While living in The Republic of South Africa from 1994-1996 I will never forget the day I met President Nelson and Winnie Mandela while visiting Parliament. The excitement and electricity ran through my body as we greeted another with a hand shake. It was a short amount of time, but I will always cherish that moment. I was in the country on invitation by the South African National Council on Alcohol and Drugs in partnership with the South African Black Social Workers Association to help educate, promote awareness and train South African social workers on alcohol and drug prevention. Watching daily the transformation of this country from a segregated society as a result of apartheid to the integration into mainstream society was the most fascinating experience in my life.

Dear Constituent:

Thank you for contacting my office and expressing your concern about my recent vote for pension reform.

This was one of the toughest decisions I have made this year, if not in my career. Please know that I took the time to think through this decision, weighed all options and finally decided to vote for pension reform for the following reasons:

• Funding for health care, mental health, public housing, child care and the homeless are targeted when the state cannot balance the budget. As the Chair of the Illinois Senate Human Services Committee, I could no longer, in good conscience, watch social and human services suffer cuts in the name of balancing the budget.

• I have stood by teachers, state employees and unions from the time I entered office. I have voted in favor of most measures aimed toward helping those affected by pension reform.

• This problem has been decades in the making and is the result of the state not putting enough money into the pension systems. I opposed previous plans because they took too much away from workers and retirees to make up for the state’s inaction. The plan I supported includes nearly $30 billion in added state funding for worker pensions. I supported this compromise because it puts the burden on the state, where it belongs.

• Unions representing public employees have already threatened legal action if the governor signs this bill. If that happens, the Supreme Court ultimately will decide whether the bill is constitutional. We can revisit SB 2404 if it is struck down, which I believe is much fairer and passes constitutional muster.

I understand your frustration with the system, with my vote and with the situation that Illinois is facing. We would have faced a $2.4 billion shortfall in the next budget if we didn’t act on the pension changes. My vote was to stop the bleeding.

Thank you for being engaged in this issue.

Sincerely,

Senator Mattie Hunter, a Chicago Democrat, will join fellow State Senators Emil Jones, III, and Napoleon Harris and Representative Ken Dunkin for a holiday senior luncheon. They are partnering with the Institute of Positive Living to honor Red Hatters, retired nurses and teachers on Friday December 13th at the Chicago Hyatt Regency Hotel.

The event will include Chicagoan Vanessa Holmes performing A Tribute to the Motown Greats. Guests can dance to the sounds of Martha & the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and Stevie Wonder. Mom’s MAYBE, Mr. Taps and line dancers will round out the entertainment.

Lack of trauma centers means lives are being lost, say concerned lawmakers and officials

Someone shot or otherwise seriously injured on Chicago’s violence-plagued South Side waits nearly 50 percent longer to get to a trauma center than anywhere else in the city, a delay that medical experts say costs lives and that local community leaders and a leading area lawmaker say is simply unacceptable.

The situation came under the spotlight earlier this week when Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter, a Chicago Democrat, convened the first-of-its kind hearing looking into the lack of trauma centers across a wide swath of the city’s South Side.

These neighborhoods have been dubbed “trauma center deserts” because of the scarcity of high-level emergency care for adults. The real-world implications are that victims of violence have to be transported greater distances in situations where every second can be precious.