These Cook County Democrats are unbelievable. First, Cook County Board President Toni Prekwinkle wants to tax our soda a penny an ounce. Now, I just read Cook County Commissioner John Daly wants all of Cook County to have a $13-an-hour minimum wage like the City of Chicago. He and his fellow cronies feel this will lift people out of poverty and help them raise their families. What they don't understand is these people need real jobs, not minimum-wage jobs. These jobs were never intended for people to raise their families on. That is how out of touch Illinois Democrats are. Good paying jobs are leaving because of a really bad trade deal (NAFTA) and the incompetence of these people we put into office. The sad part is, the people it's supposed to benefit will end up getting their hours cut or employers won't add any new jobs.

Joe, T

I was watching the television commentary prior to the Cubs World Series game. It was interesting to see a baseball panel of “experts” that included a steroid cheat and a guy who was drummed out of baseball for betting on the game. It seems no matter what the offense, in this world of “everyone makes mistakes” regardless of how often, you get a pass. You would just think for Major League Baseball, they could find at least a few experts who wouldn't be carrying that kind baggage — or maybe not.

Tom, Evergreen Park

A note to local television news directors: Post-game interviews with players and coaches is news (though after a while no one ever says anything new). Reactions from drunks in local bars is not news and is a big bore. I'm tired of seeing bar interviews when any team from this city makes the playoffs, wins a playoff game or wins the championship. The news is the team's win, not the people celebrating.

Red, Chicago

Simple math tells me this proposed sugar tax is the biggest consumer ripoff yet. A local grocery store has a sale for four 12-packs of pop for $8.88. A penny per ounce equals a tax of $5.74 or 64 percent. Sure am glad I am a few minutes away from a border state.

J.K.

It is pretty amazing now that Obamacare is absolutely collapsing just like it was predicted. But now the same people who forced it upon all of America are the same people who are now saying that the way to fix it is to go with “the single payer option,” a total change for Obamacare. They were wrong in the first place and now they are saying they know how to fix it. Really? They said they were right in the first place and now they want you to trust them again? We knew it would not work, and neither would the government taking it over totally. Can you really trust them again?

Mayor Daniel McLaughlin and his trustees have made Orland Park what it is today — a wonderful family community with great schools, expansive parks, low taxes with tax rebate checks given to its residents nearly every year, award winning police and fire departments, world class shopping and a variety of restaurants, a gigantic library and one of the largest municipal swimming pool complexes in North America. Orland Park is one of the premier communities in the area and has been listed in Chicago and Money magazines more than once as one of the finest towns to live in America. McLaughlin deserves a huge raise. He actually is filling three positions and saving the village money. Oh, by the way, Orland does not have sleazy video gambling anywhere like the rest of the towns in the area. Kudos to the mayor and his trustees.

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