I laughed when I read the Obama worshipper's list of some of the president's “accomplishments” in the Jan. 6 SPEAK OUT and mentioned the rising stock market. It's funny, when a Republican is president and the stock market goes up we hear leftists rail about the rich getting richer and the middle class getting the shaft. If a Democrat is president and the stock market goes up, those same leftists tout the rise as good news for everyone.

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I went to that lamp shade store in Glen Ellyn last summer and it really is a great place—very nice and reasonable shades and lamps.  They are having a big sale and I just got another great deal. It's called Lamps and Shades.

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. I drive for Meals on Wheels and I had the unpleasant task of telling people on my route that they will receive food only two days out of the week instead of five. Shame on you politicians who haven't passed a budget in many months. Stop acting like spoiled children. Of course, the politicians did find funds to pay the lottery winners, but I guess they're more important than the home-bound senior citizens.

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Hello, SPEAK OUT, to Mr. or Mrs., Water-My-Lawn on even or odd days due to the addresses, have you looked outside? Bye.

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With reference to the contributor to SPEAK OUT regarding President Obama, my question is, are we better off? My answer: No. It's like a Washington soap opera with Obama as the lead actor. Obama's legacy is one of discord, turmoil and division. It begins with the Internal Revenue fiasco. The next chapter's Benghazi, which left Americans dead. The episode on race relations is a disaster followed closely by the assault on our constitution and the Second Amendment. The deficit is at an all-time high while international affairs are sinking to an all-time low. This is one of the worst, if not the worst, presidents this nation has seen. Thank almighty God and our founding fathers that President Obama can serve only two terms.

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Speak Out: Question for Lombard. Why can’t you do something for the seniors when it snows? It’s bad enough that those of us who live alone have to shovel our driveways, but then the plow comes by and packs the snow where we cannot shovel it. Why doesn’t the village have a program for those over 70 who live alone on a limited income, where a smaller plow comes by after the big plow and pushes the snow from the bottom of the driveway before the pile freezes and we can’t get our cars out? The village could have a sign-up with proof of age. Some towns really do care for the seniors; I haven’t seen that at all in Lombard. Thank you.

The Village of Lombard provided the following answer to your question: “The Department of Public Works is responsible for salting/plowing approximately 160 miles of roadways during each winter storm event. While the village tries to minimize the impact that the plowing operation has on properties, the accumulation of plowed snow along the apron is unavoidable. The Village of Lombard values all of its residents; however, driveway clearing is not normally provided by units of government such as township, village, county or the state. Those needing assistance with property maintenance matters often receive assistance from their neighbors, family, church or a privately hired contractor. The clearing of snow on private property is not a function that the village can perform.  The village simply does not have the resources available to perform this type of work. The village Web site contains a number of snow-related Frequently Asked Questions and resources that may be helpful in minimizing the impact to your property. Please visit villageoflombard.org/snow or call the public works department at 630-620-5740 for additional information.”—blm

I would like to thank the combined efforts of the Villa Park police, the Elmhurst police and Dr. Timothy Bessette for helping me rescue a stray dog near Route 83 and Villa on Friday. If it wasn't for Dr. Bessette's ham and cheese and the patience and kindness of the police officers, this little dog would have been missing much longer. I am happy to report the dog was recognized as missing at DuPage Animal Hospital and was returned to its happy owners. We need to take the time to share the wonderful things our heroes in uniform do every day that go unrecognized. Thank you again for your time and your help.

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I have been seeing street lights on during the daytime, both on Main Street and also on St. Charles. I teach my family to turn things off when not in use. Why can’t the village do the same, since we are paying the electric bill?

The Village of Lombard answered your question with the following: “There are several reasons that the downtown street lights may have been illuminated during daytime hours, but without knowing exact dates and times, the village cannot pinpoint the exact cause. The village public works department has been trimming and restringing the tree lights over the past few weeks. As the electrical power for the outlets in the tree vaults is connected to the street lighting system, the lights were intentionally left on during the work to ensure proper placement of the lights in the trees. Additional causes may be due to malfunctioning equipment or a photocell, which controls the lights that may not have sensed enough daylight to switch the lights off. This often occurs during darker winter days. Please feel free to contact public works at 630-620-5718 with any questions.—blm

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I am so happy Chicago was not awarded the 2016 Olympics. Can you imagine what we would have had to deal with this year, not to mention the last couple of years? There would have been constant reports about the construction of venues, how much they cost, how much they were over budget, etc. There would have also been protests about how much was being spent when Chicago is broke, and so many people would be asking why more wasn't spent on other expenses. There would have also been several concerns about traffic and security. And I'm sure Rahm and his team would have been involved, as if they don't already have enough on their hands. Let Brazil have all the fun with this year's Olympics. From what it sounds like, there are plenty of problems down there.

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The Bible says a lot on a lot of topics. It wholeheartedly supports slavery, condemns all who eat the meat of a pig and overall offers a lot of contradictory advice. I have to disagree with the last week's caller who thinks that it should be used as the basis of public policy.  He or she got the quote about those not working, not eating correct. That of course is not a quote from Jesus. Remember what Jesus said to the man who wanted assurances that he would be let in heaven: Sell all that you own, and give the proceeds to the poor. 

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Hey Lombard. I don’t understand. Someone explain to me why they won’t pick up my brown bag full of leaves, sticks, twigs and stuff like that, but they’ll pick up my Christmas tree. Aren’t they the same kind of thing? What’s up with that? Not very green.

Your question was forwarded to the Village of Lombard which provided the following information: “The contract between the Village and Waste Management identifies the scope of work that Waste Management is required to perform. The contract states that Waste Management is to provide for the collection of leaves at no cost through the end of November. State law prohibits landfilling refuse that contains more than 10 percent yard waste. During the yard waste collection season, Waste Management runs separate trucks to deliver yard waste straight to farms where the leaf material is spread as fertilizer.  The Christmas trees collected by Waste Management are mulched in their yard and then used for landscaping.  The Christmas trees do not enter the waste stream and are therefore eligible to be collected beyond the November deadline in compliance with state statutes. For more information, please feel free to contact public works at 630-620-5740.—blm

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York Township Meals on Wheels is being reduced to two days from five days. A $700,000 subsidy, due in July 2015, has been held hostage in Springfield by Gov. Rauner until the legislature agrees to his turn-around agenda. That turn-around agenda does not balance the budget. It does cut taxes for businesses, actually shrinking state coffers. It also seeks to curtail employee union rights and reform worker protection laws to benefit employers. It also slashes many state programs that help the elderly, the disabled, the mentally ill and our low-income earners.

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I'm going to talk about the unaffordable care this government is imposing on the public. A lot of us cannot afford the high cost of it. My solution is, cut out the money we need, foreign aid we're giving to other countries that bring no benefit, and pay for the medical the people in this country are paying for through high taxes and not getting any benefit. Why give it away to somebody who doesn't need it or should not have it? We need to take care of our own people first.

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I hope many of you had a chance to see the beautiful light show in Lilacia Park over Christmas. My family visited on Christmas Day night and we were thrilled by the experience of the holiday lights and the soft background Christmas music. Thank you, Lombard Park District, for a job well done and people in Lombard, do yourself a favor and don't miss it next year.

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This is Lombard calling. I had to laugh when I read about the sidewalk trip hazards and how the village will put asphalt down as a temporary fix and then put the area on the schedule for replacement. I contacted the village over a year-and-a-half ago about the numerous trip hazards on the corner of West Central and Elizabeth, wrapping around the corner. They came out and put asphalt on some, missing the largest drop of over 6 inches. Now there’s also a section of sidewalk missing on Elizabeth that’s nothing but uneven gravel. It’s been that way all summer. No permanent fix. How long does it take to get on the schedule? By the way, great job on the corner. How would anyone in a wheelchair navigate getting there, let alone the school kids catching the bus there. Well, at least they can jump.

The Village of Lombard provided the following answer: “The village policy regarding trip hazards does address a deficiency of 1-3/4 inches.  The village received a call in May 2014 and September 2015 to address potential trip hazards and responded by ramping sidewalks at the corner of West Central Avenue and Elizabeth Street. It appears as though the initial call addressed the deficiencies along one side of the corner lot and the second call was related to the other side of the lot.  Upon receiving this concern, the village performed an inspection of the site and found that an additional ramp was required to temporarily address a trip hazard. Public works ramped the additional deficiency and the sidewalk sections have been placed on the village’s list for removal and replacement in spring/summer of 2016.  Additionally, a b-box was replaced by the Department of Public Works on June 16, 2015, to address a failed valve. The sidewalk is on the village’s restoration list and will also be replaced in spring/summer 2016.  At the time of the repair, the area where the sidewalk was removed was backfilled with stone and a barricade was placed over the gravel section. The village apologizes to the neighbors for any inconvenience this work may have caused.”—blm

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Why do we hear nothing about reducing state pension obligations for elected and appointed officials when state pension cuts for other state workers is discussed? What other part-time positions offer lifelong pensions after as few as four years of so-called service?

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On Thursday I bought a snowblower at the Ace Hardware on Westmore. I can't remember the young man's name who helped me. Then there was Tommy, another young man who put the snowblower in his van and followed me home and got it all put together, put the oil in, gave me the instructions. Absolutely wonderful service. I always recommend Ace Hardware.

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This is a very belated thank you to the Villa Park Board of Trustees for starting to tackle the problem of the townhouses on North Avenue. It is so nice to have a board that actually does something instead of all the bickering that has gone on for so many years. We have nice new streets, now the bad landlords are being addressed and I'm looking forward to much better times. Bye.