Speak Out is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you there’s something you’d like to comment on, send an email to ksorensen@tribpub.com. Please include “speak out” in the subject line.
Sell the mansion: I have an idea to help pay off part of Illinois’ hefty $317 billion pension debt. How about selling the Governor’s Mansion? In 2018, when Bruce Rauner was governor, his wife, Diana, spearheaded a privately-funded $15 million renovation that tackled a mold issue, put in a kitchen, repaired the roof and fixed other major interior and exterior issues. In 2019, the restored home earned a prestigious environmental award. With those great credentials, there must be a real estate agent who’d grab that listing in a minute!
Hard to believe: You have to wonder how the greatest economy known to man, with advances in mass production that are the envy of the rest of the world, could ever come close to running out of baby formula? Even worse, having to rely on Switzerland (where the cuckoo clock remains their greatest technological achievement) for life-saving supplies. Oh, how the mighty have descended!
Truth will tell: On June 9 we will be able to see on TV live Congressional committee hearings revealing details of the attempted Jan. 6 coup. Why are some of the Republicans who also ran like dogs to avoid the coup now acting like it never happened or diminishing the seriousness? This is just plain disgusting!
Ineffective Congress: How much longer can we afford the Democrats? A better question is how much longer can we afford an ineffective Congress? If we don’t start electing people that are willing to work for the betterment of everyone in our country, lack of baby formula will be seen as a small problem compared to future problems. We don’t need more zero character people like Donald Trump and his minions. We need people willing to try and reunite our country.
Makes no sense: Why eliminate the front license plate in Illinois? I don’t see the reason. If you believe the state will reduce the renewal cost of registering your car you’re delusional. Has the state ever reduced its fees? And why would any traffic stop about a missing plate escalate into a physical confrontation? Most times that’s the first notice you’re missing it.
Pandering to voters: President Biden is once again considering canceling student debt. This is an election ploy. He knows there’s 45 million people out there who have some form of student debt that he feels that if he could just use taxpayers’ money, he’s going to get their 45 million extra votes. What he’s not thinking about is people like me who paid my debt off. I will be incensed if anybody gets this. If I didn’t get reimbursed no one else is going to get reimbursed just to keep one political party in office.
Yes, we can blame Biden: A Speak Out commenter insists we can’t blame Biden for the outrageously high gas prices. Granted, the greed of big oil is raising prices because they can with immunity and without being blamed. However, because of Biden and the Democrats hate of anti-everything Trump, where Trump’s efforts gained us oil independence and low prices, we surely can and must put the blame directly on Biden. He refuses to reopen drilling/independence.
I just want one: I hate buy one, get one free sales. Most stores don’t list the cost which makes it hard to compare prices in sale papers while planning purchases and making grocery lists. Are you with me? Just give us a good sale price. Often I don’t need two, I only want to buy one.