I'm calling about a Speak Out that was published about the construction guys at Main and Roosevelt swearing at people who are turning right. I understand there are signs up, but the response, all it's talking about is how they're ignoring the signs, Maybe it should have been addressed on how the construction crew is yelling and swearing at the drivers, who are much older. I don't believe the village actually said they would contact the construction crew. That should have been handled, not just to explain the safety of the workers. It's the people driving and the inconsideration of the construction crew working at the site who should not be yelling or screaming at any driver.

Village of Lombard officials responded: “Your concern was immediately addressed and was communicated to our contractor. The village holds its residents in the highest regard and will continue to address any concerns of this nature. While SPEAK OUT is a useful resource for the community as a whole, please feel free to reach out to Public Works directly at 630-620-5740 if you have any questions or would like information pertaining to specific situations. Customer service is important to the village and we will gladly assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.”—JAC

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Any IDOT workers reading this, thank you for fixing the pothole at Main and North Avenue caused by a chunk of missing concrete. I had learned to avoid it after getting jolted a few times. Also, it seems like you did some trimming on Route 53 after my call about not seeing northbound traffic when I turn off Meadow. It looks better but I think it could be trimmed back a bit more. Even with the leaves gone, the view of the right lane traffic coming over the hill is still a bit obstructed. I hate having to pull out onto 53 to see what’s coming.

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Jill Stein received about 1 percent of the vote in the recent presidential election. She didn't earn as much as a third-place finish in a single state. She finished a distant fourth in most states and wound up fifth—fifth—in eight states. Am I the only person wondering why she is seeking recounts in three particular states when she has absolutely no chance of even placing third in any of those states, even if she tripled her own tally of votes in Michigan and Wisconsin and doubled her output in Pennsylvania? Also, if she is so concerned about accurate vote totals, why hasn't she sought recounts in states Hillary Clinton won by narrow margins—states like New Hampshire, Nevada and Minnesota? Why does she only seek recounts in three states that combined to cost Clinton the presidency? This doesn't make sense.

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I met with my insurance agent to discuss next year's health insurance. Our deductible is going to increase from $2,000 to $3,250, and even so, our premium is going to increase by over $500 per month. Our insurance premium will be more than our mortgage payment and there are only two of us on the policy. This is absolutely devastating. I asked my agent why, and he said that Obamacare gave free or almost free insurance to a huge group of people who have flooded the system with claims and now someone has to pay for it. This is Obama's final obscene gesture to the working class. This is how socialism devastates the working class.

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To the Villa Park residents who have had the "Donald Trump is a vulgar pig" sign out in front of their building, I just wanted to say thank you. Driving past your sign has made me smile since I first noticed it this summer. After the election was over and I saw it was still up, it gave me hope that we live in a country where we are free to speak our minds without any recourse. If you are one of the groups Donald Trump has said vulgar things about, I just want you to know that not everybody feels that way.

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Hi, this is Saturday night and earlier, around 6:30, we went to see the lights at Lilacia Park. It was spectacular. They really are doing a great job this year. We've been there every year for the last 28 years and this year must be the best. All the lights, it's so magical when you look over all of the area of lights. I'm seeing Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph there, it's all so wonderful for the children and adults, too. Thank you, Lombard.

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Lombard’s Jingle Bell Jubilee, what a wonderful evening. Lombard's own illumination; Lilacia Park is a magical park with its 500,000 lights. I saw the crews working in September and on into the rest of the year. Truly a tribute to our village. Thank you to all who made it so special. Lombard, you did a great job.

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Hi. I live on North Grace Street in Lombard. I had gotten for the front of the house the red, the green that goes all over the house. I got up Sunday morning and somebody had pulled it out and thrown it across the grass. This person must be very sad and I want to wish him or her a Merry Christmas.

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Thank you to the Lombard Park District for a wonderful holiday experience at Lilacia Park this past week. I must say I am rather distraught to think that the choir performed in the library for the last time. How is it that the library that handled those crowds so wonderfully could be ready for a bulldozer come spring? Truly disheartening as a taxpayer in Lombard. I can't believe they would tear down that building. Thank you.

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I just had a very pleasant experience at Dr. Jurgensen and Associates in Lombard. My eyeglass frame came apart and I was so happy Dr. Jurgensen's was able to permanently fix the problem within minutes. Also, I wanted to say regarding Dr. Jurgensen's staff and the eyeglass repair, I did not get the frames or eyeglasses there. I got them someplace else, and they're not even in business anymore. So, I was a new customer of Dr. Jurgensen's and they took care of me immediately. Thank you so much.

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The Illinois Constitution requires that the governor at the beginning of each calendar year propose a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Rauner has now submitted two proposed budgets; neither of them have apparently been balanced. Popular wisdom acknowledges why this is so. Both sides know that there needs to be a tax increase to replace the temporary one that expired at the end of 2014. If the governor includes such an increase in his proposed budget, he has to take some ownership for it, even though he campaigned against it when running for office. The election is over.  Governor, your term is half over.  Do your job. Propose a balanced budget and get this state running again.

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I am the person who commented about school bus safety. On Tuesday, Dec. 6, 8:45 a.m., at the corner of Summit and Riordan, a small school bus failed to stop before the driver made a left turn in front of me to go to toward Willowbrook high school. That was terrible. I was at the intersection way before the bus. It was a very foggy day also. I couldn't get the bus number. This needs to stop —and so do the school buses at the stop signs.

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Lombard here. The governor’s insistence on apparently holding our state budget hostage to push his agenda for term limits directly usurps the right of the people of Illinois to directly elect and re-elect legislators who have exemplified the highest level of expertise, ethics and political acumen. Voters have the right to select their candidates. These rights should never be eviscerated by an executive in the state house who hopes to turn the advantage toward his branch of the political arena. Long-serving lawmakers often become more understanding of the rival party and learn how to find workable compromises. Novice legislators often see the other party as an enemy. This can greatly inhibit the coalition-building needed to pass budgets and meaningful laws. Voters have only themselves to blame if they fail to elect representatives who can perform their duties to their state and to the voters.

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. I live on the 100 block of South Stewart Avenue and I just want to say what a great job they did on our streets this fall with the re-paving. It's amazing and it makes the neighborhood look very rich. Thank you so much and have a great day.

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Reading SPEAK OUT and I must say for all the Democrat voters who did not want Trump getting in—all those who are union people, teachers, firefighters, police, steel workers who hate Trump—I have one question for you. How is your pension going? For all the bleeding-heart liberals, I must say, the market is up just since the time he was elected. I believe he will restore the economy, the finances of the nation. He will make America strong again. Do not dismay because once the Democrats get back in power, there will be more money—thanks to Donald Trump—for you to give away to the illegal aliens.

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I made a rare trip to Yorktown Center this week. About 15 seconds after I entered the mall, a woman with a clipboard invited me to enter some kind of contest. When I declined, she kept asking questions as I walked away. Maybe 60 seconds later, as I approached the middle of the mall, another woman insisted on spreading a small amount of lotion on my hands. When I told her I wasn't interested in a sample, she said I could use some moisturizer and tried to offer me some other product. Am I the only person who believes a visit to the mall would be more enjoyable if shoppers weren't forced to deal with aggressive people trying interest us in things we don't want?

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I would like to thank the Villa Park Parks and Recreation Department for a wonderful time on the North Pole Express. We had goodie bags, we had hot chocolate, we had Santa, we had caroling from Willowbrook choir. It was just a wonderful day.

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This is in response to the person in the Lombardian about the person who has a “Donald Trump is a vulgar pig” sign in his or her yard. Well, I believe Donald Trump is a vulgar pig. I'm a Democrat. He is about the last thing we needed in the White House and if the Republicans who voted for him cannot see that yet, they will within the first year of his reign in office. He has done nothing right. He is a buffoon, he is a womanizer, he lies, and I don't want to hear about Hillary and Benghazi. If Hillary was such a horrible person, why is he not going to prosecute her like he swore he was going to do when he was campaigning? Because they all know there's nothing there. You people elected a man who's out there to destroy the United States of America.

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I was wondering, how many cars are you able to park in your backyard in Lombard?

Editor’s note: You did not specify the nature of the vehicles; operable, inoperable or perhaps abandoned. Vehicles are addressed in Title IX, Chapter 94, Article II of the Village Code of Ordinances.

The village has previously issued the following statement: “In response to questions pertaining to the Village of Lombard’s Code of Ordinances or Code Violations, please call the village’s Code Enforcement phone line at 630-620-5757, and someone will return your call. You may also view the village’s Code of Ordinances at villageoflombard.org/ordinances or visit villageoflombard.org/reportaconcern to submit your concern at any time of day.”—JAC

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To the person who has strong opinions about the Helen Plum board and the way it is run with regard to the elections in April, I would assume that you are going to run since you have such strong opinions; and the fact that you said it won by 1,114 votes out of a village of 43,000—how can you use the number 43,000? That number you should use should be of voters because obviously not everybody can vote. Thank you very much. Have a nice day. Goodbye.

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I look forward to reading SPEAK OUT in the Lombardian every week to see what's going on in our community, but I have noticed that a lot of false information is being stated and therefore reported as facts and not opinions.  Sharing opinions is great and I’m pleased you give your readers the opportunity, but when these opinions are factually incorrect, that’s extremely irresponsible. Oftentimes you provide information to correct and clarify the opinion, such as in response to library, police, or road construction matters. But in many cases, especially with the election, you publish the “opinion” with no correction of false statements. You ask people to cite their sources, but either they don’t or you won’t publish them, so people are allowed to say anything they want and they, and by extension you, are falsely informing readers. I don’t believe a disclaimer is enough; you field incorrect assumptions about the library and business construction on a weekly basis so some readers are obviously being misinformed by these opinions. Fake news is a rampant plague, and I would think a newspaper would want to be responsible and only publish proven, factual statements, not falsehoods disguised as opinions.

Editors’ note: We do not let people say anything they want in SPEAK OUT. Three editors screen calls for content, clarity, length and subject matter. If a caller cites a source in the call, it is published. The definition of opinion is: “a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.” Thus, the disclaimer.