I’m very disturbed about the high price we pay for the pleasure of driving our cars. You don’t get a new license plate anymore; the state saves all kinds of money on that; you get a skimpy little sticker. And yet it costs us nearly $100 each year for the pleasure of driving our own car. I blame this increase on Jesse White. Then again, some people say it’s not his fault, it’s the governor’s fault. Please, SPEAK OUT editor, put in the paper whose fault it is, and where does all that money go. How was it spent?

According to Secretary of State Jesse White on his Web site, www.cyberdriveillinois.com, effective July 1, 2009, Public Act 95-1009, approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Quinn, established a $1 increase in license plate renewal fees. The explanation also says that effective Jan. 1, 2010, Public Act 96-34, also approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor, established a $20 increase in license plate registration and renewal fees, along with other vehicle-related fee increases. The site notes that additional funds from PA 95-1009 were earmarked for the Illinois State Police, whereas additional funds from PA 96-34 go to the Capital Projects Fund.—JAC

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Hi, this is Villa Park. I’m just wondering why Villa Part does not give a discounted rate for rain barrels like most cities do. Usually they’re about $40-$50 and I know Villa Park offers them but they’re like $95 for a rain barrel.

Utilities Superintendent John Beckwith, of the Villa Park Public Works Department, responded: “The Village of Villa Park’s Rain Barrel Program was approved by the village board in 2010. The price and description were outlined in the program. The residents can purchase and pick up a 55-gallon rain barrel at the public works building, located at 11 W. Home Ave., for a cost of $75 between the the hours of 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. All monies collected from the sale of the rain barrels goes toward purchasing more rain barrels and educational materials to further enhance the knowledge of water conservation. The barrels are made of recycled food-grade plastic with a valve at the lower front. Colors available are black, slate and terra cotta. The Conservation Foundation located in Naperville sells the same barrels to the public for $95.”—JAC

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This is in regard to the Terrace View Pond and the sprinklers not working. The person who called in who said it doesn’t matter about the sprinklers because the park district has dealt with flooding is completely wrong. The reason you flood is because the park district and the village don’t fill up the Terrace View Pond. They put it so that they don’t run enough water into there so it runs into your basement. That’s why the sprinklers don’t work, because the pond’s too shallow. Get your facts straight. Get it figured out. Sorry you’re flooding; there’s nothing worse than flooding. I wish you the best.

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What would you say if a president launched a campaign to overthrow a dictator? How about bypassing congressional authority for said campaign which is required by law? How about launching rocket attacks into other nations—nations we are not at war with? Most would be furious. But this was not George Bush. This is Obama. Do you know that there are ”boots on the ground” in Libya? Do you know he is launching rocket attacks in Yemen in a not-so covert operation? Even if justified, the incursion into Pakistan to get bin Laden was really an act of war against an ally. Just where are those war protesters now? When will the left ever hold this guy accountable for anything? After World War III? Please wake up and wake your friends up too.

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Time for some more answers, if the village would talk to us. From the May 26, 2011, Audit of the Westin hotel; “The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 7 to the financial statements, the Company has incurred consecutive years of significant losses from operations, continued negative cash flows from operating activities, and was not able to make complete scheduled interest payments during the year ended Dec. 31, 2010. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 7. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.” Read the entire report at http://emma.msrb.org/ER470800-ER365754-ER762682.pdf.

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Some neighbors moved out due to foreclosure, and left some furniture behind. It was removed by someone else and thrown to the curb. I asked the guy who came to haul it away where it was going, and he said it would go to a trash heap. I saw decent pieces and wondered why it couldn’t have been donated to an agency that helps people get housing, or wherever it could be re-used to help a family in need. What a shame. What a waste.

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The behavior of some of the spectators at Sunday’s graduation service at Willowbrook High School was appalling. At every graduation ceremony I’ve attended in the last few years, spectators are reminded that the service is supposed to be a dignified ceremony, and that all graduates and their families deserve to have their names heard. Why must so many family members or friends insist on screaming when a graduate’s name is announced? It’s unnecessary, rude and inconsiderate. By the end of Sunday’s graduation at Willowbrook, it was very hard to hear the names of the graduates.

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On June 6 I was waiting for a car to pull out of the parking lot at Paradise Bay parking lot when a car crossed over and suddenly parked in the space. I called their attention and they refused to move their car. I told them I had little ones with me but they said they already parked. One of them apologized but shame on you for not taking the initiative to move the car. I'm sure your parents tried to impart moral values. You're growing up as young adults and some day you will have children of your own, but I’m saddened your kids will take the same path you walked on.

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Lombard calling. Can anybody tell me why there are temporary stop signs in the middle of Wilson Avenue on the south side of Madison Meadow park? There are two of them sitting right on the double yellow line and say "Stop for pedestrians in crosswalk." There are never any pedestrians there but people are stopping anyway and there's going to be a rear-ender there. I'm just wondering why they're up; who put them up; whose authority. Was it just a neighbor who stuck them there or what? Any light you can shed on it—I know the village manager won't let anybody answer the question, but maybe somebody knows.

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Hello, I'm calling from Lombard I just got back from my evening walk, and a dog ran across the street and attacked me. The owner, of course, said the dog was very friendly and came and got it and apologized. I feel totally violated and scared, and I just wish dog owners would obey the law and keep their dogs on leashes or in their yards.

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Comments about Terrace View Pond are valid—it does give a visual of the expression “pond scum.” Some blame the village but it’s the park district’s responsibility to maintain it. They’ve take their share of hits over the pond’s condition, but at the same time, some of the very people complaining—like adjacent homeowners—are part of the problem. An article in the Sunday Daily Herald notes that people are using all sorts of fertilizers to get that perfect lawn, and guess where all those chemicals run off when it rains? Into the pond, increasing the algae and harming the wildlife. Neighbors, why not use fewer chemicals? Is a perfect lawn that important? And, park district, I read in an article how landscape architect Jens Jensen, way back when, came up with a boat attachment that would skim the scum. Problem solved? No. Improved appearance? Maybe. It’s worth a try.

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. I am just wondering what day the fireworks will be shooting off so we can plan our party for that weekend.

The fireworks are slated to begin about 9:30 p.m. Monday, July 4. Information on the Taste of Lombard is available at www.villageoflombard.org.—JAC

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I must admit the teacher stuff that's been going on in SPEAK OUT recently actually makes me laugh. I love opening SPEAK OUT now just to see what's being said about teachers and what's being said by teachers—which is quite obvious. Unfortunately, it's not a laughing matter. The fact of the matter, public unions are bankrupting this state and our country. To the teachers who call in and tell us to stop complaining and that we should have become teachers, and why are you worrying about us, here's the thing. We pay your salary. I am tired of paying for an exorbitant salary and a huge pension. Nobody should be able to retire as young as you do with 80 percent of your pay. They apparently jack up your pay the last few years so you can make retired what you made working. We pay you. I know I'm going to be redundant but we pay you. That's why we get to have a say in it. The free ride and the party are over.

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Hi, Lombard calling. I've patronized the downtown sprinkler park since it first opened several years ago. It's always been a positive experience until one day recently. There were a number of adults who accompanied one small child to the park, put on swim suits and proceeded to have a personal water fight running through the crowd of small children. I thought when the park opened it was designated for young children. Why is it no longer posted as such? At least there could be a sign stating that the park is to be used by children with appropriate adult supervision. These folks weren't even Lombard residents. Oh, and by the way, when you put on a string bikini, here's a suggestion. Make sure that everything that should be covered is covered. Know what I mean? By the way, I'm a Lombard taxpayer, not someone anonymous. I pay your salary, Mr. Hulseberg, and I deserve the courtesy of a reply.

The sprinkler park to which you refer is run by the Lombard Park District, not the Village of Lombard.—JAC

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This is Lombard calling. I just want to reply to a comment made in SPEAK OUT made about the admission fee going up to $3 and no-name bands playing. Yeah, it’s kind of sad that it has to be $3 this year, but apparently you haven’t heard about Slaughter, which was a fairly popular 1990s group. My feeling is, why is it that there are maybe one or two restaurants who only show up who are actually from Lombard? That’s the sad part. It's supposed to be the Taste of Lombard, not the Taste of Other Vendors. So, if anything, we ought to start promoting and trying to get more Lombard restaurants to participate.

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This is Lombard calling on Wednesday, June 8. I'm reading all the complaints about the Taste of Lombard, complaining there's a $3 charge. We're lucky we even have a Taste of Lombard; we're lucky we even have one of the best fireworks displays in DuPage County and around. Look at Chicago; they've totally and completely cancelled the fireworks first time ever in the history. So, if you don't like the Taste of Lombard, so if you don't like watching the fireworks, then don't. Don't pay the $3. Don't go to the fireworks. A lot of people enjoy the fireworks and a lot of people do enjoy the Taste of Lombard. If you don't like it, don't go.

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Hi. If you're reading SPEAK OUT, you can thank a teacher. Love a teacher.

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I have a great idea for the Taste of Lombard and the Village of Lombard. When you have the community tent, why doesn't the village put a booth in there called the Ministry of Information?

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I have to laugh at all you people defending the teachers. Do you not know you pay their salaries, or maybe you’re the teacher who doesn't really care what other people do to pay your salary. To the person who thinks they coach two or three sports, you're mistaken. If I'm not mistaken, they get paid extra to do that. I could be wrong. And, I have to go to seminars and other training for my job too and I have to deal with the public. Just because I deal with the public doesn't make my job easy. Teachers are overpaid, flat out plain and simple. I have a great job, I love what I'm doing, but teachers are overpaid. If they start paying for their pension, say 80 percent of it, then they'll deserve what they get.

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Villa Park. You have me trapped south of St. Charles Road due to the construction on Villa and now the railroad construction on Villa, unusable. Can't take Ardmore because the bridge is still out. Unusable. I attempt to take Route 83; virtually unusable due to the congestion from people unable to travel north on either Villa or Ardmore. My option, then, is go several miles down to Addison and fight my way back up North Avenue. I do understand the railroad repairs may be beyond your control, but the bridge? Did you notice this winter that the bridge was able to support that snow?