Orland Park's officials must think we're just plain stupid

First it was the "official spin." Don't worry, everything is fine in Orland Park. We (government elected officials) haven't screwed up, it's the bad economy that blind-sided us. We didn't know it was coming. We have a little budget problem ($4.8 million) short of what we need to cover the services we have been providing, but we have a new village manager from Rhode Island who will take care of it all. (He's staying in one of the homes that the village stupidly bought and is having a hard time re-selling for what it paid.)

Then it was, everything is "intact," including the Property Tax Rebate. Don't worry people of Orland Park. No need for you to worry your empty little brains. You haven't cared before, so why should you care now? We'll take care of it.

And then, it was, well, the Property Tax Rebate is going to be cut because some of the money should be going to cover the pensions, which means money that was going to cover the pensions can be used someplace else.

Then they fed the media stories about how Orland Park's Property Tax Rebate is far more generous than other communities, setting the stage for the big scissors.

Now, it's the Property Tax Rebate is going to be "capped."

Next thing, the Property Tax Rebate is going to be eliminated.

I have one question -- it's not easy getting questions answered from this administration -- they only want to talk to the media that embraces their spin (in exchange for advertising, of course): Do you think the village is in trouble because it paid millions to purchase certain, selected homes alleged to have had serious flooding problems -- while so many others that had flooding problems were ignored -- and the village can't resell those homes today to recoup the money they spent?

Or, possibly, is it because the village failed to see the economic signs, claiming as recently as Mayor Dan McLaughlin's speech to the Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce that everything is fine. What's to worry? So no one did?

Or possibly, the village is trying to scurry to come up with enough obfuscation so that when it comes time for their re-elections -- in a few months -- they won't have to worry about losing their jobs?

Just some questions from an Orland Park taxpayer.