Sound Off: Unions and the 1 percent
The following is what our readers sounded off about this week:
Correction
An item in the Sound Off section of the Dec. 10 edition of the Kane County Chronicle included information that was incorrect. The Red Gate Bridge project in St. Charles has received funding from various sources, including the state and federal governments. The content in the Sound Off section is submitted anonymously through voicemail. We regret the error.
Unions and the 1 percent
Reading the various sound offs and the letters to the editor, the general consensus is that the GOP is responsible for all the ills of the U.S., and the world. What the commentators fail to understand is that the U.S. and Western Europe is a capitalist society. People invest their own money into a business and hope for success. If the business is successful, then employees are hired with benefits, whether private or union, and the investor makes money to continue to expand. Walmart started out as a single store in Arkansas, but Sam Walton had a vision of expansion, which may or may not have been good for small businesses, but he brought lower prices and employment to smaller communities. Like other capitalists, individuals and companies contributed money to Senate and House candidates, to sway their votes. The unions, especially the public sector unions, have spent money on their own candidates, but no one mentions how the unions have been trying to control the work environments. Union leaders, especially in Illinois, have used their power to receive large pension benefits at the expense of their very own members. The next time someone writes or calls about the top 1 percent, or the tax breaks that capitalists receive and other investment people, ask yourself if the United States should become another Greece or Italy, where no one works, and expects lifetime benefits. And how many union officials are in the top 1 percent, not the bottom 99.
Don't go rob someone
Every time I hear that a lot of people are hungry and need food, and they go to the food pantries for food, I wonder if a lot of those people smoke, get their nails done, have expensive phones and also spend a lot of money on liquor or go to see every movie. I think they are cheaters if they prefer to spend their money on other things than food. If you know someone like that, they should be not eligible for food from the pantries. I have a very small income, but my food for my family comes first. The people in our world today have been brought up wrong. They have guns, and they have no respect for anyone else. If you are poor, someone will help you. Don't go to rob someone.
Warm Christmas feeling
Thanks to the crew who did the lighting of downtown Geneva's main street. It looks like a Christmas postcard at night. What a warm Christmas feeling you get when you drive through town. Happy holidays. Thanks again for a beautiful job.
We had jobs when Bush was in charge
The article on "How come they didn't criticize Bush," the reason for that was when Bush was in office, I didn't agree with everything he did. Yes, we had wars. But we also had jobs, good-paying jobs. Gas prices weren't high at that time, and yes, now they are. And who could afford to buy a new car, at what they cost? And higher food prices as well. There is a difference between when Bush was in office, and the president we have now in office. We can complain, and we do have a lot to complain about. So, why weren't we criticizing Bush? Well, I had a job. My whole family had jobs. Now, we don't.
Don't be a nuisance
I have been receiving call after call after call from the same company, sometimes six and eight times during the day, even though we're on a do-not-call list and we beg and plead with these companies to stop calling, they continue to call. So, I'm going to advise all of the readers of the Kane County Chronicle to do what I'm planning to do. If I get more than one call per month from a telemarketer from the same subject and the same number, I am going to publish those numbers on an Internet page called nuisance callers. And I'm going to make sure that the date and time that they called is on every one of them. I'm not doing business with any of you who call more than once a month. I don't care who you are. You do not have a right to continue to call people. And why should I have to go to court and file a lawsuit against you and run up my bill when I have asked not to have those calls. We don't need the government to do for us, we just need to tell these telemarketers, we're not going to do business with you if you're going to be a nuisance. That's what I'd like instead of crime-free housing.
Don't raise our taxes
St. Charles property taxes should not increase. The proposed tax increase for District 303 is ill-timed, since many St. Charles homeowners are experiencing financial difficulties. Did our St. Charles school board understand the financial implications of installing air-conditioning in all our schools? Each year, there will be energy costs to pay for the air-conditioning. Did our St. Charles school board understand the financial implications of approving each national board-certified teacher to move to the Ph.D. lane on the salary schedule? District 303 is the only district in the state that pays a national board-certified teacher as a teacher with a Ph.D. Usually, the national board-certification process is equivalent to about three college classes. Since the St. Charles school board agreed to pay these teachers as if they had a Ph.D., we have had many teachers involved in the national board teacher certification program. In the latest focus publication, the superintendent stated that we had 92 teachers, from only a handful a few years ago. Now add 26 to that number because that is the number that received the certification for this school year. Our St. Charles school board needs to review the financial implications of their decisions. Please do not increase our property taxes.
• 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.
