An open letter to Dick Durbin: Disappointed does not come close to describing the sense of utter betrayal and rage I feel for your “yes” vote on cloture for the Republican budget bill. I have practically begged you to fight the Trump/Musk administration in phone messages, in emails and even face-to-face.
Clearly, you care more about opinions of your political consultants than those of your constituents and base. We require complete and total — and yes, even belligerent — opposition to MAGA extremists. You are stuck in a prior time of years ago, when bipartisanship would eventually have long-term payoffs.
Those days are not only gone, they are not going to return in our lifetimes. We don’t have a long-term time frame left to work with. We can see our government services and our role in the world being explosively dismantled right before our eyes. You see it as well, but continue operating with the methods of the past. Your constituents are not naive, ill-informed or too emotional. Chuck Schumer is wrong. And you are wrong to follow him. You are not limiting damage by avoiding a shutdown. You are signing on with Donald Trump and Elon Musk to do whatever they want by rolling over without a fight. Congress has abdicated its power to confirm. It is now abdicating its power of the purse.
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You have accumulated seniority and power, but it’s been pointless because you don’t make effective use of it. You could be a champion to save our country, but you won’t do what needs to be done. You fail to understand what your base requires of you to energize us. We are taken for granted. Worse, you underestimate the discord you bring to our efforts to unite against the forces arrayed against us. Not merely right-wingers, but the thieves, liars, bigots and autocrats.
You’ve had a long career with some successes, but now when we need the power you have built up most, you are failing us. At 80, no doubt you are considering retirement. Frankly, it’s time. Please do so quickly so more aggressive candidates can emerge with sufficient time to get their messages out and garner support. So, goodbye, Sen. Durbin. I thank you in advance for your swift departure.
Michael Aaron, Hyde Park
Sun-Times won’t be the same with cuts
In light of this week’s sad news announcing staff reductions at the Sun-Times, perhaps it is time to take another drastic step to bolster the storied newspaper’s success going forward. May I suggest a name change: The “Chicago Sun-TikTok.”
Thom Cicchelli, Beverly
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With Linda McMahon’s confirmation as education secretary, the U.S. Department of Education has just morphed into the United States Departure from Education.
Paul L. Newman, Merion Station, Pennsylvania