Just call our 24-hour hotline at 299-1500, or go to our website at www.journal-topics.com to state what is on your mind concerning an issue you consider to be significant, and we'll publish it. If you would like to state your opinion about anything, feel free to do so. Just make sure your message is brief, to the point and within the limits of good taste and acceptable to readers of a family newspaper.

Thanks township fire chief

For over 20 years Elk Grove Township Fire Dept. has been run by a wonderful Chief Jensen. I wanted to say thank you to him for starting the Elk Grove Township Fire Dept. and creating coverage for my area when Mount Prospect Fire Dept. had to cut off our area's coverage. The new chief is also wonderful, and I wish him all the best. To the department's former Chief Jensen, thank you and in all your future plans I wish you ONLY the best. Thank you to all the Elk Grove Village firefighters as well. B.C.

Just leave us with dignity

think the city should hire agents for the celebrities we have in our city government. They just can't seem to let go. You can see just where their priorities are. In their own self-esteem and not in the residents of Des Plaines. No wonder we have such problems. Please just leave with dignity. We have had enough. Thank you and farewell.

Need to clam up about Iraq

I think people need to shut up about the war in Iraq. Unless you're going to go over there yourself and personally stop the fighting or you're going to fly to Washington and personally get Bush to bring home all the troops, your complaining about it in Speak Out isn't going to solve anything. Go back to your cross word puzzles and your Matlock and free up publication space for something worthwhile please.

I always complain about noise

This is in response to "Complain About Noise". You think you have it bad and your house is "soundproofed"! Come over by us on Parkwood Lane where we have planes every day almost for as much as 15 hours from 6 a.m. to as late as 1 a.m. Guess what. We don't have our houses soundproofed and we are in a direct flight path. Guess what again: other houses all around us do. We were in the 2000, 65 decible range on their contour but they elected to bypass us. We still have the planes. I have a monitor report that shows planes coming over at more then 90 decibels that shake my windows and rattle things in my house. Complain? Do you know how many e-mails Mr. Gilligan, Mr. Becker and Mr. Arreida have gotten from me and my neighbors since June of this year? Do you know how many phone calls we have made? Calling that phone number will not do any good besides aggravate us more when we talk to the people on the other end. You could call that number every minute when a plane flies by and it will do no good. What we all need to do is to demand a meeting with the City of Des Plaines, the O'Hare Noise Commission, the FAA, along with Mayor Daley and make our feelings known and make them do something about the problem. Why don't they call a meeting about this? As they make the airport bigger and bigger, it is going to get worse and worse around here. Sometimes it is like a "war zone" on this side of Des Plaines. Planes all over the place. In all my years living here I have never seen so much plane action as I have in the last 7 months. Do you think any of them really care?

Feels small in Mt. Prospect

Anybody ever notice how downtown Mt. Prospect has become very...big and "boxy"? The new building across from Village Hall and the new rowhomes have given downtown a "towering" effect. I feel smaller walking through downtown because these are some pretty big buildings. This is addition to a new Village Hall, parking deck and library building, and the existing 6-story bank building. I wonder if the new entertainment block is going to have this same "dwarfing" effect?

How do they earn $100,000?

I just read in Speak Out that the salary for some of the city workers is up to $100,000? That's insane. What is it that they do that makes them worth the taxpayers money, drive up and down Algonquin, hang out on streets trying to figure out which one of the five is going to paint the curb? And how many of them are dead beats that only got the job because they new somebody?

Not noticed increase in noise

It's funny when people complain about airplane noise. When you buy a home on the south side of Des Plaines, only a few miles from O'Hare, what do you expect? These people are smart enough to find the new number to the noise complaint hotline, but dumb enough to buy a house in airplane alley. PS - I have lived in Des Plaines for close to 30 years and planes fly directly over my house. I have not noticed an increase in noise since the time I moved here.

People should work with him

In the Jan. 4 Speak Out, a contributor writes that Brian Burkross has done very little and wants Mr. Burkross "to do something positive". What? From my perspective, I see that Mr. Burkross is continually building interest in the community, it's leaders and their decisions. He is encouraging Des Plaines residents to directly participate in their city government, and he practices what he preaches. He doesn't question or speak solely to issues that effect him alone. No, Mr. Burkross understands well Robert's "for the good of the many" Rules. I humbly suggest that rather than tell Mr. Burkross that he has to build, folks roll up their sleeves and work with him.

Why not say 20% do?

I am highly amused by the signs I used to see that 8/10 Maine West students don't smoke. Why don't they just put up a new sign that says 20% of Maine West students smoke cigarettes. (And probably other things too).

Pessimists need to unite

I have been pondering something. Our community has the Des Plaines Optimists Club. But where are the Des Plaines pessimists? I for one, am right here. I think we need to form this group. We can sit around and talk about how we won't sell Christmas trees because they will just shrivel up and die anyway. We also won't help the elderly, because they too will just shrivel up and die. We can also talk about what's wrong with Des Plaines but not bother to do anything about it because it won't change anything anyway.

They are a public school district

To the person who inquired about the religious Christmas songs at the high school concert., first, I believe it was called the "holiday" prism concert, not Christmas. Second, Maine Township High School Dist. 207 is a public school district, which means not all students are Christian nor are they allowed to make reference to religious events, holidays, etc. If you want a concert starring Jesus, go to a church concert or a private school concert. And yellow snow is just funny. Tee hee.

Enjoys pressing "1"

A few months ago someone complained about having to press one for English when accessing services via the telephone. Well, I for one enjoy pressing one for English. In fact, sometimes I call just so I can press one over and over again. I get my jollies by pressing one for English. Please don't take my sunshine away. From VT of DP.

Why not check status?

The IRS issues a special ID so that foreign nationals who don't have a Social Security number can work. Why don't they check for legal status before issuing the special ID? Let me guess, "they're tax-collectors, not immigration agents."

Says they are hypocrites

Funny how the taxpayers of Des Plaines aren't allowed the records of the sexual harassment settlement, but DP sues ComEd for their records. What hypocrites.

There are other religions, too

My family and I are Jewish and live in Des Plaines and have been reading all the comments in your paper about Christmas or the lack of Christmas spirit in this suburb. It seems like the writers of these letters only know one religion and that is of their own religion which is fine. But for their information, there are other religions besides Christianity. It would be nice if the city of Des Plaines would acknowledge that Jews like my family and I who live here would wish us a good Rosh Hashanah, happy Yom Kippur, and Happy Hanukkah. Is that too much to ask of the city? Do they only think of the Christians on their holidays? My family pays taxes here, too. Again, to the letter writers who sound like bigots they should wake up to the fact that besides my religion there are other types of religions that this city could acknowledge on their holidays. Sometimes I wish that people would just practice their religion in their own homes which would be the right thing to do.

Don't generate that much trash

According to the Des Plaines Journal, an increase in our garbage bill is on the horizon. If we continue with ARC our bill will go from $14.33 to $17.50, an increase of $3.17. Multifamily units, that now pay $11.80, will enjoy a drop of $1.80 in their bill. So, what do we get for the extra $3.17 per month? We will be provided with 95-gallon refuse and 65-gallon recycling carts. The 95-gallon dimensions are 46 X 32 X 28, and the 65-gallon bin is 42 X 27 X 26. I do not generate that much garbage in one week. The recycling bin we have right now is a good size for me, and I fill it about every 3 weeks. I would like to make a suggestion. Go with the larger bins and charge us each time we put garbage out for pick up. Use a scanner when the garbage is collected, and charge us accordingly. We are charged for our water using a scanner, so this is not new technology. When I drive through the neighborhood I notice several houses with small garbage bags out for pick up. There is no good reason why those of us who generate small amounts of garbage should pay the same as those with large quantities of garbage. The garbage contract is up this April, so come to the next City Council meeting with your ideas and views on this issue.

Stop telling me to wake up

Could everyone who writes into the Speak Out! please quit telling me to wake up?

How is that sensitivity?

How does removing a Christmas tree show cultural sensitivity? Can someone please explain to me what "cultural sensitivty" means? I think the parents at Cumberland School should pick a day and have their kids stay home to show the school some "sensitivity" about their Christmas tree.

Astounded at tree decision

No Christmas trees at Cumberland School. I am astounded at this decision by the school's administration. What do you think would happen if two children called an Israeli school and complained about the Star of David? Do you think they would remove it from schools? As well, what would happen if two people called a school in Mexico and complained about having a statue of the Virgin Mary displayed? Do you think they would remove it? Please, get real, get some moxie, get a tree and let the two beefers put up whatever icon they respect for the season in the school as well. Freedom of religion is a staple of our country's Constitution. It is a staple of our unique belief system that has attracted millions of people to this great nation. I am vastly disappointed in this decision on principle. I guess the tail wags the dog here in good ol' Dist. 62. Teach culture, all of them. Does the term "melting pot" ring any bells? (Sorry for the Christmas pun, not a "holiday" pun). Greg S.

What about Social Security check?

It says a lot about our glorious leaders' true agenda that an instant background check can be made when someone buys a firearm, but an employer can't check on applicants to see if their Social Security number is valid.

Needs to get a hobby

Time of year for pet peeves. Is this all this man can do is worry about where people blow there snow? I think with all his hot air, there won't be any snow around his home. Get a hobby or something.

More fees on the way?

I just read where the city may start charging $375 for ambulance service. What's next? A charge if you have a fire in your house or if you need police assistance? We already pay for garbage, sewer, water, the hair brain sewer lateral program. The city is supposed to be working for the residents not themselves.

Tolerance for football players

Zero tolerance for children, much tolerance for football players. Bob, Des Plaines.

They want their money first

This is in response to, "Just a way to make money." The police department is paid by the Federal Department of Transportation to put those officers out, and handing you those tickets for not taking the 10 seconds to put a seat belt on. Put a seat Belt on and avoid the $25 to $50 fine. "Click it or ticket", is a nationwide campaign. As for those who think writing tickets generates this huge abundance of revenue for your town, you're sadly mistaken. Let's say a $75 ticket is issued. Park Ridge makes roughly $11 for every $75 ticket handed out. One hundred of these tickets generates around $1,100. The county, state, and feds want their money first. The paper to write out that ticket probably costs more than the revenue generated by the actual ticket itself. Then we can't forget those who don't want to put out the $75 that they themselves caused by breaking the law. People go to court and this brings downs the fines if not eliminates them, which in turn hurts the town's revenue. So you, yourself by not paying the tickets reduce your town's revenue on your own. Congratulations!.

Won't have to scrimp

Wife to husband: "did you see what Jane's husband gave her for Christmas?" Husband to wife: "Did you see that I did not give you a big credit card bill that will take a year of scrimping to pay:?" Wife to husband: "Thank you."

Not arrogant to say "American"

When we are in the United States of America, we are entirely correct to say we are Americans in America. "America" is not a part of the name of other nations.