Free for all Friday

Let's talk about something fun for a change. 1st one that gets serious is out.

How about these Cubs :)

I'll tell you what - pitchers and catchers report to training camp soon and it's supposed to be 50 degrees out today. After the last two months of unrelenting cold, that's a welcome change.

Last week, the Sun reported that the Village of Plainfield layed off half of their building department (5 people) due to slower building growth (that is anticipated to continue).

Naperville's growth ended five years ago. What is the employment levels in the comparable departments over the past 20 years? Are there 50 percent fewer employees today than 20 years ago when there was massive development going on?

That would be a way to balance the budget. I think that would be part of the new managers conversion from a growth mode to a maintenance mode. Cut down on the bureaucracy.

Problems in ParaNaperville on February 7, 2009 12:
Yer out!

By Problems in ParaNaperville on February 7, 2009 12:51 PM
Last week, the Sun reported that the Village of Plainfield layed off half of their building department (5 people) due to slower building growth (that is anticipated to continue).

That would be a way to balance the budget. I think that would be part of the new managers conversion from a growth mode to a maintenance mode. Cut down on the bureaucracy.

____________________________________________________________________

Couldn't agree with you more. I have been saying this for 3 years on this blog site, that I know City Council Members and City Officials read.

No one listened.

Now when they have an $11.5 million operating budget deficit and $61.5 million pension fund deficit they are forced to listen or face bankruptcy as has happened to many cities who operated in the same manner as Naperville such as in California. Let us hope it is not too late.

It really blows my mind that they kept their full building department after the majority of growth stopped 5 years ago. It just does not make sense.

A smart City Manager would be pro-active and not re-active. Our last City Managers were re-active. Let us hope the new manager is pro-active. Let us give him a chance.

Take a deep breath.... Like Jo said YER OUT !!! Lets talk about something fun for once...... How about those CUBS???

I've got one: With Valentine's Day coming up and the economy the way it is, are you doing anything different or special (don't go there) to celebrate yet keep the costs down?

Or... along the same lines, what is the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you? Or, what's the most romantic thing you have ever done for someone else?

And another idea: Who would like to see a maximum character count on the length of individual posts on this blog site?

By Another Anonymous on February 7, 2009 8:53 PM
Or... along the same lines, what is the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you? Or, what's the most romantic thing you have ever done for someone else?
---------------------------------------------------

I dated a girl at NCHS from 77-79. We went our separate ways and both were married twice. 25 years later we finally married each other and are inseparable. I always saw her name in emails with my friends but never talked to her direct. We both kept everything we gave each other when dating in HS. She even kept my school i.d. card. The way everything fell together for us to be where we are now was nothing short of miraculous. Kinda that meant to be thing...

Jo, I love stories like yours. Congratulations.
And, what a small world. I am a NCHS graduate from 77 and my husband is a graduate from 76. We were high school sweethearts and have been together ever since.
All of my siblings married NCHS graduates, as well. Maybe it's something in the water there.

Here's a feel good story the Sun missed. Of course the Sun normally only reports negative things our kids do:

Plans are underway for the 7th annual District 203/204 Shootout for Cancer, scheduled for Friday, February 13, 2009 at 7:00 PM at International Ice Centre in Romeoville, IL.

This charity exhibition hockey game features high school players from District 203 (Naperville North and Naperville Central) pitted against cross-town rivals, District 204 players (Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley), as well as the girls team, Naper Warriors.

Proceeds raised from the Shootout activities go to the DuPage chapter of the American Cancer Society to help fund cancer research at Illinois medical centers and to provide support services for cancer patients living right in our own community. The fundraising goal for this year’s event is $10,000.00.

Jo...

That is very lovely & inspiring story to share with all of us...full of hope also. It is amazing how when there is love it really never goes away. It says alot for the two of you, or at least one of you to take the chance, the risk of going back to them and wanting to try again. If more people would do that the world might be a better place. To know you are not happy & take steps to be happy is very healthy. Some people just let fear get in the way when if they would take the chance they might find out they had nothing to fear. Love is ALWAYS worth the risk in my opinion. I mean what is the alternative really? As Walter Mattheau's character said in "Grumpy Old Men", "It's never too late! That is why they invented Death!" :-)

OWVY,
We were only 18 yrs old then. We both needed to grow up. Believe me, there is no risk here.

We like your style Chris,keep up the good work. Must say fr-r-r-eee fer all fry-day will be a productive question as time passes. I dated a girl at NCC way back in 71-72. When it was a quiet church college. The guys would bring the girls back to Jefferson before curfew and sometimes in good weather we would sleep on the hill with a blanket or sleepingbag.Sat. morning we would start right back up with the spark'in and court'in.Anyway that was along time ago,imagine sleeping on the hill nowadays:)

Jo...I didn't mean anything nasty...this is a general societal thing. People do not want to risk finding out the other person might not be open. They may not feel the same way etc. It is easy in hindsight but it is a risk to even love for many. To open up & let someone in and be vulernable. And when many people do they get hurt & close up more. Ask all the counselors who are dealing witht his. Ask marriage counselors! You may not have felt is was a risk but just asking someone out on date has the possibility of the person saying no they are not interested. Do not minimize it in general. Perhaps you do not feel that way because both of you were on the same page but that is not true of all and if one of you were not it would not have been.

Well we can still talk about good things but I think we really need to discuss this Aurora School situation. You know I totally understand the legalities of this not happening on school grounds and innocent until proven guilty but as they were showing it on the news again I thought of some of the HS who do still discipline when the athletes drink off campus. How are they able to do that then?

What business is it of the school what someone does off of school grounds? Where do you draw the line? Should students be given detention if they're recorded swearing or chewing gum at home?

Keyboard Rambo...

Gum chewing & swearing is a bit ridiculous example...they are not talking about something like that. The parents are concerned about their children being safe of course & the districts I'm thinking of that do have a code of conduct say they have to be good citizens everywhere. Now I think about College...on campus there are things that will get you kicked off but off campus? It just seems like there should be some consistency...you can't drink off campus or you get disciplined by the school but break the law more severely & they can't do anything? One or the other has to change. That is the point I'm trying to make. They just said on tv we can't do anything but some are so how are they able to?

I don't want to get embroiled in this issue, but I just wanted to explain my understanding of the parents' views. They are saying that basically the kid who was allegedly assaulted is still forced to see the people who allegedly assaulted him every day. That's what makes something that happened in a private setting into a public issue. The other side of course is that the students haven't been convicted of anything yet. It's definitely a matter for discussion as to which side you feel has a more compelling case.

Yes, seeing the attackers if you actually were a victim to them, each day, is a problem as far as PTSD potential but it is also that parents of other children feel if they did do this attack now my child is near them also and what could happen? Yes, I mentioned on my first post of this that it is innocent until proven guilty idea that I also understand.

Everyone who thinks everything is honky dory with all the kids still attending the same school and integrated in with the rest of the student population should set their kids up with a play date with these individuals while you go out on a date or a weekend getaway with Drew Peterson.

Innocent until proven guilty, right? Why does this suggestion sound like a not-so-great idea?

District 204 should have removed the accused from the rest of the student body the minute the felony charges were filed. They do not need an explicit line in their handbook stating so; it is already covered by their responsibility to provide a safe learning environment. Send the materials home to the parents or send the kids to an alternative 'out away from the crowd' facility/building so they can still provide them with a 'public education'. Problem solved.

In the past they justified their actions for other things by saying that laws don't PROHIBIT them from doing something. This time they claim they don't have anything saying they explicitly CAN do something. The public isn't that stupid; they simply do not wish to do anything because if they did they would have.

Obama's Fear Machine, LOL

Colbert Report

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/217978/february-05-2009/economic-stimulus-debate

Jo...

The question is what if they are found innocent. Once they did this what happens after this. Yes, I realize they may not, but if I school does this & they are found innocent then what happens. You bring them back? Once you pull them you know who is accused. Why don't they put names of juveniles in the paper when they are arrested for criminal activity? What is the reason for that? Why don't they tell everyone?

You say they just do not wish to do anything....why? What is the motivation?

Lets say a student stole something from a store on the weekend. Does the school then separate the kids because they might steal from them? And before a trial? If a kid beat up another kid on the weekend or after school basically off campus...perhaps the victim is beyond the childhood blackeye...goes to the hospital with broken arm or needs stitches etc do they separate the kids, put the kid in alternative before a trial even if the parents did press charges on this? I don't know all the particulars of this case, not sure if anyone does but I think certainly if this is just a situation of waiting until court that the kids were actually caught during the act by an adult perhaps that is something very different. Does the type of harm make any difference? Then why one type & not the other. If you catch them beating someone up or stealing so forth...just trying to think of the other side of this also.

I'm not claiming I know the solution, just trying to get everyone to see both sides to this issue, consider all factors.

How about this weather recently? I stumbled out my door this morning in a stayed-up-too-late pre-Starbucks stupor to go to the office dressed in my full winter coat and hat without even considering that it might still be FIFTY DEGREES outside. Caught a late showing of Slumdog Millionaire last night... what a PHENOMENAL movie deserving of every award it has received.

In other news, I recently ordered a package from Amazon which I checked the USPS tracking on this morning. How is this for the perfect example of government efficiency-

2/9/09 @ 10:53:22 AM - Munster IN US - Shipment has left seller facility and is in transit.
2/9/09 @ 04:40:00 PM - NEW BERLIN WI - Arrival Scan
2/11/09 @ 02:41:00 AM - NAPERVILLE IL - Arrival Scan

Now, in case you don't know where Munster or New Berlin are, here is the package's approximate path on Google Maps.

The best I can determine is that whoever is responsible for routing packages at the post office has watched Apollo 13 one too many times and is attempting to use the gravity of Lake Michigan to send things slingshotting around back to Naperville.

The School and district has an obligation to the well being and safety of the student population.

They do not wait until a bomb goes off until they begin to evacuate a building. As soon as they have word of a POTENTIAL threat, they spring into action regardless if it is real or not. Everyone gave Kudos to the police and the school district for the BB gun that was found at WV, which turned out to be no real threat when you get right down to it. They took action before a school official saw it and before they even knew IF there was even a gun in the first place. They took immediate action solely based on supposition.

The prosecution side of the law already determined there exists reasonable cause a violent felony was committed so they filed charges. If the assailants did the same thing again to another child or the same one, would that convince you yet or would you still want to wait for the end of a long drawn out trial for a conviction?

Their right is to a public education. They can still get that and be removed from the rest of the student body at the same time.

Yes, action can be taken but WHAT action is the question. Can they make it safe without the childrens removal? Are you saying they can not make sure that these particular children do not (if they did do it) molest any other kid at school? If you are saying that then how are they keeping them safe from anything else or from some other child who has not done this yet from doing it on school grounds? Now do I think things still happen despite all efforts? Yep. You can not prevent everything in life from happening. Boy wouldn't that be nice. Probably cause is not the same thing as guilty. There are plenty of men sitting in jail 30 yrs due to probably cause & then a dna test proves they did not rape the woman. You have to be very careful here. There are some some who have been found guilty of what appears to be a string of rapes & they may not have done it. This is the difference between assumption & proof! My students get the all the time from me. They say did you hear...I say "Show me the proof" though "show me the money" is great too but hey that is Blago! HA!

Keyboard Rambo...

Thank you so much for the laugh! I really needed it. I too suffer from lack of sleep today, due to worry about someone, but I'm not a coffee drinker so Starbucks was not my drug of choice. Got through my classes though...gloomy weather didn't help. Students made me laugh a few times.

Hmmm I wonder what USPS was trying to avoid with that route...what was in your package? ;-)

Just random junk, like an iPod cable, new cookbook for my bread maker, and some CD's. Trying to burn the rest of my holiday gift cards before I inevitably forget about them in the bottom of my desk drawer only to discover them years from now long after they've expired. :P

I think if they got someone with a brain and maybe an updated map of the USA to discover that in order to get to Wisconsin from Indiana you have to drive through Illinois the post office wouldn't need to raise the price of a stamp yet again. ;)

I suspect the post office is still operating based off maps with giant question marks in between the Mississippi River and Oregon.

Maybe Blago got a new job driving! Maybe that is why he had so much trouble in figuring out IL! HA! You know where I'm at our mail use to go south a few hours & then come back up to us when we would send it just across town! YA! Made sense huh! I got a bunch of CDs & DVDs on sale at Circuit City in Naperville last weekend you might like to check out.

OWVY,

Extreme deviant acts of behavior (especially those that bring about felony charges) warrant the removal of the offenders from the rest of the student body, in many people's opinions and in the opinion of many other districts around the country as well.

Give them their public education, naturally, but remove them from the rest of the students. Don't think for a minute that those around the area and school don't know what happened or who they are as if there is still some 'identity' to protect or that no one really knows what happened. If you are one that doesn't then enjoy the bliss for as long as it lasts.

This is a school, not a court of law. The school has a responsibility to the (population-2) kids to keep them safe. A court of law will worry about the due process while they still receive their 'public education'.

And if the court of law finds them not guilty what will you do Jo? They can't keep others safe with them there is what you are saying. Then the day before they did this off grounds how did they keep them safe? You can keep safe in many ways. You know I don't think if we had a college student who was arrested for Rape off campus we could keep him off campus. I'll check with our admin so what is the difference? Once he was found guilty it would take care of it but I don't think prior to him going to court.

Now what are you going to do about these kids off campus then. Do you prevent them from walking down the public sidewalks past your house? Not going into town to hang out?

Do I like the generally idea that a potential child molestor is sitting next to my child...no but if the school can't keep my child safe, how are they keeping him/her safe from anything. I'm not niave to think word did not get around but at the same time that is not the only factor here. And quite frankly...you are suggesting they go to an alternative school...why is it ok for the other kids there to be around them? We don't have a duty to keep them safe? See life does not have easy answers as you may think. Things are not always a black & white as you believe them to be.

I went to Circuit City just last weekend in fact. I read online that someone picked up a Playstation 3 for $200. I don't really have any use for a Playstation 3, but $200 for a BluRay player is pretty good! For a company that is undergoing liquidation, their prices sure are ridiculous. I made the mistake of sauntering through where the TV's are displayed (Which are all being sold open box now.) and was caught up by some salesman like a spider sensing prey in their web.

I pulled up the TV he was trying to sell me on Amazon.com's mobile site on my phone to see their EVERY DAY price with free shipping and most importantly no tax was close to 15% cheaper than the open box used display model they were trying to sell me at a "rock bottom" price. Aside from that by now everything is completely picked over and they seemed to only have really weird off-brand stuff and the kind of DVD's you'd find at a thrift store for 10% off retail price.

Not really sure what I was expecting! I did think all the security guards they had everywhere was pretty funny though. They must protect the overpriced generic spindles of recordable CD's!!!

OWVY,
You are not talking to me, you are talking to original Joe or OJ. Let's be sure we address the proper initials.
and by the way, yer all out.

Keyboard Rambo, I also stopped by Circuit City recently, and I didn't see any deals. I went to Best Buy first and compared prices on some things I was interested in, and the discounts at Circuit City were in most cases the same as the regular Best Buy price. I've heard that when stores liquidate, the mark the prices back up to the suggested retail price, and then apply the discount. So you're not getting a deal at all at 30 percent off.

Yeah, I heard about the notorious liquidators running the Circuit City stores now on the Consumerist- http://consumerist.com/5079502/no-deals-notorious-compusa-liquidator-to-run-circuit-city-closings

I would have figured though, NOW, after being in liquidation for weeks, they'd be desperate to get rid of some stuff. When I showed the guy my phone and Amazon's price he told me to buy it from them! Ha! I know there's a sucker born every minute, but I'd like to think that a $1000+ on a TV would warrant a modicum of research from even the most impulsive shopaholic.

I drove by there in the morning on the first day of the liquidation on the way to a meeting. I can't even imagine the disappointment of the people lining up to find prices even higher than the day before!

Oh ya I didn't say tvs etc. I found some great DVDs & CDs but maybe I'm just older & just liked finding older ones? 30% off them was great. Ya, we went looking for a digital camera & all they had in the one we wanted was the display model, which we were not about to do that. My niece did fine some DS games, a charger for it and a kareoke CD, so everyone left happy! :-)

OWVY,

I am not suggesting they be around any other students at all. Quite the opposite. When a child is home with a chronic illness, for instance, their materials can be sent home and the student can do the work from there. It's time for their caretakers to step up to the plate and handle/mitigate the problems created.

If the courts find them not guilty, then it finds them not-guilty. It's a lot easier to apologize to two families if they are found not-guilty versus hundreds if the court finds them guilty. In the meantime, they can keep up with their class materials and studies from the comfort of their own homes.

Let's review. A policeman has an ACCIDENT with peds, months later he is suspended,local PC calls for dismisal. Local media reports PD not sure if they have jurisdiction to severe/dismiss? Why would the question of jurisdiction continue after due diligence? Who else on god's green earth would have that RESPONSIBILITY?

Original Jo...

"...or send the kids to an alternative 'out away from the crowd' facility/building so they can still provide them with a 'public education'. Problem solved."

Doesn't your district have an Alternative School for problem students? This is what I thought you were suggesting. Yes, prior you did give the option of home, fine, I'm just commenting on this part.

The reformillinoisnow.org website is up and roaring. Many of the local bloggerz may wish to take a studious eye to this site. Transparency,corruption of public officials,mandatory cooperation with FOIA request,AG office ability to investigate pension feather-bedding,etc,etc. We were amazed that all testimony from members,speakers and the general public has shown up for the Jan 22 meeting. We publicly thank Gov. Quinn and Pat Collins. Thank you Pat,Pat and all Commishion members. All 14 comissioners have intro's and insights under: meet the members.REFORMILLINOISNOW.org is an opportunity Illinoisians have never imagined. The COMBINE can be exposed and dismantled but we need your help!! Any ideas or comments are welcomed at REFORMILLINOISNOW.org. Thanks Potluck

OWVY,

Mea Culpa on the misunderstanding. I obviously did not state or explain it clearly the first time. 'Out away from the crowd' was intended to mean a 1:1 teacher/student scenario away from all other kids but that would be very cost prohibitive. Send the kids and the materials/work home.

Original Jo...

Ok, now what happens if both parents working? Now you have a kid on their own. I'm not sure home is the solution. Also, if this is an extended period of time until trial wouldn't they have to have approval of "homeschooling". One would have to look into all the legalities of that.

OWVY,

The problem of parental units working exists if the kids are sick and have to stay home from school or if there is a snow day. Someone's little angel helped create the problem; it should be no astonishment that their actions come with consequences that the parent(s) have to bear.

The State of Illinois is extremely liberal when it comes to 'homeschooling'. A parent just fills out and files the form. Done. Perfectly legal.

If 'home' is not the 'solution', then the parents can sure as heck figure out what would be; away from other kids. They can also spring for private school if they choose. I don't think District 204 would stop them from relocating their kids elsewhere.

OMG...You think that private students are ok to be around these kids IF they did it? It doesn't matter if it is other kids just so long as it is not my kids. What a lovely attitude!

See it is taking a change in law to do this!

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1428567,Naperville-sex-assault-sparks-lawna_021209.article

That is the point, if this is needed then you can't do it now...may be unfortunate I agree but...

I created a new blog for the sexual assault case and proposed law. Wanna move the discussion to that forum?

OWVY,

Now you're trying to make a false argument just to try to knock it down. Personally, I don't want them around any kids, but if somewhere some parents are ok with their kids being in the same room or locker room with them then hey, more power to 'em.

We can not stop the parents from enrolling them elsewhere. Those places can certainly choose not accept them either. District 204 can only work within its system to protect the kids within it and I hope that Mrs. Senger's proposal (or some variant thereof) is passed to explicitly state they have the authority to remove them from the rest of the student population within the schools they control.

I suspect they already have this authority by virtue of the fact that the laws in Illinois grant them more power to govern their own affairs than one might otherwise think. A judge basically said words to this effect last June with another lawsuit. They have the broad statutory authority to make decisions to govern their own affairs.

However, it looks like the administration and board are playing the 'poor us, we would love to but can not' card and this explicit grant of right takes the wind right out of that sail without the need for yet another lawsuit.

One Who Values You,
You were the first to go against the whole fun thing. Is it that hard to stay the course? You could have requested a new topic for this but you brought it here. If you value us, than let's get back to fun.

Anyone wishing to JOIN in to stop the machine from winning the 2016 bid, go to NOGAMESCHICAGO.COM, that's the right site to team with others of your ilk. Imagine a bunch of no-names and losers trying to hold the machine back from that cash$$$$cow. Check out nogameschicago.com. get involved or pay thru the nose$$$,the costs are tree-mendous. Private financing my foot. NOGAMESCHICAGO.com shoe daley and ryan you are thru with it. STOP ILLINOIS CORRUPTION

Roland Burris should resign from the senate immediately. This farce is hurting Illinois. He should never have been appointed by our corrupt ex governor. Maybe the feds should be investigating Mr. Burris as well.

Roland Burris is as crooked as a question mark. I honestly don't know how anyone couldn't have seen something like this coming. I admit I guffawed pretty hard when I saw the headline on Drudge when it first popped up...

The phrase regarding "two things you can always count on, death and taxes," needs "corruption in Illinois politics" amended to it.

If a nurse works for 40 years and retires at age 62, she or he receives $933 dollars in Social Security Benefits.

If a fireman works for 30 years and retires at age 52, he or she receives $6,250 dollars if his career ended at 100,000 dollars in salary which is common in Naperville.

A nurse spends her entire career helping sick and dying patients. A firemen may see an injured person once or twice a week and spend the rest of the time in the fire house resting and doing a few cooking and cleaning chores. Some training too!

Is this fair?

We heard in the Naperville Sun that non-union City Employees received a 2.2% raise this year. Most private employees received no raises or had a 7-10% reductions in pay this year if they were not laid off.

The Naperville Sun refused to inquire as to what the union Police and Fire Officers received this year. Why! Why do they only publish what the city feeds them. Why do they not INQUIRE?

How hard would it be for a reporter with half a brain to ask a question of city officials regarding what kind of raises union employees received this year, after they volunteered that non-union raises were only 2.2%.

This is what upsets me about the Naperville Sun and why I cancelled my subscription many years ago. I don't want reporters who act as parots for city officials. I want reporters who know how to ask hard hitting questions at any opportune time.

When will this happen Host Chris, so I can renew my subscription? Even high school reporters have asked tougher questions than the Naperville Sun reporters? Why?

Please pass my complaint to the Publisher/Editor of the Sun. I am really upset that we can not read the NEWS THAT IS FIT TO PRINT in our local paper.

I hope the Sun soon publishers what UNION City Employees received in increases. The taxpayers need to know since they are paying for these raises as well as the monstrous pensions at a time when they are being squeezed like a dry sponge.

If the Sun can't get us the answer, maybe Councilman Bob can.

Moderator Chris,

I have not seen anything on our municipal elections. Has the Naperville Sun lost interest in covering local elections?

Has the Naperville Sun budget been devastated that badly by this economy?

Why don't you guys ask the City of Naperville to subsidize your newspaper? If the Naperville Sun ever goes down this will never be the same City again.

They subsidize everyone else. Hopefully, it will be a no-strings attached subsidization that does not take away your freedom to tell us the truth or imposes censorship on your newspaper articles.

The President is addressing the nation so I will take a break from blogging for now. Talk to you later. Chow!

The election's not 'til April. We'll cover it.

Moderator Chris,

Do you know when the election is? I recall it is usually very early in April and if that is the case we have a little over a month left. Hardly enough time to get to know the numerous candidates.

I know this is no Presidential Election that goes on for 2 years which I think is INSANE but we do need some time.

I bought a Naperville Sun tonight and could not find a single ad by a single candidate. My, how the days have changed from the Napergate Era. It seems in those days the Sun was filled with political ads. It seems like all motivation for change in this town disappeared with the retirement of the Napergate Man.

I guess it will be do as Simon says and another 4 years of Establishment rule in this sleepy town.

Maybe all residents are happy that Union Employees in Naperville are getting 5-10% raises while they are losing bonuses, raises, having salaries chopped and being laid off. I also read the Tribune today after realizing it was not the Sun-Times and saw an article about lawyers in Chicago either losing their jobs or taking 10% pay-cuts. It was the first time I had seen the Tribune with its new look and I was floored. I guess bankruptcy shrunk the size of the newspaper. The small size of the Tribune indicated to me that print newspapers will soon be extinct. At least we will save tons of trees which is positive for the ecologists. Everyone should read the Sun on the internet and maybe if the Sun would do a better job they could charge us for the right to read the newspaper. But I am not going to pay to read a newspaper that parots what public officials whisper in its ears. I want a newspapers that checks on public officials. I want reporters that are not afraid to ask follow up questions.

Anyway, I consider the City of Naperville fiscally irresponsible for giving raises in these depressionary times. It is an insult to every resident who is struggling to pay his real estate tax. I know the Sun will never listen to me but it is worthy of a news article. Or better an OPINION.

I believe the election is April 7. I'm sure candidates will advertise more when the election gets closer. I've just noticed signs popping up in the last week or so.

Host Chris,

It would be nice to have an article about why City Employees got a raise this year, while the rest of the world did not.

Ford white collar employees were asked to take a 30% reduction in pay.

It just seems hard to understand how residents who are taking pay-cuts are expected to be taxed to contribute to raises of city employees in the worse ecomomy in most of our lifetimes.

A GM employee informed me he got a 7% pay-cut but he thinks a lot more is coming or no more funds will be coming from the govt.

And again please try to find out what Union Employees of the City of Naperville got this year. Imagine if they got upper single digits. That would really upset residents.

The unions are being asked to take hits nationwide. And unions are taking hits. Why are Naperville Unions being exempted from compromises? Are they immune? It is enough that we have to reimburse their pension funds for their losses. Taxpayers apparently are cluelesss as to what is going on. Sometimes I wonder if they know the Dow Jones Industrial has been halved. This usually means pension funds are halved unless they were in cash which is rare. The taxpayers have to restock the police and fire pension funds. Not the police and firmen. Does anyone in this town get it other than me?

We are the FDIC for the fire and police officers. They can lose all their money and they don't lose a SINGLE DIME. We is the fairness and sanity in this? How could our City Council in their infinite wisdom sign such contracts with the Unions? They are willing to bankupt all the residents and don't give a hoot.

Even one city council member(Miller I think) was againt the non-union raises for city employees and they were only 2.2%. Kudos to him. Maybe he is becoming like Dick and Bob. And I believe it was Wehrli that was leading the campaign against the library deck.

I see hope and optimism coming from our city council despite their prior numerous wrongful decisions.