Lombardian Speak Out–September 6

I was in line at the local Dollar Store waiting to check out. The gentleman behind me in line noticed the things I was buying and asked if I was a teacher. I told him this was the usual beginning of the school year purchase to have extra materials in my classroom for students of families who may not be able to afford the huge list of supplies that are asked for each year. We talked a bit about how education has changed over the years. When it came time to pay, I put my card in the machine. The next thing I knew he was handing it back to me. He thanked me for what I do and proceeded to pay the bill. Wow! I hope he reads this and realizes just how much his generous gesture meant to me. Thank you for realizing what many teachers do at the beginning of every teaching year.

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Two things. First, to the person complaining about the emergency vehicle sirens, use common sense to understand they need to let people know they are approaching. How does the driver know if there is traffic or not when he or she pulls out of the fire station, no matter what time of night? Secondly, about the caller who said to check the facts and it was redundant about the Mutton Hollow House caption, what a confusing comment. There was a photo on the front page on Aug. 16 about the demolition of the senior center house. The Aug. 23 caption just mentioned it again because two homes came down in such a short time. I saw nothing redundant. And, what facts were there to check? That makes no sense.

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Where is that $4,000 pay raise that the president promised that we were all going to get if they passed the tax plan Peter Roskam wrote that gave huge, permanent tax cuts to the super-wealthy and small—if any—temporary tax cuts to the everyone else? I saved the clip. He promised! I haven’t had a pay raise in years. And I don’t appreciate that last April, Peter Roskam voted to use the Social Security fund to fill in the $1.5 trillion hole that his tax cut law created in the national budget. You see, that money came out of every paycheck we ever received so that we could retire someday. That bill didn’t pass, but give Roskam that chance, and he will try again.

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I have decided that whichever candidate for governor will put reducing the state income tax increase on the front burner will be the one to get my vote. Not that it’s likely to be any of the candidates’ priority when the state is in so much need of money—I feel like they are robbing Peter (the taxpayers) to pay Paul (pensions). For instance, like when my education tax dollars go toward retirement funds and not into the classroom. We definitely have no say-so how our tax dollars are used anywhere in the state, except at the voting booth, but with Rauner, that turned out to be a big mistake for me. It’s getting so I can’t afford to move and I can’t afford to stay.

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What a great place Cantigny is for all of us to learn about and remember our veterans. And, I just found out that veterans get free membership—even better! Thanks, Cantigny!

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After my message a few weeks ago to SPEAK OUT when I asked if anyone knew where I could get Save Lufkin Pool signs, I got an offer for someone to give me one sign per year for 10 years. I just want to thank that person but I’ve located many, many signs so I won’t need to use the caller’s generous offer. I think the reader’s response was either No. 1, an elected Villa Park official or No. 2, a village employee. Most likely No. 1. The signs will go on lawns for every election time; for every trustee who voted not to save Lufkin Pool, so hang on to those signs. There are plenty more. Vote them out of office next election. They took your pool, take their office.

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It looks like we’re back to law and order by not letting pedestrians take over our roadways. You can’t block roads. People need to get to work. Not everyone can stand in the street all day. And, you’re endangering people when medical emergencies can’t get through. I don’t see any benefit or results in these protests. I’m amazed that the religious leaders are encouraging people to break our laws, just like our politicians—open borders and illegal entries to our country. They took an oath to uphold our laws, not to break them.

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People have the most amazing ability to fight truth, even when it’s staring them in the face, if it disagrees with their cherished preconceptions.

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Hi, Villa Park calling. Just reading the Thursday, Aug. 30, Villa Park Review and right there on the cover is Senior Night at Willowbrook with a bunch of girls posing with a stuffed elephant from Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. Those Ringling Brothers people were cited for animal abuse time and time again. Are they advocating abuse? I didn’t see the program but why would the pom squad be posing with a Barnum and Bailey elephant when they’re known for animal abuse? It’s crazy. Were any teachers there, were any adults there to kind of clue them in? Apparently not. It’s craziness. Bye.

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To a bank in Lombard, from the angle or two that I had, the American flag that flies on your property is kind of torn up. It may be time to respectfully retire that flag and put a new one up there. It appears to be torn and tattered. Please replace the flag respectfully, thank you.

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Hi. I had an incident happen on Aug. 27. Officer Klunk, I believe that’s his name, came to our rescue. I had locked my key in the car with my 2-year-old grandson, air conditioning on, going to pick up my other grandson. Brand new car, didn’t know the code yet. Officer Klunk and another female officer came. They came and he got through my door. I am so grateful to him and the Lombard Police Department for their fast response. It was just one of those things that just happened. I am so thankful to them and I will always have my key on me before I close the door.

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I know it’s hard for you people who are Trump supporters to truly understand that this man is riding of the shirttails of Obama’s administration. Obama brought the economy up; he had walked into the worst recession and got that straightened out and Trump has done nothing. If you really bother to check anything the tax cut is not for us, it’s for the billionaires. We’ll see none of it. Mr. Trump, you think he’s good, you don’t want Democrats, well good for you because I don’t want any more Republicans who are spineless, weak, people who sit in Congress and do nothing to bring this man in control. He is a despicable individual, he is the worst person who ever sat in the White House, he has done nothing right. You support a man who is pathetic.

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This goes out to all the parents of school-age children. As an educator for over 20 years, it’s time you allow your children to fall down and scrape their knees. Granted there are some children who truly do have special needs but many are suffering from SBS—spoiled baby syndrome. Parents, stop allowing your children to blame everyone else; the teachers, the schools, the environment. Your child does not have anxiety or ADHD. What your child has is a parent who will not put boundaries down and stick to them. Thank you.

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This is in regard to the person who commented about the dog in last week’s paper. You’re supposed to train your dog to walk on the sidewalk next to you on the parkway side so when it has to go, it goes on the parkway, not private property. And not with long leashes so the dog can walk all over and through flowerbeds. Be a little courteous.

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Lombard calling. I’m calling on Monday morning after hearing about all the disruptions at the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Donald Trump makes rude and petty statements and acts like a child, but the Democrats at these hearings are just as bad as he is, if not worse. You have rude hecklers in the gallery and you have the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee constantly interrupting and calling for his hearings to be cancelled. Dick Durbin is a disgrace to Illinois, and Kamala Harris, that senator from California, is nothing more than a leftist demagogue. If the tables were turned, and the Republicans were pulling all of these stunts at a confirmation hearing for a Supreme Court candidate nominated by a Democratic president, you’d never hear the end of it from Chuck Schumer and the talking heads on CNN and MSNBC.