I’m not sure but weren’t property taxes always due on the first Tuesday of the month that they are due, which would be June 4? I looked at my tax bill and noticed that it’s due Friday, June 1. If I’m right, that means they not only raised our taxes, but gypped us out of four days for us.

According to DuPage County Treasurer Gwen Henry, the due date for property taxes has been June 1, “as long as I can remember.” This year the second installment is due Sept. 4 due to the weekend and Labor Day holiday Sept. 3.—JAC

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I feel I must comment on the comments in an article from our state legislator, Kirk Dillard, concerning the free rides program. Mr. Dillard needs to update his knowledge on this matter, as it no longer is a free rides program but rather a reduced fare program for seniors. As of January 2012 the legislators changed that to free rides only for those below a specific income, as well it should be. Other seniors, on fixed incomes, pay a half fare amount. Now, if only the legislators themselves would join in on the shared sacrifice of demonstrating their compassion for those they represent. So far I’ve seen none of that and don’t anticipate it, either, based on their track record. What’s the expression—”Do as I say, not as I do?”

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This is Villa Park calling. I would like to know when the village plans to re-stripe its major street arteries.

According to Vydas Juskelis, director of public works for the Village of Villa Park, “Funds for restriping are budgeted this fiscal year. This will be publicly bid, so it will take a few months to prepare plans and specifications and to bid/award the contract. I would expect work to be performed late summer or early fall. Please note that Route 83, Roosevelt Road and North Avenue are maintained by the state, not the village.”—JAC

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The president has a new campaign slogan that he’s been using recently wherever you go. He says it and you see a sign that says “Forward.” I, for one, am not a big fan of this forward movement. It’s bankrupting me. I would prefer to go backwards, to be blunt about it. So, this time around I am definitely voting and I’m taking up a slogan that I liked; it’s called “Hope and change.” I’m hoping we definitely change this time around.

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To the person who called about people complaining of Lombard organizations using outside establishments for their fundraising events, let me enlighten you. Having worked fundraisers on both sides of an event, if the fundraising organization does not approach a business for donations, there is no opportunity to participate. Let me say that again. If the organizations make no effort to engage Lombard businesses by first making the request to participate, then there is no opportunity. That is how fundraising donations are collected. These organizations made the conscious decision to step outside the village and not approach the Lombard businesses, not for lack of participation on their part, but because they were never approached in the first place. Now you are enlightened.

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Lombard calling. The village should use the hotel-motel tax, which is designated to promote overnight visitors to the village, by constructing a five-story parking facility behind the Catholic store on St. Charles Road. This would allow many people to come to the downtown district, park their cars, go to the various restaurants and stores, and enjoy beautiful downtown Lombard.

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To the person accusing a caller of being the “thought police” because the caller said SPEAK OUT should be used to discuss local issues, not national politics, I think you took it to the extreme, like this person is trying to censor free speech. I, too, think SPEAK OUT is a forum for commenting on local topics, because there will just be more banter and vitriol between Republicans and Democrats who call in, and I would prefer to read what people have to say about what’s going on around Lombard, Villa Park and the county. I agree with that caller about commenting on local politics and so forth. However, I did not read into it that he or she is trying to stifle free speech. It was just one person’s opinion.

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I would like to give a shout out to 20 West Wine for their support of the Red and Black bags tournament and tasting they had a couple of weeks ago. Thank you for all the support you give the community. It is so much appreciated.

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Everyone in Lombard should be asking the question, Why is the Lombard Park District contributing a half-million dollars to Glenbard East High School in order to put artificial turf on their football field? When did it become appropriate for the park district to fund artificial turf at Glenbard East?

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I agree with the person who stated that national politics should not be printed in our local paper. SPEAK OUT has lost focus on the purpose. Here’s a local problem I have. The parents who are allowing their children to ride motor vehicles at the Broadview Slough should be fined. We all received letters from the village stating motor vehicles and dumping are prohibited. You are disturbing the wildlife big time and the peace and quiet I look forward to after a hard day at work. I haven’t even seen the deer in a while. Wildlife is becoming scarce. Teach your children to cherish it, not to disturb and destroy it.

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Recently there have been a lot of people complaining about various groups from Lombard taking their business out of downtown Lombard for beer tastings, wine tasting—Malloy’s in Glen Ellyn is getting a lot of the publicity or they’re bringing in the alcohol for stuff here in Lombard. Lombard did do something to keep people here. We put in those parking lots downtown for the train station so people from Wheaton and Glen Ellyn could come here and park cheaper. I would say that’s a positive thing, right?

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Hello, all you overtaxed Americans. I don’t know if you feel like I do, but I’m sick and tired of people like Mr. Karzai from Afghanistan coming in this country looking for our tax dollars to pay their bills. They’re the ones who caused the war in the first place, so it’s about time these countries start using their tax dollars and giving it to us Americans to pay for our bills. We get deeper and deeper in debt every time we go into a war and the defense contractors are doing nothing but getting richer and richer. Defense contractors from all over the world make huge amounts of money from wars. Tell your politicians to stop this nonsense and that we’re not giving away our dollars to foreigners anymore. Let them pay their own bills.

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I don’t understand the people watching the Lilac Parade; either they’re ignorant or lazy, that they do not know to stand or have respect when the flag goes by. Either their parents aren’t teaching them or their parents don’t know. Maybe there should be one hour of a school session in September to teach students about respect for the American flag, about men taking their hats off, about people standing up when it goes by. I can’t understand this; is this ignorance or laziness from many generations?

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It was nice to enjoy the Terrace View Pond for awhile, looking pretty good. It’s back to its surface of green scum, and looks awful. I wouldn’t want to fish there for fear of getting my hook caught in something besides a fish. Terrible to look at and not a good reflection of Lombard for visitors passing by. It’s embarrassing.

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What a coincidence Bill Mueller and Dave Hulseberg are on the pension bandwagon. Nice way to defer the attention away from the Westin debacle. Get out the adding machine and tally the cost from inception to now and residents would wonder if that unrecoverable money could have filled the village’s pension responsibility. If the residents only knew the associated costs of that project that the village shelled out.

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Hello, Lombard. This is to the Democrat who thinks that voting for Obama or voting for a Democrat will save a life. If you really think that keeping the Democrats, or even Obama, in office is going to save this country, you must be reading the National Enquirer. If you have noticed lately, the debt has tripled in three years, Obama continues to spend, we have no budget; if you think keeping the Democrats in power is going to save Medicare and Social Security, you’ve got another think coming. Wake up and smell the coffee. Voting for a Democrat or a Republican may be the biggest mistake you’ve ever made.

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Obama gave $11.3 billion to companies that failed, using our tax money and taking out of a job 28 million people. Take prosperity back. Vote Obama out.

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People have to speak out not only at a local level. We must make known our views on a local level, state level and national level. The decisions made in Washington and Illinois affect our community as well as Villa Park, Elmhurst and other communities. Americans must start being vocal. All we hear in the media are the crazies and anarchists. It’s about time Americans start speaking out.

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Lombard calling. I’m confused as to why Lombard police continue to allow people to exceed the limit through a school zone on North Main Street, just south of North Avenue. That’s a 20 mph limit. There are people doing 35, 45 through that. Unbelievable. I guess it’s going to take a tragedy to have that fixed.

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This is Lombard calling. It is Wednesday, and the rat is up—the inflatable rat, the union mascot protesting in front of Jewel by Main Street and Roosevelt Road. It’s like, if anybody can do any kind of work without having to get the union’s permission they’ll bring the rat out. Yeah, that’s the mascot.

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Attention downtown Lombard merchants. I want very much to spend my money in downtown Lombard, but sometimes you’re your own worst enemy. For example, I tried to make a purchase at one of the stores in the middle of the day. It was closed. Two different times at two different restaurants I went at dinnertime. Closed. I can’t help you if you don’t help yourselves.

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Trustee Wilson, did you forget to mention that you get free health care for the rest of your life with that state pension? Or the fact that you have approved raises for yourself and your fellow trustees over the short time that you’ve been “serving” us overburdened taxpayers?

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Hi, this call is a big thank you to the Villa Park 9-1-1 squad for getting me back on my feet first thing early Sunday morning. You guys are the best. Thank you.

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I’m sitting here at Grace waiting for two freight trains, one going each way, to pass, so I can cross over and continue on my way to the post office. I’m glad to see that our little community is a train city. My, that makes me feel good to know that I have to wait 15 or 20 minutes sometimes. Also, that spewing smoke from those diesel engines has to offset the great carbon footprint that we did with the green energy policy. Nice going, village; did you ever think of that?

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SPEAKING OUT FOR 25 YEARS

The following comments are reprinted from the June 16, 1993, SPEAK OUT column in celebration of SPEAK OUT’s 25th year.

Hi, Lombard calling. I was just wondering if anyone else is bothered by the problem of little children playing in the street when cars have to move around them or take alternative ways. This is really ridiculous. Thank you.

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Over 62 percent of American people support a single payer universal health care system. Hillary Clinton’s managed competition is too complicated and won’t do the job. The Republicans have no plan of their own and, of course, have been captured by the political pacts of the insurance industry, the American Medical Association and the pharmaceutical industry, which favor the status quo. We need a Canadian-style system and elimination of the bureaucratic waste and coverage and access for all. Thank you. Bye, bye.

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Recently I was at a local business. At 9:30 p.m., a female stripper walked in and proceeded to do her show. As a female there on a date, I was upset that we were not told that this was going to take place. I arrived not even five minutes before her. Shouldn’t I have been warned that a female stripper was going to be in? Is it legal for a business to have a stripper in and not warn a paying customer? I know I will never go back there.

(Note: This call is from 1993 when the police department still provided answers for SPEAK OUT.) The Lombard Police Department has no record of the incident you described and therefore did not receive a complaint of the offense. Police said, however, that if a citizen is offended by any actions at all, they can call the police; an officer will respond to determine if any criminal acts have taken place. Arrests can be made for indecent exposure or disorderly conduct, depending on the situation.

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You know, this is a great line to call. It just releases my aggravation and besides, I’m waiting for my coffee to brew which will help relieve my aggravation, too. It’s just amazing. It really is.