This is Lombard calling. Recently someone was slamming Republicans about being proud that no Republicans voted for the Obama health care tax. This person asked how it could be horrible if it was not implemented yet and it won’t be for six months. This was just last week, and I hope desperately that this person does not vote. A great president once said, “The greatest threat to our nation is an uninformed voter.” This, folks, is an uninformed voter. The day that Obamacare got passed, things took effect. Number one, Obamacare redefined the definition of a child. A child was now a 26-year-old adult who would be allowed to stay on his or her parents’ plan. That’s in effect.

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This is for the caller who thinks George Bush wrecked the country. Excuse me, George Bush did not ruin the country. The country is already ruined. Yes, he was a terrible president. This is where they were talking about how more people died under his administration than anybody else’s. That’s a bunch of baloney. I don’t care if it was Bill Clinton’s, Bush’s, Obama’s or whomever’s, people need to quit looking at it from a partisan policy. This is a human issue. It’s a question of how many human beings lost their lives in their administration. I don’t care who was president. This is a human issue. Just imagine, that could have been you who lost your life or someone in your family. You’re going to tell me that you’re going to trust Barack Obama or any politician on things like this? This man is a very, very, very dangerous man. Have you seen him walk on water? He is anything but a savior.

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In response to the letter to the editor and the calls the EMS make, maybe even though it says we do not have as many seniors, maybe we do have more seniors in Lombard. Also, I’m glad that we are that responsible and helpful that we help out. After all, Glen Ellyn still has a volunteer fire department. Thank you.

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When will the people behind the Pizza Hut on Roosevelt Road and the alley there get some relief? We have fireworks, we have parades, which are all nice and good, but when are the people who live on that alley going to get some patching of that alley and a permanent fix? They pay taxes like everyone else. Why should other streets be first that aren’t anywhere near as bad as that? It’s really unfair of the village.

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Hi. I live in Lombard, driving Grace Street today at 12:20 and I slowed down at the Prairie Path to let some bicyclist cross the street. Coming in the other direction was a Lombard police officer in a plain car. He told me that I should go; that I can’t stop and let the bicycle people cross. If I want to, I’ll stop and let them cross. Is it against the law for me to do that? The Lombard police are ridiculous. I can’t stop to let somebody cross the street if I want to? Hey, Lombard Police, it’s called being nice. Check it out. You might want to take a little dose of that and try that once in awhile. Try being nice and let somebody cross the street.

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When Lombard allowed fire pits they opened the flood gates because now some people burn everything. For instance, recently the fire department was called out because somebody was burning a desk. I would suggest that Lombard ban open burning all together because some people don’t know how to handle it.

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Hi, on Wednesday I was driving home after picking up my wife from the train station and I realized that we had a flat tire. We had just turned east on Maple Avenue and I thought it would be safer to change the tire in the nearly empty lot of the First United Methodist Church. I was immediately joined by Dennis, who apparently had just left the church and was heading home. Together we got the spare tire and the necessary equipment to change the tire. Dennis jacked up the right rear and began loosening the lug nuts. When the wheel proved difficult to remove, Dennis went to the church garage, found a two-by-two and expertly pried the wheel loose. We mounted the spare and tossed the spare tire and all the equipment back in the trunk. I gratefully offered Dennis money for all his help, but he cheerfully refused. He turned a minor disaster into a happy experience and my wife and I would like to publicly thank him again.

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To the person who keeps griping about the news, weather, etc. on television, do you have that much time on your hands to watch so much TV and scrutinize every news or weather report? Yes, it rains in the summer, snows in the winter and so forth, but I, for one, want to know what the weather is going to be like so I can plan accordingly. I also want to know if there is something going on overseas, in the nation, in the state and in our own backyard so I can be informed. I think most people would agree with that logic.

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In a recent call to SPEAK OUT, someone complained about a fee to get in the Taste of Lombard. If there is a fee to cover the cost of the nice event provided to us, it’s worth it. It would not be fair to make exceptions to the rule. If you went to the zoo or a movie you would have to pay an entrance fee to buy popcorn inside. Why would the Taste be any different? This is a problem in America; we have more freedom and opportunity than anywhere in the world. When people feel they are entitled to be given things for free, it creates a needy society instead of a responsible one. Thank you.

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You know, I am convinced you have to make up some of these calls. Somebody is upset because he or she had to pay to go to the Taste of Lombard to buy a pretzel for a pregnant daughter and they are a low-income family who didn’t have any money. What are they going to do, go buy a $10 pretzel at the Taste of Lombard? You can buy a whole bag at the Jewel and there’s a very nice pretzel place in the mall at Yorktown and you don’t need any extra money to pay to get in. Come on; this has got to be the dumbest call I’ve ever read. Anyway, sorry to call to bother anybody, but that’s ridiculous.

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Good evening SPEAK OUT. What I’m calling about, is District 45, the “News and Views” newspaper that they just sent out; they’re saying how great the new Jefferson parking lot is going to be, I would like to know, who is going to pay for that parking lot, when Villa Park has big problems with their streets being torn up and so on and so forth. I’ve been through that parking lot on my bike and things seem to be fine just for people to park. The sidewalk seems to be fine, so I’m just wondering why they would do that and take care of this particular parking lot that needed no repair, instead of taking care of the streets. Who’s paying for all this kind of stuff?

The Village of Villa Park is a separate entity from the school district, which means each pays for its own projects from their individual operating funds.—JAC

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Hi, from Villa Park. If the person from Lombard thinks he or she has a problem at his or her church, he or she should come to mine. Our pastor took off for Mexico for the summer, supposedly on sabbatical to sort things out. Wouldn’t you think that after the age of 35, most people have a good idea where they are headed in life? Meanwhile, the congregation is expected to sit in the pews and drop their financial contributions into the collection basket. No answers are given to the questions that continue to mount. Sure hope this guy isn’t still drawing a paycheck from my parish. Sure hope I could take a long summer vacation with no one to answer to.

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The average money for college grants and scholarships is $6,300 a year. Parents are the leading source of college costs. Students working is the next. They do not recoup their money, ever. They pay back loans. Now, this person who called in before and said I was kind of goofy, expecting the government to pay for everything, it wasn’t that. If you had a mortgage of 4 percent and all of a sudden the bank came back and said, "We’re going to jack it up to 8 percent," the first thing you would do is yell and scream at the government. These kids aren’t doing that. They’re just asking them to leave the rate where it was so they can pay off their loan before they retire. Now, I hope you understand this.

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With everything going on in the whole world—wars, death, everything—the No. 1 story is a baby being born in the royal family in England? We are the Rome of the 21st Century. We are done. Stick a fork in us. How pathetic.

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Lombard calling. I’m just wondering who trains these people at the Village of Lombard to say “Village of Lombard, please hold,” without ever taking a breath, then put you on hold and leave you there for five minutes. There must be some kind of a class. I don’t know anybody who can talk that fast.

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Hey, Lombard calling. Too bad about Jim’s Pet World, Villa Park. Great family business. Second issue, to the person who was talking about commas—and I don’t think you mentioned the mighty semi-colon—regarding the Second Amendment, what’s really important isn’t somebody being able to put commas in the correct place, even though I am a straight A English student. What’s important is that this person supports the Constitution of the United States, he or she votes and getting this country on the right track is more important than a comma, semi-colon or somebody’s use of a colon. Our rights are being slandered; they’re being desecrated. States where they can carry a firearm have much lower crime rates. I don’t know why this is still an issue. Chicago gun control is working great. I’ll say that again. I don’t know if it falls on deaf ears. Gun control doesn’t work. The bad guys don’t control guns; they use guns.

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I’d like to express my complete acknowledgment of the home that’s located near Edgewood and Madison. Their lot is completely beautiful. Whoever does the garden work should be congratulated. I just want to say, I love going by there; my friends love going by there. Please tell the people who live there, keep up the good work. Thank you so much. Bye.

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It seems like more people are waking up to the reality that Barack Obama is a fraud. He’s been president for four-and-a-half years. Did his “stimulus” plan reduce unemployment to 5.6 percent, as he promised? Has the deficit been reduced? Where are the green jobs he promised? Have racial relations improved? Do countries that were hostile to us in 2008 like us today? Has the rise of the oceans begun to slow? Has the planet begun to heal? Has he closed Guantanamo yet? Has the Affordable Care Act made health care more affordable? I’m sure some Obama worshippers will tell us why he hasn’t delivered. It’s George Bush’s fault. It’s the Tea Party’s fault. It’s the Fox News Channel’s fault. Sure.

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Why doesn’t anyone understand the power of the first amendment? Please, fellow readers, when mentioning “freedom of speech,” don’t take that to mean that anyone can say whatever they want without recourse. The “freedom of speech” provision prevents the government from imprisoning you because of what you say. What’s happening in Russia with that female punk-rock group won’t happen in America. But that doesn’t mean anyone can commit slander and get away with it. Memorizing a few words in the Constitution is great and all, but please understand their meaning and context as well.

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It is really a shame to see how the Village of Villa Park has deteriorated. Come on, people, let’s take a stand against the violence, gangs and drugs in our community. The area near Ardmore and the train station seems to be a spot where a lot of this activity is taking place. Let’s send a message to the landlords renting out to troublemakers that they will be held liable for illegal activities. Let’s drive the problems out of our community and make it once again a nice quiet place to live. The police could start by placing constant pressure on those people engaging in unwanted behavior. I recently saw a group of young people laughing at the police officers while they watched from across the street while the police were doing their job. How disgusting and disrespectful. We don’t need that in our community.  Stand up or our town will be overrun with violence, drugs and gangs. Stop complaining about mundane things; there are a lot of bigger problems going on in your community. Maybe you should get out and look around.

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The gentleman who purchased the Roladex file at the garage sale on Highland Avenue forgot the Roladex. If he will stop by the house we will be glad to give it to him.

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While it is true that many more people died in U.S. Embassy and U.S. Consulate attacks under George W. Bush, there is no record of American deaths. In Benghazi, four Americans including the Ambassador Chris Stevens were murdered during a seven-hour fire fight. Help was requested and denied by someone. Until the American people get the answer to who told our military quick response team to “stand down,” the case is not closed. The only person who has the power to overturn such an order is the “commander in chief.” It is also worth noting that Obama went on a campaign tour the very next day while the consulate was still burning. Shameful.

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It’s time for Lombardians to end Laura Fitzpatrick’s tenure as trustee. To the many who have voiced their displeasure with her political agenda, I would ask that you rally together to make sure she is not re-elected in 2015. Action speaks louder than words. Laura must go.

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Hi, I’m calling about Mr. Z’s. I just want to say I love that store, too. It’s such a nice hometown kind of place and I’ve been going there for years and I just hope their restructuring all works out because it’s just such a good little store. I also want to say that they do so much for the community and I don’t know if people realize just all that they do for everyone in Lombard. Mr. Z’s, we love you and I hope all goes well. Thanks.