The following Speak Out! messages appear in March 3-8, 2021 editions of the Journal & Topics.

Fix Streets

Hi. I’m writing to ask when is the city of Des Plaines going to repair the monster-sized potholes at 450 Western Ave. and as well as the entire stretch of E. Washington Street from 1210 and going all the way down to Graceland? Lived here 16 years, not once has it been replaced. Come on Des Plaines, aldermen.

Seniors First

89% of people here in Illinois who have died from COVID were over age 60. Gov. Pritzker is putting too much emphasis on Class 1B workers in the 21 to 50 age group while many senior citizens over age 65 wait and wait to be vaccinated.

Still Waiting

The garbage switchover in Des Plaines is a train wreck. Based on social media posts many people in different areas of the city, including those with garbage pick-up on Monday 3/1, are without any garbage cans to hold the garbage. Republic took the old ones away and Lakeshore is taking too long to deliver the new containers. They apparently decided not to work on Sunday to get the job done, and we are stuck with extra garbage in our homes.

Wants Dedication

Mayoral candidate Andrew Gostkowski works for Congressman Jan Schakowsky. Does this mean Andrew if elected will be taking orders from our very liberal congresswoman who spends her time in Evanston and Washington? I want a mayor who is dedicated to Des Plaines.

Clean Up

Ah, longer days, warmer temps, melting of the snow, and now the garbage showing up and scraps of laziness blooming before flowers, we now see a small portion of our sad humanness, you want to save your planet, start with your own neighborhood, you people of waste, and tell your children and grandchildren how much of an inconsiderate slob you were.

Location Surprise

I remember being in the 3rd ward of Des Plaines back in 2000. When did the wards get reassigned that I am now in the 8th ward? I am west of Mount Prospect Road and east of Clark Street between Dempster and Algonquin. I was surprised to hear I was in the 8th ward. Thanks. AG.

Quit Whining

I have never heard such complaining about garbage and recycle bins in my life. Did any of you read the letter? It stated exactly what was going to happen. They said to leave the old ones on the curb for pickup. If you didn’t do that then you should have read the Boucher. They have until March 1 to deliver the bins. Stop blaming the mayor for your lack of knowledge.

Interesting

I found it interesting in last week’s Speak Out the comment about President Trump’s accomplishments and his having nothing to do with the Capitol riots that the Journal felt a need to make an Editor’s Note that said, “There are plenty of people who would argue that statement including Mitch McConnell.”

Rethink Recycling

I just read the new literature from the city on recycling. Bottom line, we can only recycle very very little. A number of years ago an EPA official said to me, looking at a recycling truck in Des Plaines, “it makes no sense to have a big diesel truck stop at every house picking up a small amount of recyclable material.” Recent news stories tell us that it is not economical to recycle most plastics and the recycle program was a PR fraud by the plastic industry. I hope the city fathers will take a new look at our recycling program. It could be replaced with something as simple as putting dumpsters at public works. There, citizens can bring recyclable material, this is done in some cities in Europe. I believe this would be a more environmentally effective system.

Not Worried

I’m not worried about anything. Whenever I read Speak Out I’m comforted by the fact that so many anonymous people have the final answer to so many complicated things. This means I can sit back and relax with the knowledge that every wrong will be made right, that everything will eventually work out just fine. By the way, does anyone know when we’ll be finished removing all the plastic from all the oceans of the world? Wait a minute…I’m being told we haven’t started yet. That’s weird.

Respect Responders

We all need to respect and appreciate all of our first responders. This political correctness has gone too far. We need to show our appreciation and respect for those who keep us safe and healthy. Blue line law, red line fire, thin white on blue, EMS, red on white nurses and doctors. The color list goes on and on. If people object to expressing appreciation for all of our first line workers then we should be ashamed of not being able to. Colors just represent agencies and we should support the current agencies and more so the fallen frontline workers who have sacrificed their lives to serve us. Again, what is next? Not be able to fly our American flag because that may be labeled as divisive and intimidating. Really?

Easier Times

Ah, its income tax time again, let’s return to the simple old days of filing. The IRS had a 2/3 cent postcard you filled out with your name, address and Social Security number and how much you made and was withheld. Mailed it in and the IRS sent you back a refund check or told you how much you owed them, and the date and time you had to return them a check. Now what we have to do and go through, and life is supposedly much simpler, I don’t think so.

Government Bloated

Your recent editorial was very eye opening. For Florida to have 7 million more residents than Illinois but fewer than a quarter the number of governmental units is truly astounding. This is a total waste of our taxpayer dollars. It is quite obvious why all of these entities were created in the first place. It was to provide patronage jobs to all of the supporters of our greedy politicians to keep them in power. With Mike Madigan now losing his stranglehold on Illinois government, it is time for we, the citizens, to demand our elected officials be accountable with our tax dollars. Reducing the number of our bloated governmental entities to resemble the Florida model would be a great start. I urge everyone to contact both their state senator and state representative to demand that such actions be taken. Those officials who are not responsive should pay the price in their next election.

Don’t Be Fooled

Voters should recall that Mount Prospect mayoral candidate William Grossi ran an unsuccessful campaign for state representative as a Republican a few years back. Should that disqualify him from running for office? No, of course not. You can be a member of a political party, still run a non-partisan campaign and function as a non-partisan village official. It is disingenuous to suggest others cannot, but you can. Mayoral candidates Colleen Saccotelli and Paul Hoefert, like every candidate running for a village board position, support our police department, don’t want it defunded and are listening to what concerns residents have about the Blue Lives Matter police patch. You see, they are running to represent all village residents, even if their opinions differ. Trustee candidates Terri Gens and Peggy Pissareck turned in perfectly legal petition sheets, and were cleared of accusations they didn’t, after their approach was challenged. Their petition gathering strategy made perfect sense in the midst of a pandemic. Thinking outside of the box is something our village could use right now. Don’t be fooled by the Grossi propaganda.

Can’t Blame Wind

This is in reply to the person who blamed the Texas power failure on wind generators. The fact is less than 10% of Texas power comes from wind generators. The other 90% of their power comes from natural gas, coal or oil. These sources emit high volumes of carbon and other pollutants, all contributing to climate change. The reason Texas had such problems is their legislature never took the proper steps to protect their power sources from freezing temperatures despite many warnings. Some people refuse to accept the fact that the climate is changing and we must change with it. Tell me, why did the wind generators in many northern states continue to operate even though they were experiencing record cold temperatures, many degrees colder than that in Texas? The time for generating power from fossil fuel is nearing its end and the sooner we realize this the sooner we can take steps to control it.

Slow Start

Good lord, Des Plaines new garbage company Lakeshore really started off bad. Didn’t anybody there check the garbage cans before they gave them to us? It didn’t look like they did and is this the kind of service coming by them? Is anyone at City Hall checking these things out?

Valuable Service

The Journal is to be congratulated for the very important editorial (February 24, 2021 issue) about public notices regarding Illinois governments. We know that there are people who are not connected to the internet and, as it was so correctly pointed out, some local governments do not have websites, as very sound reasons to have those same local governments publish important notices in newspapers to inform the public who pay for those governments with their hard-earned tax dollars. We also point out the Journal’s importance because of their comprehensive coverage of local events and politics. Larger issue newspapers may have a local coverage section but the Journal deems that coverage as a main concern of their paper and readership. Kudos to the Journal. Keep up the good work. We appreciate and applaud your efforts.

Traffic In BG

For nearly a decade the Buffalo Grove intersection adjacent to Tripp Elementary School has been an “accident waiting to happen.” For more than two decades, we saw the school across the street from our home safely manage school bus traffic, walkers and parents driving their students to and from the K-3 building. That changed several years ago, when long-departed administrators decided to stop using the circular drive in front of the school for school bus drop off and pick up. Instead, buses would unload and load children on West Fabish Drive, a narrow residential street. Parents were now allowed to pull into and out of the circular drive to drop off of pick up their students. Parents now crowd this residential neighborhood parking in no parking zones and leaving their cars idling for up to 20 minutes on Highland Grove Drive, a busier thoroughfare two blocks from a fire station. The pandemic brought new challenges. There are now additional drop off and pick up times due to hybrid schooling — children are undergoing a health screening on the bus. Traffic is always tied up — fire hydrants, crosswalks and driveways have been blocked by errant parents in a rush to pick up their children. As the wife of a disabled man living in the community, we have had difficulty entering and leaving our home for medical appointments. The school and police department are currently asking for some “grace.” Please remember kindness and character count. Darcy G.

Wants Refund

Why doesn’t Dist. 214 give taxpayers a tax refund? Since the virus came to the United States, classrooms around this country have been closed, not to mention the poor example of what the district calls a teacher. Us taxpayers are paying for services not rendered. Dist. 214 expenses everything for transportation, utilities, but staffing needs have been so much lower. Why not a tax refund for us taxpayers? Des Plaines, Cook County Taxpayer Panunzio.

Reconsider Limits

I am the parent of a senior football player at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. We are so excited that the kids have been given the opportunity to play football in the spring, but we would like to see the limit of 50 spectators for sports changed. The limits should be modified based on gym and stadium size. The same 50-person limit should not be applied to big schools and small schools alike throughout the state, and applied equally to indoor and outdoor sports. We allow dining outdoors for as many people as a restaurant can hold with tables distanced and with people taking off their masks to eat, yet we are not allowing a gigantic stadium like Stevenson to host more than 50 spectators in an outdoor space. We would like the governor, IDPH, and IHSA to reconsider having the same spectator limits for indoor and outdoor sports alike and to reconsider having the same spectator limits for large and small schools with varying gym and stadium capacities. We should have a more logical limit, such as a percentage of capacity limit, or let schools make a seating chart showing where spectators can and can’t sit. This will have a much more logical and practical effect for indoor and outdoor sports. It can be done safely with masks, distancing, and capacity limits. Please view, sign, and share the petition at change.org/ChangeIllinoisSportsSpectatorLimit.

Support local news by subscribing to the Journal & Topics in print or online.