ORLAND PARK SURVEY

Posted on December 30, 2011 at 6:26 pm The December 29th edition of the Orland Park Prairie Newspaper published an article that the Village wanted to conduct a survey to find out how the people think the Village can improve Orland Park. The paper conducted their own survey asking such questions as: the need to fill empty stores, repair roads, timing of traffic lights, more bike and pedestrian paths and other. The cost of the survey(s) would be around $30,000.



In these difficult times do you think a Village should be spending $30,000 on things they should already know? All of the questions asked in the newspaper have been around for some time. Isn't the staff and Board of Trustees competent enough to handle these issues? Could it be that a friend or donor needs some work that the Village is willing to waste $30,000 on another survey. What ticks me off is when the people filled the hearings for the Orland Plaza they ignored us. They wouldn't listen and gave no credence to the issues raised. They wouldn't compromise. Only one trustee voted with the people. Now they want the people's opinion. Give me a break. That proposal has only one place to go and that's the trash can. Don't be fooled. They can't afford $30,000 and they don't want your opinion.

CLOSING THE BOOK ON 2011

I don’t know about you, but I’m glad the time has come to close the book on 2011. For many it was the worse year in their lifetime. If you lost your job or your home thru foreclosure, it was a disaster. For those who survived, unscathed, it was still a time of doubt and anticipation. Very few were confident that their job or financial security would be there tomorrow. As we open the pages for 2012, it is a time of uncertainty.

During 2011 government seemed to lose all sense of purpose. It was all about politics and little or nothing about governing. The actions and decisions of our leaders made you wonder if they knew what they were doing. They created bills, 2000 pages in length, that no read or understood and then passed them... We have a deficit of 15 trillion dollars and they keep spending. They don’t have the guts to face the reality of making tough decisions. Washington hasn’t passed a budget in over two years and they continue to pass short term measures to keep the government running. The Fed prints money as needed... How’s your money tree doing? Is this the way you manage your money? When it comes to their own money they used insider information to buy and sell investments that benefitted themselves, their family and friends. In 2012 we need to send people to Washington who will represent the people not themselves or their Party.

In Illinois, another Governor was sentenced to prison. Before that we saw power brokers Tony Rezko and Dave Cellini take the fall. Maybe one day we’ll see the corruption and power politics in Illinois end. Do you see that happening soon? Will the day come when the state enacts fair and honest legislation? Were you upset to see Union Bosses getting state funded pensions for practically no time working in the system? Were you upset to see how clout benefitted those seeking free tuition to state schools? How’s clout working for you? In Orland Park the Village won its eminent domain battle to take over the Orland Plaza. It was another win for developers and a loss for the little guy. We said good bye to Randys’ and Lang Lee’s as they closed their doors forever. Orland Bakery, the Barber Shop, Mirobellis, will move to new locations while the remaining establishments will move to places in or around Orland Park.

The City of Chicago elected a new mayor while it searched for ways to fund big government. The Occupy Movement invaded downtown Chicago. It was a good idea to challenge Wall Street but it went awry when it was taken over by radicals and unions. Gangs continued to plague Chicago as we saw innocent life’s lost to senseless violence... Schools continued to be a major problem and the new mayor seems determined to make changes to fix the problem. The new mayor has made a good start and hopefully things will improve for the people of Chicago.

2011 was a tough year with a lot of concern for families and their way of life. As we leave 2011 we pray and hope that 2012 will bring the Hope and Change needed to create a stable, free and safe society. So as we close the book on 2011 we wish you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

SHOPPING FOR A PRESIDENT

During this Christmas season have you taken any time to think about the up and coming 2012 Presidential Election? With current events so volatile most people can’t avoid the politicking that is taking place, but again there are always those that will be oblivious to what’s going on around them.. The Republican Debates have been numerous and informative. The dirt is being dug up and sometimes brutal as the candidates begin to fall. The polls change daily. The good news is that the electorate is getting an opportunity to uncover each candidates good and bad points. The candidates are being forced to expose their positions on the issues: economy, jobs, taxes, social security, housing, health care, debt, immigration, big government, environment, abortion, marriage, foreign affairs, corruption, leadership, experience, integrity, moral values, consistency , trust. Is there anything that is not an issue? There are big differences between the incumbent, Barack Obama, and the Republican candidates. Next year will be the debate of all debates as Barack Obama goes up against the last Republican standing.

We know that Barack Obama, at this time, faces no Democratic opposition. The Republican Candidate is yet to be decided. The Republican candidates have been campaigning hard and long. Primaries will soon be held in Iowa and New Hampshire. As November 2012 draws near we have to start shopping and determining who will be the best candidate to serve as President of the United States. During Christmas you spend a lot of time shopping for family and friends. At Christmas, maybe you prepare a list of people with dollars to spend, than you search the ads, stores and internet for the gifts. Or maybe you use a helter skelter approach to which store you will shop or maybe use the internet. Which approach will you use to make your Presidential choice? Will it be planned and thought out or helter skelter? Will it be for the good of the country?

Many have said the 2012 election will be the most important election in our lifetime. The choices will be very different. Will it be the liberal, Barack Obama or the yet to be decided conservative or moderate Republican. The question is, should the country continue its move to the left or return to the right. It will be a battle of ideologies: big government, social justice and redristribution of wealth vs smaller government, a return to the constitution, and capitalism You’re going to have to make a choice. What do you want the United States to look like? A European socialistic society or a capitalistic ,free enterprise system. After Christmas and your shopping and partying is done, I ask that you take the time to seriously think about shopping for the next President. I truly agree with the ideology that this will be the most important election in our lifetime. If you love the United States and what it stands for, let’s make it right. Make this decision more important than selecting a Christmas gift.

WHAT'S FAIR?

The question was recently asked: how much of the money I earn should I keep? I would like to turn that around and ask how much of my money should the government take? Remember we not only pay federal taxes but also city, state, and county taxes. We are taxed for practically everything we buy and use. We understand taxes are necessary for security, safety, roads, and services. The problem becomes how much? How much money does government need to maintain our society? What is fair? Right now we are getting very little for our tax dollar. Would you invest in a corporation that is losing money? Do you condone the waste in the corruption of Solyndra and Light Square? Government’s role is to serve the people not friends and donors. Is it fair that government treats itself as elitists? Why is it that government pays itself more than the private sector? Why is it that Washington officials exempt themselves from social security and health care programs? Wouldn’t you like to have a Congressman’s pension plan? Why is it that governmental entities have the right to vote their salaries? Based on performance they should be paying the people for serving. Why is it that so many beau crates are millionaires? Have you seen any of them running to change their benefit packages? They should have the same benefits as the private sector. Why isn’t that an election issue? Should someone be taxed and penalized for working hard to earn money, while rewarding the laggards of society who look to government for support? Should we be adopting the socialistic approach of redistributing the wealth? Is that fair? Redistribution of wealth leads to the destruction of all incentives and destroys the creativity and ingenuity that made this country great. In the end we will all be poor, except for the elitists in Washington. Look at Russia, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and China; is that the type of society we want to live in? Everyone has to accept their responsibility to make our society work. Yes, we have to help people in need, but to turn capable minds and bodies into wards of the state is wrong. They need jobs. Too much taxation is what we fought against to become independent, over taxation will lead to our self destruction.

WHERE'S THE BILL?

The President announced “Pass This Bill Now”, but Mr. President where is the Bill? My Congresswoman says she hasn’t received it. The Senate hasn’t received it. Aren’t you taking the cart before the horse? Where is the money coming from? The President has been preparing this “Jobs Bill” for weeks and we have nothing of real substance or detail except “Pass This Bill Now”. The day after his speech the President ventured out to sell the bill to the people. The media was debating the merits of the Bill. How stupid and naïve have we become when we buy smoke and mirrors. Where’s the Bill? Obama Care was passed with the same stupidity, and over a year later we’re finding out how bad it is. Don’t we learn from mistakes? The credibility of any represesentative who supports this non existent bill should be questioned. The President gets an “A” for speech presentation but an “F” for his inability to produce productive legislation. I’m tired of being played as an idiot by Washington. Stop the horse and pony shows and get down to business. Cut spending, end the fraud, follow the laws, create real jobs, drill, rescind regulations, balance the budget, no more debt, and get people back to work.

LANDLORD

Question, should the Village of OP become a landlord? It reminds me of the federal government running General Motors and Banks. Was the Federal Government qualified to run a private enterprise? No. What we have in OP is an administration that is running away from the truth. For almost 10 years the administration has tried o come up with a plan/solution for the Metra Triangle, and for 10 years they keep making changes. No developer was willing to put up the money for this project. To save face, the administration has found a way to build the development with taxpayer money... Hello, and welcome to Government Apartments of Orland Park. OP is no more fit to be a landlord than Washington was to run GM. As representatives of the people the Administration must have the courage to admit they were wrong. Admit your mistakes and find private developers to dig us out of this mess. Do we need residential development? Why not a hospital, manufacturing, private health facilities, a university there are alternatives. Public ownership only leads to more corruption and deals. The Metra Triangle project is a disgrace and shows how incompetent government can be when it comes to spending taxpayer money.

RISKIER THAN RISKY

I concur with the Southtown Editorial’s logic to fund the Metra Triangle Project,” Fails the Smell Test.” To say the least the plan is more riskier than risky. You don’t need a lot of statististics or testimonials from groups who have everything to gain and nothing to lose to conclude that this is a bad deal. If you have common sense and some real life experience you would back off from this plan. Unfortunately that’s not how the OP Administration sees it. They are ready to ram it down our throats.

Let’s look at some of the facts: national unemployment is at 9% and probably 10% in Illinois. Businesses are leaving Illinois and people are following the jobs. I believe 41% of the people between 25 and 54 were unemployed for an average of 27 weeks or longer in 2010 and 2011. This is the target group that OP is looking at to rent too for $1500 -$2000 a month. When I read the newspapers I hear that college grads are having difficulty finding employment. In 2009 the average 1 BR rental apartment went for around $900, the average today is around$1200. Do you really think this group is willing to pay 1500-2000 to live close to a train in OP? If I was a young and up and coming adult I would look to downtown Chicago with all its amenities. On top of it, haven’t they heard that more and more young people are moving back home?

For the life of me I can’t understand the logic in the Village investing in rental units. Here is were common sense and experience comes in. What is the turnover and cost of maintaining a rental building? Maybe there are people who can’t buy and would rent. First and foremost do they have a constant income to pay the rent? The problems with the Village renting are insurmountable. We could be looking at a development investment that could be destroyed within 10-20 years.

I guess the Administration doesn’t realize that the economy is tanking. The Federal Government is in debt to their eyeballs. Orland Park’s debt is nothing to sneeze at. During the last Mayoral Election the Debt was in the vicinity of 100-200 million dollars. The Administration has an obligation to balance the books. They say there is no risk. If there are problems,will the money come out of McLaughlin’s or Grime’s pocket? No, it will come out of the pockets of the taxpayers of Orland Park. The Administration has no risk, just being booted out of office.

History tells us that this Administration has not been friendly to the Orland business community; we lost the Andrew Corporation, a lumber company, the Orland Plaza, attempts to bring in Von Mar and other high scale retailers failed. What we’ve gotten was a Fat burger that lasted a year. The Mayor says vacancies are low. Well, ask the people what they think about that estimate. We look at the empty store fronts and failures. That’s what we see not your slant on how good things are. The Mayor is a politician who believes we will fall for his line.

Is this a good deal, “NO”. When a developer comes in with only a million dollar investment for a $62 million project, I say he’s getting a steal. If the project works out and he gets the development, I say that’s a steal. This is highway robbery especially when the developer’s record is anything but superb. With a bankruptcy and tales of faulty workmanship in the background would you give this developer or any developer the opportunity to represent you? With the Mayor’s experience in the plumbing trade I would recommend that he flush this plan and his vision down the drain.