Speak Out: Allowing another pawn shop not a big deal
June 21, 2012 10:00PM
Updated: July 23, 2012 7:24AM
Proposed pawn shop: I’m not sure why it’s such a big deal in Elgin to consider a second pawn shop. It is a legal business. To top it all off, they don’t seem to have a problem with the many title auto loans and payday advance businesses that certainly don’t help the general public in a real way. But a pawn shop? We better give that some real consideration.
Developments in Elgin: I see where they are building the new VNA (Visiting Nurse Association) building across from the fire station. I think that’s a great idea. They cut down all those trees there. There was an old oak on the corner. I wonder why they took that tree down. What will they do with the old smorgasbord building? It’s really an eyesore.
Comment on Chicago teacher pension fund: Regarding the June 13 Speak Out on teacher contracts, the general public is ignorant of the fact that the Chicago teachers pension fund is not one of the five pension funds funded by the state. It is funded by Chicago Public Schools and is not part of the $83 billion pension deficit. Furthermore, next year Chicago Public Schools is extending both the school year and the school day, which will result in 20 percent more classroom time. This 20 percent more time should result in a 20 percent straight time compensation for teachers and paraprofessionals. However, Chicago Public Schools is only offering 2 percent, not 20 percent. That 2 percent is not even minimum wage for the extended time. It will be an 18 percent pay cut, not a pay raise.
Still curious about Sadler Avenue incident: Five weeks ago, I inquired why the police report in your newspaper did not reflect why a brick was thrown into the door of the business at 390 Sadler Avenue. Please let me know. Is it an oversight, or is it just an article that isn’t good enough?
Editor’s note: As we said earlier, no report on that incident could be found among the Elgin police reports downloaded to crimereports.com.
Mixed signals: The timing of the traffic signals at Route 20 and McLean Boulevard works absolutely fine on the weekends, but then they change the pattern for the weekdays during construction and create complete chaos. I’ve called to ask why, but I can’t get an answer. Maybe you guys can. It’s ridiculous the way they do this.
A salute to all men and women in uniform: Memorial Day should not just be for the military but also for the fire and police departments who put their lives on the line to protect our homes, businesses and property. They should also be remembered on Memorial Day.
Don’t rob Peter to pay Paul: I’m calling about the $74 million that Governor Quinn used to prevent interruption of childcare programs. Our governor found that $74 million of unused funds in Medicare. I see no writings about it. People need to be aware that this is why Medicare and Social Security are in trouble. Our government steals from Peter to pay Paul but does not inform the public about what they are doing. Our Medicare and Social Security plans have been raided by our governor for his pet projects and pet friends. We need to be better informed as to why certain funds are being used to deplete the services needed to keep our society functioning.
School boards don’t always bend: A Speak Out caller asked if the School District U46 board ever said no to teacher demands. If anyone has lived in Elgin for very long, they would know that the school board has said no many times. During the 1980s, an agreement could not be resolved without a strike. The teachers never got everything they wanted. They did compromise with the school board and went back to work.
