Voice of the People, May. 03

May 03, 2013
  • Terror of randomness
Terror of randomness (JOHN OVERMYER)

Terror of randomness

There are reports of Boston Marathon runners who lost their legs in the terror attack. In addition there are reports of the lessons we can learn. The biggest is that we need to accept the reality the rest of the world has: We remain a terrorist target, for civilian terror is the weapon of the weak against the military power of the strong. Also America's first responders — police officers, firefighters and medical teams — remain among our most authentic heroes.

But there's a third and even larger lesson that shouldn't get lost: the random world in which we live.

When you woke up this morning, you had some plans for today, right? Everyone plans, for everyone expects to be here to live out those plans.

The poets tell us life is a gift, yet let's face it, most of us take our life for granted. We don't take much time fathoming how and why we got here, but we certainly spend a lot of time thinking about what we are going to do with it next.


Until the ineffable randomness of existence comes crashing down around us. Like the million-in-one chance you will be at just the right place on just the right day when a bomb explodes in Boston. Or a pair of towers collapse in New York. Or a fire breaks out in a downtown store in Chicago. Or a plane explodes on the runway in Los Angeles. Or, for that matter, a sudden whip of wind breaks off a tree limb just as you walk under it.

These are each examples of the law-of-the-random. A law that is totally lawless. A fact of life and death that hovers over us from the day we are born to the day we die. It has a great many "authors" and an endless number of "interpreters," but as of this day, no one I know has ever been able to predict the when, where, how and why of his or her own death.

Just as well, for living with that knowledge would be living in a relentless state of terror. So when the media call the Boston bombs an act of terror, be advised that it is not so much the terror of terrorists but, rather, the terror of randomness.

This is a lifelong terror that is tamed best by admitting it, then moving on as if you never had to. After all I'm guessing there are more random acts of kindness waiting for us than broken tree limbs.

Jack Spatafora, author of "Taking a Second Look" blog on ChicagoNow, Park Ridge

No more secrets

The Chicago Tribune is absolutely right that tentative government union contracts should be released to the public before they are made final ("No more secret negotiations," Editorial, April 24). The collective bargaining process in Illinois and elsewhere is far too secretive, and adding sunshine to this process would be a positive step for taxpayers and government workers.

As for the unions and politicians who oppose this effort, one can't help but wonder what they are afraid of.

Politicians and union bosses need to understand that they cannot keep these contracts from the public forever; final contracts are subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. And even if they weren't, if a union contract is too generous, taxpayers will find out when their taxes are raised to pay for inflated wages and benefits, or when public services are slashed because governing bodies have to lay off staff they suddenly cannot afford.

Higher taxes and reduced services don't just hurt taxpayers; they also hurt government workers. These workers deserve to know exactly what terms they will be working under before they vote to ratify a contract. Neither government workers nor taxpayers should be expected to approve or pay for a contract they haven't seen.

The question for elected officials and union bosses is this: If everyone is going to find out contract details eventually, why not be upfront about the proposed agreement?

Negotiations happen behind closed doors. The public cannot see offers go back and forth, even though taxpayer dollars are at stake the entire time. The typical government union contract will guarantee that unions get millions of dollars in union dues without giving any account for how that money is spent.

The closed-door deals brokered by politicians and government unions need more scrutiny. Making contract proposals available for worker and public review before the contracts are ratified and signed is a good first step.

Paul Kersey, director of Labor Policy, Illinois Policy Institute, Chicago

Land of lazy

What happened to the American dream? We've turned from the land of opportunity to the land of entitlements. America could be called the land of the lazy: The government will take care of you. We need to stop the government handouts and get people back to work

Chris Buesching, Palatine