The following is what our readers sounded off about this week:
It's a privilege to teach in Geneva
Geneva has great schools because it has great students, great parents who take care of their children and great taxpayers. Any teacher should be privileged to have a job in our community. If you are not happy with your job, go and find another job. Don't threaten to strike. Don't hold us hostage.
Who is underappreciated?
Geneva, let's not forget these underappreciated teachers received a pay increase, every year, in their last contract, when many of us lost our jobs and got pay cuts.
Mountain biking at Fabyan
I'm calling about the bike riding at the forest preserve at Fabyan. I ride there on my mountain bike two or three times a week. I never bother anybody. I never see anybody. I'm the only one ever on a bike there.
Against the TIF
On the Fourth of July, the Chronicle ran a letter to the editor about the negative economic impact of all the Tax Increment Financing programs approved by the city of St. Charles. Soon, the City Council will be considering a TIF for the Lexington Club project. If you do not think that a wealthy developer should get even richer at the expense of every St. Charles property taxpayer, you can join the 1,000 stakeholders who already have signed a petition asking the City Council to deny the Lexington Club TIF. The group will have a table in the First Street plaza from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily during Scarecrow Fest, Oct. 5, 6 and 7. If you want only more information about it, they will happy to answer your questions and provide you with information.
Kids enjoyed the marathon
I would like to thank everyone involved in planning the Fox Valley Kids Marathon that was two weeks ago. It was a wonderful opportunity for our kids to help kids and a wonderful opportunity for kids to learn healthy activities and ways to be healthy and have a great time. The people who ran it put in a lot of wonderful hours and I wanted to say thank you. My kids really enjoyed being involved in the kids marathon and had a really great time.
That's not funny
While the Middle East was ablaze, what did our president do? He appeared on a so-called comedy television show to make jokes. Maybe the joke is on us.
Bullies are all around us
I read your article about bullies. Bullies are all around us. They are on the road, driving. They can't wait in line in construction areas and cut in front of you. In school, they make fun of other children's clothing. When you are in the store, they will smack the door in your face. This starts at home. Dad bullies mom. Mom bullies dad. Brother bullies sister. Sister bullies brother. We should all practice the golden rule – do unto others as they would do unto you. If you don't want someone to do it to you, don't do it to them. And can you believe, it even happens at the beauty shop … some of the old customers don't want you sitting in their seat. I can't believe how the world is going. Have a good day anyway.
Stick with Hultgren
I'm calling to sound off about Dennis Anderson, the candidate for Congress who is running against Randy Hultgren. From what I have seen, Mr. Anderson is the same, old dog and pony show that the Democrats trot out year after year. He's the same as Bill Foster. He poses as a conservative and fiscally responsible candidate when it suits him, and then he gives no indication of whether he will actually follow through on financial responsibility. Meanwhile, we have Randy Hultgren in office, and he has been working on America's behalf to try and lower our deficit and lower our spending. We have a candidate in office who puts his money where his mouth is, so to speak. He has done exactly what he promised to do. Mr. Anderson has no record that I've seen that would indicate financial responsibility. We ought to stick with what we've got because it's working for this nation.
What's more important?
This message is directed toward the police departments. Instead of worrying about who is buckled up and who isn't buckled up, why don't they get more worried about who is yacking on their cellphones or doing the thumb-whacking? If someone chooses or neglects to wear a seatbelt, they are the ones who are going to suffer the consequences. But the cellphone yackers and thumb-whackers are going to make me suffer. What's more important?
No one there
Today, for about 10 minutes, I tried to get a question answered about voter registration. I called the voter registration office, and it rang and rang. There was no answer. I tried elections, and it was the same thing, it rang and rang. I tried voter registration and elections again, no answer. I decided to call vital records and see if they could try to get me through to voter registration. And it rang and rang when she tried to call. She said there was nobody in voter registration because they were all in training. Unbelievable. This is a very important election year, and we will have nothing but trainees? Again, unbelievable.
How does Obama's rate compare?
Mitt Romney released his 2011 income tax return, and all the liberal Democrats and the media mentioned that his tax rate was only 15 percent. What the liberal Democrats failed to mention is that Romney donated 30 percent of his income to charity. That means Romney paid 45 percent of his income to the needy, with a breakdown of 15 percent to the federal government and the other 30 percent to other charities that can use Romney's money. How does Obama's contribution rate compare?
Best interest of the child
I would like to sound off about child custody and the issues we have had with Kane County Family Court system and all the associated parts involved with custody determination. In our experience, the child welfare was not the prime focus as required by the law. We have yet to even hear anybody mention the best interest of the child. If you also have lost custody in Kane County Family Court, share your family [story] with us and others. Email your story to bestinterestofthechild@yahoo.com.
Romney is qualified
One of Barack Obama’s favorite euphemisms is that he wants to make investments with taxpayers’ money. We all know that what he means by investments is more spending. But, let’s say that we take the guy at his word and allow him to invest our dollars. In that case, what came to light from the release of his tax return was much more important than anything we learned from Mitt Romney’s. The media have ignored the fact that Barack Obama makes no investments with his own money, whatsoever. The man earned $1 in ordinary dividends in 2011. It would seem reasonable that if I hold myself out as qualified to invest money for someone else I had better have some experience in doing so with my own. We all know that Mr. Obama has no shortage of confidence in his abilities, which is what makes him dangerous when it comes to our economy, because he knows so little about ordinary business transactions as evidenced by his personal return. This fact helps to explain his fiasco with the Solyndra investment and many other green jobs investments. Notice how we no longer hear him talk about his grand plan of creating 5 million green jobs? If you want a qualified person to invest money for you it just so happens we have a candidate who made a career out of it who is running for president – Mitt Romney.
• 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. Calls must be limited to 1 minute or less.
