Sound Off: Renters, the war on drugs and a bucket of chicken
The following is what our readers sounded off about this week:
We don't want this in our community
I'm calling about the visions for downtown St. Charles project. They want [to] make it have rental residential. Who wants that? St. Charles, you don't want that. My sister lives in Geneva, and there was a drug bust there. Those two people who they caught, they were renters. We don't want this in our community. And in Geneva, I was shocked. You would think this would be in Chicago, but not here. And this is what you have. All kinds of people coming and renting. You don't know what they're into. You need people that own property to take care of it and take care of the children. This is so terrible.
Think of the children
I'm calling about what's in the Kane County Chronicle, about the vision for downtown St. Charles. Instead of having 62 owner-occupied condos, they would rather make it 125 rental residential units. Are they serious? You want people who own property. If you have 125 rental units, anybody can move into St. Charles – the sex offenders, people who have just got out of jail. Come on St. Charles, this is not what you want to do to the community. Think of the children who live nearby. This is a good community.
Costly and failed war on drugs
I have been noticing all of this coverage on the ban on synthetic marijuana, and while it's great that such a dangerous product is being made inaccessible to our youth, I wish it could be acknowledge why this stuff has been sold in the first place: because of our costly and failed war on drugs.
All that for a bucket of chicken
The GOP members have succumbed to the pressure of the president and the Democratic senators like Dick Durbin. This so-called payroll reduction will allow the average taxpayer the ability to purchase a bucket of chicken a week. Because the money is taken away from Social Security, there will be no Social Security, as we know it, for the next generations. This deduction will not add to the employment, but it is all for re-election of the president and the Democratic senators and House members. All this for a bucket of chicken.
Use some common sense
I'd like to make a suggestion to help the post office. If they'd just take care of eliminating the franking privilege for the members of Congress, they could have enough money that they wouldn't have to close post offices or lay off anybody else. Use some common sense.
Top three picks
I love reading the top three (Plan!t Kane) picks, and it was a help to guide and plan a family weekend. It was nice to go to the artisan food and crafts to learn about the Heritage Farms that provides organic foods all year long. That was fun. We also had a really, really good time looking at holiday lights. Mooseheart has a holiday light display, and we've wanted to see it for the last year or so. This year, we finally went there, and they just did a really nice job of collecting lights from all over the United States. That was fun to see. And the house on Cheever with Santa was really cool. And that's in Geneva. And there's a house off of North Avenue, between North Avenue and Western, if you're driving on Western, it has all these beautiful snowflakes on the side. And the whole front of the house was decorated, too. My top three picks and Mooseheart, because they are doing so much for the community. Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us.
Stop sending me address labels
All those organizations sending the address labels must have too much money. I would have to live past 100 years old before I would use all of them up. Stop sending me all those labels and begging for money. I can't get coupons on the Internet, so it would be nice if some good food coupons would be printed in the paper for people like me. Why don't you have coupons in the paper on holidays? I miss them then.
Poor sap taxpayers
The cover story on Tuesday, Dec. 20, Chronicle, is exactly why so many of us are angry about teachers and other public employees. The featured teacher is going to retire this spring at age 55 or 56. Meanwhile the majority of us poor sap taxpayers have to wait another 10 years or more to get any benefits at all, while still chipping in for that teacher's pension, as well as others. How can this be thought of as normal or acceptable in any way, shape or form? It is a ripoff of taxpayers and should be stopped and eliminated immediately. Of course, there is little movement or attrition in the teaching profession. They work in nice surroundings, make good money, get an unbelievable amount of paid time off, their benefits are to die for, and they get to sit back and relax after working only 33 years. Why would anyone quit such a cushy arrangement? The majority of us are really just sick about it.
What good are unions?
I'm 71 years old and worked for 42 years at the same place until I got laid off four years ago this December. I would like to know what good unions are. All they do is raise wages until the company can't afford to pay the wages, and they move the jobs out of the country. The unions aren't hiring people. Most of the places hiring are non-union places. I would also like to know why the Republicans are against Obama, when it took them eight years with President Bush to put us in the situation we are in today. As far as not wanting the rich people to help this country out, it's unthinkable. They don't have to tax the companies, just the rich people, when the rich can afford millions on weddings, etc. They should be able to help their country. Why should they have a free ride and not pay their share? And the Republicans sign a pact not to tax the rich – can't they stand on their own two feet and have their own opinions?
• 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.
