I am certainly no fan of now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy; however, his decision to put the country before his own ambitions and compromise with some Democrats to keep the government open and avoid a shutdown is commendable. Honestly, I thought that he wouldn’t have the courage to do so, but he truly revealed himself to be a man more concerned with our country than his own power. He fully knew that the radical right would do all it could to oust him, but he still did the right thing.
It is unfortunate that so many Republicans prefer to keep themselves in power for their own personal agenda with disregard for the catastrophic results that would have adversely affected so many lives and livelihoods and threaten our country’s standing abroad. Shame on them. Bravo to McCarthy!
— Carol Q. Van Durme, Chicago
McCarthy set himself up
Kevin McCarthy has received his just deserts.
He made a deal with the devil, agreeing to outlandish demands made by the radical Republicans who wish to blow up the institution and render it impossible for the government to function.
He could not have secured the speakership in any other way due to the narrow margin with which Republicans control the U.S. House.
Why was there not a more decisive advantage for the House GOP in a year in which everything had seemed to be going its way? There are many reasons: The Republican Party does not accept the result of elections that it loses, and its official position as voiced by the party chairman is that the violent effort by Donald Trump fanatics to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election is legitimate political discourse.
Add to that the ultraconservative U.S. Supreme Court overturning the half-century precedent established in the Roe v. Wade decision, and you have a recipe for popular outrage and election successes for the Democrats.
McCarthy was desperate to be speaker; thus, he surrendered a great deal of ammunition to the small radical element, which led him around by the nose. It should be a surprise to no one that the radicals turned on him, using the ammunition to bring about his ouster.
Was it all worth it?
— Oren Spiegler, Peters Township, Pennsylvania
Ousted for doing his job
U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tried to appease the hard-right Freedom Caucus, of which his nemesis, Rep. Matt Gaetz, is a member, by launching an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. The inquiry was launched despite House investigations that did not uncover even a hint of impropriety.
It appears that there is no appeasing Gaetz and the Freedom Caucus, however. On Gaetz’s motion, supported and applauded by the Freedom Caucus, McCarthy was ousted for doing his job to avoid a government shutdown.
— Ava Holly Berland, Chicago
Jim Jordan a poor choice
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio has announced he will seek the speaker’s gavel for the House. This man has spewed more nonsense, led more unfounded investigations and shamelessly promoted the disgraced, twice-impeached and four-time indicted former president than any other MAGA member of Congress. He has shown repeatedly that every time he opens his mouth, what the bull left in the pasture is stuck to his teeth.
— Len Levy, Glenview
Oversight of CHA programs
A one-size-fits-all approach to federal housing programs does not work for disparate and diverse cities, towns and regions. That’s why the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Moving to Work (MTW) program allows participating public housing authorities such as the Chicago Housing Authority to create innovative local housing programs that meet the unique needs of their local population.
CHA has been an MTW agency for more than 20 years, and these flexibilities are thoroughly interwoven into every aspect of the agency, including resident support services, investments in new affordable housing developments and the preservation of existing public housing.
While the Tribune’s recent article (“Chicago Housing Authority could continue to redirect funds under controversial HUD program extension,” Sept. 29) lists many CHA programs and services that would not exist without MTW flexibility, it incorrectly implies that MTW agencies receive less HUD oversight than their non-MTW counterparts.
All MTW participating public housing authorities are subject to the full range of HUD monitoring and oversight mechanisms, including financial audits and program compliance reviews. As a matter of transparency, MTW agencies are required to receive HUD approval of their annual plans, which are submitted after a public comment period.
Independent studies conducted by the Urban Institute and others have found that MTW agencies are responsible stewards of public dollars and house at least the same number of families as their non-MTW counterparts while also providing vital housing support services above that of non-MTW agencies. The MTW program has had a tremendous positive impact on our city.
— Tracey Scott, CEO, Chicago Housing Authority
Presence of father in families
Clarence Page’s column on out-of-wedlock births was enlightening (“To reduce the number of out-of-wedlock births: Strengthen families,” Sept. 28). Any program that the government can put together in an effort to create more two-parent households should have an open-ended budget. Many Black and white folks believe that single-parent homes in the Black community have everything to do with poverty, lack of education, lack of opportunity, crime, etc. Few recognize that those same factors may also be responsible for the out-of-wedlock births.
We have all read and heard of the studies. Two-parent homes lead to a higher standard of living. Children receive more effective parenting and are subjected to far less stressful events and circumstances when a father lives with his children. The presence of a father reduces the child’s risk-taking behavior. Two-parent families simply provide more structure and security for the child.
The absence of fathers in households provides so many a basis for blaming the struggles of the Black community almost entirely on the lack of a father figure in the home. Regardless of the reasons for the breakdown of the family unit, getting the family structure back together has to be primary. From reducing poverty, school dropout rates, crime and prejudice, so much can be improved with the presence of a father figure in the house. Reducing out-of-wedlock births can in fact be the silver bullet that may lead to so many more good things for the Black community.
— Terry Takash, Western Springs
Join the conversation in our Letters to the Editor Facebook group.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
