After months of practicing human avoidance, wearing a mask whenever outside, communicating with my children, grandchildren and friends only via the computer, and grocery shopping at times reserved only for seniors, you are requiring me to report to the nearest Driver Services Facility for road and vision testing before April 2021 when I turn 82 years old.
May I suggest that my testing (and all seniors with spotless driving records) be delayed until we are vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. That should happen during this year. I don’t need to remind you about the skewed mortality rate by people my age during this pandemic.
SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.com. Please include your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be 350 words or less.
Hopefully, after I am vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and perhaps after your Driving Service employees are also vaccinated, we will be safe co-mingling with the mixture of people waiting, and often waiting for more than an hour, to be serviced at your Driver Service Facilities.
Michael Ellman, Wilmette
Glad they didn’t witness this
As a senior, I have endured the death of many loved ones. In my heart, I always wished they could return to be with me through more of my life’s journey.
This was not the case on Jan. 6. For the first time, I was actually glad they were all gone and didn’t have to endure what I and the rest of the world saw happening.
Harlean Vision, Skokie
Keep out the pols
Chicago Public Schools are a perfect example of why schools need to be run by education professionals and parents, not politicians.
RaeAnne Norlock, Darien
Reform gun laws
As highlighted in your recent editorial, 769 people were killed in Chicago alone, most by guns. That was the most homicides in a single year since 2016. This is a real blow to Chicago because in the past three years the number of homicides has actually been decreasing. Illinois needs to stop waiting to pass stricter gun laws.
As a junior in high school, I have seen the effects of Chicago’s gun violence, whether it’s a planned shooting or an innocent civilian being hit with a stray bullet. Chicago saw a 50 percent increase in homicides from 2019. Furthermore, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that in July alone, Chicago saw a 139 percent increase in murders from the previous year. The pandemic also hasn’t helped since lockdowns have forced people to stay indoors, making tempers rise.
Gun trafficking in Chicago is another issue, since it is very hard to track down the seller of the illegal firearm. People will also buy guns from states with fewer firm laws just to commit a crime in Chicago.
Just how many more lives need to be taken by a gun before something in Illinois changes?
Sullivan Hertzog, Crete Monee High School
