Journal & Topics Media Group

Speak Out!


The following Speak Out! messages appear in Sept. 19-24, 2018 editions of the Journal & Topics Newspapers.

Sees Both Sides

In response to the Oakton Street area rail station — I truly hope that this doesn’t raise rent for the apartments on or around Oakton Street. On a positive note, having access to an Oakton area train station would allow easier access to high paying jobs in the city. Thanks, Dr. Fang.

Wants To Know

Leaf pickup: The city does a great job in this matter, although, why is the pickup scheduled so early and ends when there is still leaves on the trees? Just wondering.

Don’t Bash Cops

I am getting tired of all the Des Plaines police bashers out there. Who of you or people you work with had too much to drink at the company picnic or Christmas party? Should you/they have been fired for it? Next time you holy rollers need help in the middle of the night, try calling your church maybe they will send someone over.

Uncomfortable

It’s never comforting for me when someone in a position of authority is having to reassure us that they are okay. Whether they’re cops, priests, or the president, it just makes me feel uneasy. Imagine a surgeon at your bedside before a serious operation trying to comfort you by saying that all the negative stuff you’ve been seeing on television about surgeons doesn’t reflect the vast majority. “Sure, there may have been some cases of patients becoming so-called zombies as a result of a surgical procedure being performed on them, but remember, most surgeons operate without this ever happening.” But haven’t some of these zombies eaten the very surgeons who operated on them, you ask. “Oh, we have safeguards in place for that now. You don’t have to worry about that.” You see, their reassurances almost always say less about the situation than the ways they are attempting to protect themselves do.

Crushes, Beware

Just a thought: Isn’t the sudden revelation of alleged sexual assault by Judge Kavanaugh during his high school days opening up Pandora’s Box? If anyone gives this accusation about an incident that may have occurred decades ago any credibility, doesn’t it give any adolescent the opportunity to “punish” anyone who did not reciprocate on those “crushes” we all experienced while growing up? Watch out, boys and girls, a “blast from your past” might come back to haunt you in your future.

Hard To Read

What is going on with the street name signs in the Village of Niles? Reliable, easy to find and read standard green street name signs are being replaced with hard to find and almost impossible to read white signs. What a colossal waste of tax money for a project to make the situation worse than it is now.

Repair Fieldhouse

The fieldhouse in South Park in Park Ridge is a disgrace. Ceiling tiles are loose with large gaps and look water stained. Is there asbestos in the ceiling tiles and floor tiles? There is no hot water and low cold water pressure (while there is a pumping station at the edge of the property) throughout the facility. It needs major renovation or replacement.

Easier To See

What happened to daytime driving lights? They are one of the best ways to see a car whether a bright sunny day or a dreary one. It is surprising, too, how few cars have headlights on when it’s raining.

Wants Term Limits

School District 62 and 207 Board of Education. There should be term limits for the board members. We need people with fresh minds and fresh ideas. Also, members of the boards should be limited to people not in education. Teachers and administrators on boards that negotiate contracts with the teachers unions is wrong. It’s a conflict of interest. Please start going to these board meetings and demanding changes. We need modern people with modern ideas.

Stay Strong

I have read the Journal for years and find it to be very informative and credible especially on local issues. One of my favorite parts of the Journal is the Speak Out section. Last week I found two Speak Outs to be quite a contrast. I am a Maine Township resident who has had an opportunity to take advantage of township department services and I have also been to functions that elected officials attend. Trustee Kim Jones is one of the kindest elected officials who work for the township, always patient and open to conversation with residents. I must say that I found the first Speak Out regarding the unfortunate sexual harassment claim issues between Trustees David Carrabotta and Kim Jones to be a strong logical argument in favor of Trustee Kim Jones. On the flip side, the short Speak Out condemning Trustee Jones seemed to imply that Trustee Jones should just keep quiet. It is true that if a crime is committed and there are no witnesses, it does not mean a crime was not committed, so why shouldn’t we believe Trustee Jones? It is estimated that 80% of the female workforce report incidents of sexual harassment at the workplace. Only approximately 6% of women that are sexually harassed are brave enough to make an official claim. Thank you Trustee Jones for being brave and persevering the harsh process and all the mud being thrown in your direction. Stay strong for all of the women in the township that you represent.

Fortune Cookies?

We live in a sick and depressing society right now. I got real proof yesterday. I went to lunch with a group of co-workers to a Chinese buffet. I opened my fortune cookie, and the fortune reads “Behind an able man, there are always other able men”. What is wrong with the phrase “Behind every able man is an able woman”? Yes, leftism is even making its way into fortune cookies. Stop it now.

Not Another One

Oh good. As I read the Journal, I see that DP wants to put up yet another train station. Let’s make it completely impossible to get out of town with another stop for motorist. Oakton is bad enough during the day. Let’s not make impossible to drive down. Have you been on Oakton during rush hour?

Need A ‘Bean’

The sculpture “Cloud Gate” (the Bean) by Sir Anish Kapoor is one of my favorite things. Here’s why: 1) No one asks me for money when I visit it. This makes it part of my world in the same way the sky is, or Lake Michigan. 2) It’s free of corporate sponsorship. It’s refreshing and rare to experience something that hasn’t been tagged with corporate graffiti. 3) It’s politically and religiously neutral, so it’s not trying to impose a particular viewpoint on me. I can relax and just enjoy the aesthetic pleasure of this wonderful thing that has no real reason to exist in the world, other than it generally makes people feel good to be near it. 4) The crowds who gather to see it are incredibly diverse. I’ve had enjoyable conversations with a wide range of folks from around the world, all because of a reflective bean the size of a house. Wish Des Plaines, or one of the surrounding communities, had something even remotely like it. You’d find me there.

Think About It

It’s a bit rich for people to anonymously write Speak Outs to complain about the anonymity of the author of the recent Trump-critical New York Times editorial.

Yes, But…

Yes, the president has a 1st Amendment right to speak his mind. However, a *good* president realizes that his or her words can have major consequences that other citizens’ speech does not. A *good* president heeds the (apocryphal) words of Mark Twain: “It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.” A president who uses the “bully pulpit” for petty complaints and lies is serving our country poorly.

Feels Shortchanged

To the mayor of Niles: Your TIF projects are shortchanging the citizens of Niles. When you repaved some streets on Callero, Loras and parts of Lyons you forgot the rest of Maryland and the rest of Lyons. TIF the streets that are unpaved. Quit spending millions on Grainger and the property on Greenwood where the PNC bank and offices occupied that building.

Get Name, Number

If you receive a junk phone call requesting that you set up an appointment soon for a free roof inspection, get the company name and report the phone number and company name to the city. Do not provide any personal information. They already know your address. In the past two weeks, I have received at least three calls from two companies I never heard of, and the callers would not provide much information about the history of the business or location of the company’s main office.

What’s Law Say?

Hi there, every morning and afternoon I drive down Northwest Highway and pass the Cumberland train stop. People are always jaywalking across Northwest Highway. Are we supposed to stop/brake (going 40 mph) and let them cross? Are they supposed to stop in the middle of the road? What is the law here? They are not crossing in crosswalks, just walking across the middle of the highway. It is very unsafe for walkers and drivers.

Nice Work

Your reporter, Anne Lunde, continues to cover the events and activities in detail and she explains this to the public in a way that we need to know and a way in which we need to understand it. Please compliment Anne Lunde for me and put this in Speak Out. Thank you.

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