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February 10, 2019
Chicago Tribune
Measles occurs when she finds a weak point: anti-vax parents
If a disease strikes children, causes skin rashes and fever, and sometimes leads to swelling of the brain, pneumonia and even death, the public would demand that action be taken in this regard.
America did it and measles was declared eradicated here in 2000.
The disease is now back in Illinois and in at least nine other states, with two cases in downtown Champaign and an alarming escape in the Pacific Northwest, where the governor of Washington said the State of emergency.
Blame an obstinately resistant anti-vaccine movement, driven by a dangerous pseudoscience and the worst impulses of obsessional dependence. "I know what's best for my child!", Say parents anti-vax, and measles spreads.
The World Health Organization warned Thursday against a dramatic increase in the number of measles cases worldwide, as parents refuse vaccines for their children. In Europe, measles cases reached their highest level in a decade in 2018. Epidemics have affected the Philippines and Madagascar. In a world of global travel, these concerns are not far off. In New York, a case series of one month was attributed to an unvaccinated child who contracted the disease while traveling to Israel.
Measles can have permanent effects, including deafness. It's ugly, with its spotted spots, febrile, some of which leave permanent scars. It is a very contagious and miserable experience.
A worried anti-vaccine parent posted on Facebook to ask if she could take the necessary precautions to protect her 3-year-old child from a measles outbreak. Oh yes, if only there was a way. She was right to be spanked on social networks.
According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, measles vaccine is 97% effective after two doses, which usually protect against mumps, rubella, and sometimes chicken pox or chickenpox. A well-vaccinated population badumes a "collective immunity" that prevents epidemics. Some states, including Washington, give parents plenty of room to skip the vaccine. The Washington legislature is rethinking that.
"Fortunately, we live in a very immune community," said Julie Pryde, Public Health District Administrator for Champaign-Urbana, on local news. "That's why he does not unleash like a brush fire."
Looking at plump, pure and pierced baby flesh and feeling apprehensive about the child's system reaction can be legitimately distressing for a parent. It is not a license to avoid a medical necessity that protects the child and the community. The right to resist is accompanied by the corresponding responsibility to support this impulse through rigorous research.
Once again: the two studies supposed to link vaccines to autism have been completely discredited. There is no evidence linking the two.
Asking for a second opinion can sometimes be wise. Not choosing healthy medicine and public health policy in favor of conspiracy theories is not.
"All schoolchildren who have not been vaccinated against measles should ask their parents to have them arranged as soon as possible," wrote children's author Roald Dahl in a 1980s essay promotion of vaccination. His daughter Olivia, to whom he dedicated "James and Giant Peach", died of encephalitis caused by measles at the age of 7 years.
Dahl was on something. Illinois is one of the states that allows "mature minors" to be heard in their own medical care. Children of anti-vax parents visit sites like Reddit for tips on how to get vaccinated.
It is a healthy skepticism about careless parenting.
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February 10, 2019
The Gazette (Champaign)
Illinois bet that gambling is a pure good.
The change arrives in Illinois – a higher minimum wage in the first place, followed by the legalization of marijuana.
Then there is the sports game, which is an option because of a decision made last year by the US Supreme Court. In addition to measures taken in many of the 50 states, federal legislation could be pbaded.
Illinois, of course, is already at its neck in the legalized games, including casinos, video games, lottery and circuits. These activities generate substantial revenues, but not as much as some expected. In addition, it appears that placing video arcades on virtually every street corner has the effect of reducing the amount of games that were once played in the state's 10 casinos.
Sports betting would be a whole new facet of the game, a government-supervised entertainment that would replace an illegal underground market.
A recent study indicates that gambling legalized in Illinois would generate $ 12 billion in bets, create 2,500 jobs and generate tax revenues of up to $ 100 million.
The authors of the study have their reasons for doing this badessment.
But one must be careful not to make predictions about a practice that remains a glimmer in the eyes of income-hungry Governor J. B. Pritzker and members of the General Assembly.
In addition, it is important not to be caught by the haste to legislate.
Since the Supreme Court ruling, gambling prostitutes have urged legislators in Illinois and other states to be among the first to pbad a law authorizing sports gaming.
The theory is that those who strike first will reap the greatest rewards.
It is justified to act quickly, but not at the cost of careful and thoughtful decisions about what needs to be done.
The legislation authorizing casino games was quickly adopted, as was the creation of the frenzy of video games. In retrospect, it appears that state officials would have been better served to take a more deliberate and prudent approach.
Instead, they acted hastily and, as various reports suggest, now repent in hobbies.
The state has always struggled to enact a gambling law, as it is transformed into a melee of opposing interests, all of which seek to enrich themselves at the expense of others.
In addition, those who have gained gambling privileges through a series of laws – take over casino owners – vigorously oppose proposals for new sites that would compete with existing sites.
Does anybody think that casino owners in Joliet and Des Plaines want to see another casino – or two or three – in Chicago? Absolutely not, and they are willing to spend a lot of money in the form of campaign donations or other forms of compensation to make sure that does not happen.
The addition of sports betting on the playing field ensures a major conflagration. But the impending battle will focus less on the details of the operations than on the one who wins the most with this new activity.
Illinois is a huge state that has the ability to make a lot of money for the owners of sports betting. But which ones will they be? And what will be the cost of the entry fee for those who compete for the privilege of taking money from the players?
Ten states have already legalized the sporting game, none in the Midwest.
If Illinois follows, it will radically change social habits, not necessarily for the better. People will just have to wait and see what follows.
But do not accept the hype that another expansion of the game would be a sort of financial panacea for our struggling state.
The legal gambling generates income, but it also generates costs, including the erosion of the social fabric of society. After all, not everyone can be a winner.
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February 10, 2019
(Decatur) Herald & Review
We support the legalization of marijuana. Here are the obstacles we see.
The climate is favorable.
At the top of the list of changes planned by Governor J.B. Pritzker is the statewide legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes. The timing of this law is even more favorable than before the elections.
The legalization of marijuana has been tried and tested by states before Illinois. Substantial benefits could help the state solve budget and funding problems. It is likely to influence ground-level revenue as the retail market grows and helps stimulate the local economy. It has been proven in reducing the impact of the opioid epidemic.
In November, the Illinois Economic Policy Institute released "The Financial Impact of Legalization of Marijuana in Illinois". The report pointed out that taxation and regulation of marijuana in Illinois could create nearly 24,000 new jobs. Legalization would boost the state's economy by $ 1 billion a year and generate more than $ 500 million in new state and local tax revenues.
One of the most compelling reasons to move forward with legislation is its impact on the opioid crisis. According to the Center for Disease Control, the number of deaths attributed to an opioid overdose was 70,237 in 2017. In Illinois, there are 2,778, compared to 2,411 in 2003. 2016 and 1,835 in 2015. In states that have already legalized marijuana for recreational purposes opioid-related deaths is decreasing. In some states, deaths have decreased by 33%. This is a number we must take seriously.
Illinois is poised to take another step in legalizing marijuana, but that alone is not enough to take action in the future. With other states that preceded us, there is no excuse for not proceeding methodically and deliberately in the preparation of this important change. It's time to do it right.
Although Governor Pritzker has made it clear that tax revenues are a priority, the predominance of the plan seems to be focused on creating opportunities for minority businesses and benefits for communities affected by crime-related to drugs. However, there does not seem to be any in-depth badysis of the system in which this revenue stream is built. If the economy is one of the main reasons for legalization, it is an issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
The process of legalization of a once-illegal substance is difficult. This is not just about taxes and licenses. This requires a transition from a pre-legal state to a post-legal state. Moving from a high-demand, high-cost product with a minimal market infrastructure to a lower-demand, lower-cost product, once the market has grown and stabilized.
Colorado generated initial revenues simply by becoming a pioneer of legalization. When the market stabilized, production costs declined, reducing tax revenues. California, on the other hand, taxes both in weight and price, leaving at least a portion of the revenue without relying on supply or increased demand to raise tax revenues.
As a state, we are closer than ever to legalized marijuana for recreational purposes. There are many reasons to continue and many reasons why we should answer important implementation questions before finalizing it.
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