Anybody who doesn’t want to pay a library late fee is free to bring a book back on time

Chicago Public Library Commissioner Andrea Telli thinks late fees block access to libraries.

Access? Really?

No it doesn’t.

The thing to do is to check out a book and return it. Nothing complex there, right?

Students still have “access” to books and everything else the library has to offer. If you have $10 worth of late fees you’re blocked from checking anything out or using the internet.

That doesn’t seem unreasonable. Pay your fees.

According to this Sun-Times article, late fees disproportionately affect the poor. So now the answer is to have no late fees at all, which means it doesn’t matter when you bring the book back, if you bring it back at all?

So one library patron might never have access to a book because another patron was too lazy to bring it back. Seriously?

I’m constantly amazed at how Chicago bends over backward to make excuses and horrible policies to help the irresponsible.

Mike Viola, Bartlett

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America’s divide exists in harshness concerning those who are needy

A letter by a Naperville resident who is Catholic and quoted Romans 13: 1-2, it really highlighted one part of the divide between Americans.

The quote started with, “Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there.”

This is the writer’s defense of President Donald Trump’s actions, but the writer forgot to look at the asylum laws in this country. Those laws state that any person who fear prosecution from their government may apply for asylum.

I prefer to quote Matthew 25:35. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

My hope is that somehow the political left and the right will move closer together and understand that we really are all the same — all members of the human race. Peace and prosperity can co-exist even with differences of opinion.

Melanie Lee MD, Lakeview

More enrichment program funding for CPS

Neighborhood schools deserve adequate funding for enrichment classes, such as computer science, art classes and music programs.

Enrichment classes are essential for young people outside of the academic space.

I am a mother from the Humboldt Park neighborhood who has a son in the fourth grade. I initially was pleased that our neighborhood school was a quality option for him.

However, they cut a computer science course, so I had to make the tough decision to transfer him to another school on the North Side.

At 9 years old, my son now has to travel an hour just to attend a better resourced school that can provide him with the classes that I believe are essential to his future.

I am thankful that Mayor Lori Lightfoot is listening to the voices of our community as she pushes for a higher quality education for our children. And I strongly believe that public schools should allocate more funds and resources into neighborhoods with the highest needs.

This not only will assure that kids are better prepared for the future; it also will keep them safe, with shorter commute times between home and school.

Brenda Rivera, Humboldt Park