THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2008
Letters To Our Editor
Fourth Honors Veterans
Editor, Journal:
Each year on the 4th of July, Americans pause to celebrate our nation's independence and those dedicated service men and women who commit their lives to protect our freedom.
This year, I had the opportunity to walk in the Arlington Heights and Mt. Prospect 4th of July parades. It was heartwarming to watch our communities rally around the ideals of this great nation. Everywhere I looked, men, women and children celebrated the red, white and blue with proud patriotism.
I want to thank our brave service men and women, many of whom could not be with us to celebrate, because their call to duty has taken them to foreign soil. I want to thank each and every veteran whose service and selfless sacrifices have made this nation what it is today.
More than one million veterans live in Illinois. It is our responsibility and our privilege to welcome them home with open arms of gratitude, and to ensure that they have the very best resources and support upon return. Today, too many veterans are homeless, unemployed or not receiving adequate medical care.
As someone who cares about veterans and the cause that they protect, I believe, we can do better.
I am extremely passionate about honoring the veterans who have served our country and paid the price for our independence. Twelve years ago, as village trustee and a member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary Post 9284, I led the effort to launch the first Memorial Day parade in Elk Grove Village to honor our veterans. If elected as State Representative of the 66th District, I will work aggressively to ensure that veterans receive quality health care, an affordable education, help with purchasing a home and property tax relief.
Our veterans have made us proud. They have protected our freedom. It's time for us to protect theirs.
Christine Prochno, Republican Candidate for 66th District
Thanks For Helping Post-Prom Go Great
Editor, Journal:
Elk Grove High School Post Prom was a great success this year. Through the generous donation from families, the community and businesses we were able to keep the cost of attending at $40.00 per couple. This included transportation to the Chicago lakefront and a two- hour cruise on "The Spirit of Chicago". It was a perfect evening to be on the lake. The Post Prom committee would like to thank the following people and businesses in and around the community for contributing to the continued success of Elk Grove High School Post Prom.
Bus Sponsors: Colonial Coach Lines, Des Plaines Police Department, Elk Grove F.O.P. Lodge #35-Elk Grove, Elk Grove Lions Club, EGHS Student Council, Hair Again, Herff Jones Class Rings, Jarosch Bakery, Life Touch (Prestige Photos), Rotary Club of Elk Grove, Tasty Catering.
Business/Group Donations: Mayor Craig Johnson, Johnson Insurance Agency (Craig & Lorrie Johnson/Bill & Cathy Beupre), Dr. & Mrs. Robert Tin off, Alderman Rosemary Argus, Harold Wyckoff, Jr. DDS, Grove Memorial Chapel, Christ's Victor Lutheran Church, Alan Shapiro, DDS, Bishop Plumbing, Michael Durbin, Orthodontist, El Mason Mexican Restaurant, Dr. John Riggs, LTD, Dairy Queen of Elk Grove, Elk Grove Lioness Club.
EGHS Staff/Club Donations: South Asian Club, Student Council, National Honor Society, Val Norris.
Raffle Prize Donations: 1-800-Flowers of Elk Grove, Adler Planetarium, Arlington Park, Ash Salon Spa, Belvedere Banquets, Bishop Plumbing, Brunswick Zone-Palatine, Carol's Hair Again, Central Chiropractic Assoc., Cernan Earth & Space Center-Triton College, Chicago Bulls, Chicago's Children's Museum, Chicago Wolves, Crossroads of Wood Dale, Culvers, Dairy Queen of Elk Grove, Dave & Buster's of Chicago, El Mason Mexican Restaurant, Elk Grove Bowl, Entourage Restaurant, Fannie May, Fuddrucker's -Schaumburg, Gameworks, Garibaldi's Italian Eatery, Hair Again, Holiday Inn/Old, Chicago Pizza-Pasta, Improv, Itasca Country Club, Kane County Cougars, La Hacienda/La Magdalena, Little Critters, Lou Malnati's Pizza, Lynford Winery, Metropolis Performing Arts Center, Orbit Skate Center, Rocky's Car Wash- Itasca, Rosebud Restaurant, Shedd Aquarium, Spaghetti Warehouse, Tapalpa's Mexican Restaurant, Topa Tavern & Grill, Trails Entertainment Center, Youth Services of Elk Grove Township.
In addition to the bus sponsors and businesses there were many school families that donated monetary gifts or gifts for the raffle. We would like to thank the numerous teachers and staff who donated their time to chaperone this event. The tremendous support provides our students with a safe, fun post prom each year. Thank you to everyone!
Nancy Harkins and Sue Liston, Co-Chairs, Elk Grove High School Post Prom
Hold Job Before Getting Unemployment
Editor, Journal:
Recently, the House voted for taxpayers to pay for up to nine months of unemployment benefits to a person if they held a job for only two weeks.
Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But it's actually what would happen under legislation that just passed the House.
In the 1990s, President Clinton worked with Congress to pass bipartisan welfare reform, landmark legislation that helped our economy by encouraging work -- and more importantly dignity for thousands of Americans. Welfare reform is widely seen as one of the great legislative achievements. Instead of addressing the need for bipartisan legislation to lower gas prices, the House is attempting to reverse President Clinton's legacy by rebuilding a taxpayer-funded culture of dependency in America.
This is an example of why we need reform in Washington.
Instead of targeting relief for those hit hardest, the House approved a $14 billion spending bill to give nine months of unemployment benefits to people who held a job for as little as two weeks.
I support giving unemployment benefits to people who lost their jobs. In Illinois, you have a right to six months of benefits.
In tough economic times, the federal government should offer three additional months. To get these extended benefits, both Presidents Clinton and Bush required that a person actually have their job for five months before qualifying for extended benefits.
It makes sense: to get extended unemployment benefits, you must have at least worked for a couple of months.
But under the House bill, beneficiaries would be paid by taxpayers for more than nine months even if they only worked two weeks. This would be the first time in over 25 years that taxpayers would pay for people who did not work at least five months before unemployment -- in effect, turning our common-sense unemployment system into something that could be abused. In fact, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office warned that "the availability of [such] benefits may discourage recipients from searching for work..."
I voted for a plan that would extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks -- while keeping the requirement that to qualify, you needed a job for five months. My plan costs taxpayers $7 billion. The House rejected this lower-cost option and voted to give full benefits after only two weeks of work. Such a bill costs taxpayers twice as much.
We know the best way to help a family is to find work. The greatest threat to our economy is the high price of gas. That is why I think Congress should bring a bipartisan, long-term energy bill to the floor to get us off foreign oil. We should help Americans in need. While I support extending unemployment benefits, extended benefits should be offered to people who held a job at least a couple of months.
U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, 10th District