One member of Irshad did question "Why have we been singled out, as if our activity should be restricted?
What do you think? Are they being discriminated against? Are the rules fair? How about neighbors? What are your biggest concerns?
The city has in the past approved a property tax rate increase and then lowered it when assessments are released, and officials claim the same thing will happen this time. The city plans to collect more than $50.6 million in property taxes next year and only approved the higher rate in case assessments fall, to ensure city services are funded.
This is necessary because a property tax levy must be approved well in advance of the budget year's beginning.
Councilwoman Judy Brodhead said the assessment was much more important to a person's tax payment than the tax rate, but Councilman Bob Fieseler objected to a tax that is impossible for a struggling property owner to avoid, unlike a sales tax.
Still, for owners hoping a drop in property values would mean a drop in taxes, it would seem the city is planning for a way around that contingency.
What do you think? Is this just business as usual or do you object?
]]>All visitors under age 18 are prohibited, including those who want to visit a newborn sibling. All others, regardless of age, are asked to refrain from visiting, if possible. You should not visit if you have any upper respiratory signs or symptoms. Patients and visitors with any upper respiratory signs and symptoms such as cough, fever, sore throat or general fatigue will be asked to wear a mask from the time they arrive until they leave or are instructed otherwise.
One can easily imagine a scenario where a parent is dying or facing serious surgery and the family wants to visit one last time, but is denied because of this policy. Of course, one can also imagine a sick visitor spreading an infection that sweeps through the vulnerable hospital population. Do you think this is something that has to be done, or is the hospital overreacting?
]]>But with a second Naperville resident dying at least partially because of the flu on Wednesday, and with another death in Sandwich and more than 900 students sick at St. Charles East High School, it's starting to look like H1N1 may be for real.
Are you more worried about the flu now than a few months ago? Do you plan to get vaccinated?
]]>Officials are being asked by the city to cut $1.1 million from the library budget to help eliminate the city's deficit. The library is proposing to use $500,000 from its operations fund, as well as a request that the city waive the library paying $150,000 into Naperville's IMRF and health insurance fund. Other proposals include cutting Sunday hours, discontinuing 'premium pay' on Sundays, and cutting staff.
Previously the library had been forced to cut many programs, book clubs and other events many residents had enjoyed, along with buying fewer books and reducing time materials can be checked out.
What do you think of the proposed cuts to the library? Can it maintain its quality with all the reductions?
However, few people use public transportation. Pace is considering cutting 51 suburban bus routes, including five in Naperville. Most people have never taken or rarely take a bus, though some depend on them. The waiting list for parking spots at the train station takes years to reach the bottom. Besides that, the train is only practical for those who work in Chicago or somewhere else along the rail line, and many towns are nowhere near a commuter rail line.
Planners say the future looks like the area around Naperville's downtown train station, with high density residential and commercial property where everyone lives close to public transportation. But it seems likely most people will continue to live far from such locations.
So what can be done to improve transportation in the Chicago area? Can buses and trains be the answer or do we need another option? What other options would you suggest? Do you ever take public transportation?
]]>District 203 and 204 don't have any plans to lengthen the school day or school term, and District 203 is bound to its current school year by its terms with the teachers union. Also, factors like bus scheduling have to be taken into account.
Despite the objections, do you think Naperville students should spend more time in school, either with additional days in the school year or more time per day spent in the classroom?
]]>However, with a projected $14.1 million budget shortfall in the 2010-2011 year, the City Council is considering adding a sales tax as an option for closing the gap.
Other options include raising property taxes, raising gas taxes, deferring road work or taking on more debt. The property tax would have to rise from 71 cents to 89 cents per $100, and road work would get more expensive if it is delayed.
Also under consideration was the reduction of the downtown food and beverage tax if a sales tax is added, as that was part of the agreement when the tax was implemented.
Do you think a sales tax is called for, or is there a better option?
]]>I remember watching the returns on Election Night, and the overwhelming sense of disappointment I felt when the cable news networks pronounced Al Gore as the winner in Florida. Then the elation I felt later that night when they reversed the call and gave the win to George W. Bush. Of course, even later that night they reversed the call again, saying it was too close to call. You know what happened next, as the recounts and court fights stretched into weeks and we all just wanted it to be over. I was firmly convinced Bush had won and I was really starting to hate Al Gore and his supporters for not conceding and for drawing the whole thing out.
Of course, Bush was eventually named the president, but some people could never let it go and never missed an opportunity to question his legitimacy. Then the war in Iraq started, and as time went on it started to become more and more unpopular, with widespread protests and criticism. But for many, it went way beyond simple criticism. Bush was an utter moron, many said. Or he and Vice President Dick Cheney were part of a diabolical scheme to help their friends in the oil industry. They were actually behind the Sept. 11 attacks. They lied. They should be immediately impeached.
At first, I would argue with these people, trying to point out how absurd many of these charges were, but arguing did no good because these people were just unreasonable. They knew how things were and there was nothing you could do to change their mind. It's not that I didn't think Bush had his faults, because I did, but these arguments were so over the top it just became ridiculous. Eventually I just became turned off by the whole situation and started to tune out of politics.
Then came Obama's presidency. I didn't vote for him, but seeing how happy everyone seemed to be on election night, I thought this would be a good thing for the country. Give him a chance to try out his ideas and see if he could fix some of these problems in the country.
But instead, politican debate is dominated by the same irrational distractions, only coming from the other side. People were saying Obama is a secret Muslim who wants to destroy the country. He wasn't even born here and isn't really president. He is a socialist/communist and all his communist friends are trying to take over everything and ruin the country. He's going to take everyone's guns. It's the same crazy ranting that has little connection with reality, but millions of people are caught up in it.
I consider myself middle of the road politically, and I am completely turned off by the country's political climate. While some are foaming at the mouth over the encroaching socialist tide, I just can't make myself care anymore. These ideas seem so divorced from reality that they make the whole process ridiculous. I used to love talking politics, but it's harder and harder to do that now and keep it on an even keel.
Time magazine had a cover story this week on Glenn Beck and the rise of the angry voter. Is this the way American politics are destined to work from now on, with one side firmly convinced the other is the embodiment of evil on earth that must be stopped at all costs? Can we ever go back to the days when there was bipartisan cooperation on serious legislation and the two major parties disagreed but still respected one another at the end of the day? Does this kind of angry, fearful debate make you take more interest in the political process, or turn you off, as it does me?
]]>Do you think the police in Naperville are fair?
]]>A recent email from District 203 indicated that parents could contact the school if they wish their students to be exempted from the broadcast. Reportedly, Jefferson Junior High will not be showing the broadcast. Do you find it unusual that parents are being offered the chance to opt out from a broadcast by the president? Is this something every student should see, or is there a reason you wouldn't want your child to view the speech?
]]>What do you think of the proposed reforms? Do you think we need a national plan, or some variation on the current system? If you don't like the current proposals, how would you do it better?
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