Republicans who spoke at DNC 'put country over politics'

As a lifelong Democrat who has had the privilege of working for two presidents, I am beyond thrilled with the way Democrats came together to support Kamala Harris and Tim Walz at our convention.

As a soon-to-be 77-year-old, who was 13 when John F. Kennedy spoke of the "torch being passed to a new generation of Americans," it was heartwarming and thrilling to see it happening at the Democratic National Convention.

And as someone who has worked at all but three Democratic conventions since 1964, it was absolutely exhilarating to see this convention come off flawlessly and beautifully.

But I especially want to single out for accolades the Republicans who stood on the stage and spoke to the nation about the reasons they, as conservative Republicans, feel a responsibility and obligation to support Harris and Walz.

We should all say thank you to former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois; former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan; Alabama voter and former Trump supporter Kyle Sweetser; former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham; former Homeland Security aide to Vice President Mike Pence Olivia Troye; Mesa Arizona Mayor John Giles; and Florida resident and former full-fledged MAGA supporter Rich Logis.

They put country over politics, demonstrated courage in the face of belittlement and threats, and understand what truly makes America the beating heart of freedom and democracy.

It was the Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, who, in his classic "Inferno," observed “the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.”

As a divided nation, experiencing often vitriolic polarization, it is encouraging and indeed inspiring that Republicans are not just willing but eager to step up and speak out — to put policy differences aside for the sake of our freedoms and everything we hold dear.

Little more than two months remain before the most consequential presidential election of my lifetime. We must all engage, lift our voices and vote. Only then can we experience the cool breeze of freedom and move our nation forward toward brighter days of unity and collaboration.

Rick Jasculca, River Forest

Under Trump, GOP reeks of corruption

It was with great amusement I read of Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi's statement at the state fair that her party will replace the "corruption" of the Democrats nationally and in Illinois.

Here is a partial list of Trumpers who have felony or misdemeanor crime convictions: Donald J. Trump, Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, George Papadopoulos, Allen Weisselberg, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis.

Numerous others are awaiting trial, but I will presume them innocent as a favor.

Here is a partial list of Trump supporters with massive civil judgments against them (or they settled): Fox News, Mike Lindell and Donald Trump.

There is no list regarding Barack Obama's family or those who served in his administration. Hunter Biden's gun violation is the only such connection to our current Democratic president.

Give us a break, Kathy Salvi.

Joel Ostrow, Deerfield

Bad deals for taxpayers

City Hall contracts with an out-of-state company to house migrants and the company subcontracts a Chicago-based company, which hires a landlord who has served time for federal tax fraud and another who is a delinquent taxpayer. This is not the first time this has happened. Who is making these decisions? Name them. Taxpayers deserve transparency.

Kevin Berg, Fox Lake

Seniors power the economy

Critics of President Joe Biden and his handling of the economy have been predicting a recession for years, but despite dire predictions, the economy has shown continued growth with some forecasting a soft landing.

Retail sales mostly have been positive, and I have always felt much of this has probably been generated by seniors. While listening to a broadcast of Marketplace, my view was supported by a segment stating that according to Gallup 74% percent of seniors have enough income to live comfortably.

These seniors are collecting Social Security, but they are also benefiting from excellent pension plans that were in vogue at the time and investments that have borne fruit.

Stocks, bonds and diversified portfolios have proved financially lucrative over the years. With mortgages paid in full, some seniors have few financial worries. Recently, even simple investments like CDs have proved to be worthwhile and have greatly lessened the impact of inflation, which is now below 3%.

The spending of seniors and other consumers accounts for about 70% of economic activity and is still the main factor that drives the American economy, making it the envy of the world. That's something that Biden can be very proud of.

Larry Vigon, Jefferson Park

Bring back classic uniforms for White Sox

I'm a diehard White Sox fan. With whatever changes the White Sox will be making to their roster to regain their winning swagger, it's time we return to the classic red home pinstripes and the coolest baseball uniforms of all time: the blue road uniforms with the red "Chicago" script. Look cool. Be cool. Go Sox!

Joseph E. Ihnat, Whiting, Indiana