Progressive income tax essential to a strong social safety net in Illinois

The building blocks of quality healthcare include the full range of reproductive health services for women.

Women’s ability to time, space and plan their pregnancies, controlling when and how many children to bear, reaps overwhelming economic and health benefits for everyone.

Poverty, race and age impact women’s access to quality healthcare, resulting in negative outcomes for pregnant women and their children.

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In Illinois, the infant mortality rate is three times higher for African Americans than for whites and death as a result of a pregnancy-related condition is six times higher for African American women.

Under Illinois’ current flat tax rate system, funding has been inadequate to balance inequalities in our system. The proposed fair tax will improve equity in our taxation system and is projected to bring in $3.2 billion more in revenue.

Personal PAC will work to ensure that Illinois recommits to funding the social safety net for Illinois’ most vulnerable citizens.

We support investments in services for prenatal care, healthy maternal outcomes for women of color, access to comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education, birth control and a broad range of health services, including abortion care.

The state of Colorado provides a compelling example.

Following a successful pilot program, Colorado made a wide range of birth control options available to women at no charge. As a result, unplanned pregnancies dramatically decreased, saving the state an estimated $70 million.

Furthermore, there was a 64% decrease in the abortion rate and a 54% drop in the teen pregnancy rate. Clearly, economic stability for women, children and families increases when unintended pregnancies are prevented.

Personal PAC calls on every pro-choice voter to join us in supporting the fair tax amendment. Under a fair tax system, the state of Illinois will have the resources to fund the broad range of programs and services needed to ensure that every child in Illinois is cared for, regardless of zip code.

The pro-choice, pro-mother, pro-child and pro-family vote is in favor of the fair tax amendment on the November 2020 general election ballot.

Terry Cosgrove, President & CEO, Personal PAC
Eileen Dordek, board chair, Personal PAC

Gun violence grinding down Chicago’s reputation

I am just one of many Chicagoans who are extremely saddened by the gun violence that is affecting certain parts of the city. Every Monday, it seems, there are articles about the number of shootings that occurred over the weekend.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot should seriously consider working with Washington to help stem the violence. It should be a team effort because innocent people are dying and despite the titanic effort that law enforcers are putting in, the problem of gun violence is not getting any better.

As an employee of the Chicago Transit Authority, I help many tourists and can see how the violence, along with the publicity of this violence, is affecting the mindset of people who come to Chicago.

I must reassure them that Chicago is a safe city. I can only wonder how this random violence is affecting Chicago’s tourism industry. I am sure that the negative publicity has made the city a place that some people might be afraid to come to.

I would also urge Lightfoot to ask Trump to at least make a public statement that Chicago is not a shooting gallery, but rather a safe and beautiful city worthy of visitors from all over the world.

A statement could help reassure people considering visiting Chicago and ease misconceptions visitors might have.

Antonio Acevedo, Wicker Park