U.S, Rep. John Shimkus promised to limit his terms in Congress to 12 years but he is running again in this upcoming election. His district director is serving as the campaign manager for Jason Plummer and his employee/aide, Rodney Davis, is running as the GOP candidate for the 13th Congressional District. If the GOP is successful, Shimkus will in essence control three congressional seats. Not only did he lie about term limits, but now he has expanded his political influence.
Cut ties with Kern
I, for one, have no doubt who I am voting for as St. Clair County Board chairman. Jon McLean has my vote if for no other reason than to get rid of current Chairman Mark Kern and his ridiculous obsession to hold onto MidAmerica Airport. It's definitely time to cut ties with Kern who couldn't care less about how he wastes the hard-earned money from the taxpayers.
Signs of deception
I'm so sick of looking at all these political signs in yards. They are all only reminders of lies, deception and mishandling of taxpayer money. They all promise the moon until they get into office and then they conveniently forget all of their promises.
Hello, doctor?
When you call the doctor's office with a fever or illness, the nurse may tell you the next available appointment is in three weeks and if you can't wait that long, go to the emergency room. Yet we are told in TV ads and by the insurance carriers not to go to the ER but to call your physician instead. This is contradictory.
Troubled by headline
Was anyone else offended by the headline Oct. 20 about the Cardinals' loss, "Cardinals shoot blanks in game 5"? If that's not offensive to more people than me, I apologize for being a prude. I think it showed a lack of vocabulary and maybe even journalistic skills to have such a crass title on the first page of the newspaper.
Out with Clayborne
Have you ever tried state Sen. reaching James Clayborne? If you don't have money or power, he won't return your call. We don't need a senator like that. We need to get rid of Clayborne.
'No' to spiteful senator
Before we think about re-electing state Sen. James Clayborne for another term, let's remember that he cost Harmony-Emge School District 175 hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in attorney fees defending themselves in a lawsuit that he brought against the district because his child was expelled for a weapons violation. The expulsion was justified. Then he promoted the consolidation of Harmony-Emge and Signal Hill School District 181. He didn't do it for financial reasons but for spiteful, retaliatory reasons. Is this the guy we want representing us?
Questions for Quinn
I read that Gov. Pat Quinn is starting a new agency to safeguard the disabled. What bothers me is that the new agency will protect disabled people ages 18 to 59. I'm over 59 and if I get disabled, what about me? And if the current inspector general's office is so inadequate, why would he use those same employees to staff the new agency? Fire the people who weren't doing the followup the way they should have.
Divert campaign cash
Politicians have been telling us there is no money for seniors, schools, the homeless, Medicare and food or shelter for children. Yet they charge thousands of dollars per plate at dinners to raise money for their war chests. How many homeless could have food and beds with that money?
A Social Security fix
I appreciated the BND's study of the various candidates outlining their ideas. One of the things that concerns me about Social Security is that nothing is ever mentioned about the fact that if someone earns more than $120,000 a year, they no longer pay into Social Security. If that was adjusted so that those people continued to pay, a lot of our problems with Social Security would be corrected. I'd like to see a change.
Sad associations
In the article about Racial Harmony honoring phenomenal women, Edna Allen was listed. The fact that she is on the East St. Louis Board of Elections, which is known for questionable handling of elections, doesn't make her too phenomenal. It makes her part of the corruption that's keeping East St. Louis the way it is. The city cannot get good leaders as long as the Board of Election exists.
News bias grows
Why is the mainstream media so biased toward Democrats? I am 57 years old and was such a big supporter of Time, Newsweek, The New York Times and the Washington Post. I always knew they leaned left but they are so blatant about it now that I can't trust their reporting. They have been caught over and over deleting information in favor of Democrats. Why can't they just report the truth?
Same old Hoffman
Jay Hoffman was voted out as the state 112th District representative for a reason and now we're expected to believe that he has the 113th District's best interest at heart. Sorry for being skeptical but I don't believe it. If he wasn't good for the 112th, he's not good for the 113th.
A part of the problem
Judicial candidate Judy Cates' attacks on Steve McGlynn are disgusting. First of all, let's look at Cates' record. She is a trial lawyer; she sues people. She's one of those responsible for the problems we have in St. Clair and Madison counties with all the doctors leaving because of frivolous lawsuits. Is this the person you want sitting on the bench making decisions, a person who has been contributing to the cost of your health care going up? Good luck with that.
Step up to the plate
Oh, the poor Cardinals; nothing went right. They are all big babies. The headlines should have been, "The Cards choked again." The world's falling apart all around us but how many of the Cardinal fans who eat, sleep and worship the Cardinals will go the polls to vote on the most important election of their lives? They can stay out late in the bars and restaurants to root their team on, but when it comes to going out to vote, how many of these fans will vote for president of the United States? People, get your priorities straight.
Too skimpy for sports
A recent sports page showed a Belleville East Lancer volleyball player wearing what looked like panties. Is this the uniform they wear? When their T-shirts are pulled up, it's very vulgar. Where are the rest of her pants? The players could wear shorts that are a little longer.
Where's their spirit?
I'm very disappointed. The Althoff boy's golf team won two state titles and not one administrator attended, no principal or athletic director, two years in a row. I guess the principal is too busy being the assistant football coach and yelling at the referees. It was a poor decision and I'm very upset.
Women and the court
I totally agree with Irene Allred's letter "War on women is real." Any woman who votes Republican is shooting herself in the foot. In addition to Allred's well thought-out list of conservative efforts over the years, let's add this: In the next four years, how many Supreme Court justices will be nominated? Some of the current ones are pretty old and you can bet their replacements will be ultra-conservative if Romney is in office.
Health care facts
Congressional candidate David Gill is honest; his opponent Rodney Davis is not. The proof is in their campaign ads. Fact Finder groups and even your newspaper have found Davis' ads to be highly misleading if not false. The Affordable Care Act cuts the cost of Medicare, not the benefits. The act brings down the deficit. It provides affordable health care for everyone who needs it. No one has to give up their health insurance that they already have. People with pre-existing conditions can be insured. Few people will pay the low penalty if they don't buy because the advantages of buying far outweigh the disadvantages. Subsidies for the poor are available. The bill will prolong the life of Medicare for at least 10 years.
Eckert leads on 17th
A lot of people don't agree with a lot of things that Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert does, but the extension of 17th Street was a good thing. It saves a lot of time when shopping at the stores on Illinois 15. People shouldn't give up on Belleville. It still has a lot of possibilities and that extension will do a lot to help out the city.
A voting field trip?
Why did the Cahokia School District bus all those students who are of legal age to the courthouse for early voting? One person said that their ballot wasn't pre-marked but the candidates were discussed in school. Did a teacher tell them how to vote?
Too many Drolets
An article in the Oct. 25 O'Fallon Progress stated that Stewart Drolet had picked up his nominating petitions to run in the aldermanic April election. We already have two Drolets on the City Council. There should be a law against having three members of the same family on the council. This concerns me greatly.
Long list of overrated
Belleville News-Democrat reporter Scott Wuerz wrote in his column about Barry Zito was the most overrated pitcher in Major League Baseball history. Perhaps he doesn't recall Allan Watson, Tom Urbani, Neil Allen, Donovan Osborne and Brian Fuentes. Or could it be that they were St. Louis Cardinals and above reproach?
Can't vote for Costello
I have four reasons I won't vote for Jerry Costello II: He, his dad, his mom and his wife are all living off the taxpayers now. It's enough cronyism and it's time to put an end to it.
Follow the money
I want to remind the homeowners in St. Clair County to remember that when they were pushing for casinos and the state lottery, we were told it would all go to the schools and would in time virtually eliminate the real estate tax burdens on homeowners to support the schools. How has that worked out for you?
Donor rewards?
How large were the campaign donations given to St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern and County Board member Carol Clark in appreciation for having the county Highway Department asphalt the driveway to the by the Stonewolf Golf Course's maintenance garage? Thousands of taxpayers' dollars were spent to do the work.
Waste not; mulch
Why are so many people so concerned about yard waste, especially the leaves? For over 25 years I have been mulching the leaves and my lawn seems to look better every year. It's good for the lawn.
Say 'no' to gambling
No, we do not need anymore gambling, and yes, we remember the days before casinos opened. There was seldom a robbery of a bank or a store in the metro-east and it was safe to walk the streets. We now have those people who, after going broke from gambling, try to nourish their vice by robbing or any other means they see fit. All the crime and violence is not happening inside the casinos -- it's outside them.
