Tuesday letters: No to more cops, but yes to better schools

We don’t need more police in Chicago. We need more economic opportunities, better schools and safe activities for young people. Mayor Emanuel should use that money to finance economic incubators, rehire laid-off teachers and create after-school programs in schools, libraries and park district field houses.

Muriel Balla, Hyde Park

GOP lets highways crumble

President Obama’s attempts to pass legislation to rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure have met obstruction from Republicans in Congress. These “antis” claim they are being prudent, or they want to hold Obama’s plans hostage so they can pass their own often egregious legislation. After the Great Depression, billions of dollars were spent on sewer and water systems, schools, parks and other public works projects. Those programs were financed with taxpayer money, providing jobs for struggling Americans. At the same time, we developed our nation’s infrastructure. President Dwight Eisenhower was instrumental in building the inter-state highway system. Originally developed as “defense highways” to move soldiers and equipment in times of war, our interstate highways have proved vital to the development of our modern economy.

Now our nation’s vital infrastructure system is showing its age and must be repaired, replaced or expanded. But important projects are being blocked by Republicans in Congress in the name of “fiscal responsibility.” All Americans have benefitted from the investments of previous generations, but some in power today don’t want to do their share (pay taxes) to repair and rebuild. Today’s corporations and individuals use and are dependent upon our highways, sewer and water systems. They are in a sense “mining” the investments made by past Americans while refusing to make their own contributions to the future.

I wonder if these refuseniks have plans to go to another planet when a crumbling infrastructure makes this one uninhabitable. I would ask the same of the climate-change deniers.

Karen Wagner, Rolling Meadows