Despite a reputation for curmudgeonly cynicism, I am thankful for much in Oak Park.

I am thankful our local taxing bodies finally understand that real estate taxes are too high and agree that every other taxing body should exercise restraint. 

NIMBY: Nothing Impacts My Budget Y’all.

I am thankful the village board rejected redevelopment of two properties on Pleasant Street, thereby assuring they must reject redevelopment of the far more historically significant Drechsler-Brown site half a block away. Unless the board decides to act arbitrarily and capriciously. Like they did last time.

I am thankful for the newly installed Madison Street bike lanes, which, unfortunately, I cannot bicycle to because my life insurance has an exclusion for hyper-hazardous activities such as badger-baiting, missions to Mars, and biking on share-the-road thoroughfares.

I am thankful for neighbors who leave me alone. They don’t need me for ill-informed hateful blather, they just follow Trump on Twitter.

I am thankful for the incessant dead-tree flyers from the library and others. People actually get paid to produce drivel that nobody reads or wants. Paid! Actual money! And here I give it away.

Have a happy hormone-free, zero-packaging-waste, green-energy-cooked Thanksgiving meal that you drove to Whole Foods to pick up because, you know, your hectic schedule doesn’t allow you to bike or walk there.

Bob Stigger

Oak Park

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