Articles filed under Discuss

• Difference between secure and lavish Jun 11, 2013 12:00 AM
  A St. Charles letter to the editor: I believe the Senate Democrats failed to properly represent all their constituents when they rejected the public employee pension cutting plan. They stated the plan was unfair and illegal. The state constitution has promised teachers and state workers a secure retirement.
  

   

• The fresh air of Pope Francis Jun 11, 2013 12:00 AM
  Columnist Michael Gerson: For Pope Benedict XVI, the college professor, it was delivering a much-misunderstood lecture at the University of Regensburg, which made controversial reference to Islam. For Pope Francis, it is kneeling to wash the feet of a young Muslim woman in a prison on Holy Thursday. With due respect to Benedict’s learning, Francis’ symbolic act managed to more effectively communicate the essence of the Christian gospel.
  

   

• Larger upfront pension payments needed Jun 11, 2013 12:00 AM
  An Arlington Heights letter to the editor: The burden of pain should fall on the pensions of the legislators and executives who have been stealing from employee pensions for decades. And while we’re at it, why is the Illinois Supreme Court exempt from a reduction in its pension?
  

   

• Money was behind ‘house of horrors’ Jun 11, 2013 12:00 AM
  A Barrington letter to the editor: There is much in the news regarding abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s “house of horrors.” In spite of a reported annual income of $1.8 million, Gosnell did not see fit to spend some of this obscene income to sanitize and clean up his “clinic” for the mothers where the killings occurred.
  

   

• Tax dollars for Obama fundraising? Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A Des Plaines letter to the editor: With the scandals of “Fast and Furious,” Benghazi, the IRS and The Associated Press, why as taxpayers are we all paying for President Obama to fly around the country with the sole purpose of fundraising for the Democrat Party?
  

   

• Pension system must be fair to taxpayers Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A Palatine letter to the editor: Really? A retired teacher, Beverly Lopatka, will receive nearly $400,000 in 2013? And the state of Illinois has no money, is unable to pay its bills, is in tremendous debt, and we taxpayers are expected to come up with the money to help them. How could a retired teacher be receiving money from three different state retirement funds?
  

   

• Skipping payments has to stop Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A Schaumburg letter to the editor: As a near 23-year state employee nearing retirement, I am closely watching the Illinois Senate and House for some sort of reasonable compromise to our huge deficit. However, where was all this attention to the problem when it was being created by skipping numerous payments into the retirement fund?
  

   

• Two versions of Christianity Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  An Elgin letter to the editor: Well, once again the Boy Scouts have stuck their foot in it. In trying to please all, they have only pleased none but themselves. Allowing gay boys and not gay Scout leaders is pretty stupid. In an attempt to justify their dislike of gays and lesbians they have quoted the Bible as their reason.
  

   

• No union meetings during school year Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A Palatine letter to the editor: Could it be any more obvious that the unions do not put students first? Our school year is short enough. Given the number of breaks, holidays and days devoted to testing, each day of actual learning is critical. To take days away from students’ education to attend a union conference is really difficult for me to wrap my head around.
  

   

• BSA ‘compromise’ is offensive Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A Wheaton letter to the editor: I was a member of the Boy Scouts of America from 1940 to 1944. The question of sexual orientation was a nonissue. Not ever did it occur to me that the Scout promise to be “morally straight” had any connotation of sexual orientation. Now, the BSA appears to be obsessed, and their recent “compromise” decision regarding the matter is odious.
  

   

• Much was gained with prescription bill Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A letter to the editor: State legislators deserve great credit for taking on an important mental health issue in the just-completed spring session. While our bill, licensing specially trained psychologists to prescribe medications for mental disorders, passed out of the Senate on April 25, it did not advance through the House. We have many reasons, however, to be encouraged by the significant gains that we made.
  

   

• Government should come clean Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A Buffalo Grove letter to the editor: Day by day, the eruption of scandals locally and in Washington is getting worse. Today’s news topics include freedom of the press and search and seizure, historical revisionism and cover-up, book-reading lists and corruption, and let’s throw in equal protection under the law.
  

   

• What’s taking so long for Rt. 53 extension? Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A Gurnee letter to the editor: My wife and I in June completed a 1,700-mile round trip to southern Georgia paying from $3.15 to $3.25 a gallon for gasoline, except in Indiana where higher prices still were lower than those in Illinois.
  

   

• Support for letters on grid, guns Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A Grayslake letter to the editor: Kudos to Chris Curtis, CEO of Schneider Electric, and John Estey, executive chairman of S7C Electric, for their brief but, I believe, effective article on the Smart Grid.
  

   

• Dems argue for, against uniformity Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A Wheaton letter to the editor: A bill is moving through Springfield to ban handheld cellphones for drivers throughout the state just like Chicago’s law. Chicago Democrats argue that cellphone laws are not uniform throughout the state and that makes it difficult for people driving through different towns. It’s a safety issue to have a uniform law.
  

   

• Benghazi is an impeachable offense Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  A St. Charles letter to the editor: The charge of high crimes and misdemeanors covers allegations of misconduct peculiar to officials, such as perjury of oath, abuse of authority, bribery, intimidation, misuse of assets, failure to supervise, dereliction of duty.
  

   

• Church needs to show love, not hate Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  
  

   

• Does church really need more parking? Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  Letter to the editor: Sandra Hoffman says there must be a better way for Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights to find parking for its parishioners than by tearing down houses and trees to expand its lot.
  

   

• Village must change course on ash trees Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  Letter to the editor: Christine Sacks says Arlington Hts. is handling the ash borer problem all wrong, and the ramifications of their mistakes will last for at least 25 years.
  

   

• Barrington choir rocked Carnegie Jun 10, 2013 12:00 AM
  Letter to the editor: Don Killian was thrilled by the Barrington High School choir's performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. "I’ve never been so proud to listen and see this fine young and artistic group perform in that great historic venue," he writes.