I found great irony when my Facebook page reminded me recently of a famous day eight years ago. I had posted back in 2018 about a crazy sports weekend ahead. Between my three kids — then ages 10, 10 and 12 — there would be 15 separate sporting events in a 48-hour span from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. Hockey, basketball, baseball, softball and soccer events were set across the city and suburbs. My wife and I determined with prepared lunches, lots of snacks, two cars and some helpful family members, we could make all 15 games happen.
When I think back upon that day, so many questions pop in my head. How on earth did we cover all that ground in tight windows? Why did we ever think that was a good idea? Did my kids actually enjoy that weekend? What adds even more craziness to this story is that while we were waiting for one of my daughter’s softball games, she was asked to play up in a 12 and under division game during one of the small pockets of open space we had. Of course, we said yes.
The reality is I loved every second watching my kids play sports. I remembered turning down offers for Cubs tickets, concerts and parties back in those days, and the reason was simple: Watching (and often coaching) my kids play sports was my enjoyment and passion.
When I mentioned the “irony” of the 2018 Facebook post that popped up earlier this month, it was because my youngest daughter competed in the final sporting event of her high school career. It was probably the last time I watched a child of mine compete in any sport. They’ll be no college sports to keep this train going. All I can hope is that my kids keep finding ways to compete and remain athletic. Intramurals, club sports, pickup games, beer leagues — the only difference: Dad won’t be in the stands watching, which is probably the way it was meant to be all along.
Gerry Winters, Ravenswood
Affordability is goal of BUILD plan
The May 13 op-ed by DePaul University professors Carolina Sternberg and Jesse Mumm argues that the Building Up Illinois Developments, or BUILD, package under consideration in the Illinois Legislature will not result in housing affordability.
They claim that development causes gentrification, and that Chicago has already been on this track for decades. The truth is the complete opposite. Chicago (and Illinois as a whole) has not been building nearly enough housing, and gentrification results from steering that limited development to just a handful of neighborhoods.
Among housing policy experts, there is no doubt that increasing supply broadly improves affordability.
Recent empirical research shows that new construction, even vilified “luxury development,” sets off a migration chain that eases demand and affordability among existing homes, even at the middle and lower end of the market.
This is not “trickle-down economics.” It is simply how markets work, just as the constant stream of expensive new cars makes used cars more affordable.
Sternberg and Mumm complain that no part of the BUILD plan “mandates affordable housing (or) includes funding to create them.” The evidence on unfunded affordable housing mandates is mixed, but the best case for them is that they trade a concentrated benefit (a small number of dedicated affordable units) for a diffuse cost (less overall homes and higher market rents).
Rental subsidies are an important part of the solution, but the country’s main rental subsidy program, housing choice vouchers, operates through the private market; when rents rise, vouchers help fewer families for any given budget. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Chicagoans paying affordable rents do so in market-rate rentals where the rent is low because of market conditions — so-called “naturally occurring affordable housing.” The best way to help the most people is to build more housing and rein in market rents.
The biggest mistake Sternberg and Mumm make is their belief that Chicago has already spent decades doing what the BUILD plan calls for. On the contrary, the gentrification and soaring prices that they lament in places like Logan Square have been caused by not building enough in neighborhoods throughout the Chicago region and across the state. They have been caused by restrictive zoning and aldermanic prerogative. These root causes are precisely what the BUILD plan seeks to address, by creating a clear and consistent path for building more homes throughout Illinois.
The benefits of BUILD extend well beyond housing affordability. It would be an economic boon for the state and would ease property tax burdens by growing the tax base. More housing in established neighborhoods means more customers for local businesses and more transit riders. The BUILD plan is a necessary first step toward a more affordable and economically vibrant Illinois.
Paul Joice, housing researcher, Hyde Park
Brazen Boutros
Last week’s Sun-Times article on the remaining charges being dropped against the “Broadview Six” included a quote from U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros saying that the conduct of six protesters who opposed the Trump administration’s deportation campaign was “unacceptable in a civilized society.”
What’s unacceptable in a civilized society is a crime syndicate taking over the criminal justice apparatus and using it to kidnap its political adversaries. Mr. Boutros and all the prosecutors currently working in the U.S. attorneys office belong in prison.
Daniel DiCesare, Irving Park
Jan. 6 rioters don’t need help
If the U.S. Department of Justice is allowed to scrub information about the Jan. 6 insurrection, that means none of that nonsense ever happened. In that case, the $1.8 billion slated for paying those knuckleheads for supposed “unjust treatment” can go into some more important funds.
Anthony Melone, Elmhurst