Sound Off: Political mudslinging has already started
The following is what our readers sounded off about this week:
Political mudslinging
The ground is frozen, but the political mudslinging has already started, and this is just in Kane County. Wait until the national and state elections start to heat up. The Democratic party has accused one of its county candidates with not being Democratic enough. Define what is Democratic enough. A Republican claims that someone who is not running for re-election, or any county office, has used pay for play. Also, the issue of transparency – it was held in a closed-door news conference. It would be an excellent idea if the political candidates started to talk about why they are running for the office and what they will do if elected. Kane County should not be the place where all the potential elected officials start in the gutter because it is very hard to get up from the trash that is deposited on the curb.
Pay to play
Showing the long line of inside connections in Kane County is not character assassination, Ms. McConnaughay. The chairman's office in Kane County should not be an example of pay-to-play politics. Lauzen gave examples. The checks just had your name on it.
When is it the government's turn?
Thank you to the Chronicle for its informative article on the debate among candidates for Kane County Board chairman. I appreciate your help in becoming an informed voter. I am now 100 percent sure about who I'm voting for, and it's not candidates who want to continue taxing and spending. My family's income has drastically dropped over the last few years, yet our property taxes remain exorbitant. Mrs. Klinkhamer's comment, we're all going to have to take our share of the burden, rankles me. Some of us have cut our budgets until we can't cut anymore. When is it the government's turn?
Without teachers, how do you learn?
If we didn't have teachers, you wouldn't have doctors. You wouldn't have lawyers. You wouldn't have medical technology. You wouldn't know anything about the atom. You wouldn't know anything about anything. Without teachers, how do you learn? People who start trashing those teachers, why don't you try to come up with an idea of what to do without teachers. You think teachers are paid a lot? Look at the doctors and the lawyers that they raised, basically. Without teachers, you can't read. Without teachers you don't add, you don't subtract, you don't multiply, you don't divide. You want to get rid of the teachers who are making a lot of money and bring the cheaper teachers in? Go ahead and do that and see the quality of education. You think teachers are in it for the money? You're absolutely wrong. They're in it for the love and being able to work with children. You try to work with a child. You see how it is. As an experienced elementary teacher, I was with those kids more than they were with their parents sometimes. They would even call me mom at times because they didn't even see their moms as often as they see me. If you want to keep bashing teachers, fine. Take your kids out of school, home-school them, and that's the end of it. You don't have to pay for it.
Reality check for teachers
I really hope that local teachers and school board members, especially in Geneva, read the Chronicle front-page story about several area churches providing free dinners monthly for those who need help stretching their food budgets and how more churches are looking into doing so because there is such a need. They need to realize that many people in this area are not as well off as they assume, or as well off as they are themselves. The economy has hit hard here, too, with people losing their jobs and benefits, stagnant wages, furlough days, little to no interest on savings and, in many instances, new jobs that don't pay nearly what they had before. As organizers said, unemployment is real, folks are hungry. There are those whose lives are no longer affluent. And yet teachers and board members still don't feel the need to freeze wages, adjust insurance plans to have higher premiums and higher deductibles like the rest of us, and reduce subsidies to pension plans. Why are taxpayers supposed to make sacrifices so that teachers can maintain their lifestyle, while ours decrease? These free dinners are well-attended, and many of the attendees go to all of the meals offered, which should tell you something about their situation. I see people at the food pantries who never would have thought they would need to be there, yet there they are. We had to cash in one of our retirement CDs in order to pay our property taxes this year, because of the increase from the school board. Who would have thought when property values took a dive, that school districts wouldn't care and would still increase their budgets so that we would have to pay more on a lower assessment? I with the teachers union and the school board would quit stabbing taxpayers in the back, just to pacify teachers. If teachers don't like what's offered, they are free to go elsewhere. Maybe they should try the private sector and see what it's like to work in the real world. There are plenty of unemployed teachers out there who would be happy to have their job.
Pray for Tebow
In reference to "God and touchdowns," I thought we were supposed to have freedom of expression, and further, Tim Tebow is not creating all of the hype. It's the mainstream media. The media insists on making him a pop-culture figure because of his faith. People like you would rather attack religion as a diversion to other more important issues going on in the world. If an athlete, student or anyone else in the workplace has the urge to stop and thank the big guy upstairs, they have this right. If it bothers you that much, you need to turn off your tube and/or walk away. And finally, with all due respect, I suggest you read the recent column by ESPN writer Rick Reilly, dated Jan. 13, 2012. Rick candidly points out what Tim Tebow does off the field, and it has nothing to do with "contrived, attention-seeking displays of athleticism," but rather how he helps people who are suffering, dying or injured. These are issues that are important to him. And for that, we thank him for his kindness. Actually, strike that. Instead of thanking him, I will drop to my knees and pray for him to continue his good work.
The day is coming
This call is in response to Granlund's editorial cartoon of Tebow, Saturday the 14th, and the Sound Off comment, "God and touchdowns." The Lord calls all Christ followers to offer Him internal and external Thanksgiving, for what He allows and brings into His children's lives. The day is coming when every knee will bow. Isaiah 45:23 and Philippians 2:10, found in the Holy Bible.
Support local businesses
The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles – we went to see a concert there the other night. The venue was so reasonable, it just shocked me how reasonable. The theater was wonderfully restored. The MC/owner made you feel like you were visiting his home at a wonderful party where everybody shared the atmosphere. The show and the entertainment that he's bringing there is so much fun and unique. I appreciate the diversity of the events. And the other place I wanted to mention was a new Italian restaurant in Batavia, kitty corner from the Batavia government building. Everybody there is so friendly, and they have decorated it so beautifully. The food is absolutely outstanding, and the value for what you get for the dinner is phenomenal. In this economy, we have to support local businesses that provide special times. I hope that everybody looks at the Arcada Theatre and goes to this new restaurant in Batavia.
Spoiled brats
I'm responding to, "Do the right thing," about the Kaneland school system. I live in St. Charles, and I can't see how we are paying for the iPads for the students. Let the parents be responsible for that. How much are you going to keep taxing us for other people's children? If those mothers with the SUVs can stand on the corner and talk to other mothers while they wait for the bus with their kids, they can take the kids to school themselves. I mean, what's going on here? I mean, parents, be responsible for your children. Get what they need. They don't need everything. That's why there are spoiled brats in schools, with the teachers dealing with it.
Too many guns
With everybody able to get guns and have them any time they want them, we wonder why there are so many killings. We have the National Rifle Association and our congressmen to thank for that.
• 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.
