This is Lombard calling. I’d like to know how come no sirens were blowing the night when those severe storms came through around 7:30 Friday night of June 19? That was not just a regular storm; that was worse because at a couple of homes where I live, part of the roofs were blown off as well.

Lombard Fire Chief George Seagraves addressed your comment by responding, “There is national and local protocol for when the sirens are to be activated. The activation of the sirens is predicated on information from the National Weather Service, DuPage County Office of Emergency Management, our Emergency Operating Center, our dispatch system and public safety personnel in the field. The sirens can be activated independently by either our dispatch center or our Emergency Communications Center based on the information being received. This particular storm had high winds but did not warrant the activation of the outdoor warning system. We encourage all residents to seek shelter and tune in to local TV and radio stations when the sirens are activated. The weather in Lombard may not appear bad at the time of the activation but the approaching weather may be severe and conditions are of the nature that very severe weather such as tornados may develop. There is no all clear signal so please use discretion. An additional siren activation means that there is new danger in the area.”—JAC

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This is Lombard calling. Recently someone complained in SPEAK OUT about pontificating about politics. I must agree —what could be worse than a free and open discourse about politics? After all, our founding fathers found that whole thought disgusting, didn’t they? Of course I am being facetious. I have one simple little question, though; at what point do the people who voted for Barack Obama have to sit there and say he owns what is happening in the country right now? Obviously he owns GM, and he wants to try owning Chrysler—well, I guess not, Fiat does—but hey, a French company is better than our government owning it. But, at what point do we sit there and have to say that this guy is spending us into bankruptcy and this is his economy, not George Bush’s anymore? Just something to think about.

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Hey, all you Democrats out there. How’s that no raise in taxes working out for you? How’s that hope and change working out for you? Let’s see—since he’s been in office six months, he’s going to you paying taxes on health care, that’s nice; cap and trade’s going to raise your energy bill, that’s nice; oh yeah, we bailed out General Motors and  Chrysler—we’re going to pay for that—that’s nice; got a $13 a week tax credit, that’s nice. How’s that hope and change working out for you? Obviously it’s not working out. Oil’s on the rise; of course that’s Bush’s fault but he’s not in office, so we’ve got to blame Obama. What else has he done that is so great for this country? We are worse now than we ever were. George Bush spent money like crazy, but it’s nothing like what Obama is doing. This is an abomination. Welcome to socialism. I cannot believe this; I cannot believe you people backed this person.

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Residents of Lombard, the tax-exempt CPSA school addition was approved, even though the taxpaying residents felt it was not in the best interest of families and the neighborhood. We the voters and taxpayers are all disappointed in the village planning commission and trustees for letting us down.

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I’m so glad we didn’t get Bush for a third term and all that spending and the wasteful spending. Oh, wait a minute; we did get Bush’s third term, except it’s Obama wasting money, throwing money out the window. What have we done? How much money can this man spend? How many czars who do not have to report to anybody but Obama—how many are we going to have? How many more taxes are going to be raised? I hope all you people are happy with the Obama nation of socialism in America.

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To the woman who called in complaining she got $200 in fines for rolling through red lights and being caught on camera, hardworking mother of two; I don’t care if you’re Jon and Kate and have eight kids. There are no separate laws for people who think they are separate from, or above, the law. Whether you are hardworking or unemployed, you break the law, you deserve the consequences. How arrogant for you to think the law applies to everyone else. Set an example for your teenagers by obeying the law and not teaching them to view it as optional.

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Here’s an inconvenient truth; on July 1, the temperature was about 65 degrees. What happened to global warming? I know you zealots would say that this is just an aberration, but then when it gets to be 90 degrees, you’d say, Hey look, this warmth is caused by global warming. You can’t have it both ways.

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I’m calling to say that I got a ticket at a red light in Villa Park, too, a $100 ticket. Yes, I understand that everyone has to stop at red lights, and I did. However, in order to see if more traffic is coming, you have to move up a little way, again, the second time. Are we supposed to make a complete stop again, the second time? To contest the citation, I would have to take off from work. I’m not making any more right turns at red lights, which sometimes make other motorists angry. They won’t understand until they’re ticketed. I don’t feel that some of those red light enforcements are quite fair, but I don’t want a $100 ticket, so I’m not going to turn on red anymore. Other motorists are going to have to be patient and wait out the light with me. I think Villa Park is making money off of us.

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I used to be a 40-year resident of Lombard. I moved out roughly six years ago. Wondering why, somebody like Daniel Tani can have a street symbolically named after him, aside from the fact that he was on the space shuttle and went up into space, or anybody who worked for the Village of Lombard who died in the line of duty would have streets named after them. My father worked 12-18 hours a day to put food on the table for me. Why isn’t a street named after him? I just don’t get it. You might as well call Lombard Chicago West because all Chicago does is name streets after people who have done nothing for the city.

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I read in the July 1 letters to the editor that funding should not be cut for social services and I agree. Christine Lewis, chief professional officer, United Way of DuPage Area wrote this. I would like to know what her salary is. That would be quite interesting to know.

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This is Lombard calling. I would just like to congratulate the Lombard Boys Little League Triple A Pirates for their championship win and their almost-perfect season with only one loss during the whole season. Way to go, Pirates.

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I’m a Lombard resident and I know every year we have the Taste of Lombard, but is there any way, during the week, that the band has to play past 10 p.m.? There are people who have to get up early in the morning, like between 5-6 a.m., and the music going on past 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday is a bit excessive.

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This is in response to the Lombard resident who resents the fact that there red light violations and she got two tickets. We’re sitting here thinking, Why doesn’t she just stop at a red light like she’s supposed to and obey the rules of the road and set an example for her two teenage children?

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Hi, Lombard calling. For the Fourth of July, the same people as usually didn’t even bother putting their flag out. If that’s not apathetic—I could say lazy, I could say disgusting—it’s absolutely ridiculous. You have no idea why you’re in this country, you can’t even fly your flag. When the mothers and fathers of our wonderful veterans drive by they must be sick to their stomachs, wondering how apathetic and how little you care about what’s going on in this country, while the government’s owning car companies and having unaccountable czars for everything from fine print to automobile makers, becoming a socialist empire, and you can’t even put out your flag. In the midst of all this other garbage, at least put out your flag.

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I was watching the news about how bad the recession/economy is, and I’m tired of the news/media, meaning print, talking to people who are here who have anywhere from three to nine or 10 kids who say they can’t pay their bills. Hello, you have three to nine kids; hello. Or, they’re driving SUVs that are worth anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000? Hello, trade it in, get another car with better gas mileage. I’m tired of subsidizing people like this, which is way, way out of line.

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Our so-called representatives have had a long, arrogant and presumptuous reign. Please remember; the party affiliation comes first, not us. Special interest comes next, not us. We are a distant third. Are you tired of hearing about fraud? Pay to play? Sexual indiscretions? It is time to stop. Call them. Tell them what you really think. How do we initiate a term limitation for senators and representatives? We must vote for the right person, not party.

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Villa Park calling. I had nothing against Michael Jackson. I’ve already heard enough.

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This is Lombard. I read in Speak Out someone complaining he or she couldn’t get in to the new water park before 12:30 because the person didn’t have a season pass. Big deal.

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Lombard calling. I went to the Taste and they charged a dollar just for getting an ID for buying drinks. Just for checking your ID they charged a dollar.