September 2014

Sep 25 2014

What do you think of Mayor Pritchard’s recommendation that the new overpass be named: Seminary Kellogg Street Overpass?

I agree with Mayor Pritchard’ recommendation to the city council to name the new overpass: Seminary Kellogg Street Overpass.  As that’s what most Galesburgians will probably call it, it should be so named, for the sake of clarity.  I also like the idea of naming the overpass for a female, and since we have a Don Moffitt Overpass we could name the new one for Cheri Bustos.  I love Mother Bickerdyke’s legacy (and town statue), but I’m not sure that I like Bickerdyke Overpass.  I like that the Mayor’s choice is descriptive and to the point, and the streets were named after our town’s “founding fathers”.  Seminary Kellogg Street Overpass just reduces confusion.

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Sep 19 2014

How much force will you support in dealing with the Islamic State threat to the U.S.?

I support the President’s plan to build a global coalition of nations to affect a long-term approach to degrading and defeating the capabilities of ISIL to conquer, murder, rape and enslave peoples in the Middle East, or to launch broader-based attacks.  We have not stopped the War on Terror, instituted by previous administrations, no matter what names the perpetrators go by.  We cannot sit on the sidelines while perverted terrorists continue to overtake nations, like Hitler and his marauding hordes did seven decades ago.  We do NOT want U.S. boots on the ground!  We can continue surveillance by CIA and Special Forces, drone and airstrikes, strengthening Iraq and training moderate Syrian rebels to take on ISIL.  If this is not done, ISIL will overrun those countries and others.  Many nations are now coming together to form military campaigns to do those things and to offer humanitarian assistance, to help dry up the sources of income for ISIL, to stop foreign fighters from joining their twisted cult, and to stop them from becoming a bigger threat to the world.  There are many international issues at stake today, and there are complex cultures whose end goals do not match ours.  The countries in the Mid-East and Europe need to make their commitments to this comprehensive strategy against ISIL.  And for all those who believe in the power of prayer, employ yours DAILY for world peace.  It’s no small contribution!

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Sep 18 2014

What do you think about Atty General’s plan for legislation to allow video & audio recording devices to be placed in nursing home rooms to monitor patients?

This proposed legislation sounds great to me; that Illinois would become the sixth state to allow monitoring devices to be installed in nursing home patient’s rooms to help protect them.  Mydear 89 year old mother is currently in a nursing home in Galesburg; she receives good care, but she has fallen a couple of timesas she sometimes forgets she can no longer walk.  If a patient turns on their call light and aides take too long to respond, hopefully someone at the nurses station can scan a screen of those rooms to see if someone has fallen or appears to need immediate help.  Many nursing homes are definitely understaffed.  I don’t understand the privacy issue; these folks lie around all day, reading if they still can, or sitting in their wheelchairs.  Some can walk around and visit.  Bathrooms would still be private.  And if residents or their families decide and pay for the equipment where’s the problem?  Nursing homes are worried about retaining quality staff if they have such monitors?  Why would someone doing their job well have such a concern?  I also think most good cops should welcome a uniform camera to record interactions.  Even good care can be improved upon, and there are probably many nursing homes in the state where such devices are very necessary!

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Sep 5 2014

September Predictions

As summer comes to a close it’s a time of endings for some of the heavy energies we’ve endured; a time of transitions and new beginnings, a period of self-reflection for our hopes, plans and dreams.  A full moon in Pisces on Sept 8 will be exactly aligned with Chiron, which symbolizes the wounds and sufferings within us, which are accentuated by Venus’s opposition to Neptune.  So this full moon period is a time to acknowledge the pain and sorrow we’ve experienced in our lives, to mourn for our lost loved ones, and a time to grieve for lost dreams.  Honor the sadness and release it and let it go.  “Accept your reality” and be grateful for all that you do have; make the most of your life!         On Sept 9 Mars moves into Sagittarius, which should help us all, but especially the fire signs, to feel a little more positive.  “Mars in Sagittarius is a very busy and dynamic combination”; and feels much lighter than Mars in Scorpio, where it just passed through.  Mid-month Uranus opposes Mercury, which can tend to make us feel mentally overwrought and anxious.  So, for the days preceding and after the Mars change Sept 11 – 15 “keep life simple — don’t over-commit”.  Take time to relax and re-energize in nature, nourishing your mind and body.              From Sept 15 – 20 Mars squares Neptune, which makes it difficult to make progress in a linear fashion — it’s best, at this time,  to just go with the flow, and don’t be too rigid!     “This is a great time to open yourself up to spiritual guidance and get out of your own way.”  Accept and embrace your life now and trust the universe!  Near the month’s end, on Sept 24, there’s a new moon in Libra.  “At the same time, the north node symbolizing direction and destiny is in Libra” also.  This is an especially important time for Librans, who “will need to carefully choose the right path for themselves”.  This new moon will majorly influence one area of our lives, which will be calling to us at this time, directing us toward our destinies.  The more we’re able to just go with this, “the easier and more wondrous our days will become”.  So friends, “just go with it”, and trust the universe!  Enjoy!!

 

This information was quoted or paraphrased from: Donna Taylor, “Predictions” article:  September 2014 magazine issue of: Sedona, Journal of Emergence!

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Sep 2 2014

What’s your take on changing recall rights for teachers by combining categories?

This is a very confusing issue and very controversial!  I see both sides of the issue, which doesn’t seem will be settled soon to either side’s satisfaction.  Are the recall rights for teachers, being negotiated by GEA, in conflict with state law?  Everyone wants to see good teachers retained, and no one wants to see teachers with more seniority used as pawns in the district’s budget.  I also see a need for focusing on professional growth in evaluations.  Our children’s academic experience under awesome tutelage is just too important to leave to the old educational paradigm.  We need to expect more of our teachers and our students in the educational system.  We’ve come a long way from the country schoolhouse, but we need to reach higher.  We need to step into a new paradigm of learning, with high self-esteem and confidence at the root of each student’s journey.  Some are bemoaning the lost dozen days of school for our students, but I, for one, do not think the students should have returned to school in  90 degrees or higher temps.  After Labor Day seems like the better time to begin school, and they can attend two weeks longer in June.

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