southtownstar.suntimes.com

Forum: Oppose change in refinery assessment

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:19:48 -0500

We would like to inform the taxpayers of Lockport Township High School District 205 and Will County School District 92 of a potential change in Illinois law regarding oil refinery tax assessment that would have severe financial ramifications for the taxpayers and students of the districts. The two districts are among the many taxing bodies that receive tax dollars from the Citgo Refinery in Lemont. If passed, Senate Bill 2345 would provide tax breaks to oil companies on the backs of property owners. SB 2345 continues Illinois’ practice of underfunding education. Gov. Pat Quinn has announced his intent to further …

Forum: Backs Cullerton’s pension bill

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:42:43 -0500

If we are to have an honest dialogue about Senate Bill 2404, the pension reform legislation sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) and supported by the unions representing a half-million workers and retirees affected by the bill, we need to work with facts, not misrepresentations. We find ourselves in this pension crisis because our political leaders failed to make the state’s required contributions year after year to its pension funds, even as employees faithfully made theirs. SB 2404 contains the most ironclad guarantee anyone has been able to devise to compel politicians to pay. Pension reform in Illinois is …

Forum: Let them starve

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:11:31 -0500

There are approximately 100 prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba who have chosen to voluntarily starve themselves rather than continue living at the prison. If they feel they cannot handle incarceration and prefer to end it all, that is their right. Maybe some cannot live with the terrorist crimes they committed against our country and prefer to sleep eternally within their religious or non-religious beliefs. Maybe some can no longer endure waiting for their trial. Maybe some feel fettered, that while in prison they cannot kill and maim as part of their terrorist agenda. Some may feel that …

Forum: Hoarding an official disorder

Mon, 20 May 2013 02:07:59 -0500

On Wednesday, after 13 years of revisions, the new DSM-5 will add “hoarding” as an official psychiatric disorder. The addition to “psychiatry’s Bible” will likely lead to increased treatment options for hoarders beause insurance companies often grant coverage based off DSM “codes.” As the 31-year-old daughter of a hoarder, it has taken me 19 years — more than 1,600 hours — of quality psychoanalysis to recover from my childhood experiences. The homes that we see on shows such as A&E’s “Hoarders” and TLC’s “Buried Alive” should not be viewed as “entertainment.” They are crime scenes when children are involved. No …

Forum: Immigrants must adapt

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:28:39 -0500

In regards to the May 5 column by St. Xavier University professor Reza Varjavand, I commend him for his comments on the customs of Muslim women. He should send a copy of his column to all the mosques in the Southland. I am a firm believer that immigrants should come here and gladly embrace our laws and customs. If they can’t do so, then perhaps they should return to their native country. Mr. Varjavand said immigrants should be thankful for the kindness and opportunities extended to them. I believe that they should also not push their agendas on us. If …

Forum: Chief cites value of preschool

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:41:25 -0500

As a police chief, I know that one of the most powerful weapons in the arsenal we have for fighting crime is making sure that children don’t get into trouble in the first place. I’m part of a growing consensus among law enforcement leaders that making smart investments in early childhood education can greatly reduce crime. Quality preschool programs are crucial to giving young children a strong foundation. Programs such as those offered in Tinley Park do far more than help preschoolers learn shapes and numbers. They help young children learn impulse control, problem solving and working in groups. Not …

Forum: Crestwood water lawsuits

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:34:38 -0500

After reading about the 100 or so lawsuits filed against Crestwood regarding its use over many years of a polluted well for drinking water, I hope the people who live there realize that they’re suing themselves. If they win their lawsuits, who will eventually pay the damages? They will! I hope the lawsuits, unlike the criminal cases, are able to reveal the true instigators of this huge cover-up — namely former mayors Chester Stranczek and his son, Robert. I believe Theresa Neubauer, who was convicted in a federal trial, was duped by her superiors in the long-running scheme. She and …

Forum: Replace historic scoreboard

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:17:30 -0500

Whether Cubs owner Tom Ricketts likes it or not, he is saddled with a legal contract with the rooftop owners. I know what I’m about to propose will make the Wrigley Field faithful cringe, but do we really need that antique scoreboard in center field? Why not put it in the Smithsonian, where it belongs, and put the proposed Jumbotron in its place in center field? Mr. Ricketts gets more advertising revenue, and the rooftop owners get their views. Sam Wright Chicago Kudos to ‘Team Tinley’ I read with interest The SouthtownStar article announcing Tinley Park’s balanced budget for 2013. …

Forum: ‘Puppy lemon law’ a joke

Tue, 14 May 2013 02:12:51 -0500

The Illinois Senate has passed a “puppy lemon law,” are they serious? You can return your sick puppy to the pet shop for a full refund. Then what happens to that puppy? Come on, people, pass a law against selling these pets in stores. All it does is keep “puppy mills” in business and continues the animals’ unnecessary suffering. What’s next? Return your baby because you wanted a boy and not a girl? Cassie Mathis Lemont …

Forum: Madigan the one constant

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:13:46 -0500

Governors and state legislators come and go, but House Speaker Michael Madigan is a permanent fixture, and one mostly responsible for the state’s fiscal mess. State and Cook County workers canvass the neighborhoods year after year getting out the vote for Madigan, even though he has no real opposition. When Madigan retires, he will walk away a multi-millionaire from all the sweetheart deals his law firm has made to provide property tax relief for corporations and developers. Who will be left holding the bag? Taxpayers and the workers who year after year get him elected. Madigan’s only mistake is that …

Forum: Thanking our moms

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:15:14 -0500

On this Mother’s Day, our family will honor my mother who turns 95 today. It is hard to fathom being that old! It seems difficult for my mother as she battles dementia and the decreasing ability to understand and remember. So I have been remembering for her. What a different world she entered in 1918! Mom was one of nine born to a strong farm family. They were raised with solid biblical values along with a work ethic that’s almost nonexistent today. Neighbors knew and cared for each other and helped out — whether in sickness such as diphtheria, which …

Forum: Stay out of Syria

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:05:42 -0500

I think that our government should stay out of Syria. Helping rebels would just be helping America’s worst enemy, al-Qaida, which has been linked to some Free Syrian Army groups. Our government and military has had enough to deal with for years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even if we try to stop the civil war in Syria, the Syrians will find something else to go to war for. Charle Kennedy Chicago Giving some credit As a frequent critic of the SouthtownStar and other publications concerning liberal bias, I must give credit where credit is due. On the same day the …

Forum: Help stop fracking bill

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:00:50 -0500

The Fracking Regulatory Act, House Bill 2615, which allows the oil and gas industry to engage in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in Illinois with very weak regulations, could be passed soon by the Illinois General Assembly. This law will not protect us, our environment or our waters from the horrendous impacts of hydraulic fracturing. The fracking industry is too powerful for any state government to be trusted to ensure that it is done safely with little or no negative effects on the environment or to the public. The gas and oil industries have their eyes on at least 17 counties …

Forum: Nurses are health care’s heroes

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:01:34 -0500

National Nurses Week (May 6-12) is celebrated annually, giving us an opportunity to recognize nurses and nurse educators who have touched our lives and inspired us in pursuing such an honorable profession. This year’s theme, “Delivering Quality and Innovation in Patient Care,” established by the American Nurses Association, is especially meaningful during this pivotal time in health care, when advanced technologies and health care reform are changing the way patient care is delivered. Nurses have long been at the forefront of health care innovation. They have tirelessly worked together and collaborated with other health care professionals to improve the quality …

Forum: No fan of Madigan plan

Tue, 07 May 2013 02:15:05 -0500

I find it unconscionable that a person who considers himself a shrewd politician has been as inept as House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) has been for decades regarding Illinois’ public pension systems. Now, Madigan has come up with a reform plan to save all and cure a pension crisis largely of his making, a plan that would punish retirees to make up for his and state Legislature’s shortcomings on properly financing the pension systems. He directs his political lackeys and minions and rams through a pension reform bill that illegally takes granted funds from those who are now retired. I’m …