It's about time someone stood up to teachers in Illinois. The mayor of Chicago wants to extend teachers' working hours to 5.5 hours a day. So with a paid lunch and break, that's about 7.5 or 8 hours a day like the majority of the work force. They don't want those extended hours. He also wants to give principals the ability to reward teachers based on what kind of job they do and based on test scores for their schools. They don't want to be evaluated and want job security. It must be nice.

Flying high on taxes

I am a Democrat, but I am also a taxpayer. I do resent the Obamas using Air Force One to fly their daughters down to watch their dad accept the nomination, then put them back on Air Force One the same evening and fly them back to Washington D.C. I understand they should have been there to watch their father, but not at the taxpayers' expense. They've got enough money, they could have hired a plane and paid for it themselves. Why put it on the back of a taxpayer?

Who paid the tab?

I saw U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello at the Democratic Convention. I know he's retiring soon. I want to know who picked up the tab for his travel and expenses. Did he pay for his own or did we the taxpayers pay for his trip?

Rooting for retirees

What's going on with Gov. Pat Quinn? Why is he wanting to take away pensions from the state employees who have paid for their retirement all their working lives? He wants to reduce their income and take their health insurance. He needs to step down. He at least needs to stay home and take care of business.

Unequal treatment

I was appalled to see the photos of President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the BND on Sept. 9. There were two color photos of each candidate. I would like to know why the BND chose to show the Obama photographs considerably larger than the Romney photographs. With a very important election coming up, why not show the photos of equal size for each candidate?

Beyond their means

I read with interest your articles about the high cost of mortgages and the fact that so many people are paying between 30 and 50 percent of their income in mortgage payments. It's a shame that some of these people are now losing their homes, but had they paid less for a home, their mortgage payments would have been less and it would have been less of a strain on their income. Used to be said that was called living beyond your means.

Uncle Sam intervenes

How sad it was to read about some senior citizens unable to pay their huge monthly mortgage payments. What is more sad is how awful people are at managing their finances. A mortgage at retirement is the last thing anyone should have. But we live in an era of the government handout. Rather than selling their house at a loss and renting a modest apartment they could afford at a fraction at the cost, the government provides a convenient program using taxpayer dollars to make their payments for them. Is business so good for landlords that they have no property to rent?

No sympathy here

These people that I am supposed to feel sorry for because they are paying such big mortgages, why didn't they do like I did and buy a home they could afford and do without and not try to keep up with the Joneses. They want to live above their means, then let them figure it out. I don't know what's the matter with people.

Must be Bush's fault

When President Obama took office, gas prices were about $1.83 a gallon. In Belleville they are at $4. I assume that's George Bush's fault, right?

Race isn't the issue

On Sept. 10, there was an article on racial bias fuel ing President Obama's foes and how to tell. I tell you people. I am just sick of hearing about race. I, myself, have worked with black people all my life. I have friends that are black. They go to our church. There is no racial bias and I'm sick of people trying to tell me that I'm biased when I'm not. Obama hasn't done a thing in four years. I do not want Obama back in. I'm not crazy about Mitt Romney, but just because the man is rich does not mean he cannot run the country. It might be better. He has business sense.

Poor pet judgment

Your tepid editorial and the other opinions published about the killing of Oliver, the Jack Russell terrier, missed the mark. A small, 1-year-old dog that is house trained and microchipped, like Oliver, is in the top 5 percent of adoptability. So what exactly are the job duties of the employees at St. Clair County Animal Services? It appears we taxpayers are paying them to kill pets indiscriminately rather than make any evaluation as to what pets are the most likely to be adopted. Their incompetence is an outrageous disgrace. Heads should roll immediately.

Red flag for America

As I'm driving down Illinois 161, half the businesses and churches have their flags at half staff for 9/11 commemorance of those that passed from life on that day, but not all of them. And what really amazes me is the Dutch Hollow Post Office was not flying its flag at half staff. What have we come to?

A vote for the future

Remember, your vote in November is a vote for your grandchildren and great- grandchildren.

Just like lawmakers

Interesting article in the paper the other day concerning the business agent from the plumbers and pipefitters union stealing not only from their general revenue but also from their pension system. Seems like the same thing the state legislators do on a daily basis, steal the pension money from the workers who contributed.

About the GM bailout

I hear a lot of rhetoric from both our president and vice president about the fact that they bailed out General Motors. Let's see who GM is these days. It's a worldwide corporation with plants in many, many countries. So what do we do? We, the American taxpayers, footed the bill for bailing them out. And where is the competition? Well, in this country it's Ford because Chrysler is another foreign-owned entity. So in fact American taxpayers bailed out a company so it could compete against an American company that didn't need a bailout. What kind of justice is that?

If loss were personal

I'm calling about the letter on Sept. 9 from Kay Bridges crying about former Illlinois state trooper Matt Mitchell. She said we shouldn't be treating policemen like this. All I know is, if it were her daughters killed in the accident caused by Mitchell, I think she'd feel a different way.

At a disadvantage

Bank robbed again. When you weaken the police force by giving the bad guys the advantage, you get robbed. Case in point. By eliminating the police dog, an officer and removing the tint from all the police vehicles windows, the Lebanon trustees who approved these actions have put the citizens, businesses and our police force at higher risk. Call your trustee and tell him thanks for your peace of mind.

Signs tell the tale

Hello, neighbor. I see the Barack Obama campaign sign in your yard and it tells me a lot about you. You are probably one of the 47 percent who doesn't pay income tax. But you believe people who sacrifice to succeed should support you and yours. You think sodomy is the same as marriage, and unborn babies are disposable. You are more familiar with American Idol than with American history and the U.S. Constitution. You aren't concerned about the $15 trillion debt your grandchildren will inherit so long as you get your free stuff. So, neighbor, stand up tall and be proud of your principles.

Intentional tragedy

I agree with letter writer Kay Bridges on Sept. 9 that there is a difference between a murder and an accident. Yes, it is sad her sister was murdered. I would agree with her completely were it not for the fact that former Illinois trooper Matt Mitchell was sending and receiving emails and talking to his girlfriend when he lost control of his car, killing two girls. He had already been told there was no emergency. You can do all that at 126 mph and you don't call it intentional? That's a crock.

Time to step down

This is a call for the resignation of John Blomen-kamp from the board of the Freeburg Elementary School District. He has violated the public's trust, obviously. He needs to step down and do the right thing. I understand he is old time Freeburg. I understand he thinks he runs that town and what he says goes. The bottom line is somebody finally had the backbone to stand up against him. No longer can Blomenkamp be in charge of what happens at the school board. We are calling for his resignation immediately.

Not front-page news

I'm calling about the Sept. 8 front page "Homemade flowers for grandma." The boy in the picture is cute but this is not, and I repeat, front-page news. This is a shame for the BND to put this large of a picture on the front page when there is other news happening.

Can't support agenda

As a political conservative I have eaten my last meal at a Belleville restaurant. The voter registration drive it is holding on weekends in September and October indicates that the owners support the socialist agenda of the Coalition for Economic and Social Justice. I refuse to voluntarily give my money to a socialist organization. In the end the programs they support will cost us dearly.

Why the attention?

I'm making myself a bologna sandwich for dinner, wondering about the economy, when the news is talking about Valerie Jarrett who works as an assistant to President Obama. Who is Jarrett? Who is this person who is entitled to full Secret Service protection everywhere she goes on my dime.

Violence at embassy

We Americans who hold our free speech valuable are being silenced by the fear of the radical Islamic faith. If any kind of criticism is made about their religion, they burn, kill and destroy anyone or anything in their path. People ridicule other religionssuch as Madonna dressed as the pope, and she is still free to express her beliefs without fear of death. This bloodshed of our embassy rests directly on President Obama for constantly apologizing and bowing to the people who want to kill us and for telling the American people to be silent about radical Islam in fear we might anger them. They are already angered by their pure hate for us.

Why aid and abet?

And we about to send large amounts of money to Egypt?

Your vote counts

I'm not sure I have ever agreed with anything former President Bill Clinton has said until now. He told an audience while campaigning for Barack Obama, the worst president in history, that the voters cannot sit on the sidelines, that they are responsible for the consequences. I totally agree with that.