Stand up for the Constitution and vote out GOP senators

As a teacher of history, I used to have to explain to teenagers why the German Reichstag (Parliament) willingly gave up their power to Hitler in the early 1930’s. I explained that the nation had very little experience with democratically elected leaders or representative government. The nation had been humiliated in the peace treaty after WWI, and many were looking for a savior for Germany.

Republican senators are giving away their power when they fail to see that the budget they constructed with taxpayer funds is being used for the president’s personal gain and not for the purpose for which it was budgeted. The power of the purse lies with Congress. When funds were spent without their approval in the 1980’s for the Nicaraguan Contras, people were indicted and many went to prison. How is misuse of Congressional funds not a crime? How is blocking witnesses not a crime?

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Republican senators are giving up their constitutional powers and have been ever since they blocked their mandated hearing process for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.

Anyone who votes to reelect the president or to reelect one of these Republican senators is voting against the Constitution and American democracy. People who fail to vote are doing the same thing.

Jan Goldberg, Riverside

We need bold solutions to solve Chicago’s inequality

Many of my students, most of whom are Black or Latinx, hunger for lessons that reflect their experiences and history. Recently, a class guest talked about the 1919 Chicago Race Riot. When asked, none of my 150 juniors knew anything about the riots or their impact on racial segregation in Chicago. Also, inspiring stories about black contributions are a huge gap in our curriculum.

For this and other reasons, the Chicago Teachers Union is sponsoring a Black Lives Matter in School week the first week of February. While Chicago has the second-largest black population of any city in the country, a recent study by the University of Illinois at Chicago shows a loss of 350,000 black residents since 1980. The causes range from Great Depression levels of unemployment, destruction of affordable housing, over-aggressive policing, record foreclosures, and decades of divestment.

We must address the deep racial inequities driving this displacement. Lift the state ban on rent control and rehab foreclosed housing to provide every one of our 16,000 homeless students and their families a home. To address unemployment, initiate work projects to replace lead pipes and install solar panels in residential areas. Lastly, our students deserve to be taught by educators of color. Why not grant every CPS graduate a full ride at Chicago State University if they become teachers?

Brave and bold solutions will demonstrate real support for Black Lives Matter in our schools, communities, and city.

Jackson Potter, Brighton Park