Tuesday night was an exciting night in Granite City, IL. A man who was wanted for the suspected recent killings of several people in Illinois and Missouri was apprehended outside of a popular bar there. This was a good thing. He's now off the streets.

This event has captured my attention because Granite City is my hometown. I spent nearly 39 years there before moving 3 years ago to a small town about 20 miles east of there, where I now reside. It is no longer the same town where I grew up, which is one of the main reasons for my departure, but it is my hometown nonetheless.

I am now starting to see a spate of on-line bulletins and comments regarding this event which seem to be soliciting kudos for the GCPD and the patrons of the bar where this all happened. This is a curiosity for me, and has raised what seems to me to be the obvious question: Since when do we need to congratulate people for doing the right thing?

Now, don't get me wrong here. I appreciate as well as anyone else the fact that this piece of scum is no longer roaming the streets. There are people in Granite City about whom I care a great deal, and I'm glad that this idiot is no longer a threat to them or anyone else.

I believe that the Granite City Police, the Illinois State Police, and everyone else involved in the law enforcement side of this did a fine job in apprehending him with no one getting hurt. However, isn't that what they are supposed to do? It is, and they did it. Do they deserve special kudos for it? I suppose that's for everyone to decide for themselves. If you choose to give special attention to the local Police now, what does that say about the other times? Why weren't you giving them all these kudos a few weeks ago when you thought you were safe? Your safe feelings were a direct result of these same Police officers doing there job - uncelebrated and unnoticed. They are out there every day and night making sure you can walk the streets safely and sleep safely in your comfortable homes. Next October or November, when all is quiet on the streets of Granite City, walk up to a Police Officer and thank them then, too.

As for the praise of the patrons of the bar for recognizing the suspect and calling it in to the Police, I must ask again: Since when is it so special to do the right thing? Sadly, the answer seems to be that it has been a special thing for a long time...too long, in fact. This is something we are all suppose to be doing - looking out for each other. It's what families are suppose to do. It's what friends are suppose do. It's what neighbors are suppose to do. It's what communities are suppose to do. But it seems that we do this no longer, and when someone does it becomes a special and brave thing. How sad is that?

I suppose I could take the easy route and just blame the major media, or Hollywood, or pandering politicians, for our ever declining values. But ultimately, the blame lies with us for allowing it to get to the point where doing the right thing is a special virtue worthy of praise. WE have let this happen.

We can equally be responsible to remedy this situation. It really is as simple as just doing the right thing. It's wrong to exceed the posted speed limits. It's wrong to take things for which you have not paid. It's wrong to beat your spouse. It's wrong to see someone shooting in your neighborhood and say nothing to the Police when they investigate. It's wrong to club people in the head and leave them behind a motel or gas station. It's wrong to see a known dangerous fugitive and do nothing about it.

In Granite City, IL on Tuesday night, many people did the right thing. It's what they were suppose to do, and they did it. Why can't we do this every day until it is no longer considered a special thing?

Paul J. Smith
(in quiet little St. Jacob, IL)

Ms. Andrea Hobson,

You are "Right On The Money"

No additional comment needed.

Jerry Greene

In regards to our recent failed tax levies, I feel compelled to comment after reading a passionate father's disgust with the defeat of the athletic facility levy. I have never agreed with property taxes in general. It's simply fascinating " they found yet another way to poke a hole in our savings accounts. If it is your property and you own it, why are you being taxed on it? Well, because you chose to. That's the kicker " we chose to be taxed. As a majority we choose what our priorities are, and fund them accordingly. Well, the majority has decided that elaborate school athletic facilities are not a priority right now. Don't make us feel guilty about it. Heating our homes is a priority. Yes, part of it is economy. We're all broke, so we are attempting to revert back to the basics of food, clothing and shelter. It's not just that we don't have the money to support the levy; we are tired of all these entities consistently extending their hand and burdening the taxpayers. Everybody has their hand out. You say the kids are exhausted? So are the taxpayers. We're exhausted and we're frustrated. We also realize there will never be an end to the bottomless funnel (levies) depleting our hard-earned dollars. Perhaps the alleged lucrative proceeds of athletic events should be used to refurbish the facilities.
For many years I audited government and non-profit entities. That was my area of expertise. I actually audited the City of Macedonia when Mayor Kuchta took office. He inherited a mess and had a lot of very difficult decisions to make. He's tough, and whipped the City into shape impressively fast. He runs a tight ship and he totally earned my respect, as well as that of my fellow auditors. Needless to say, he deserves another term. I met many mayors in my days and none of them struck me in the "no-nonsense" manner that Mayor Kuchta did. In that respect I am sad to see the Fire Levy fail. The City of Macedonia works very hard to compile a fair and conservative budget, and job additions are always a positive issue for a growing community.
As far as the schools go, in my days of audit I had never seen so much misappropriation of funds and gross fiscal irresponsibility. Think of it in a logical sense, in a "for profit" company there are a lot of watch dogs. Bottom line - someone is looking to profit off that company's success. Nobody owns the school. If the parents and taxpayers actually had the opportunity to see how schools spend money, and further, the waste that schools incur, I think they would be sorely disappointed, put their kids in private school and never pass another school levy. Believe me, they have areas that they can cut, and this does not include bussing. Cutting out bus service is never the answer; it is only punishment to the parents that did not pass the unnecessarily costly levy. What does the board need to do? Re-appropriate. Cut some fat. Don't tell me you can't, because I have yet to encounter a public school that can't. Show us how important these extravagant athletic facilities are to you, and you make the sacrifices first. Then come to us. Re-evaluate the levy, and minimize it. It's a huge commitment you are asking us for. Don't just keep throwing it on the ballot every six months until you wear enough of us down to sufficiently pass it. That's not fair. Work with us and we will work with you.