Open Line

I'm responding to Cathy Ducharme's letter to the editor "It's about time." This is not the first president to talk to students. George W. Bush did. George H.W. Bush did and Congress wanted an investigation into that. President Reagan did. You know, Barack Obama doesn't make history and do extraordinary things every time he wakes up in the morning. As a matter of fact, everything he is doing has been tried before and failed, to say nothing of it being unconstitutional.

Ellen Canisius

Godley

When you think about it, health care reform is really a very simple issue. We don't need 1,000-plus pages of bills and 650 amendments. All we need to do is make sure that every legal American in the United States is covered by the same health care plan that our representatives enjoy. Who's going to pay for it? That also is very easy. The American people are paying for our representative health care plans, retirements, cars, gas, etc., so I guess we're going to continue paying for health care.

Bobbi Walker

New Lenox

This is in response to Bob Lemke's OpenLine comment "Blame Obama and the Democrats." It should read "Blame Bush and the Republicans." President Obama inherited the worst economic crisis ever in this country. The economic recovery is weak because Republicans spent Americans' money.

Georgia Clark

Joliet

There will be no Social Security increase for seniors but politicians will get at least a 2 percent cost-of-living increase. The rate for Joliet's water -- that we can't drink if health is an issue -- goes up 30 percent this month. Gov. Pat Quinn wants a raise of 50 percent in taxes. Forty-seven percent of the United States pays no taxes. If you see anything wrong with this scenario, do something about it.

Marlene Golat

Joliet

Abe Lincoln started the Republican Party and worked to see that every American had a chance to help America in peace and war. Today we have three modern Three Stooges -- Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh -- who, with a few Herald-News callers, are trying to destroy the GOP. I hope The Herald-News readers are wise to these home-grown terrorists.

Sam Sandretto

Joliet

In response to Louis Lagger's OpenLine comments about God, I believe there is a god and Lagger believes there is no god. We are both believers. Neither one can prove that God exists or that God does not exist. However, when we see things such as skyscrapers in downtown Chicago, as an example, and know they were designed and built by intelligent beings, it doesn't take much of a stretch to imagine an intelligent being that designed the earth, and the solar system. Just because that being does not have an office in Chicago does not mean nonexistence to me.

Charles Mueller

Plainfield

I'm responding to Joe Bannon's OpenLine comment that our government has meant to secure what is written in the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed the colony's separation from Great Britain, not binding laws for our country. Our Constitution says government is to "establish justice, insure domestic tranquility and provide for the common defence..."

Frederick Dallmeyer

Plainfield