A reader in Thursday’s paper scolded the Sun-Times for printing a letter about a reader’s experience at the auto show wearing his MAGA hat. I think it provided a valuable lesson in the mindset of the MAGA voter.
The MAGA wearer has been led to believe by Laura Ingraham and her ilk that wearing a MAGA hat in public puts the wearer in danger from angry hordes of violent left-wingers (it doesn’t). When that didn’t happen, the wearer was surprised.
The MAGA wearer cites 14 people (at least!) who gave approval of his fashion statement. He assumes 14 approvals out of the literally thousands of attendees at the auto show is confirmation that he is in the majority (he isn’t). Finally, he cites Chicago Police giving him a thumbs-up as confirmation that they understand that he appreciates their service. The implication being that non-MAGA people are against law enforcement (they aren’t). So, I say thank you, Sun-Times.
Steve Pellicori, Hillside
SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.com. Please include your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes.
Illinois will sink service providers with minimum-wage increase
Illinois legislators are raising the minimum wage to $15 hour by 2025. Senate Bill 1 will increase the minimum wage by $1 an hour on Jan. 1.
This $1.00 increase will add to the ever-escalating cost of providing services this fiscal year! Increasing the minimum wage is wonderful and needed, but legislators need to understand that they must increase payments to service providers. Otherwise, they will not be able to afford to keep their doors open.
Park Lawn is an organization that serves the developmentally disabled. They have dedicated hard-working service providers who are long overdue to be paid a living wage, but unfortunately, the state of Illinois does not budget these organizations for a wage hike.
A minimum-wage increase, without increasing payments to service providers, will put them under financial stress, ultimately causing some organizations to close their doors!
I am asking our Illinois legislators to see the need to also increase funding in the budget so they can pay their service providers. A minimum wage increase is long overdue but so is increasing funding for service providers! Call your legislators. They need to hear our voices.
Charlie Reilly, Palos Park
