Vote for the fair tax to give my college students a fighting chance to get ahead

My students are the essential workers you see stacking shelves at your local grocery store, the child care workers who are caring for and keeping young children safe, and the ones at the drive-thru window serving you while the world seems paused.

They work, attend classes, take care of siblings and ill relatives and have often been the sole support for their families during this pandemic. They are the heroes we herald and laud in this time of crisis.

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While they give the lion’s share of their energy to care for us all, they are burdened by an unfair tax system that requires even more of them. As low-income and working people in Illinois, they pay a greater share of their income, compared to the wealthy, because of our state’s flat tax.

My students have given and Illinois has taken. It is time to right that wrong.

My students’ educational dreams often depend on their ability to pay for their schooling. The passage of the fair tax structure this November could ultimately help the state to provide additional financial aid to them through grants like the Illinois Monetary Award Program. Higher education would become more feasible, for them and for other Illinoisans.

My students know the perils and feel the impact of Illinois’s failure to pay its bills year after year. They have lived with inadequate access to child care. While growing up, they attended underfunded schools that were forced to cut teachers and go without resources such as up to date textbooks and science labs. They deserve better.

The Fair Tax amendment would be a step toward a more equitable Illinois and a chance to start removing the undue burden my students bear. A vote for the Fair Tax gives my students more opportunity to realize their dreams.

Keisha Rembert, assistant professor, National Louis University

Trump walks away

Donald J. Trump, a true choke artist, failed in negotiations with respect to providing federal COVID-19 relief funds for working families. He walked away from the table like a child. By extension, he walked away from the American people.

Families will be left in desperation as a result of his gross negligence. He wants to wait until after the election to manipulate legislators and our fellow citizens with any leverage he’ll have left. So much for a world-renowned dealmaker.

If you want true deal-makers, and people who will fight like hell for you, vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They won’t walk away.

Henry J.H. Wilson, Barrington