A tax on commuters will just drive more people from Chicago, and Illinois too

Bill Daley is running for mayor of Chicago, and now wants to propose a tax on suburban commuters who work in the city. He forgets that we suburbanites pay county taxes and state taxes that get eaten up by Chicago. One could say lots of citizens already leave Chicago due to unsafe neighborhoods. If Chicago ever gets that tax on the books, more people will escape from the tax burden by leaving Illinois for good. Then businesses will leave Chicago for lack of workers.

Carl F. Rollberg, Calumet Park

Investigate high EpiPen prices

Your key point in Tuesday’s editorial, that a robust free market and more competitors selling Epipens providing the best solution to sky-high prices, is well-taken. It is hard to see why that it not happening now. You would provide a great service to your readers with some investigative reporting about what is holding that up.

Richard E. Ralston, executive director, Americans for Free Choice in Medicine

Newport Beach, California

“Ban the box” is the right thing to do

The American public education system has always held the promise of civic and economic opportunity, regardless of background or means. It is foundational to economic and social mobility, and a public university should strive to address racial, residential, and economic inequalities. This is why last Tuesday’s editorial about removing criminal history questions on admissions applications is so important.

As a parent of two students in Illinois universities, I want those universities to promote and support people to live positive and productive lives, not teach my children to judge or fear others. I am not worried that my children will be unsafe if these invasive and humiliating questions are not asked, because there is no evidence that asking the question helps make campus safer.

It is important to remember the criminal-legal system and the education system are two separate entities. Our colleges and universities should be where people with records are welcomed and empowered to turn their lives around, not discouraged from applying by an unnecessary question on the application.

In fact, both the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the United States Department of Education have urged universities to remove these questions from admissions applications. They emphasized the importance of an education to achieve the American Dream and said, “without inclusion, there is no true excellence.” I couldn’t agree more.

Laura Vavrin, Champaign