Revamp presidential debates to bring back civility

I totally agree with Mona Charen’s column “Political debates have turned into media circuses.” She rightfully called last Wednesday’s debate a “travesty.”

She is absolutely right about getting rid of the audience. It just encourages candidates to cater to the lowest common denominator. Booing Chris Christie for supporting the Constitution was one example. I remember in the 2012 race when Ron Paul said he would not accept patients on any governmental insurance, even if that meant death for that patient. The audience cheered in delight. What a disgrace, I thought at the time. Of course, political discourse has only gotten worse.

Charen’s idea of one-on-one discussions with qualified political interviewers would be a better choice. That way candidates would have to have reasons for their policy positions and have to answer follow-up questions about those positions. They would have to present themselves in a manner worthy of the office without scoring verbal attacks. This would serve the public much better.

Her choice of quoting Alexander Hamilton was an interesting one. The Founding Fathers had good reason to fear the undisciplined mob’s choices for president. But in today’s world, if current Republicans in leadership positions realized that they had the power to hold Donald Trump accountable for his mob actions, we would not have seen such a travesty as that last debate. 

Jan Goldberg, Riverside

Lies, alarming antics already rule 2024 presidential race

Lying, because we believe it will result in a greater good, can be efficiently rationalized and habit-forming. One might initially feel sheepish about fostering a fib for a worthy cause. However, after the desired results have been obtained, it becomes easier to navigate the next foray into “honorable” prevarication. 

After a time though, the good intentions often start to fall away. You’re left with a no-holds-barred situation as we’re experiencing in the 2024 presidential race. Traditional rules of decorum have been sidestepped.

The 2024 campaign has become downright sinister. If some folks have to go to jail, it’s a small price to pay to keep the riffraff from once again treading on hallowed ground. 

Reaching this level of political debauchery didn’t happen overnight. It has been building slowly, much like boiling a frog in a pot of water. Heat is applied incrementally as the frog slowly acclimates until his demise. We’re coming to a boil with these unhinged political shenanigans, and like the frog, it might be too late to jump out of the pot.

Scott Thompson, Bloomington, Indiana

Fix Tri-State oases EV charging stations

Among eight electric vehicle charging stations at oases along the Tri-State Tollway, I think seven are out of order.

One charger of my acquaintance was last operational in March. Tollway staff have started piling equipment in front of the obviously turned-off device. User reports at an EV charging station application indicate that some of the tollway chargers may have been out of order for years.

The Illinois Tollway’s commitment to EV chargers was never strong. Some of them are badly placed; if somebody is charging they will block access to other facilities. Some are capable of charging two cars but come equipped with one plug.

It is time for the Tollway to wake up and better serve this expanding segment of the driving public.

Michael Glass, Glen Ellyn