In an editorial (“FISA needs to be reauthorized — and broadened to take on fentanyl scourge,” April 15), the Tribune Editorial Board dangerously suggests that government should be permitted to spy on Americans without a warrant and that this unchecked — and, we believe, unconstitutional — power should be expanded to address the spread of fentanyl across the country. The editorial board’s justification for expanding warrantless surveillance does not address real national security risks or opioid abuse.
Congress is considering the reauthorization of powers, particularly powers under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, that allow the government to surveil foreign citizens without a warrant, even if that warrantless surveillance sweeps in the communications of Americans. Governmental powers to conduct electronic surveillance were greatly expanded in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Even after 9/11, many raised concerns these expanded powers likely were not constitutional and clearly were unnecessary to the government’s need to protect national security and gather foreign intelligence. These concerns remain extant during the debates about renewing these powers.
Rather than address concerns, the editorial board encourages that the powers be enhanced and engages in the fallacy that such powers would address the plight of those harmed by fentanyl in our society.
Many legislators, including U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, have urged Congress to offer meaningful reforms to these powers. They have it right. Americans deserve the privacy guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment. The short-sighted, urgent expansion of powers after 9/11 has been in place for too long.
We trust that Congress will reject this thinking and instead adopt real, fundamental reforms to warrantless surveillance powers.
— Colleen K. Connell, executive director, American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois
ICC picks should be OK’d
Regarding state Sen. Dan McConchie’s op-ed “Illinois Senate should reject Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s ICC appointments” (April 16): Recently, the Illinois Senate Executive Appointments Committee advanced two of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s appointments to the Illinois Commerce Commission with bipartisan support. Contrary to what McConchie advocates, the full Senate should likewise confirm these well-qualified appointments on a bipartisan basis.
Let’s be clear what this fight is about. Due to the ComEd bribery scheme and bad policies passed by the Illinois General Assembly, Illinois’ largest utilities enjoyed a decade of lax oversight. Those bad policies curtailed the ICC’s authority, allowing the utilities to spend wastefully, raise our rates by record amounts and reap record profits.
This era of unchecked utility rate hikes came to an abrupt end last year, for which Pritzker deserves praise, not criticism. His administration was critical in ending the most egregious utility policies of the past decade, and his appointments to the ICC used their restored authority to rein in wasteful utility spending and moderate the massive rate hikes proposed by every major Illinois gas and electric utility last year.
Peoples Gas has 1,112 miles of aging cast and ductile iron pipe remaining in its system, not 1,340, as McConchie writes. The inaccuracy is telling: The larger figure cited by the senator is roughly the number of low-pressure pipes in the Peoples Gas system. As we’ve pointed out for years, the Peoples Gas pipe replacement program has prioritized a system pressure conversion rather than high-risk pipe replacement. That’s one key reason every outside review of the program has found it failing to reduce pipeline failure rates. The ICC pause and its investigation of the program are critical to ensure it properly prioritizes public safety going forward.
The ICC also got it right when it forced the electric utilities to resubmit their grid plans, which did not comply with state law. With its resubmitted grid plan, ComEd’s proposed rate hike over the next four years has fallen from $1.5 billion to under $700 million — all while staying on track to help Illinois hit its clean energy goals.
Pritzker and his ICC appointments are holding utilities accountable, protecting consumers and helping chart the path to our clean energy future. The Senate should confirm the governor’s appointments without delay.
— Abe Scarr, director, Illinois Public Interest Research Group, Chicago
Mayor’s financial stewardship
Kudos to the Tribune opinion team for publishing Ald. Bill Conway’s op-ed on the fiscal folly of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s ill-defined $1.25 billion housing bond ( “There are many unknowns in mayor’s bond plan. A pilot would be more prudent.,” April 16). Conway rightly notes that due to the collapse of the downtown office market, commercial property values are on track to implode in the Loop in the very near future. This means that the property taxes previously paid by Chicago’s commercial sector are now going to be shouldered by average homeowners across the city.
Johnson seemingly thinks of property taxes becoming available through expiring tax increment financing districts as some source of new free money. Conway might also have noted that Chicago already has at least $33.7 billion in unfunded pension liabilities that will need even more property taxes to remain solvent. Also, the city has committed more than a billion dollars in property taxes for the CTA Red Line extension and has virtually signed a blank check to pay for migrant services. Oh yes, and now Team Johnson is talking with the Bears and White Sox owners about another a new round of new taxpayer-funded stadium boondoggles.
Let’s hope Conway’s commonsense approach starts to get a little more traction at City Hall. Right now, Johnson’s stewardship of Chicago’s finances resembles the climactic scene from the movie “Thelma and Louise,” with Chicago taxpayers behind the wheel of that car plunging into the abyss.
— John Holden, Chicago
Protesters wrong to block traffic
Regarding protesters’ blocking of Interstate 90 to O’Hare International Airport: I am horrified by what the citizens of Gaza are experiencing, but I don’t care how worthy the cause. Blocking civilian traffic is an unacceptable tactic.
The people who are the victims of this tactic have nothing to do with the situation. They are not responsible for it, so why should they be punished? Who knows what’s going on in that car? Perhaps there is someone who needs to get to their medical procedure or take their medicine they don’t have with them. Perhaps someone needs to pick up a child. In the case of the people on the road to O’Hare, not only could they miss their flight, but also, if they miss their connection, their entire vacation could be ruined.
Doing something like that accomplishes nothing. It only makes people angry at the protesters and their cause. Please do not do that again. Just hold a rally in Grant Park like most groups.
— Joyce Porter, Oak Park
Choice of protest hurts the cause
The best way to turn people against your cause is to mess up their life. How many people on their way to O’Hare International Airport missed their flight to their once-in-a-lifetime vacation? How many people rushing to a loved one’s hospital bedside didn’t make it in time?
There are better ways to protest.
— Christine Steffy, McHenry
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