Regarding the story “Illinois Supreme Court finds Chicago not liable for cyclists who hit potholes on roads not ‘intended’ for bikes” on Dec. 25:
As a recreational biker, I totally sympathize with cyclists who are injured due to unsafe roadways, but given the reality, bikers must expect the unexpected.
Unfortunately, I have seen too many instances where bicyclists are totally derelict when it comes to norms regarding safety measures. Even if a biker is injured while traveling in a designated bike lane, it does not mean the cyclist was acting responsibly.
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For example, in 2018 I noticed a young adult with no helmet riding down Lawrence Avenue. He was busy with his phone with no hands on the handlebars. I immediately yelled at him, “You shouldn’t be doing that! If you hit a pothole, you’re finished.” His response was a short rant that included an expletive.
Roadways can be unsafe, and bikers should act with due diligence. Also, the police should enforce the Chicago municipal code and ticket those who are not following common sense regulations while riding their bikes.
Larry Vigon, Jefferson Park
Before DNC comes to town, address homelessness
As the migrant crisis continues to rise in Chicago and across the nation, and the present homeless population in Chicago continues to be neglected, tensions are also causing poor Black and Brown residents to fight each other over crumbs.
I believe it is time for us to draw the line on the abandonment of the poor.
In America, we have found billions of dollars to support Ukraine and billions of dollars of support for Israel, yet we have ignored the poor and homeless in Chicago and America.
I am suggesting rather than fighting each other for the crumbs, we join together and demand that either this administration and Congress come up with the same billions of dollars to end homelessness in our city and country, or we stand together and refuse to allow the Democratic Convention to take place in Chicago this August.
The federal government must act now. No one in America should be sleeping in our streets or wondering where their next meal will come from. Enough is enough! No money to end homelessness, then no Democratic Convention in Chicago. Period!
Rev. Michael L. Pfleger, pastor, Saint Sabina Catholic Church
Illinois townships should be consolidated
More township government shame, taxpayer-funded abuse and waste. Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, who is already under fire for spending public money promoting herself and township government, has her name and smiling face on four giant taxpayer-funded billboards on Interstate 57 and the Bishop Ford Expressway.
Vinyl signs cost $10,000, and Clear Channel Outdoor advertising costs $12,000 for one month.
The township board was never consulted, Thornton Township Trustee Chris Gonzalez said in a news report. Henyard’s picture and name also appear on township vehicles, buildings and even on rugs. Henyard, who is part time, makes $224,000 and is paid $46,000 as mayor of Dolton.
Illinois has 1,430 township governments, 1,391 township road districts, 334 multi-township assessment districts and 26 township cemetery districts. That’s a total of 3,381 taxpayer-funded opportunities of government corruption, cronyism, nepotism, patronage and waste.
Most states do not have township-level government, and Illinois has 17 counties without township government.
Illinois has thousands more units of government than any other state. The movement of Illinois citizens to other states with fewer governments and lower taxes will not cease until the Illinois General Assembly makes government consolidation a priority.
Illinoisans are fed up spending their hard-earned dollars on supporting extra layers of overlapping governments.
Bob Anderson, Wonder Lake
We need better doctors, medical care
Thanks for the article and graphic (“This comic shows how med schools are using improv, virtual reality and, yes, comics to help doctors and patients communicate” — Dec. 22).
I believe the whole curriculum of med school, internships and residencies needs review.
I’ve encountered too many residents and even attending physicians who imagine they know everything and patients know nothing. I’ve seen doctors who diagnose and prescribe with insufficient data and rote, generic treatment rather than patient-specific.
I have had to explain they are expert consultants, but I am in charge of my health — and the health of my 93-year-old mother. They advise, I decide.
I will thoroughly review and investigate all non-emergency recommendations. We don’t leave family members unattended in hospitals or rehab facilities. Someone is there 24/7 or as many hours as allowed.
This approach became necessary after our family’s decades of misdiagnoses, overlooked serious conditions and overmedicating with severe reactions.
The first/worst instance was my mother’s loss of a kidney and later liver damage from hepatitis B and unscreened transfusions following a “renowned” obstetrician accidentally severing one of her urethras during surgery for my brother’s birth. Mother told me she saw his arrogance, as he “performed” for residents and interns, but didn’t know how to reject him and demand a replacement.
The hospital covered it up and pretended it was due to a preexisting condition, but one of the ER nurses told mother the truth a few years later.
We have to educate ourselves to be advocates for ourselves and family members. Doctors need patient-centered education and more inter-departmental collaboration and collaborative review of patients.
Muriel Balla, Hyde Park
