Aaron Schock’s ‘deferred prosecution’ a raw deal for taxpayers

Your editorial states in part that Aaron Schock billed taxpayers for 170,000 miles in trips on a vehicle that registered only 80,000 miles when he sold it, took personal trips on donors’ private planes, and resold Super Bowl and World Series tickets for a profit of more than $42,000 (“Schock has learned a lesson, but what about the feds?” — Wednesday).

All the above are facts, not allegations. They are all against the law. Yet, the Sun-Times and Schock portray him, not the taxpayers, as the main victim.

His only excuse seems to be ignorance of the law. Excuses like that didn’t keep Jesse Jackson Jr., among other public officials, out of jail.

No details are provided on how downstate law enforcement and judges blew the case, but given the facts, someone is definitely guilty of more than one crime, and someone other than the taxpayers should be punished here.

Tom Sharp, Uptown

Schock’s illegal gains

For someone who didn’t plead guilty to anything, former congressman and Men’s Health cover model Aaron Schock sure admitted to a whole lot of illegal activity.

Don Anderson, Oak Park

Rent control is the answer

Wow, what a regressive, fear-based, and ill-informed piece you wrote bashing rent control (“Editorial: High rents are a problem. Rent control is not the answer” — Tuesday).

I would expect something like this from the Tribune, but not from the Sun-Times.

Chicago has been flooded by new money, much of it from outsiders who are building luxury apartments and buying up land and former housing. They are shipping out massive profits while displacing longtime locals who have absolutely no protection from rent increases and land sales and conversions that basically give them no chance to stay here.

Why don’t you see how rent controls have worked to stabilize and protect the fabric of other cities?

Ramo Maza, Oak Park