Sound Off: Don't blame St. Charles
The following is what our readers sounded off about this week:
Don't blame St. Charles
For the person who wrote in last week saying they are disappointed with St. Charles, please don't be. I must defend my hometown by saying that the original residents who have lived here all our lives, and you know who you are, are, for the most part not that way. It's the transplants, and not all of them of course but a good majority, who have moved out here, trying to change things for what they call the better. St. Charles, or what we called the Tri-Cities in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia was like one big town. And it was a wonderful place to raise children, to go to school and even to be called a Saint, a Viking or even a Bulldog. I'm sorry that you feel left out. But please don't blame St. Charles. Please ask the people around you where they grew up. The original residents are some of the best people you could ever hope to find, anywhere.
It takes time to fit in
I'm responding to the feeling left out, about the couple that moved to St. Charles and feels disappointed by moving here. My suggestion is, just take one day at a time. It's scary to move to a new neighborhood. I know. I did, too, many years back. But I'm still here. If you can afford a dog, you can walk your dog and meet your neighbors that way. Or go to a local restaurant. What I do is I have breakfast or lunch later in the day, so I don't feel so bad eating lunch or breakfast by myself. At least you get to know the place, or the waitress. Just take one day at a time. It does get better. And, yes, it's scary moving to a new location, but this is a good area. You'll see. It just takes time.
Be happy you are left out
Dear feeling left out, be happy you are left out. Who would want to be known to hang out with these nasty, rude, ignorant people. If you knew what goes on behind their closed doors, you would be shocked. Thank God you don't have children to go through this bad behavior. From these people come our bullies in school. Ask how they make their money, and you'd be shocked again. Keep being good people. Start a club for all good people. Happy holidays to you.
Not getting what we paid for
I just read an article about School District 303 needing more of my money. Then I read a District 303 newsletter that said the district was proud to have 92 national board-certified teachers. I didn't know what that meant, so I looked up the requirements for the board certification, and it was a heck of a lot less than the requirement for my master's degree. Then at the same time, I discovered that out of all of the school districts in Illinois, that St. Charles is the only district that pays their board-certified teachers the same amount as a teacher with a Ph.D. So it seems that in St. Charles, we have another case of not getting what we paid for.
Don't shop on holidays
I agree with the person on the happy holidays, about the stores being open at 10 o'clock at night or at 12 midnight, and the employees forced to work. That should be a holiday. The stores should be closed. The one way to stop it, is shoppers, do not be there at 12 a.m. Do not shop at 10 p.m. The weekend of the holiday, we do not do any shopping at all. We go to the mall on a Monday, after the holiday. So, come on shoppers, let's help the other employees out. Let's let them have a day with their families on Thanksgiving. Happy holidays, everyone.
Good luck, Sue
I read in your paper that Sue Klinkhamer is running for the county board chairman. She is the former mayor of St. Charles. She is quoted as saying, "I am going to try and not be an obnoxious candidate." Well, good luck, Sue. There's not a chance that will happen. You just earned the oxymoron of the year award. Congratulations.
Black Friday madness
I'm really surprised they don't put an end to all of this Black Friday madness. People are getting shot and hurt and everything else, and it's not just the shoppers. It's the people working in the stores and everything. They probably can come up with some idea like they did with all the bars where they ended the happy hour and had to have a daily special that has to go on all day. And that's what they should do with Black Friday, so that these people quit the fighting. People are just getting hurt too much. It's ridiculous.
Move it to Lincoln
The St. Charles tree-lighting ceremony should be moved back to Lincoln Park. I realize that somebody went through a lot of effort to make the new ceremony very nice, but for the number of people and the fact that we were surrounded by buildings and brick walls meant that we really couldn't see anything. It was much more festive before in Lincoln Park, and I think it holds a lot more people as well. I think it should be moved back, and if they don't move it back, then maybe people should just go to Lincoln Park and enjoy the lights going on from there. I think it used to be more festive. Thanks for your efforts, though, City of St. Charles.
Nope
I just recently returned from the Denver area. And traveling in a car with my daughter the other day, I saw a sign in the back window of the vehicle that said "Nope 2012." I commented to her and I asked what's that all about? She said, dad, do you remember in 2008, the current administration said, hope. So I hope all of you who agree that the current administration is not getting the job done can all find out where we can all purchase a "Nope 2012."
How come they didn't criticize Bush?
I just decided to sound off like the person in today's paper sounded off about President Obama. I thought that was terrible, to talk that way about a president who is trying the best he can with no cooperation from anybody in the Congress. And then they criticize him. How come they didn't criticize Bush, when he had all those men behind him telling him what to do and getting us involved in a war that's costing us millions of dollars?
• You can sound off, as well, by calling our Sound Off line at 630-845-5240 or by sending an e-mail to soundoff@kcchronicle.com.
