Sound Off for June 20

A good day
I just wanted to call and congratulate the Chronicle and some of the other local newspapers for the good service they did for Memorial Day. It was considered one of the best ones they have had in the St. Charles area for a long time. Thanks to the Chronicle and the other papers for their support.

It's his depression
Let's look beyond the great oratory gift that our president has and see what he is really doing to our country. No longer can he blame his predecessor for this depression. He has just thrown our money at every problem and now wants to change our health care with more government control and no plan. President Obama is planning to tax us until we are totally controlled by his government. Pay attention, folks.

Read the rules
This call is for the drivers that do not know how to make proper left- or right-handed turns, which is about 98 percent of you and including some police cars. When you are turning right, you turn into the right-hand lane of the road you are entering. If you are making a left turn, you turn in the lane closest to you going in your intended direction. In other words you would turn into the left hand lane. So the next time I am turning right and you are turning left, don't honk at me and wave at me. You are not entitled to the entire road. You turn into the lane you are supposed to use. That information is in your Rules of the Road book on Pages 32-33.

Czar control
National socialism is here. Our current president has now appointed another czar to control pay. We now have 16 czars, maybe 17. These czars report directly to him, completely bypassing Congress, who is supposed to be making laws and regulating things and the judicial system, who is to determine whether these moves are legal or not. Our Congress and our judicial system are asleep or else they have been completely overwhelmed by Obamamania. They are not doing the job that they were elected to. This man may turn around and dissolve Congress someday. This reminds me of Adolph Hitler, who dissolved the Reichstag and the German parliament. We now have a president who has all of these people reporting directly to him, completely bypassing Congress. The American voters better wake up and warn their Congressman to do their job or they will be out of a job.

Control of Congress
I would like to comment on this big to-do they are making about cigarette companies and making them do all sorts of things. I don't smoke so it doesn't matter to me except I think it's a shame that they don't do the same thing about gun control. The NRA has more power in this country than any other organization. It's unbelievable how they got control of Congress and everybody. That's the thing that we should be getting rid of, with all the problems we are having with the gangs and the guns. Why don't they do something about that?

Expanding taxes
This is in regard to the article about Batavia Library looking to possibly expand or change the use of the library. I suggest that if the library is thinking about adding on and coming to us taxpayers for more money, don't. My suggestion is you hold fundraisers and you charge people for the facilities that they are using so that we, the taxpayers, don't have to come up with all this money. It would be so much easier if you would put a thermometer out there and have a fundraiser. When you get to the amount of money that you need to make your building, build it, but not before because once you get that tax increase, we pay for it forever and ever and ever. It never goes away. Our taxes never go down. They just keep going up and up and up so I'm suggesting a complete change in the way we do business everywhere in this country and that is if you want something that is normally funded by the taxpayer, you get your butts out there and raise the funds to do it. Don't come to the taxpayers for more money. We're already tapped out.

Quiet carillons
I am wondering in regard to being neighborly, why can churches play carillons loud enough and long enough during the day that if we had rock music playing, or any other kind of music playing that loud and that long, we would be fined. Forty minutes a day is what I hear across the street from my home. I think that's excessive. I'm not anti-church. One song a day would be sufficient. Forty minutes is too much.

Doing yardwork
I am not a yuppie. I am a very active senior citizen who has both a house and yard to take care of on my own. Plus I am a volunteer. In my neighborhood it is the older people who take pride in their property. There are yards who have dandelions a foot high plus other weeds and grass. Believe me, they are not eating their dandelions. The dandelions have now gone to seed, which means next year we will be overrun with this so-called excellent food source. A yard and home not maintained speaks volumes about the people who live there. Yardwork is an excellent source of exercise to rid of those couch potato extra pounds.

Keep it local
The Chronicle Sound Off has always been the highlight of Saturday morning reading because it focused on local news. Recently there has been just tons of commentary about national news and the president and what's going on at the national level. There are other places that you can express your opinions about the national news but I believe that the Sound Off should be focused on our county and the towns at hand. It gives people updated information about the little things going on and that's what makes life interesting.

Changing bankruptcy
With the blessing of Obama, both Chrysler and General Motors are in bankruptcy. This leaves billions of dollars that were for pensions and suppliers unpaid. Some suppliers could also go bankrupt. One group that is also not going to get paid is the litigants in lawsuits against Chrysler and General Motors for defective cars under the lemon laws and also for injuries and deaths caused by these cars. It will be interesting to see how quickly the various lawyer groups will press Congress into changing the bankruptcy laws to allow these lawsuits to proceed, using TARP money to pay not only for the lawyers but also for their clients.

About the trips
I'm calling in response to the person concerned about taxpayers paying for field trips. I teach at an elementary school in St. Charles. Our PTO donates a set amount per student toward the cost of field trips each year. The rest of the cost is paid for by the students. To calculate the cost of field trips, I must add the cost of entry to wherever we are going plus the per-hour bus driver fee plus the per-mile cost and divide that by the number of students going on the trip. If we haven't used our PTO donation yet, I subtract that from each student's cost. If I have already applied the PTO donation to an earlier trip, the students pay the entire cost. There is no taxpayer support for this, at least at the elementary level. I can't speak for the high school or another district, but I assume it is similar. Also, it is naive to assume that all TriCities families can afford field trips to enrich their children's lives as a family. There are children right in our area who receive free or reduced lunches because their families don't have a lot of extra money to spare. Their families cannot afford family field trips.

Paying thousands
I also have no children but pay thousands of dollars in association dues, house insurance and weekly garbage pick-up. As a townhome owner, I also pay for others in the community to have service which I don't have, yardwaste. What does the city of St. Charles do with that money?

Reducing spending
An alcoholic put in charge of the program to reduce alcohol consumption would have more credibility than President Obama has on decreasing federal expenditures because he continues to insist that he will reduce government spending while at the same time he promotes numerous programs. The most dangerous one now is his healthcare solution. Medicare has cost trillions more than original estimates and now Obama would have us believe that his new program will miraculously lower everyone's costs, improve healthcare service and be the first fiscally efficient government run entitlement program. It's easier to believe in the tooth fairy than it is in low cost, fiscally responsible government but that is what the president would like us to believe. We don't give the keys to the car to a drunk and we shouldn't give a profligate president the right to spend more of our money.

Turn up the temp
Now that summer has arrived along with warm weather, it's time to bring out the sweaters. Why? Because the people who control the thermostats at doctors' offices, ERs, theaters, restaurants, malls, etc., for reasons unknown to a sane person, want to turn us into human icicles. I'm convinced my doctor was recently conducting some form of medical experiment on how patients could withstand sub-freezing temperatures. Last week I took my wife to the hospital ER. They gave her two blankets and gave me one to ensure we would survive. I can only assume restaurants have it so cold to encourage customers to eat and leave as soon as possible. In mall, employees must wear sweaters while I have a light summer shirt and freeze. Why don't these people understand they can please their customers and save lots of money at the same time by turning the temperature up just five degrees. As individuals we are encouraged to replace our light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs but these people waste more energy in a day than I can save in a year. Let's all start vigorously complaining about this waste.

A lesson plan
I've studied, and taught about, language for three decades and now it's time to confess. For two years now I've used Sound Off as a teaching tool. People tend to use the same words in the same ways about the same or similar topics and they really can't change that. It's a little like fingerprints. I've given students copies of calls from different weeks to see if they can pick out which ones were called in by the same people. After a while it becomes obvious and it's been much easier since the last election. And I caution them, as you do, that what's written in Sound Off, and almost all variations of anonymous writings, is rarely the truth. It's variations on the truth.

Quit paying welfare
This one's for Quinn. Instead of taking away from all the working people, raising taxes, cutting programs, maybe he should cut a program of all these people on welfare that have had life careers of being on welfare and generations of being on welfare. That's the program that needs to be cut. You've got to quit paying these people all these years for doing that. You shouldn't be on welfare for over two years like a lot of other states do it.

Killer president
I am appalled. Our president is a murderer. Without a thought for the family, friends, perhaps even a gray-haired mother, he smacked the life out of one of God's living creatures. Even a fly has feelings. I told you this was a mistake, electing a left-leaning, abuse-tolerating man to the highest office in the land. Now I hope you're all happy.

Lobbying the board
I was dismayed to read that the Kane County Board passed a resolution supporting an agenda presented by a pro-gun lobbying group. Can any lobbying group come before the board and have a resolution passed to support its agenda? What is the purpose of the county board? We have seen the effect that lobbyists have had in our state and federal governments. Apparently, our county government is also influenced by lobbyists. The voters should be the first priority. I am very disappointed that not only did the board take the time on this discussion but went ahead and passed the resolution. Does the county have no other more important problems that need to be solved? That is supposed to be their primary job, not supporting lobbyist groups who happen to have similar views to theirs. I would think that the board would be neutral on matters that have become political and decisive in this country. This board will not have my vote in the future.

Voice your opinion
Tired of high taxes? District 304 administration has plans to build yet another new building located at Keslinger and Brundige roads. A portion of their comprehensive plan is to park grounds maintenance machinery, trucks and store bulk cleaning supplies at this proposed new building. However, this comprehensive plan still awaits zoning approval and can be replaced by a cost effective alternative using the existing bus garage to fulfill these needs. The existing bus garage can house up to 43 buses. Therefore, it certainly is large enough for 304 machinery, trucks, bulk cleaning supplies and performance of routine maintenance as District 304 can use the existing bus garage and simply blacktop a portion of the proposed location at Keslinger and Brundige to park all 65 buses together. Voice your opinion at the District 304 board meeting on June 22 at the central office on Fourth Street at 7 p.m.

Dental happiness
I was just given the best birthday gifts. They were from my dentist, Dr. John Koechley in Batavia. Not only did he take me with a moment's notice but he did so with a genuine smile. What were those gifts, you ask? Kindness, friendliness, sincerity and generosity beyond words. I highly recommend him and his courteous staff if you are in need of excellent dentistry.

Appreciates customers
I used to work for Amstadt's Finer Foods in Batavia. I worked there for seven years and was really sad when the new owners decided not to keep me when they took over. I'd like to give a message to all of my wonderful customers. It was my good fortune and indeed a pleasure to have been able to serve you over these years. I've gotten to know many of you on a more personal level and I've watched your families grow. I'd want you all to know how much I appreciate you and how much I will miss you. I feel blessed to have been a small part of your lives.

Don't give a darn
If the Republicans have such a better idea for healthcare reform than what is being presented now, why didn't they enact it during all the years when they held a majority in both houses, not to mention the six years that they also held the executive branch? Why didn't they fix it then? I'll tell you why. Because they don't give a darn about the poor or the sick or the elderly who need assistance. Those people aren't their base and they only care about their base. Everything they accomplished with their ideologue policies made the rich richer, the poor poorer and the middle class stagnant. Now they want us to believe that they have all the right answers to all our problems. I'll say it again. Why didn't they do anything when their ideas could have sailed right through? They don't have the answers. They only have criticisms for those who are trying to figure something out. I'm not enamored with the health plan as I understand it is now but, hopefully, through dialogue and compromise and alternative ideas, we will get something that works better than what we have now. That's all Americans want.