tacit approval for the cartel to continue its activities.

Until we stop consuming these drugs the cartel will grow and people will die. They will blame it on the immigration policy or our ability to buy guns. And remember, if your drug of choice is cocaine you are probably supporting El Qaeda, as a government report states most of it comes from the poppy fields of Afghanistan. If we here truly support our country you should work at keeping the drugs out of your family. That is a start.

Roy J. Pletsch, McKinley Park

Support Iran nuke deal

It is time to bring peace instead of war to the Middle East. Let’s take a page from the book of J.C., either Jesus Christ (fictional) or Jimmy Carter (nonfictional), with the goal of peace through peace, love, forgiveness, compassion and tolerance.

Support the Iran nuclear deal.

Paul Haider, West Loop