Herald News

OpenLine: Middle-class blues

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:58:55 -0500

When 90 percent of Americans are for or against a particular issue, then Congress will automatically defeat it and inevitably turn it down. Yet when banks or corporations want something fast, Congress will vote for it unanimously. Ed McReynolds Romeoville Pols on the dole What this country needs are more unemployed politicians. Jerry Allbert Joliet Pension pain I see the boys in Springfield have finally solved the pension problem by short-changing all of the pensioners. I wonder what they did to their pensions, perks and benefits. Ed McReynolds Romeoville …

OpenLine: Back to foundations

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:23:45 -0500

Things are slowly becoming obsolete, compared to how it used to be. Everyone is in a hurry but going nowhere fast. There are no parameters of restrictive reality. People are going through stop signs, disobeying speed limits and being rude to one another. It’s the nature of the land of milk and honey, or fallen America. We need to get back to the foundations of how this country was created. We’re giving it all away because of our selfish nature and yearning for the material. Do we choose the spiritual nature of what created this or material goods made by …

OpenLine: Why is suicide a crime?

Sun, 12 May 2013 03:04:54 -0500

People who are old or have a chronic disease that makes them suffer should have the right to assisted suicide. People are living much longer, but the quality of life is sometimes so horrible that they might prefer to pass on quietly and painlessly. Why is suicide a crime? Josie Deym Joliet Fight is right here Our fight is not in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq or Pakistan. That’s what our government wants us to think and to distract us from the real fight. We look at other countries and say how they’re suffering so much, and that we have to help. …

OpenLine: Special delivery

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:13:54 -0500

Herald-News — right at your door if you are handicapped. Diana Stonitsch Joliet Short end of stick I see what the new pension plan is. We’re getting the short end of the stick. We need to elect different people. Ed McReynolds Romeoville Gang problem terrible I want to comment on kids not being able to go to the neighborhood to play baseball. When I was a kid, I was in Boy Scouts and we had to ride the El to 51st Street and had to go through dangerous neighborhoods. There was a gang that started throwing bottles. Good thing they …

OpenLine: Abuse: A crime and a sin

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:20:31 -0500

Catholic bishops have the responsibility to control abusive priests. The first step in that direction is to admit that cases of abuse are a civil matter, not a religious one. Allegations of abuse should be directed to the police, and if the evidence warrants it, to the judiciary. Where guilt is found, incarceration should be the penalty. In the cases of repeat offenders, longer sentences are in order. Sexual abuse is as much about crime as about sin. Louis Lagger Joliet The beginning of the end When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to …

OpenLine: Rose by another name

Sun, 05 May 2013 02:58:35 -0500

Show me a rose or leave me alone. I don’t think Bulls star Derrick Rose is a team player. He should be out there playing and helping out his team. I think he is very selfish. I think he is going to stay home and spend his millions. They don’t make them like Larry Bird or Magic Johnson anymore. Rose doesn’t even compare. Leon Cole Channahon Don’t criticize seniors Whining seniors? Who is kidding whom? A recent obituary showed five people in their 80s, four in their 70s and seven people younger than age 65. Many people are blessed with …

OpenLine: Don’t redefine marriage

Fri, 03 May 2013 06:14:48 -0500

Marriage is defined by God and is the foundation of good society. Government should protect it, not redefine it. If equality is the criteria then we logically must allow polygamy, incest and bestiality. We would allow children to ignore parents and teachers. The people are equal, but not all action are moral or good. All laws are based on morality. Jesus reaffirmed traditional marriage and the moral law. Bob Lemke Joliet Not an entitlement Congress wants to make cuts to entitlements that people receive to try to balance the budget. Social Security is included in these entitlements. They are misinformed …

OpenLine: No right to complain

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:26:24 -0500

I have also noticed that the seniors who do the most complaining are the ones who are most “comfortable.” Years ago, companies gave out great pensions and retirment plans. Wages were higher. A lot of older people drive huge luxury cars and live in great homes. These well-off people complain about “welfare mothers,” but are first in line for their “senior discount.” Rob Kellerman Joliet …

OpenLine: Another liberal plot

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:46:03 -0500

An OpenLine caller referred to “whining seniors.” As usual, the secular progressive liberals have managed to brain drain another fellow liberal. The government has been draining our Social Security for decades. As far as our health care, we seniors pay for this every month. It’s called Medicare. Most of us have to pay for supplemental insurance to help meet costs for treatments and medicine. Look around at how many more people have gone on Social Security disability since our job market has tanked. Under the liberals, it isn’t getting any better. Talk about a drain on Social Security. Ray Malmgren …

OpenLine: Pay it forward

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:20:32 -0500

Now that the flooding is receding, it’s time to pay it forward. Help the people who need help cleaning. The sewage waste is massive. We don’t need an outbreak of some disease. Everybody should pay it forward as best they can, not with money but with your hearts and consideration for those who are doing with less than you have. Loretta Demoss Joliet Please don’t litter When my kids were growing up I taught them to never litter. And now I’m saying the same thing to my granddaughter. I pick up a garbage bag full of litter everyday. I know …

OpenLine: Highways getting worse

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:09:00 -0500

Driving the highways is getting harder, and it isn’t getting any better. The trucks want to take over the road. They don’t let you merge. They fly down the highway at 80 mph, and the state police don’t seem to care, or want to do anything about it. The police seem to only want to pull over the cars doing 10 mph over the speed limit but not the ones doing 30 mph over. There have been so many wrecks and killings on the highways because of these problems. John Randolph Joliet Simple addition In my many years, I’ve come …

OpenLine: Gun owners not criminals

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:19:03 -0500

Who does President Obama think he is? The American people need to be reimbursed for all of the civilian travel aboard Air Force One. Obama is using the victims’ families of Newtown, Conn., and Chicago for political pawns. The American people are tired of big government in their lives. We don’t want more gun control, as he wants you to believe. Obama blames guns for the killings in Chicago, when the blame lies with the criminals and gangbangers. He allows 12 million immigrants who are in this country illegally, yet he wants to make criminals out of law-abiding gun owners. …

OpenLine: Local treasures

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:13:31 -0500

With the beautiful spring weather, I’ve noticed that people are getting out and taking long walks in our parks and recreation areas in Joliet. I enjoy a long walk in the park many times during the year. We have wonderful parks, especially in the Will County forest preserves. They are meticulously maintained by a wonderful staff. They have a lot of wildlife and incredible courses to walk, jog, skate and bike. You can participate in wide variety of activities like fishing or picnics. We should be very proud of the Will County forest preserves and wonderful facilities. David Marco Joliet …

OpenLine: Guns in schools? Nuts!

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:20:02 -0500

Putting guns in schools is nuts, even if they are handled by a supposedly trained person. Imagine how somebody with only occasional training, who is not accustomed to the stress, would act. Chuck Johnson Morris Firefighters saved my aunt Thank you to the Channahon Fire Department. They responded to my aunt’s house because she was having respiratory distress. They recognized the seriousness of the situation and reacted quickly and professionally. They saved her life. She has a large extended family, including a new granddaughter. Easter would have been far different in our family if it wasn’t for the quick acting …

OpenLine: Some gun law caveats

Wed, 15 May 2013 06:30:45 -0500

Here is something for those much-admired Springfield legislators to consider. The Second Amendment does not state that a person has the right to hide a weapon. It does not state those legislators have a right to keep a person from having a gun by withholding a firearms owner’s identification card. They have no right to prevent someone from carrying an assault weapon into the Capitol building. The judges shouldn’t be able to keep that same gun out of their courtroom. Charles Johnson Morris Bring in the diplomats Dennis Rodman visited and talked to the leader of North Korea. Not one …