Publications & Sites 
Government is not the problem
Updated: March 29, 2012 3:50PM
This is in response to the letter of Nancy J. Thorner published in the March 1 edition of the Review.
She complains about the unemployment numbers that your newspaper published. Her basic premise is that the unemployment numbers are higher than those actually reported. She complains about the anemic growth of the economy and the “insurmountable debt through massive and uncontrollable spending that can only result in a failed nation …”
If history is any guide, there was massive spending by the federal government in the Great Depression in the 1930s. Government provided jobs that the private sector could not. There was a Civilian Conservation Corps and other government programs that spent money to hire people to do necessary things such as build national parks, repair roads, and many other items not involving only physical labor. By providing jobs, and by paying people to work, the government made certain that the employees had money to pay for food, clothing, shelter and other items. That money spread throughout the economy. As a result, manufacturers again began manufacturing items that the newly employed could purchase. Manufacturers needed more employees to build the new items and so they hired also. The effort snowballed until the start of World War II which was truly the economic engine that ended the deplorable economic situation called the Great Depression.
Although Ms. Thorner complains about government spending and the fact that unemployment is higher than as reported, what is your suggested solution? She objects to government spending. Unemployment compensation benefits or work programs to hire the unemployed would result in more government spending. If those are not appropriate, what is? If the answer is cutting taxes so that businesses will hire more people, then why did not the Bush tax cuts result in more employment? If cutting taxes was the answer, we would not be in the situation we are in now. Cutting taxes is not the answer. It did not work in the 2000’s. It will not work now. American corporations are sitting on vast amounts of cash and are unwilling to invest in new manufacturing or employment. The reason cannot possibly be because taxes are too high. Taxes are lower than they have been in decades. There has to be another reason. Perhaps Ms. Thorner could tell us what it is.
Gary L. Schlesinger, Libertyville
Libertyville streets
are not fine
This is in response to the article on page 5 of the March 1, 2012 issue of the Libertyville Review dealing with the road referendum bond issue for the Village of Libertyville. Jack Martin is quoted as saying “I admit the streets aren’t in pristine condition, but I think that they’re perfectly fine.”
I suggest that Mr. Martin drive in the Riva Ridge subdivision. Those roads were constructed with concrete. The concrete is breaking up. Every year some of the concrete is replaced, and some blacktop patches are used to fill potholes. Every spring the blacktop washes out and new blacktop is put in. Is that “perfectly fine?”
Perhaps Mr. Martin could also drive down McKinley Avenue between Stewart and Garfield. The pavement is breaking up there badly. Is that “perfectly fine?”
Another concrete road that has significant problems with the concrete shifting and thus the road not being level is from Nicholas Dowden Park west to Butterfield Road.
Mr. Raymond True and Mr. Jack Martin have never met a referendum that they would support. While it is probably true that the roads do not need an emergency fix right now, it is clear that with increased gasoline mileage for gasoline powered vehicles, with increased use of electric power vehicles that use less or no gasoline, with automobile sales down due to the state of the economy, the Village of Libertyville has significantly less money available to maintain the roads than it had previously.
Homeowner’s borrow money for major items such as a purchase of a house, the purchase of a car, or major repairs and renovation to a house. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the village borrowing money to make major repairs to the road. I urge the populous of the Village of Libertyville to vote in favor of the referendum.
Gary L. Schlesinger, Libertyville
