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Hey, this is Lombard calling. Two days after the election I was pumped, I am excited, I am stoked. Hopefully Barack Obama follows through on his promise for change. Hopefully he gets rid of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barney Frank. Look what they did in two short years of coming to power. They destroyed our economic system, our banking system and our lending system. And, hey, folks, let’s all be happy. I’m pumped. The world’s good.

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Hi, we just did take-out from the new restaurant in town called Capone’s, and it was fantastic. We wish them great success. It was very good and we highly recommend it.

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Lombard calling. I may have missed a law or something; when did the left lane become the soccer mom driving-slowing-and-talking-on-a-cell-phone lane? Whatever happened to keep to the right except to pass signs we used to have everywhere? That’s what I thought the left lane was for.

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Hello, Lombard and Villa Park. I have some news that I’ve got to tell people. The state of Hawaii is canceling its state-run child health care program, and the reason they are is because of the cost. What seems to be happening is that everybody who is paying for health care through their employer has decided not to take it and has decided to use the state-run health care program. Not a bad idea. What the state of Hawaii did not realize, and the Democratic party did not realize, is how much it’s costing them. And the state of Hawaii can no longer afford to pay for it. Looks like that’s what we’ve got to look forward to in a Barack Obama administration. We will go broke paying for health care.

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. Well, the auto industry was at Capitol Hill again asking Nancy Pelosi for $25 billion more. Folks, let’s get one thing right. This is not a bailout of the auto industry, this is a union bailout. GM right now spends more money on pensions for retired employees than they do building cars. I am a union man, completely support the unions, but what was GM thinking, promising pensions they could never, ever afford to pay? I hate to say it, folks, but I am against the bailout. We shouldn’t be bailing out GM, we shouldn’t be bailing out banks, we shouldn’t be bailing out anyone. I am fiscal with my own money—I want to keep it. I don’t want to bail out bad business.

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This is Lombard calling. I had to laugh out loud when I saw one of my neighbors with a big sign in his front yard saying “No socialism.” I can’t believe that anybody bought into that lame argument from the McCain camp about Obama being a socialist. Here this guy painted his own sign, put it up in his front yard I think whereas that sign can only be put up during the campaign, he ought to put up a sign that says, “I’m stupid.” That way, he could have that sign year-round because that’s not so related to the campaign. By putting that sign in his front yard, that’s what he’s telling everybody anyway, so why not cut to the chase and just take that sign down and put up an “I’m stupid” sign and run it year-round?

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OK, I just want to share two of my pet peeves: Number one, get these people off the streets who are selling things, soliciting money and this and that. They are just messing up traffic—Main and Roosevelt, it’s bad enough without them getting money and causing a traffic jam. And, please, can we get all of these advertising signs off of the parkways and telephone polls? Puh-leeze.

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I just wanted to make a comment about Barack Obama winning the presidency. I am a white person and voted for him and think it’s great that he won. But I don’t think it’s right that all these people are running around saying how great it is that a black person won. I don’t think it should be about race. I think it should be about who was the better candidate and they shouldn’t say anything about race—that’s a lot of what people voted on. I just think it’s ridiculous that people make a big issue about race in this country. I hope we don’t have to listen to this for the next four years.

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To the parents of the group of kids who skateboard on West Road near Park View School, your kids are skateboarding nearly in the middle of the street after it is dark. I almost hit not one, but two of them the other evening, and it’s because my headlights didn’t pick them out until I was almost upon the first boy. I won’t get into the whole skateboarding in the street thing, but wearing something reflective would have at least helped me see them from a distance. Just saying.

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This is to Joan Rogers from the village Code Enforcement Team, whose response appeared in the Oct. 29 issue in the paper. I disagree with her. She said, “We all do our best, and be patient and considerate of each other with every snowfall.” The law should be that no plow, be it a village plow or any private plow, can put snow on a sidewalk adjoining Main St., St. Charles Road or any other large street where people cannot walk in the street. This is totally unacceptable. Every year, they plow in the corners of the streets and nobody can get through. What are we supposed to do with that? Just walk in the street and get run over? It’s not a correct answer. These businesses really have to clear the snow.

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Hi, SPEAK OUT, this is for the Helen Plum Library. Do they realize who they have lost back there? I was in there the other day and heard that Paula retired and she was the nicest lady there. She will be missed by me when I come in the library. I hope they appreciate what they have lost in our community.

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This is for the person whose cat got shot by the pellet gun. It’s a shame that had to happen, but if you’re going to let your cat outside, put it on a leash like it should be; otherwise leave it in the house like it’s supposed to be. Cats are for houses, not for outside.

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It’s early Saturday evening in Lombard. Can somebody tell me why there are five police cars over on Foxworth for a parrot in a tree? I thought we had better things to do.

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Did you ever notice that after a roadwork project is complete, it seems to take weeks before they get the traffic signals hooked up and working? Main Street is no exception.

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This is Lombard calling. I would like to respond to the caller who complained about the loss of parking at the abandoned dry cleaner lot. No one had a right to park there to begin with. It was not additional parking for apartment dwellers. If you’re having trouble parking, bring it up with your landlord. It’s their fault your apartments don’t have enough parking. Don’t blame the village. I’m glad it’s gone and I hope they fence it off. I’m sick of having a used car lot on the corner, where people dump their trash. People should have a little respect for their neighborhood.

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We just want to thank the kids from Holy Trinity Church in Lombard for coming over last Saturday without being asked. A nice surprise, and it was very much appreciated.

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I still see a lot of election signs up, so please take down your signs.