Archive for the ‘Progressives’ Category

Replace or reclaim: progressive Brazil divided on fate of famous yellow shirts – The Guardian

It is the most recognisable symbol of Brazilian identity: the iconic canary yellow jersey in which footballing giants such as Pel and Rivaldo have helped the nation win a record five World Cups.

But the world-famous shirt has also become the emblem of President Jair Bolsonaros radical right, and a group of sport lovers are now demanding it be abolished and replaced with a less partisan kit.

Were in a ghastly situation with a horrendous government that has stolen our flag, said Joo Carlos Assumpo, the writer and filmmaker leading the campaign.

Assumpo, the author of a history of Brazils storied seleo called Deuses da Bola (Gods of the Ball), is calling for his country to re-embrace the white and blue shirt it used until 1950, when a devastating World Cup final defeat to Uruguay paved the way for the adoption of the canarinho.

That loss was a national tragedy and people started to believe the white shirt brought bad luck, Assumpo said, adding that now was the perfect time to bring it back.

Disillusionment with Brazils national colours has been building among progressives for several years, with many on the left shunning the yellow shirt after its adoption by demonstrators supporting Dilma Rousseffs highly controversial 2016 impeachment.

But under Bolsonaro whose loyalists wear the canarinho to rallies and hang yellow and green Brazil flags from their balconies to show devotion those frustrations have reached new heights.

I always thought our flag and our colours were so beautiful but for me they now symbolise intolerance, political ignorance, fascism even, said Lucas Justiniano, 36, a So Paulo filmmaker who also wants the bright yellow shirt to be ditched.

Assumpo said he had been disgusted to see Bolsonarista hardliners wear the jersey to anti-democratic and anti-social distancing protests during the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 65,000 Brazilians.

Bolsonaristas support a series of insane and anti-democratic issues. They want to close congress, theyve attacked health professionals and journalists. And I think weve reached a point where this can no longer be allowed to go on, he said. For me this is a fascist movement and they are using the Brazilian flag and Brazils colours.

Not all progressive Brazilians back the idea, despite their outrage at Bolsonaros attacks on the environment, human rights, democracy and, most recently, his internationally condemned response to Covid-19.

Juca Kfouri, a leading sports writer and leftwing voice, said he understood anger at the canarinhos usurping but could not abandon it. You cannot let the crooks steal your most personal things, said Kfouri, 70, noting that he had not renounced Brazils colours when the military dictatorship appropriated them in 1970, and would not do so now.

Angst over the appropriation is leading some progressives to try to reclaim yellow, rather than retire it. In recent weeks several new pro-democracy groups and one top newspaper, the Folha de So Paulo, have championed moves to wrestle the colour back from the far right.

Theres an attempt to reframe the colour yellow, so its no longer a colour linked just to Bolsonarismo or conservatism but rather to the democratic movements, said Srgio Dvila, Folhas editor-in-chief.

Last month the newspaper urged readers to wear yellow as part of a pro-democracy campaign it launched against a backdrop of attacks on the supreme court and congress by Bolsonaro fanatics. We thought the Folha should also do its bit to help rescue this colour, Dvila said.

Another campaign #DevolvamNossaBandeira (#GiveBackOurFlag) has received support from prominent progressives including the politician Flvio Dino, the musician Tico Santa Cruz and the influencer Felipe Neto.

Surrendering our flag to the fascists means giving up one of the most important symbols of our fight, Neto tweeted. Its the only flag we have and we must recover it, even if it hurts our ego.

Many on the left reject the push to reclaim yellow, however, arguing it plays into Bolsonaros hands. I think wearing yellow means shooting yourself in the foot right now because yellow is identified with Bolsonaros bunch. Theres no escaping that fact, Assumpo insisted. We need to wear white and blue in order to contrast ourselves with Bolsonaro.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said it did not want to emit any opinion with respect to calls for the yellow jerseys abolition.

Assumpo said he was preparing to petition the organisation and would continue fighting for his idea. Weve already changed our shirt once, in 1950, he said. Seventy years later we can change it again.

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Replace or reclaim: progressive Brazil divided on fate of famous yellow shirts - The Guardian

Is this Michigan House seat held by a Trump-friendly Dem the next big pickup for progressives? – Michigan Advance

Roslyn Ogburns effort to defeat state Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) appears to be gaining steam. The housing activist, block club president and mother of five is one of several candidates looking to unseat the first-term Democrat.

As the Aug. 4 Democratic primary draws closer, key issues in the campaign for the seat that covers a portion of Detroits west and a slice of Dearborn center on Whitsetts voting record and support for GOP efforts; her friendly relationship with President Donald Trump; and who can best bring resources to the district to fight the COVID-19 crisis that has particularly rocked Detroit.

Ogburn has racked up endorsements from a slew of Michigan heavyweights, including the AFL-CIO and UAW, as well as two progressive former Democratic presidential candidates, U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who both campaigned in Detroit this year. After former Vice President Joe Bidens 17-point Michigan primary win, progressive activists are eager for a high-profile win.

Warren said Ogburn would be a powerful advocate for all working families, while Sanders noted she is up against a Democratic incumbent who has been widely denounced for pandering to the Trump administration.

The 9th state House District has nearly 70,000 residents, about 91% of whom are African American. Its neighborhoods are a mix of middle-class residents, as well as those who fall below federal government poverty guidelines.

The other Democratic candidates vying to replace Whitsett are Marc Cummings and Nicole Elcock. Republican James Stephens has no primary challenger. The district is heavily Democratic, so the primary winner is virtually assured to be elected in November.

Like this years presidential election, the race looks to be a referendum on the incumbent.

Whitsett has been caught up in a firestorm of controversy in recent months. She told the Advance late last month that the Democratic Party establishment has moved away from her because she visited the White House and thanked Trump in telling her story about having coronavirus, which made her a hero in right-wing media.

Ive been crucified by the Democratic Party, Whitsett said. I went to the White House as a citizen to fight COVID. I went there to be with other survivors. Not as a state representative.

She said she contracted coronavirus in March and took hydroxychloroquine, which has been linked in multiple studies to heart problems and even death in some patients. Trump made his advocacy of the drug central to his initial response to COVID-19.

Why did a Detroit Democrat refuse to condemn protesters racism, join GOP slapdown of Whitmers powers?

Whitsett has credited Trump for its availability, saying that the anti-malaria drug saved her life. Along with other virus survivors, Whitsett on April 14 visited the White House and met with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. She also attended a meeting with Trump and African Americans when the president visited Southeast Michigan on May 21.

Also in April, Whitsett chose not to sign an April letter endorsed by 35 of the 51-member House Democratic caucus. She was the only Detroit House member not to do so. The letter called for state House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) to condemn the April 15 actions of armed right-wing protesters at the Capitol, which he declined to do. The rally was promoted by conservative organizations with ties to the GOP and the billionaire DeVos family.

In May, Whitsett sided with Republicans on a bill, SB 858, which aimed to cap Gov. Gretchen Whitmers emergency powers to respond to COVID-19 and would have allowed restaurants, bars, theaters, gyms and other public venues to open by May 15. Whitmer vetoed the bill.

In addition, some Democrats are concerned about her alliances. Several weeks ago, Whitsett endorsed state Rep. Lynn Afendoulis (R-Grand Rapids) who is running for the 3rd Congressional District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (L-Cascade Twp.). A strong Democrat, immigration attorney Hillary Scholten, also is vying for the seat that the party is targeting.

I know she can do this. Ive seen her at work. And I know she supports the president for all the right reasons not just because hes a Republican, but because she respects a leader who gets things done, Whitsett said in an Afendoulis press release. She had a long and successful career in business before this, and she doesnt need to run for office. But I have watched her use her experience to guide Tax Policy and make important decisions, and I know the people of West Michigan will be well-served by sending her to office.

After peaceful demonstrations against police brutality of African Americans evolved into window breaking, fires and looting in Grand Rapids on May 30 and May 31, following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Afendoulis introduced HB 5901 to increase penalties for those who demonstrate publicly.

We want prosecutors to be able to charge them as terrorists, Afendoulis said. As social terrorists. Because thats what they are doing. They are terrorizing the social fabric of our communities.

Jonathan Kinloch chairs the 13th Congressional District Democratic Organization, which includes the 9th state House District. He said hes troubled by Whitsetts political actions. The group voted to censure Whitsett and back Ogburn.

[Ogburn] is the right person to address the concern raised by residents in the 9th District of electing a Democrat who really is a Republican, Kinloch said.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), a member of the progressive group of four freshman congresswoman of color known as The Squad, also has endorsed Ogburn.

Roslyn Ogburn has always fought for community, especially on housing and environmental justice issues, Tlaib said. You do not have to question where Roslyn stands because it is always with the people and rooted in community.

Marc Cummings, another candidate for the seat, grew up in the area and attended Barton Elementary, Charles Drew Junior High School and Mackenzie High School. He also believes that Whitsett has been ineffective and argues Ogburn doesnt have name recognition.

A lot of people that I know havent even heard of this Ogburn lady, Cummings said. Who is this woman?

Ogburns supporters point out that she has been Warwick block club president for the last seven years and is a precinct delegate. She co-founded Nexus Detroit, a food pantry that provides meals to thousands of families in Detroit each week.

The 43-year-old also is a housing organizer for Detroit Action, a nonprofit that fights for housing and economic justice. If elected in November, Ogburn has pledged to help her district rise from the coronavirus crisis that ripped through Detroit and help to make the district safer.

District 9 deserves better leadership, one who will work to ensure homeowners and renters are protected, with access to PPE [personal protection equipment] and doctors to survive, Ogburn said. We must ensure access to affordable and clean quality water.

Ogburns other big endorsements include: AFSCME, SEIU, Sierra Club, Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights and the Progressive Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party.

Whitsett, for her part, said she is not worried about the endorsements that Ogburn has received. After the coronavirus rocked Detroit and her district, Whitsett said she distributed 180 iPad tablets for students who were homebound due to the statewide school closure due to the pandemic.

We have been able to disperse more than 600,000 meals, Whitsett added. I literally received 20 tons of potatoes. Ive given out more than 200 mini refrigerators, toasters, air fryers and microwaves because weve had far too many people who have not been prepared for this COVID situation.

Whitsett continues to have strong political backing from Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a powerful Democrat with deep ties to the Biden presidential campaign. His leadership fund has given at least $6,700 to her campaign effort, according to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that tracks money in politics. Ogburn has not yet filed a campaign finance report. Whitsett has banked $8,726 last year, the most current filing recorded.

Whitsett shares COVID-19 story at White House, Trump says he doesnt think shell vote for Sleepy Joe Biden

Karen Whitsett is an excellent state rep. who was suffering from COVID-19 and feels that hydroxychloroquine helped her, and she expressed that, Duggan said last month. There is room in the Democratic Party for a whole range of opinions. We need to be friends and stop fighting with each other and pull together right now. We need all Democrats pulling together.

However, some residents in her district view her as suspect. Patricia Butler, who has lived in the area for 22 years, described Whitsett as a ghost.

We dont know her, Butler said. I dont know what she looks like. She doesnt participate in anything. I dont know how she got in. Maybe she had more money than the opponent. I dont know her.

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Is this Michigan House seat held by a Trump-friendly Dem the next big pickup for progressives? - Michigan Advance

Car insurers touted COVID-19 refunds; Progressives filings show coronavirus windfall – Chicago Sun-Times

This spring, when COVID-19 began spreading and the country largely shut down, many auto insurers boasted about the money they were giving back to consumers.

The refunds to those who insured with them typically were about 15% to 20% of a monthly premium and were for two months.

In TV commercials, car insurance companies said it was the right thing to do during a difficult time.

But how much of a sacrifice were they really making? Consumer advocates dont think it was enough, given that people werent driving as much, so accidents and accident claims that had to be paid out were sharply down.

Insurers dont want to talk about how much theyve still profited during the coronavirus pandemic. But government filings made by one of them, Progressive, indicate they might still have come out ahead despite the givebacks thanks to the steep plunge in traffic that began in mid-March.

In a filing with the Michigan Department of Insurance which was one of three states that ordered insurers to make refunds Progressive reported a 28.7% drop in accident claims in March compared to a year earlier. It also said claims were down 31.9% this year in March compared to February.

Progressive didnt supply data for April the month that most automobile insurance companies saw their biggest drop in claims.

After expenses, the companys own actuary indicated that a 22.8% refund was warranted.

But Progressive instead chose to refund consumers 20% for April and May, calling it our best estimate of all associated effects.

At the same time, Progressive was reporting net income for April and May of $1.3 billion. Thats more than double the $566.3 million net income it reported for April and May last year, according to the insurers news releases.

Its companywide loss ratios plunged in April and May compared to those same months in 2019 again signaling more money coming in than going out.

Progressive didnt respond to requests for comment.

Insurance industry groups say the refund calculations took into account bad debt, accident severity and other costs.

Still, Douglas Heller, an insurance expert for the Consumer Federation of America, an advocacy group, calls Progressives profits beyond extraordinary.

Other automobile insurers reported accident claims dropping 60% or more this spring in their Michigan filings.

Even figuring in higher costs associated with the pandemic for instance, with more people out of work, more were unable to pay their premiums the insurance companies still are likely to have come out ahead even after giving refunds, according to Heller.

The givebacks have been relatively meager compared to the change in risk, says Heller, who calls it a coronavirus windfall for insurers.

The consumer federation estimates the springtime refunds from car insurers should have been closer to 30%. And its urging that refunds be continued this summer as many Americans are still working from home, driving less and getting into fewer accidents that insurers have to pay claims for.

The organization and another not-for-profit advocacy group, the Center for Economic Justice, sent letters to each states insurance department on June 25, asking for more relief for policyholders.

California, New Jersey and Michigan are the only states that ordered auto insurers to refund money for April and May. California recently extended that to cover June and any period after June as conditions warrant.

Illinois and most other states did not mandate refunds, choosing only to encourage some relief for consumers.

The insurance industry says figuring out the right amount to give back, while keeping enough money to pay future claims, is trickier than it appears. When they collected premiums months earlier, the companies didnt know a once-in-a-century pandemic was about to strike. And no one knows what fall or winter will bring.

Bob Passmore, vice president at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, says insurance is perhaps the only product where you do not know the final cost of providing it until much later.

Passmore says that, though accident claims are down, people are driving faster on emptier roadways, and thats leading to more severe and costlier crashes.

The industry saw other unexpected costs. In some states, insurers were required to keep policies active during the shutdowns even if policyholders couldnt pay.

Insurers also were buying equipment so employees could work from home. And theres concern the pandemic could affect global auto parts supplies, leading to higher costs for repairs.

Traffic plummeted nationwide beginning in mid-March, when many states ordered schools and businesses to close.

In the Chicago area, traffic fell about 37% from normal levels in March, 43% in April, 22% in May and 12% in June, according to data and analytics firm INRIX.

The Michigan refund filings reveal how much the shutdowns lowered accident claims.

For instance, Allstate told Michigan regulators its accident frequency dropped 25% in March and 60% in April. The company did not respond to a Sun-Times request for May and June figures, though in its Michigan filing it estimated a 40% decrease in May.

After factoring in its costs, Allstate offered a 15% refund to its car insurance customers in April and May and later extended that to June. In its statement to regulators, the company said the giveback reflected our best insights and techniques to estimate the expected value of future costs.

Two smaller companies Selective Insurance and Electric Insurance reported even larger drops in claims. Selective saw a 67% drop by early April, and Electric reported a 73% decrease. Both gave refunds of 15%.

Unlike rate filings, which are based on years of data, the coronavirus refunds were calculated quickly, using less precise numbers.

For example, in its Michigan filing Geico justified giving a 15% credit on customers six-month renewals by saying that given the uncertainties, 15% is a number that would likely average out over six months and be fair. Geico didnt respond to requests for comment.

State Farm told Michigan its average daily claims in April dropped 50% below normal. After factoring in its costs, the company decided to refund customers an average of 30% in Michigan and 27.5% in Illinois for premiums from March 20 through May 31, appearing on Julys bills. State Farm also has announced future rate cuts, including a 13.7% cut in Illinois.

As driving behaviors continue to evolve, we are monitoring and responding accordingly, State Farm spokesman Chris Pilcic said.

Michigan insurance director Anita G. Fox said her department will review all of the refunds this month and determine whether consumers deserve more. Were going to be looking at that, Fox said. Were also looking at whether it should be more sustained.

Fox said each refund should be not just a number that they pick out of the air.

Policyholders whose driving has changed substantially should talk to their insurer about additional discounts or shop around, Fox said.

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Car insurers touted COVID-19 refunds; Progressives filings show coronavirus windfall - Chicago Sun-Times

How Progressive Candidates of Color Are Building Winning Coalitions – The New York Times

Just last month, it looked as if Amy McGrath would coast to the Democratic Senate nomination in Kentucky. A moderate former fighter pilot with strong backing from the party establishment, she had raised over $40 million, far more than all her competitors combined. From her TV ads, you would have thought she was already running against Senator Mitch McConnell in the general election.

But then came weeks of protests for racial justice, and a flush of new energy on the partys left wing. Charles Booker, a state legislator endorsed by the likes of Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had been campaigning on a platform of Medicare for all, the Green New Deal and bold police reform; he surged in the weeks before Tuesdays election.

On Thursday, after a new batch of preliminary results were released, Mr. Booker held a 3.5-percentage-point lead over Ms. McGrath, although most absentee ballots havent been counted yet and we may not know who won the race for days.

As swift and dramatic as Mr. Bookers rise has been, its part of an ongoing trend in Democratic politics one thats been a long time in the making, according to polling on political attitudes.

In congressional races across the country this year, candidates of color are assembling coalitions that bring together liberal white voters and voters of color, picking up where Mr. Sanderss unsuccessful presidential run left off and building support in areas where he was never fully able to.

The task going forward for progressives is combining the African-American and Latino base with white progressives in increasingly diverse districts, Sean McElwee, the founder of the left-leaning polling firm Data for Progress, said in an interview.

The way progressives win is to find progressive candidates of color who can build trust with voters of color and then can win over white progressives, he said.

That dynamic played out this week in congressional races around New York, where three black progressives Jamaal Bowman, Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres appeared on track to defeat their more moderate foes.

Mr. Bowman, a middle school principal who campaigned on a racial-justice platform, held a wide lead Friday morning over Eliot L. Engel, a 30-year incumbent. Mr. Engel is white; his district, which includes parts of the Bronx and nearby suburbs, is about one-third black, one-third white and one-quarter Latino.

Mr. Bowman held decisive leads in both Westchester County, which is predominantly white, and the Bronx, which is heavily black and Hispanic.

The interests are aligned, Mr. Bowman said in an interview, referring to his varied racial constituencies. They are aligned more urgently because of the moment that we are living in, but even prior to the moment, we all centered this work in our common humanity and our values around equality and justice for everyone.

For years, polling shows, black voters have been broadly supportive of liberal policies such as universal government health care and free tuition to public colleges. Thats only becoming more true as millennials and members of Generation Z account for an increasing share of the electorate.

Black voters are among the most likely to name health care as a key voting issue, according to PRRI polling.

And data suggest that as some particularly left-wing ideas move from the partys fringe into its mainstream, they are being carried there by a coalition of voters of color and some white progressives.

Among people of color younger than 45, fully 81 percent expressed support for the Green New Deal, according to an aggregate of NPR/PBS/Marist College polling from last year provided to The New York Times.

Two out of three of these younger adults of color backed making public colleges and universities tuition-free, and 65 percent supported instituting a tax on wealth over $1 million.

On each of those issues, white people under 45 were also broadly in support, though not in equally high numbers, according to the NPR/PBS/Marist data. But among progressives, support ran considerably higher.

Candidates of color in many states are building winning coalitions around staunchly progressive platforms with messages of racial justice and representation at their center.

The road was paved in many ways in 2018, when Ms. Ocasio-Cortez andRepresentatives Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna S. Pressleybeat out establishment Democrats. Each of them combined a progressive policy vision with a localized approach to campaigning, often rooted in community identity.

This year, in New Mexico, Teresa Leger Fernandez campaigned in support of the Green New Deal and Medicare for all. She beat Valerie Plame, the establishment-backed Democratic candidate, in a primary in a heavily Latino congressional district.

Candace Valenzuela of Texas and Georgette Gmez of California are each Hispanic congressional candidates who have been endorsed by high-profile progressives; both are headed to runoffs after advancing in their respective Democratic primaries.

Even in whiter areas, candidates are finding that Democratic voters are receptive to campaigns that put calls for racial justice at the center.

In Kentucky, analyzing only the 10 counties where the most votes have been counted thus far, Mr. Bookers support tends to run higher in counties with larger black populations, suggesting that he is indeed drawing crucial support from African-American voters.

If the current numbers hold, he will have won all three of the large counties in which black people make up at least 10 percent of the population, while losing to Ms. McGrath in the more overwhelmingly white areas.

But roughly four in five Kentucky Democrats are white, and Mr. Booker could not be performing strongly without meaningful support from white progressives.

Years before the current wave of protests against systemic racism and police brutality, polling showed that white liberals, influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement, were beginning to express far greater concern about the nations legacy of racism.

But something key has changed in the past few weeks: A wider swath of voters now expect candidates to put bold proposals for racial justice at the center of their platforms.

No less than 96 percent of Democrats in a recent Monmouth University poll said they saw racism as a big problem. And in a New York Times/Siena College national poll released this week, 74 percent of Democrats expressed a very favorable view of the Black Lives Matter movement. Thats roughly on par with the 77 percent of black people who said so.

In that poll, more than four in five Democrats across races said they supported the protests.

The call by protesters to defund the police is less popular, though the concept is still a relatively new entrant into mainstream political discourse. Just 14 percent of Americans said in a Quinnipiac University poll this month that they supported scrapping their local police department and replacing it with a new one.

But 41 percent including 62 percent of black people and 70 percent of Democrats across races said they would like to see some funding cut from the police and rerouted to social services.

Jeffery C. Mays contributed reporting.

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How Progressive Candidates of Color Are Building Winning Coalitions - The New York Times

This madness must cease. The liberal progressives are intent on recreating history to what they wanted it to be as opposed to what actually happened….

Nature has never been more important than it is right now. People are looking to it to reduce stress, stay healthy and find solace. Many in the Chicago region are flocking to our greatest natural asset, the Forest Preserves of Cook County. We applaud President Preckwinkle, General Superintendent Arnold Randall and his team for their commitment to keep the preserves open just when they are needed most and when many other public spaces are closed. At the same time, we are troubled by reports of illegal and unacceptable behavior by a very few -- crowding, going off trail, picking wildflowers, trampling sensitive vegetation, letting dogs run rampant.

We are so glad people are discovering -- or rediscovering -- these extraordinary landscapes and the more than 350 miles of trails they include. The ability to be active and outside with family members is a blessing. But the privilege of free access to the Forest Preserves carries a responsibility, too, especially in this time of extreme and necessary social guidelines.

That means respecting the space of other visitors, obeying preserve rules and honoring the habitats of animals and plants for whom the preserves are home. It's an opportune time to visit a less well known preserve -- maybe a place you've never been before -- or to visit at a less crowded time. Check FPDCC.com before you go.

We invite you not only to visit, but to join us in protecting and restoring the natural habitats of the preserves. (See, for example: https://fpdcc.com/volunteer/ or https://northbranchrestoration.org). Once we emerge from this challenging time and restrictions are lifted, consider joining thousands of volunteers who give their time, energy and expertise to help make nature in our preserves even more healthy, diverse and welcoming.

Board Members of the Cook County Forest Preserves Conservation & Policy Council

Wendy Paulson, Chairman

To all the Democratic haters of our President Donald J. Trump, a president whose day is not complete without their attacking any good he has done, I offer the following:

When President Trump finishes his presidency in 2024, he will have saved more lives during his eight years on this job other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who, by the way, is certainly working with our current president.

How, when, where you ask? This by standing up against my former Democratic Party, while appointing more pro-life judges across America at the lower court system, as well as the "big kahuna" to our United States Supreme Court, the eminent justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Coming up soon, the replacement of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgh, who "health wise"is holding on with the hope of a Trump defeat in November.

President Trump is certainly a hero for life in the eyes of Almighty God and a villain in the eyes of the Democratic Party. May God bless and keep President Trump safe and in office.

Jim Finnegan

Barrington

How is it we allow our current leaders the freedom to govern and make the decisions they are making? The Bill of Rights and the Constitution were created by our forefathers to give us the right to freedom and choice. Sometimes the people we elect make bad decisions. If that occurs, I would hope and pray that they are big enough to admit they made a mistake and change course. We The People are mature and sensible enough to realize right from wrong, and

when government in stepping on our rights.

We need to get our economy moving again. People need to get out of their houses. We need to get our businesses open and running again. God help us if this does not happen soon. Many of our mom and-pop stores will shutter. We need to wake up and smell the coffee. Wake Up, America.

Robert Fisher

Mount Prospect

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This madness must cease. The liberal progressives are intent on recreating history to what they wanted it to be as opposed to what actually happened....