The cost of hate and how Illinoisans can stop it from spreading

Times like these — of uncertainty and rising tension — can bring out the worst in us. Whether in cities or rural towns, among neighbors of every faith and background, history shows that humans respond to instability by seeking to blame an "other." But responding to hate with hate can cause lasting harm.

Hate isolates. It sends a chilling message: You don’t belong here. It erodes trust in democratic institutions and weakens our social fabric. And it is on the rise — in Illinois and across the country.

The price of hate isn’t just moral. A 2023 study estimated that hate crimes cost the U.S. $3.4 billion a year. And that figure doesn’t include the hidden toll: trauma, lost wages, hospitalizations and social isolation.

Illinois has among the strongest human rights protections and hate crime laws in the nation. Stopping acts of hate requires more than just laws — it requires the action of every Illinoisan. The challenges of this moment are real. We must reject the allure of toxic polarization that invites us to dehumanize people who look, live, love, pray and vote differently.

Leaders must lead boldly. Fighting hate cannot be a partisan effort. Strong, clear-eyed leadership requires consistent statements of values, ensuring that community members know that no one deserves to be targeted because of who they are. Denouncing hate and discrimination is not enough. Local leaders must build bridges and create public spaces and programs that allow us to approach each other with humility, curiosity and tolerance.

Each of us has power. We can interrupt hateful language, care for our neighbors, join organizations and utilize our voice and power. We can organize programs, learn bystander de-escalation, rally our communities and report hate through resources like Help Stop Hate, Illinois’ confidential reporting service.

There is a parable of two people walking by a river who see babies floating downstream. One rushes to save them; the other runs upstream to stop whoever is throwing them in. This parable guides our work at the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes: We must both respond to acts of hate and work to uproot sources of discrimination and bias at their origin.

The cost of hate is too high to ignore. But we hold the power to stop it. Let’s act now to build an Illinois where every person belongs.

Elana Kahn, executive director, Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes

The price of good journalism

As talented reporters were bought out or laid off at the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, it has made me wonder, how do we define what something is worth?

Having studied finance but choosing a career in journalism, I realize it's partly a matter of perspective. Some see the mission, which makes its value greater then the sum of its parts. Others see the financials and short-term financial gains.

Investment in journalism is an investment in something greater: a public trust. Cultivated properly, it yields value to the community. Dividends include long-term transparency, discussion and accountability. It is not cheap, but it has value that's harder to measure.

As host of the “Media Essential Workers” podcast, I’ve often seen that once something is lost in negotiation or practice, we rarely get it back. The same can be said about journalistic talent and as a byproduct, better coverage.

Remember The Mirage tavern? I don’t, since it happened two years before I was born in 1977. However the "return on investment" of this investigation by the Sun-Times continues to benefit us all. In a 25-part series, the newspaper investigated shakedowns and bribes in the city, leading to widespread reform. The Sun-Times accomplished this by buying a "tavern" and investigating how city employees handled permitting. As a Boston native, don’t even get me started on The Boston Globe investigations and the changes it fostered. I’m limited to a word count here.

Executives should ask themselves candidly: What is a price of a journalist so accomplished, his or her work earned the trust of readers? Or a journalist who has cultivated relationships and sources in government, or a wordsmith who can make you see, maybe not agree with, but understand another perspective?

What is the value of something? Sometimes the true value isn't seen on the financials and runs a little deeper. Maybe a lesson learned too late.

Raza Siddiqui, host, "Media Essential Workers," former president, National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians Local 41, and managing editor, Chicago News Service, Lisle

Immigrants are country’s strength, not weakness

My grandparents came here to work, raise their families and see their children fight fascism both at home and overseas during World War II. Their grandchildren prospered. Like so many other descendants of immigrants, they made the U.S. a better place. According to family lore, one of my grandparents entered the country illegally. His son was awarded two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star. My father gave up a life of playing baseball to defend this country and spent his life working as a punch-press operator at the Western Electric plant in Cicero. He never complained. Immigrants and their children have given much to this country. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "We are all immigrants."

I grew up in the Back of the Yards, a neighborhood that housed immigrants throughout its history. A host of languages were heard on the streets. A Chinese family lived just down the street from me and ran a small business. I went to De La Salle Institute, a high school that attracted students from across the South Side, Black, Brown, white and Asian. It allowed me to understand the promise of the U.S. Americans are a mixture of races and ethnicities from across the globe. This is our strength not our weakness.

The Back of the Yards taught me about diversity and getting along with different people. De La Salle helped me to get past some of those obstacles. The point is that the diversity of Chicago and the U.S. is a good thing. It made America a beacon of hope to the world. "E pluribus unum" is more than simply a motto of bringing 13 colonies into one nation. It is the promise of a democratic society that has attracted people from across the globe.

Chicago and countless other American cities have benefited from immigrants. I taught college classes for over 40 years. Many of my students over the years were immigrants. What has happened? How did we become so self-hating? Immigration has powered America for the last 400 years. Ethnicity has made America great. What is more American than beer, a German, Czech and Central European treat? Immigrants, white, Brown and Black have historically assimilated. Our diversity makes us and continues to make us great. America must honor its immigrant past and future.

Dominic A. Pacyga, professor emeritus of history, Columbia College, Beverly

GOP policies do not reflect Christian values

The Sun-Times’ recent coverage of Catholic priests’ politics was disappointing, because it emphasized Republican talking points without giving balanced coverage to progressives. In addition, the piece reinforced the fake belief that GOP policies are inherently Christian.

The article devoted four paragraphs to abortion, an issue that Republicans like to bring up to generate support from Catholics. Though that topic is fair to discuss, it’s a wonder why the same amount of coverage wasn’t devoted to economics, an issue important to progressive Democrats.

President Donald Trump's so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act will gut Medicaid, slashing an estimated $1 trillion from the public health program, with a particularly strong impact on rural areas. Though Republicans tried to give themselves cover by adding a $50 billion “rural health transformation fund" to the bill, the fund is expected to cover only one-third of the losses rural areas will face.

The trade deals that Trump keeps boasting about are largely nothing. They are tax hikes on Americans that consumers will pay, with the biggest impact among the less fortunate.

More broadly, Republicans, for decades, have advocated what is variously known as supply-side economics, trickle-down economics and Reaganomics. These policies, which reduce the tax burden on the wealthiest, have devastated the working and middle classes. Their impact has been far-reaching, as data show that the U.S. for decades has declined in the World Economic Forum’s Global Social Mobility Index, assessing how well countries provide a fair chance for individuals to improve their social and economic standing regardless of background.

Jesus’ teachings on economics advocate compassion, generosity and a focus on spiritual wealth over material possessions. He highlighted the dangers of wealth accumulation, promoted sharing and caring for the poor and emphasized the importance of serving God rather than “mammon”.

Trump isn’t Christian. His MAGA movement isn’t Christian. And today’s Republican Party doesn’t support actual Christian values.

Craig Barner, Lincoln Square

Trump’s a liar, but unlikely a pedophile

When all the dust settles on the ghastly [Jeffrey] Epstein matters, it seems highly likely that Donald Trump only will be found guilty of lying and of poor judgment in picking his friends and associates. There is nothing new about either of them.

While Trump has no apparent moral compass, his taste seems to be for tall women, not little children. Just look at his wife or his exes. So pedophilia likely is not on the table.

On the other hand, Trump has a lifelong capacity and willingness to make and maintain bad associations. Early on, he sat at the elbow of Roy Cohn, the infamous chief counsel to Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Years later, look at Trump's current U.S. Cabinet which, in the main, consists of incompetents ill-prepared for their duties. So hanging around with Epstein was right in his wheelhouse.

Similarly, Trump may well have established a new Guinness world record for prevarication, and his double-talk about the Epstein matter is but the most recent example of his shameless and consistent lying.

As Tom Jones once sang, "What’s new pussycat?"

William P. Gottschalk, Lake Forest

Screaming out the window

I would like to promote a Howard Beale Day sometime soon. I just happened upon the great 1976 movie, "Network." So many things that were part of the movie can be related to today’s government.

Howard Beale, who was played by Peter Finch, got the country riled up by telling them, over TV, to open their windows and start yelling, "We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore."

Will it do any good? Probably not, but it may resonate with some government agencies who have blinders on.

Robert Meder, Romeoville

Hep cats, skip the all-black wardrobe to stay cool

I don't know if kids of my time back in the 1960s were any more practical than those of today. But during these hottest weeks of the year, white T-shirts and light-colored tops predominated among us. This may have been on the advice of our parents, who were sharp enough to grasp that dark colors absorb sunlight and heat while light ones deflect it

Anyhow, it was a lesson well learned. Regardless of fashion dictating black in our attire to be considered cool, it's cooler now to choose white or light. Literally. And I hope the message registers with the holdouts going with all black. They're making me sweat just to look at them.

Tom Gregg, Niles