As we remember the long, distinguished life of President Jimmy Carter we ought to acknowledge not only his incredible accomplishments but some of his serious and prescient warnings. In 2015, soon after the Supreme Court took off all limits from corporate donations in its decision in Citizens United, the president told Oprah Winfrey, “We’ve become, now, an oligarchy instead of a democracy. I think that’s been the worst damage to the basic moral and ethical standards to the American political system that I’ve ever seen in my life.”
This sad truth is now more evident than ever before. Today the oligarchs are about to move from the board rooms of Wall Street into the Cabinet Room of the incoming administration. Nominees to the cabinet themselves have a net worth estimated to possibly be as much as $460 billion. This is not a “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” but a government of, by and for the wealthy.
Money=oligarchs=government. This equation does not include the people, and especially not “the least of these,” the have-nots, the starving and underfed, the homeless, the immigrants, and the seniors.
We must change the equation to “people=compassion=government.” And that calls us to eliminate Citizens United and the unlimited political bribery that was unleashed at all levels of government, as Carter warned.
In his spirit we must activate a movement to reduce the obscene gap between the have-more elites and the have-little multitudes.
Rev. Martin Deppe, Edgewater
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Jimmy Carter was the victim of his own miscalculations as well as bad timing as president. The Iran hostage crisis was clearly not his doing nor were the long lines at the pump that soon followed.
And while he'll never be ranked among our greatest leaders in spite of his Nobel Peace Prize, he does deserve a special place among our nation's foremost humanitarians.
His list of accomplishments following his tenure in the White House is both long and admirable, including his contributions to Habitat for Humanity, the founding of the Carter Center and his trips aboard in search of peaceful and fair elections
It's far too easy in an era of the loudest, shrillest voice getting all the attention to forget that people really do exist who put integrity and self-sacrifice ahead of fame, fortune and the pursuit of headlines. Mr. Carter can now rest in eternal peace knowing that he will be regarded forever as the best of that endangered species.
Bob Ory, Elgin
I must agree with Harris Meyer’s letter concerning the Chicago Department of Planning and Development's new model for public forums. The “charrette” model seems designed to dictate to the public what the department has planned, without any meaningful way for the affected public to respond, have their questions publicly answered or publicly discuss the merits of the new Broadway Zoning proposal.
A March 21, 2006 primary election had the same Broadway zoning as a referendum question. The result was that 88% of voters (with a 48% voter turnout) wanted to restrict new construction to four stories or less on the west side of Broadway. On April 26, 2006, the 48th Ward Planning and Zoning Committee unanimously ratified the four-story limit.
Now, after having surprised the neighborhood with this new zoning plan in December, the so-called public comment period closes Jan. 11th. What’s the rush?
Why hasn’t the Planning Department scheduled meetings with the local block clubs to get a real discussion going? Taxpayers pay the salaries of our aldermen and planning department but it appears we are the last people they want to talk to.
Mark Kaulas. Edgewater
