Hound street gangs out of existence

It should be obvious to everyone that marches and prayers have had no impact on a disease that is wreaking havoc in the inner cities of America, especially Chicago. I am speaking about a disease of the soul and spirit — the wanton shooting and killing of human beings on a daily basis.

Various strategies deployed to prevent the shootings and killings have not worked. Gang members are dealt with by the justice system only when they are caught in the act of shooting. Something has to change. Providing more jobs and eliminating poverty will take years.

Legislation to make membership in a gang illegal is needed. Until this happens, known gang members who have shunned jobs, schooling and counseling should be harassed, hounded and picked up on a regular basis.

Ned L. McCray, Tinley Park

Vice president inherited a hot mess

Critics are trying to blame the Biden administration for the difficult situation at our nation’s southern border, but a deeper analysis reveals other causes. More people are fleeing to the United States now not so much because of a change in American presidents, but because their own countries are run by corrupt, undemocratic and authoritarian regimes that have made life hellish.

Did former President Donald Trump do anything about this root cause? Heck, no. Why would he when it was so obvious that authoritarianism was something he admired and, perhaps, aspired to?

Now Vice-President Kamala Harris has taken on the job of dealing with a hot mess in Central America that grew all the hotter over the last four years because of a former preasident whose skill set amounted to pushing problems onto other people’s plates. Will those authoritarian Central American leaders now stiff Harris in the hope that somebody who sees things more their way will someday soon once again occupy the White House?

Curt Fredrikson, Mokena