To Joe from Lemont: I’ve been saying bring back A. J. Pierzynski since the White Sox traded him. He would also be a great coach for new catchers.
Saw that some parents held out their kids from taking the standardized test called PARCC. You see, the parents and probably many teachers feel the tests are unfair to one degree or another. I guess in this age of “enablers gone wild” anything that might stress Little Johnny and Little Janie academically is just too much for them to bear. It’s no wonder kids can’t find their town on a map, make change for a $10 purchase without cash register help or write an intelligent essay. In a world where advanced communication and computational skills are basic requisites, many of these “helicopter” parents see the PARCC test as just too stressful for their little sweeties.
Evergreen Park
One of the candidates for mayor of Chicago claimed two exemptions on his primary residence for real estate tax purposes. Later this was found out, and he had to repay the illegal savings back to Cook County. Please voters, remember that we do not need a tax cheater as the mayor of Chicago.
J.I., Oak Lawn
I belong to a private-sector union, which is much different from a public-sector union. The private sector does not rely on the public (taxes) to pay for their pension funds or health and welfare programs. We are totally independent for our pensions which means we get out of it what is put in it. We are hoping for growth in the investments over time to allow us to retire with some dignity. I have had my future pension reduced, frozen and adjusted many times over my career. The public sector expects that the taxpayers kick in when their plans are mismanaged or fall short. Maybe they should have been screaming louder when the pols were shorting their pension plans for so many years. Instead they continued to vote the crooks into office according to their union leaders, leaders who often have plans different than the rank and file.
Orland Park
Here is how Hillary Clinton needs to solve her email scandal. She needs to stop running for office and be a grandma.
Terrmiester from Burbank
John from Palos Heights, you could not be more wrong about right to work. The Economic Policy Institute in 2011 found that wages in right-to-work states average 3.2 percent lower than those in non-RTW states. The Congressional Research Service in 2012 found that workers in RTW states make an average of $7,000 and that there are fewer employer-sponsored pensions and health insurance plans — meaning that millions fewer employees get such important benefits. Finally, several studies have indicated that a RTW law has little or no effect on job growth. Where’s your proof that RTW states are worker paradises?
Paul from Tinley Park
A long Speak Out from a reader talks about the supposed advantages that right-to-work states have over the other states. He mentions that right-to-work states enjoy higher average incomes and job growth. I did some research into this and was able to find only one article that supports his contentions — from the Mackinac Center, a Michigan-based right-wing lobbying group disguised as a research organization. It’s a member of the State Policy Network, a political advocacy group heavily funded by right-wing billionaires and corporations. Coincidentally, the Illinois Policy Institute is also a member of the State Policy Network. So self-described journalist Scott Reeder, a regular columnist in the Southtown, is employed by a right-wing lobbying group that disguises its advocacy as journalism. What I was not able to find in my search was any reputable research showing that workers in right-to-work (for less) states earn more than in those without such a law.
Bill from Oak Lawn
Here is the average household income of some right-to-work states and Illinois as of 2013, according to the federal government: Mississippi $37,963; Alabama $42,849; South Carolina $44,163 and Illinois $56,210. So much for the argument that right-to-work states have a higher average income than non-RTW states.
Orland Park
Now that the weather is finally above freezing, how about the Christmas lights and decorations coming down?
