Happy 2007!

Just a quick note to wish everyone a happy and joyous 2007.

Spent part of New Year's eve at the beach watching the sunset in 80-plus degree weather.

Can't do that in a bean field.

It's my sincere hope that God continues to bless every one of you throughout the new year. And beyond.

And so it goes.

Beached

The observant among you might have noticed over at the right (just to the right of my rather accurate caricature) a slight change in the home base of this blog.

The change hasn't actually taken place yet but will within about a week. The Ol' Guy and Not-Nearly-So-Old Wife are headed to South Florida where the Ol' Guy has landed a spiffy new job in Naples, FL.

In the mean time, we're spending long frustrating hours downsizing about 20 years of our lives as we get ready to move into a condo that's about half the size of our Champaign house. (And costs approximately twice as much, coincidentally.) Amazing what all you can collect over the span of a few decades living in the same place. Anyone want to buy a snow blower and a couple snow shovels? I won't be needing them anymore. The garage sale is Friday and Saturday. (If anyone's truely interested in the sale, message me and I'll provide the address).

Nevertheless, South Florida presents a new challenge, a new lifestyle and a new climate. It's time for a change and why not make it in paradise?

What this is coming to is that while the Ol' Guy blog isn't exactly ending, it's most likely not gonna see a lot of posts in the future. I've spent much of my time over the last almost 2 years commenting on local issues and local folks. Doubt many of you CU folks are gonna care much that more smugglers are beginning to favor the Naples area for smuggling in Cuban refugees. That's the big news down there.

I may weigh in on a national issue or two, and may make a comment when the Chief's Traveling Minstrel Show finally is retired and when CU finally goes smoke free, but don't expect a lot to be happening here.

After all, there's an incredibly beautiful beach a mile from my front door. And loads of sunshine and warm winds. And the Gulf of Mexico.

Could YOU blog in that kind of environment?

Me neither.

And so it goes.

Slap slap

OK, OK, I was wrong. And boy does it feel good.

-- I honestly did not think the Democrats would take the U.S. House. It turned out to be more of a referendum on Iraq and GeorgeW's failed administration than I had counted on. So now the Dems not only have a majority, they have a nice majority.

Of course, being free-thinking, free range Dems, it still remains to be seen whether they can muster a majority vote on anything. You can call the Dems a lot of things (and most of you have) but you can never call them a rubber stamp for anyone or any thing.

-- And now the late breaking news is that the Dems may also have taken the Senate as well. That's still up in the air because the races are so close in Virginia and Montana (when's the last time those two states ever worked together on anything?) but it would seem the worst that could happen is an evenly divided Senate. As I write this, the Dems in both states would appear to have won. But by extremely slim recountable margins.

-- Has the GOP cried voter fraud yet?

And locally:

-- Democrat Mike Frerichs barely edged out Republican Judy Myers for our state Senate seat. This was one of the nastiest, mean-spirited and least issue-oriented campaigns I've ever seen. Neither party has any right to be proud of this campaign.

-- Timmy Johnson won again, but in case anyone noticed, it was a lot closer than many people expected. Maybe it'll spur Timmy to actually serve his constituency. Naaah. Never happen. He still thinks his constituency starts and ends with his rich lawyer friends and his CEO buddies. Anyone still remember when Timmy ran on a term limits platform? Apparently he doesn't.

-- Gov. Blago got re-elected. This, too, was a pretty distasteful campaign. But it would seem the voters rejected the George Ryan brand of corruption for the Blago style. It's too bad there aren't many honest politicans in Illinois. Is 'honest Illinois politician' an oxymoron?

-- Shame the GOP couldn't put up any opposition for Naomi Jacobsson. She was clearly better than Rex. But who isn't?

-- The Champaign County Board stayed in the hands of the Democrats despite some backhanded and moldy campaigning. That tactic got really moldy really quick. Never resonated with the voters, nor should it have. It was a manufactured controversy by the designated county GOP hack artist and never caught a foothold. (And congrats, Matt. Good to have a blogger on the board.)

-- Finally, you out there: You can call Mike Frerichs tall. You can call him a (shudder) Democrat. You can whine that he went to an Ivy League college. But now, you have to call him Senator.

And one last comment: I never in my life have been so glad for an election to be over as I am this year. This was from top to bottom the nastiest, meaniest and ugliest campaign I've ever lived through. And that takes in a lot of elections. No one involved in the process should be proud of their part in it.

And so it goes.

The local news

I've said this before, but I think it bears repeating.

I still do not believe the Dems are gonna take the US House and/or Senate. I really don't care what the polls say.

The problem with the polls is they really aren't measuring the election from the local perspective. Ask any voter if he wants to throw the barsturds out and given the GOP track record the last 6 years, a good majority will shout "Hell Yeah!"

Problem is, then you have to ask question two: Does that mean you're gonna vote against YOUR GOP Congressman/Senator? The answer likely will be "Hell No!" I want all the rest of them barsturds out, but I'm still voting for Tim. Or Denny. Or whomever.

I just want YOU to vote YOUR crooked congressman out, OK?

Given that's the way it really works, I don't see a Democratic takeover of Congress. I see Democratic gains. Just not a majority.

Sorry.

--------------------------------------

NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:

Shortly after the election, the Old Guy blog likely will be shutting down. It looks like the Old Guy (and Not-So-Old Spouse) will be packing up and heading to much sunnier climes. Permanently.

I'll likely still be reading the local blogs, but it's gonna be difficult to comment on local goings-on from 1,300 miles away. Especially when there's important beach combing and sun gathering to be done. (This isn't, however, retirement. Not yet, anyway).

We'll see what happens.

And so it goes.

Odd ends

Just leftover thoughts and pretty marginal stuff:

-- The CU Chamber of Commerce sure is sounding a lot like a spoiled little brat concerning the Big.Small.All. Champaign County community planning project. A little tantrum this week along the lines of, "I don't like the score of this game so I'm just gonna hold my breath and run home." To which most of the folks involved likely yawned "So what?" If there's a less effective organization in the county than the CofC, I'd like to see it. I'd almost forgotten we had one.

-- Although I know few of the details and am far from an expert, I still liked the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board's decision to deny Carle Foundation Hospital bid to build an outpatient surgery center in Coles County. 'Bout time SOMEONE said 'NO' to that giant just once. Probably the decision was wrong. Probably Coles County needs the center. Probably. But still it was heartening to see someone slap that big unruly dog in the nose with a newspaper just once. Gets tiresome hearing the chorus of 'Whatever Carle wants... Carle gets...' all the time.

-- The nursing home's mold problem and it's political aftermath to me has been the biggest and most enthusiastic flogging of a dead horse I've seen in years. And all the righteous talk that it's about the $2-plus million cost and doesn't have a thing to do with politics. Bull hockey. It's obviously a transparant political ploy to embarass the County Board's Democrats (and the two Republicrats). And since it's been ramrodded by the county GOP's No. 1 hacksaw....

-- No surprise here, the Champaign library construction's behind schedule. Think it could have something to do with the big hole in the ground being filled with rain water and mud most of the spring? Municipal projects are almost always behind schedule. It's tradition. Beats me how private construction projects seem to take about half the time. Still, it's beginning to look like a building. And even at this stage it's more attractive than the current library building.

All for now, carry on, folks.

And so it goes.

Vote to shut them up

A few general thoughts on the upcoming election.

-- Think Mike Frerichs has worn out the 'tough independent auditor' phrase yet? His ads have become so bland and so repetitive that most people just tune them out. At this point either he changes his approach or he might as well stop running them. He needs to find another message that will resonate with voters. (And 'tough independent auditor' is in about the same category as 'wild and crazy librarian.'

-- Meanwhile, Judy Meyers' ads have become so negative and are attacking in such a foul manner that it's becoming increasingly obvious that hers is a desperate campaign trying to make up a lot of ground in any way possible. They'd have to be trailing badly to resort to such tactics. One listener, upon hearing one of Meyers more odious attack ads, commented to me 'is there an honest Republican anywhere in Illinois?' Sadly, I had to say 'No.' Doubt there is more than one honest Democrat left in the state either.

-- Is Tim Johnson actually running, or just expecting to be carried by his incumbency?

-- Still haven't heard much about the alleged county board elections. Not even too sure which district I'm in. Not sure it matters.

And so it goes.

yay?

-
-
-
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go tigers
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-
-
-(and so it goes)

I wish

-- I wish I was feeling more positive about the Cubs' hiring of Lou Pinella. It's just that he's got too many miles, too many losses and too many embarrassing tantrums on his resume to suit me. Besides, without a roster of actual major league players to work with, he won't make a difference anyway. I suspect secretly Joe Girardi is cheering the hiring. Why would any good young manager want to go to Wrigley right now? And don't forget, I'm a lifelong die-hard Cubs fan and will die one.

But one manager won't solve decades of corporate neglect. Especially not Lou.

-- I wish the election was already over. I'm so tired of all the negativity from both sides in every race. I've been an election watcher for many years. This year is the worst by leaps and bounds. Never seen anything like it. And two candidates spending close to $100,000 EACH for a state Senate seat? Ridiculous. For what? Does anyone really think one inconsequential little downstate legislator is going to make any difference on any issue anyway? Grow up folks. We live in the Great State of Chicago (and lesser downstate counties). When Chicago sneezes, we get boogered.

-- I wish the Ron Guenther boo birds would sit back and take a look at what the man's really done. The entire system's so much better, and the infrastructure's so much better than 10 years ago that it's nearly unrecognizable. Ron can't take the field and tackle folks; he's used up his eligibility. All we can hope for is that Ron Turner's recruits leave soon so Ron Zook can run HIS program with his players.

-- I really really hope that the UI halftime minstrel show is in its last year. It's an embarrassment to a great university. (But then again, judging from the sorry, ingrained racist attitudes of its alumni, maybe it's not such a great university after all. Didn't anyone teach them to think in the time they were on campus?)

-- Still haven't heard of a single restaurant in Urbana closing because of the non-smoking ordinance that went into effect, what, three months ago? Don't expect I will.

-- Getting tired of telephone push-polls. Been polled by both parties in the last week and in both cases the slant of the questions was ridiculous.

-- And to answer both parties, no, I'm not going to be putting your candidate's signs in my yard. There isn't a candidate in the area I personally want to be associated with.

And so it goes.

Tis the season

Just a month to go before the election and finally it's getting interesting:

-- Never in my life have I seen the number of and vehement nature of the spins on an issue as have been coming from the GOP concerning the Rep. Foley affair. This is one scandal they can't blame on the press. Or the Dems. But they sure are trying. Blame anyone and everyone but themselves. If they'd just owned up to it, quickly dealt with it and got over it, it never would have blossomed into such a brouhaha. Every party has its bad apples. Just get rid of them; don't try to blame anyone else.

But it does mean that the GOP is in even more danger of losing the House than it was a couple weeks ago. Talk about blowing it. I would have bet a bundle a month ago that the GOP would keep hold of the House. Not now. The only thing they had going for them was the moral ground. Which has turned into quicksand. The faster they pedal, the deeper they sink.

-- So far, I've seen just one - one - Tim Johnson yard sign in Champaign. Does that mean he has just one supporter left? Lotsa Gill yard signs. Lotsa Frerichs signs. A few (very few) real hard to read Meyers signs.

-- Getting tired of Naomi Jacobsson phone polls. She's sure trying hard and awkwardly for someone with no real opponent. Rex who?

-- Never seen such a schizophrenic campaign as that being run by Judy Meyers. First she tried to attack Frerichs. Didn't take. Then she tried running on her record. People checked her record. Didn't take. Then we had some 'celebrity' endorsements which basially said 'she's not as bad as they've been saying.' Didn't take.

And now, she's decided to campaign against Gov. Blago. That's not taking, either, since Frerichs has been running an anti-Blago campaign for months.

Makes more believable the rumors that a quick change in campaign leadership is coming. Heard that from more than one source lately.

-- Aren't we also having local elections? County board, for example? Talk about a stealth campaign.

And so it goes.

Name game

Just wondering ...

Is it true that GOP stands for Greedy Old Perverts?

And so it goes.

Change is good

Dusty Baker is an excellent baseball manager.

He's gonna make the right team very happy.

Unfortunately, Dusty Baker was not even close to a good fit for the Cubs. Simply put, Dusty can manage one kind of baseball team: The kind with power hitters, little speed and a self-managing (and self-healing?) pitching staff.

The Cubs this year, and in the past few years, consisted of some power (which was good for Dusty) some speed (which was lost on Dusty) and a whole staff of young, fragile arms.

Dusty wasted most of the power; he wasted nearly all of he speed. (Did he ever call for a hit and run?) and he probably irrevocably damaged at least two and perhaps three of the best pitching arms in baseball by his mis-managing.

That said, I'm not sorry to see Dusty and the Cubs part ways. It's sad when anyone gets fired for any reason, but in this case ....

Dusty will land on his feet. He's a good baseball man.

It remains to be seen if there's enough left of the Cubs after his tenure for them to land on their feet.

So far, it sounds like the consensus pick to replace Baker is Joe Girardi. I'm not opposed to that. As a former catcher, he should know a little about pitching. As a self-made hitter, he should know a little about hitting and hitting philosophy. As a manager, he's been successful wherever he's been. And he's an Illinois boy, so he knows how long we've suffered.

The Cubs could do worse. (They could have kept Baker.)

Now it's up to Hendry (if he's still around in a week) and the Tribune Co. (unless they finally decide to sell) to decide if they really want a winner or whether putting 38,000 fannies in the seats at every home game is enough of a measure of success.

As an incurable Cubs fan. I really hopes some people in the organization finally decide to try and make the Cubs into a winner.

We deserve it.

And so it goes.

A moment, please

I strongly suspect that this story is some kind of Onion-esque parody, but nevertheless...

If I were an Iraqi, I'd really want a quick explanation for what they mean by 'not yet.'

And so it goes.

Hey, boys

Ah, those moralistic, puritanical, protect the American way, prim and proper holier-than-thou Republicans....

And so it goes.

Clearing the air

Finally, someone's put an end to the 'it's only a small minority of people' theory.

Those in the minority on the smoking ban issue (i.e. those opposed to the smoking ban) like to complain that 'a small minority' are pushing their agenda on the rest of us proud Ahmurrrikans.

Well, the State Journal-Register in Springfield actually asked people.

And guess what they found? A majority of Illinoisans favor a statewide smoking ban in all indoor places, including bars and restaurants.

Argue sampling error and poll bias all you want. The results are pretty conclusive:

Fifty-four percent of those responding to the poll supported a comprehensive statewide smoking ban, 39 percent were opposed and 7 percent were undecided.

Those polled were asked: "Do you support or oppose a comprehensive statewide ban on smoking in all indoor public places, including workplaces, restaurants and bars?"

The idea was supported by a majority of people of all political stripes. Among Republicans, 56 percent said they wanted a smoking ban. Fifty-one percent of independents favored the ban, while 53 percent of men and 55 percent of women and Democrats were for it.

Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington conducted the poll of 625 registered voters Sept. 19-21. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.

If you want to argue that 54 percent in favor of a statewide ban isn't much or a majority, then explain how only 39 percent is a strong minority.

Further, although the Illinois Licensed Beverage Association is still whining that a ban will hurt bars' bottom line, there is little evidence of that.

Those in favor of a ban point to research that shows no overall decline in sales tax revenue from the hospitality industry when there is a smoking ban. They argue that bar and restaurant employees should not have to contend with secondhand smoke, especially when most white-collar office workers do not.

They also point to a surgeon general's report this year that said tens of thousands of people die each year from secondhand smoke and that it is a cause of heart disease, lung cancer and other illnesses.

Is is possible that we'll get a statewide smoking ban any time soon? I kinda doubt it. Illinois politicians are historically spineless when it comes to issues that help only people rather than businesses. Besides, the Illinois Licensed Beverage Association has a lot of money to throw around in Springfield, and right or wrong, that kind of money can influence a legislator a lot quicker than, say, the thought of improving the health of thousands of registered voters.

A statewide smoking ban cleared a House committee last winter but has never gotten a vote in either chamber of the General Assembly. Drea [Kathy Drea, public policy director for the American Lung Association of Illinois and Iowa] hopes a ban will get a vote when the new General Assembly is sworn in in January.

"It's a non-election year, so it'll be more positive for a vote," she said. "(The ban in) Springfield was so important because all of the legislators live here six months out of the year. They will be able to see people still go out, still want to be with their friends."

We can only hope.

And so it goes.

Staying home

Looked into migrating this blog over to Wordpress yesterday, since that's what all the cool kids are doing.

You'll note I'm still here. That's not likely to change.

Wordpress couldn't import my blog content. Although they said they could. (Apparently they haven't heard of Blogger beta yet, where this is located).

Wordpress couldn't import my blogroll. Although they said they could. (Apparently they haven't heard of Blogger beta yet, where this is located).

Wordpress said it had dozens of cool themes. They were no better than those at Blogger. And Blogger has more choices. They're all pretty lame.

Can someone explain why anyone would want to move? What's the attraction? What's the benefit?

Is there something I'm missing?

And so it goes.

Define well...

Things in Iraq are going well, we're told.

There is no civil war in Iraq, we're told.

The media never reports what's really going on in Iraq, we're told.

How do they explain this?

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The number of Iraqi civilians killed in July and August hit 6,599, a record-high number that is far greater than initial estimates suggested, the United Nations said Wednesday.

The report from the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq's Human Rights office highlighted the sectarian crisis gripping the country, offering a grim assessment across a range of indicators — worrying evidence of torture, unlawful detentions, growth of sectarian militias and death squads, and a rise in "honor killings" of women.

That raises new questions about U.S. and Iraqi forces' ability to bring peace to Baghdad, where the bulk of the violent deaths occurred. Iraq's government, set up in 2006, is "currently facing a generalized breakdown of law and order which presents a serious challenge to the institutions of Iraq," it said.

According to the U.N., which releases the figures every two months, violent civilian deaths in July reached an unprecedented high of 3,590, an average of more than 100 a day. The August toll was 3,009, the report said.

The lower August number may have been the result of a security crackdown in Baghdad, though it was partly offset by a rise in attacks elsewhere, including in the northern city of Mosul.

For the previous period, the U.N. had reported just under 6,000 deaths — 2,669 in May and 3,149 in June. That was up from 1,129 in April, and 710 in January.

Of the total for July and August, the report said 5,106 of the dead were from Baghdad.

The report attributed many of the deaths to the rising sectarian tensions that have pushed Iraq toward the verge of civil war.

No further comment is really necessary.

And so it goes.

Yeah, you

Hey, Osama:

Olly Olly All In Free!

It's been 5 years since Osama's folks took down the towers.

In the interim, our government has gotten us mired in a war/police action/civil-religious war in the wrong country.

In the mean time, the administration has failed to come any closer than naming a country [Pakistan] in its search for the real culprit. And at least 2,666 American soldiers have died and at least 19,945 have been wounded fighting the wrong war.

And Osama Bin Laden remains free.

(Bet if I forgot to pay my income taxes, no matter what country I was in, the IRS could find me.)

And the neocons wonder why no one has any faith in the Bushies in office.

And so it goes.

Brown paper packages...

Guess I really am old. And living in the past.

Sold an item recently on eBay. Boxed it up yesterday, taped it and tied it securely with heavy string.

Took it to the post office yesterday. First thing the post office person did was cut and remove the string.

Seems the Post Office doesn't like tied up packages. Hasn't for years, she said.

Guess I missed that memo.

I remember when most packages were tied with heavy string.

Darn.

And so it goes.

New look

Not sure if this is indicative of anything in particular, but:

Driving around my solidly Republican neighborhood this morning, I noticed a whole lot of Gill for Congress yard signs. Didn't see a single re-elect Timmy sign or any indication of any Johnson action.

Lots of Gill bumper stickers, too.

If you knew my neighborhood, you'd understand how surprising this is.

It's early, but I'm wondering if this may be a trend.

And so it goes.

Not exactly civil

Things sure are looking good in Iraq. To listen to a lot of right-wing nutjob commentators and bloggers, the whole country is one big happy face.

Then how do they explain this? This is the Pentagon talking. You know, that place with all the generals? Our military leaders. The guys with direct lines to the guys in the ground in Iraq.

WASHINGTON -- Sectarian violence is spreading in Iraq and the security problems have become more complex than at any time since the U.S. invasion in 2003, the Pentagon said Friday.

In a notably gloomy report to Congress, the Pentagon said illegal militias have become more entrenched, especially in Baghdad neighborhoods where they are seen as providers of security as well as basic social services.

The report described a rising tide of sectarian violence, fed in part by interference from neighboring Iran and Syria and driven by a "vocal minority" of religious extremists who oppose the idea of a democratic Iraq.

Not exactly in the same vein as this little piece of partisan propaganda last week from the conservative International Republican institute:

In a recent poll, more Iraqis, who live in Iraq, say Iraq is headed the right direction than Americans who merely watch TV reports about Iraq or read newspaper reports about Iraq.

Doesn't quite square with what our military leaders are saying, now does it?

Today's AP story continues:

"Death squads and terrorists are locked in mutually reinforcing cycles of sectarian strife," the report said, adding that the Sunni-led insurgency "remains potent and viable" even as it is overshadowed by the sect-on-sect killing.

"Conditions that could lead to civil war exist in Iraq, specifically in and around Baghdad, and concern about civil war within the Iraqi civilian population has increased in recent months," the report said. It is the latest in a series of quarterly reports required by Congress to assess economic, political and security progress.

Mission accomplished!

Peace is at hand!

And so it goes.

Give me dirty laundry

The electronic media is in a real hitting slump lately.

First, after trying, convicting, pillorying, flaying and executing John Mark Karr on TV for the alleged murder of JonBenet Ramsey, the accursed Colorado officials had the temerity to not even charge the guy. Simply because they had no evidence.

TV was in a non-stop feeding frenzy for about a week from the time the poor guy was discovered in Thailand. They even covered him on the airplanes from Thailand to the U.S. and from California to Colorado. 'Flying first class? Shame! Shame!' Some of the all-news channels turned into all Karr channels. It ran over and over and over 24 hours a day for days and days. No other news was allowed to intrude. Can't get enough of a juicy murder and it's equally juicy outcome.

No time for facts, we've got the killer, TV shouted. Finally! We solved the murder of at least one white female.

Sorry, TV. Wrong psycho. Made you folks with the microphones look awfully silly again.

Then, TV ramped up the coverage of deadly Hurricane Ernesto, which was bound to wipe South Florida right off the globe. Hour after hour after tense, serious hour of coverage of this deadly storm. Maps, charts, diagrams. A projected path that estimated it could wipe out about a half of the eastern U.S. It came ashore yesterday with rain and 43-mile-per-hour winds. A good storm, sure. A killer?

The folks on location at the Weather Channel looked positively crushed that the storm was so pitiful. (Still can't figure out why they have to have a reporter stand out in the rain in Miami to prove to viewers that it's raining in Miami. We won't believe it if we don't see a wet weatherman?)

All in all a couple real good weeks for the TV folks.

Keep it up. We need scandal. Scares. Murder. Death & destruction. All the stuff you're so good at ....

And so it goes.

Listen to the doors slamming

Slam ... the sound of doors closing.

Well, maybe.

I see Champaign high schools are finally getting the message.

Kinda buried in a NG article on school resource officers (cops in the hall) is this little gem:

The district plans to look at a closed campus for its high schools, meaning students would not be allowed to leave for lunch.

Burley said the schools could not now handle a closed campus, because the buildings don't have a large enough space for lunch for all students. The change would require renovations and changes to class schedules to stagger lunch times.

He said the district will study the possibility of a closed campus this year.

Finally. Common sense.

Some of us -- and it would seem a lot of others in the community -- have been preaching the value of a closed campus for quite some time. Maybe now the school administrators have seen the light.

I don't even care if they want to make it sould like it's their own original idea.

If it cuts down on community problems, smoking, littering, running all over town during the day, accidents, consorting with non-student thugs, I'm all for it. I really don't see where it's a right for students to be able to leave school for lunch. It works elsewhere. It can work here.

Maybe.

And so it goes.

For sale?

Those few of you who actually visit this site will notice something different.

No ads.

For the past year I've had Blogger/Google's irritating Adsense ads on my page every day. In the past year I've earned exactly $0.01. That's right, one penny!

And I haven't even seen that.

Finally last night I decided to pull the plug.

I'm not for sale.

At least not for a penny.

And so it goes.

The friendly skies

A few observations on a quick flight to south Florida over the weekend:

South Florida in August? Are you nuts? Probably. Still, wasn't much worse than Illinois' recent heat wave. Just never cools off. The beaches are great, though.

Flying's becoming more and more of a hassle and less and less pleasant. To the point that any trip under 500 miles will be more pleasant to drive.

Those rumored security checkpoint backlogs simply do not exist except at really, really peak flying times, and then it's no more than a 15-minute wait. At most. My longest wait in line was about 30 seconds. At most.

The security personnel are quite serious about their jobs and being more vigilant than I've ever seen them. Nevertheless, they also seem more pleasant and understanding than in the past. They know that it's no fun for the passengers.

Despite all the hoopla about not being able to carry liquids or gels on planes, a surprising number of folks just never get the message. Or they believe it doesn't apply to them. Garbage containers at the security stops are filled. Little old ladies just do not want to part with their 40 pounds of makeup.

People also don't understand that they can't carry a bottle of water on a plane, even if they purchased it in the gate area. People are dumb.

Boarding is a lot more pleasant now since about half of all carryon baggage has been eliminated. No businessfolks trying to stuff an 80-pound steamer trunk into an overhead bin while 80 people wait to board. The overhead bins on all of my flights were never totally filled.

Conversely, lots more checked baggage means more crowded baggage return areas. And longer lines at the lost luggage offices.

In general, folks at airports and in the air seem to be making a real honest effort to be pleasant, friendly and helpful. They know that flying's now more of a hassle than an adventure. It is for them, too. It's not their fault.

And so it goes.

Uh, no

Sorry, NG, one restaurant claiming a (maybe) loss of 10 percent in receipts since the smoking ban went into effect in Urbana DOES NOT make it a trend.

It makes it a story about one whining person whose revenues are down until the students return. Or until the food and/or service improves. Or perhaps because people just aren't spending right now. Or perhaps you just have a surly bartender who's chasing folks away. Or maybe you raised beer prices. Or maybe your air conditioning hasn't been working all that well. Or...?

Sorry, NG, it ain't a trend. No matter how much you want it to be. Nor how much you're trying to convice us (and you...?) that it is.

Did anyone else notice that the story actually began in paragraph 5?

Four other restaurant and coffee shop owners and managers said they haven't noticed any change in business, other than having more customers going outside to smoke.

Officials have received only one complaint about illegal smoking, and it was determined that it wasn't valid.

To repeat. Four business note no change in revenue, one whines that business is down 10 percent. Which is the trend?

And so it goes.

Beta means beta

Fair warning:

If your blog's on Blogger and you are invited to move to the new beta version, I'd recommend waiting a couple days. This could be a good upgrade soon. Nevertheless....

Beta means there still are bugs to be worked out. Take my word for it.

And so it goes.

Bidness as usual

Like most (not all, of course) observers, I was amazed at the speed at which the Champaign Council selected Deb Frank Feinen to fill out Kathy Ennan's term.

I really wasn't all that surprised with the outcome. Feinen was one of the two best qualified of the 15 candidates. She nearly had the appointment when the council filled the last opening, but some last-minute strong-armed politics ended up with Marcie Dodds being picked in something of a you-scratch-my-back-I'll-stab-yours surprise.

The thing that rocked me a bit was the speed. One ballot, little discussion, about two minutes between nomination and vote and outcome. I think it is obvious that the outcome was secured long before the meeting was called to order. Votes for were Tom Bruno, Mayor Jerry, LaDue, Vic McIntosh and Dodds.

Not the lineup I would have expected. Bruno is enough of an independent thinker that it's likely he just had decided on who he considered the best-qualified candidate. Ladue, Vic and daMare's votes for Deb were pretty much a foregone conclusion. Leaving Dodds. She's been part of some backroom dealings before, including the dealings that got her the council seat to begin with. I have no doubt that someone said something and someone promised something (or threatened something) to insure what is generally thought to be a Dem vote for a GOP candidate.

That's how politics is played. Doesn't make it right, but that's the game. Gotta play by the rules that are before them. And then don't complain about the final score.

Is Feinen's selection gonna change much on the Council? No. She's pretty much a moderate Republican (if there is such a thing). She's already said that as the appointed member of the body, she wouldn't work to overturn the smoking ban. And as a veteran of other public bodies, she comes in more up to speed on how things work than probably anyone else on the list of candidates.

The body still is leaning just as far (barely) to the liberal side as it was before the selection. That hasn't changed. The five pro-smoking ban votes are still intact and by all accounts still firm.

And, despite my slight trepidation, I suspect Feinen could be a fine council member.

We sure could have done worse.

And so it goes.

Set your TiVO

Just a guess, but I'm betting in Champaign, Cable Channel 5 is gonna get better ratings tonight in the 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. time slot than network programs 'Big Brother: All Stars,' 'According to Jim' and 'Miss Teen USA.'

That's because tonight the Champaign City Council's gonna be having its own little beauty pageant. About the first thing on the agenda is the selection of a new council member to replace Kathy Ennan, who resigned.

There's no shortage of candidates: 15. There's no shortage of qualified people. There's no shortage of opinions, rumors, innuendoes, bets and guesses.

And, unless the council's been playing 'Let's Make a Deal' for the past few days, there's gonna be no shortage of drama.

Who's gonna win? I have no idea. I don't think anyone really does. Perhaps the Council really has made up its mind in various back rooms (smoke-free back rooms) over the past week. That's a good possibility.

But I doubt it.

Which may make for a lot of wrangling, talking, debating, more than a little hollering and, it's my guess, at least six votes before the issue's settled.

I'd like to be able to speculate on who's gonna win. I have no clue. Over at the conservative Republican Illini Pundit blog their unscientific poll showed that even among mostly Republican readers, only the barest of majorities ended up endorsing the leading GOP candidate, Deb Frank Feinen.

Of course no one else in the poll garnered double digit percentages. That alone should tell you just how up in the air this thing is. The former leading Democratic candidate, County Board member Patricia Avery was less than spectacular in her interview with the council last week. Which made her the former leading Dem candidate. Problem is, no one knows who the current leading Dem candidate is.

And remember, the Champaign Council is (wink wink nudge nudge youknowwhatimean) nonpartisan. Still, party designations matter. Or at least political philosophies.

It would seem that at present (subject to change at any moment) a slim majority would be leaning ever so slightly toward the liberal side.

Which bodes poorly for Feinen but favorably for ... Avery? Gary? Who?

So, tune in. And prepare yourself for a long night of drama, action and definitely comedy.

And so it goes.

Technorati Profile

Saturday stuff

This, that and assorted other stuff:

-- A lot of people have a lot of opinions about what the Champaign Council's going to do about filling Council Member Kathy Ennan's vacant seat. Problem is, with 15 candidates, that's a lot of information to sort through. And a lot of politics to play. Talking to someone fairly close to the process, it appears no one, not even council members, know for sure what's gonna happen yet. All that's for sure is that Patricia Avery, who may have had the inside track a week ago, shot herself in the foot (of both feet) this week when she appeared before the council. It would appear at this point that there still are maybe 10 equally viable candidates. And about 75 viable opinions.

-- Even despite the antics this week, I'm not all that convinced Avery's decision to drop out (maybe) of the County Board race was a smart move. Her move hurts her party, it hurts her and could jeopardize the Democratic majority on the County Board. Is she sure that's what she wants to do? Why?

-- Not sure what to make of the rumors floating around that Catherine Hogue may drop out of the County Board race due to heath issues. The health issues are real. Not sure the rumors are, though. I speculate that it's more speculation than fact. But I could be wrong.

-- I don't care where you stand on the political spectrum, this latest terrorist threat is just plain frightening. Especially since I have a couple of flights (not international, thank heavens) coming up next week. No carry-on bags for me. Probably no blissful in-flight naps, either.

-- Haven't heard of a single restaurant closing in Urbana since the smoking ban went into effect Aug. 1. Have heard of a couple restaurants seeing a few new non-smoking faces, however. Guess the business apocalypse is gonna take a little more time, huh?

-- Been seeing more and more stuff about the Illini football team and the Bears both getting ready for their seasons. Far as I'm concerned, it's just too darned early for football. Heck, the Cubs haven't even been mathmatically eliminated yet. (They're close, through).

-- American's youth is still dying in Iraq. And Sunnis are still shooting Shiites who are still shooting Kurds who are shooting Sunnis who are killing Kurds who are killing Shiites who are ..... ain't democracy grand?

And so it goes.

Puppy pals

It's easy to criticize the Champaign Police Department. Heck, some days it's pretty much mandatory.

That's why when something goes right, it's only fair that gets reported too.

Perusing through the paper's police report log (yeah, I need to get a life) I discovered that last week during the heighth of the heat wave, Champaign Police ticketed two people for cruelty to animals for leaving their dogs in their cars.

How can people be so cruel? So just plain damned dumb?

So, police, for ticketing the scum, you get an official attaboy. Or two. And a big sloppy wet kiss from a big happy dog.

And so it goes.

Everybody's pickin' on me...

Poor George; seems more and more Americans are finally coming to realize that our Presidolt's little adventurism in Iraq is a really really bad idea.And it may just be time to count our losses and get own with our own business.

A solid 60 percent of Americans now say the W-imbecile's wrong.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sixty percent of Americans oppose the U.S. war in Iraq, the highest number since polling on the subject began with the commencement of the war in March 2003, according to poll results and trends released Wednesday.

And a majority of poll respondents said they would support the withdrawal of at least some U.S. troops by the end of the year, according to results from the Opinion Research Corporation poll conducted last week on behalf of CNN. The corporation polled 1,047 adult Americans by telephone.

Oh yeah, I know, I know, this is all a conspiracy by the liberal media to discredit poor George.

Problem is that the Presidolt's loss of credibility is self-inflicted. Every time he opens his mouth his credibility drops another couple points. There is no 'liberal media conspiracy' because there's no need for one.

The story continues

Asked about a timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq, 57 percent of poll respondents said they supported the setting of such a timetable, while 40 percent did not and 4 percent had no opinion. Only half the sample, or about 524 people, was asked the timetable question.

The Bush administration has maintained that setting a timetable or deadline for withdrawal would only help terrorists.

Americans were nearly evenly split on whether the U.S. would win the war in Iraq. Forty-seven percent of poll respondents either said the United States would "definitely win" or "probably win." Another 48 percent either said the United States could not win, or could win -- but will not win.

George, it's looking more and more like your own constituency doesn't believe you.

And so it goes.

War? What war?

Oh, things are going well in Iraq:

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A series of bombings and shootings killed at least 31 people Tuesday, most in the Baghdad area, as more U.S. troops were seen in the capital as part of a campaign to reduce Sunni-Shiite violence that threatens civil war.

Three bombs exploded simultaneously near the Interior Ministry buildings in central Baghdad, killing 10 people and wounding eight, police Lt. Bilal Ali Majid said.

A couple of hours later, two roadside bombs ripped through the main Shurja market, also in central Baghdad, killing 10 civilians and wounding 50, police Lt. Mohammed Kheyoun said.

The blasts were the latest sign of the security crisis that prompted U.S. commanders to bolster the American troop presence in the city. More U.S. troops patrolled the streets of the Ghazaliyah neighborhood, a mostly Sunni area and among the most violent parts of the capital.

And yet the conservative nutjobs continue to claim that this is all in the imagination of the left-wing media. Democracy is thriving, they say. Guess those were democratic (or Democratic) bombs, huh?

Right.

And so it goes.

Stay in school

The solution to this problem is obvious, even if school officials deny it with every breath they take.

Close the campuses. Students come to school at 8:15. They go home at 3:15 p.m. (or whatever). They don't leave the school grounds. NOT AT ALL. It worked when I went to school. It works elsewhere today.

School officials make all kinds of excuses. I'm not impressed. And I'm not convinced:

Some audience members asked why the school district doesn't move to a closed lunch system. But Wachala said that, with 1,500 students and two lunch periods, the 350-seat cafeteria simply couldn't handle the traffic if all students were forced to stay on campus.

I wish I could believe that. I can't. That's not an explanation, it's an excuse. If the school can house and (purportedly) educate all the students, it can find room for all of them to eat. That is if it wanted to find room for all of them to eat.

I don't believe it does. I believe the administrators and teacher just want an hour or two every day when the students are gone and are someone else's problem. They don't really care if they're off campus causing problems, as long as they're not causing me any problems. Meetings like the one Sunday night are nothing more than lip service. Attempts to placate critics.

I'm not the only one who does not believe the administrators.

"Over 20 years, you would think funds could be found for a bigger cafeteria," said Brad Cronk, who lives on Holiday Drive.

Cronk also said student behavior is worsening.

"The children are becoming more defiant, more headstrong," he said. "They do things we would never dream of doing."

Therefore, the school would prefer that some of those behaviors happen outside of their area of responsibility.

So the final answer is one of two things: either the school is incapable of handling its students, or it's unwilling to try.

Or both

And so it goes

All is well

Offered without comment:

From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East told Congress on Thursday that " Iraq could move toward civil war" if the raging sectarian violence in Baghdad is not stopped.

"I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I have seen it," Gen. John Abizaid, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said the top priority in the Iraq war is to secure the capital, where factional violence has surged in recent weeks despite efforts by the new Iraqi government to stop the fighting.

A similar remark was offered by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told the panel, "We do have the possibility of that devolving into civil war."

And so it goes.

Who?

The official field for Kathy Ennan's vacated Champaign City Council seat went from pretty slim to 'holy heck!' in a hurry today, the last day to file.

As reported elsewhere (IP among others), the field now is set at:

Garrett Anderson Jr.
Patricia Avery
Azark David Cobbs
Deb Frank Feinen
Karen Foster
Kathleen Gary
Bill Glithero
Christy Grassman
Brad LaPayne
James Lievano
Bradley Mahaffey
Charles Nerone
Gregory Stock
Harry Washburn
Robert West

Aside from Avery and Feinen, it's pretty much a list of 'who dat?'

It's also encouraging. It's nice to know that people are willing to serve. It's not like anyone's gonna get rich at the job. Or become wildly popular either.

If I ever figure out who they all are (OK, I know who Avery, Feinen, LaPayne, Glithero and Anderson are) I'll probably feel a little more free at analyzing the race. (Early odds favor Avery and Feinen, but ...)

Googling can find many of these folks in Champaign, but until I'm certain I can attach the Googled name to the actual candidate, I'm loathe to include that information here.

Right now I'm just satisfied there is a real race.

And so it goes.

Feeling sweepy?

If only.

If only the Cubs could play the Cardinals every day.

I believe that's 10 of 13 ...

How sweep it is.

And so it goes.

Acceptable

Well, the death toll at the World Free Fall Sky Dieing Convention in Rantoul is at one with almost four days to go.

We've been told in the past that there is an 'acceptable' death toll for an event like this.

From the NG:

There have been no other reported accidents nor any other problems reported so far this year, he said.

This death brings the total number of sky divers killed to five since the World Free Fall Convention came to Rantoul in 2002.

This year's event began July 21 and ends Sunday.

Rantoul Village Administrator David Johnston said the event is primarily set up to support the sky divers.

"They've been doing this a number of years, so they pretty much have it down to a science," Johnston said.

"They are very up front with people concerned about safety," Johnston said. "This is a high-risk hobby or sport, like racing. It depends on equipment or the user judgment."

Acceptable death toll indeed.

And so it goes.

Fielding questions

I'm surprised.

The field for the open Champaign City Council position keeps getting more and more crowded. Along with perpetual candidate and county board member Deb Feinen, county board member (and former board chair) Patricia Avery (who hasn't formally filed) and council groupie Bill Githero, new to the fray are Karen Foster and Garrett Anderson.

I'm surprised because asking to serve on the Champaign Council is akin to volunteering for a public flogging.

Still, so many candidates is not a bad thing.

The last two to seek the seat -- Anderson and Foster -- are pretty much political blank slates. Anderson is a veteran of the Iraq war who suffered serious injuries while serving in the Presidolt's little quagmire. That alone should make someone think twice about running. After all, how much pain is one supposed to endure?

Foster, meanwhile, is the former director of the Champaign County Nursing Home's child care center. She does have a bit of a political pedigree since she recently was named Republican precinct committeewoman in Champaign precinct 23.

She's also had the joy of dealing with the county board while in her former position at the child care center. That alone should be enough to deter her.

I'm frankly amazed. Given the amount of crap a Champaign Council member has to put up with (from the public, from the mayor, from various political and business forces, from assorted activist groups and even from bloggers) I really don't see the council as being the place one wants to be.

It's encouraging that people WANT to serve. It's actually a positive in a growing sea of negative. The filing deadline's Aug. 1. It's altogether likely that other candidates will surface.

Who do I support? Dunno yet, but I gotta say right now I'm leading toward one of the unknowns -- Foster or Anderson.

Sometimes the devil you don't know is preferable to the devil you do.

And so it goes.

Sportin' life

Sigh.

So this is what sports has come to in this day and age.

It seems as though no one is (justifiably) above suspicion anymore. Does anyone compete and NOT cheat? Are you sure?

From The AP:

LONDON (AP) -- Tour de France champion Floyd Landis tested positive for high levels of testosterone during the race, his Phonak team said Thursday on its website.

The statement came a day after cycling's world governing body said an unidentified rider had failed a drug test during the Tour.

The Swiss-based Phonak said in a statement on it website that it was notified by the UCI Wednesday that Landis' sample showed "an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone" when he was tested after stage 17 of the race last Thursday.

"The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result," the statement said.

Surprised at the levels or surprised they were detected?

Sigh.

And so it goes.

You know you're in trouble when...

A president knows he's really screwed up when members of his own political party are preparing bills to allow Congress to sue him for his obviously unconstitutional actions.

This post is actually a followup to yesterday's which revealed that the American Bar Assn. said they believe the Presidolt's writing exceptions to laws he's signing is unconstitutional. Not to mention stupid.

So, today a GOP senator is preparing a bill to allow Congress to sue the Presidolt for his Constitution-trashing actions:

WASHINGTON -- A powerful Republican committee chairman who has led the fight against President Bush's signing statements said Monday he would have a bill ready by the end of the week allowing Congress to sue him in federal court.

"We will submit legislation to the United States Senate which will...authorize the Congress to undertake judicial review of those signing statements with the view to having the president's acts declared unconstitutional," Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said on the Senate floor.

Seems our friend the W-imbecile is attempting to set himself up as king and court of all things government. Congress? Who needs 'em! The Supreme Court? Ha! Separation of powers? No one separates MY powers!

Bush has issued at least 750 signing statements during his presidency, reserving the right to revise, interpret or disregard laws on national security and constitutional grounds.

"That non-veto hamstrings Congress because Congress cannot respond to a signing statement," said ABA president Michael Greco. The practice, he added "is harming the separation of powers."

Seems our Presidolt will leave no constitutional stone unturned to get his way. Sorry, Georgie; being a party that preaches (but doesn't practice) smaller government doesn't really mean ignoring two thirds of it in order to rule by fiat.

You go, Arlen. Someone's gotta protect the Constitution. While a shred still exists.

And so it goes.

Bush league

Raise your hand if this surprises you:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's penchant for writing exceptions to laws he has just signed violates the Constitution, an American Bar Association task force says in a report highly critical of the practice.

The ABA group, which includes a one-time FBI director and former federal appeals court judge, said the president has overstepped his authority in attaching challenges to hundreds of new laws.

So, what's the Wimbecile doing that's so all-fired wrong?:

The attachments, known as bill-signing statements, say Bush reserves a right to revise, interpret or disregard measures on national security and constitutional grounds.

"This report raises serious concerns crucial to the survival of our democracy," said the ABA's president, Michael Greco. "If left unchecked, the president's practice does grave harm to the separation of powers doctrine, and the system of checks and balances that have sustained our democracy for more than two centuries."

Seems our Presidolt plans on leaving the office after leaving no part of the Constitution unviolated. "The Constitution? They're just guidelines, really."

Anyone yet spoken the words 'high crimes and misdemeanors'?

Why not?

And so it goes.

Splat

I see the World Free Fall Convention is underway through July 30 in Rantoul. Or as some like to call it, the World Sky Dieing Convention.

Wonder what the acceptable death toll is this year?

The over/under is set at 5.

Natural selection at work here, people.

And so it goes.

A puff of sanity

Pay attention, Jerry. Looks like going smoke-free might actually work. From Thursday's News-Gazette:
Enforcement plan in place for smoking ban:

"URBANA -- With only 11 days to go before Urbana restaurants must become smoke-free, the city and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District have reached a tentative agreement on how they'll jointly enforce the smoking ban.

The biggest emphasis will be on education, with several city officials planning to fan out across the city next week to visit 53 Urbana restaurants to explain the smoking ban in detail to restaurant owners and managers.

A copy of the city's smoke-free ordinance, brochures explaining the law and signs advising that a table or business is smoke-free also will be provided.

Well, Jerry, since you indicated that enforcement would be the biggest problem to going smokeless (other than you having to step outside of Carmons about every 15 minutes) you might check out how your neighbors are handling it.

It looks like it might actually work, don't you think?

The article continues with more common sense:

The public health district and Urbana have a tentative enforcement plan worked out... Under the plan, people who witness illegal smoking can file a complaint with the public health district by telephone or complain in person at the Urbana Police Department.

If a serious complaint is filed, where people are seen smoking or ashtrays are out, the public health district will send an employee within three business days to investigate the complaint. The visit will be educational, with the employee giving the restaurant manager information about the city's smoke-free ordinance and their role in enforcing it, said Diana Yates, the public health district's director of health promotion.
If more complaints about a particular establishment are filed, those will be passed along to the city, Yates said.
....
The public health department won't write tickets for violations, but will be able to serve as a credible witness -- "enough for the city to issue a citation," Yates said.

How about that? A plan that actually makes sense. One that sounds like it'll work. (Can't wait until the smoking busibodies begin their predictable spin).

I wonder what the next pro-pollution excuse will be?

And so it goes.

To the right

Nice to see the GOP is much more interested in posturing than running the country.

The House today is going to be voting on the Gay Marriage Amendment. It's a symbolic thing, since the issue has already been killed by the Senate. And since they already know that it'll fail in the House as well.

But, hey, it's all about the politics, right?

This is an issue they think they can use as a pathetic hammer in the fall elections to attempt to instill fear in a populace that really does not fear or oppose.

To the conservative wingnuts in Congress, marrige is 'between a man and a woman' because anything else would 'destroy the institution of marriage.' How it might destroy it is never explained. Because it can't be explained. But it will. Trust us.

Nevertheless. the vote today in the House is even more blatantly political than past actions. From the AP:

WASHINGTON - A proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages is expected to fail again in the House, frustrating conservatives who have made it a legislative priority but also giving them an issue they can put before voters in November.

The House vote scheduled for Tuesday has little legislative significance because the Senate has already effectively killed the proposal for this waning session of Congress. But President Bush has asked, and social conservatives demanded, that gay marriage be on the agenda in the run-up to the election.

In other words, the issue's dead in every sense except to be used as a campaign issue.

How sad. How pathetic. And just to attempt to pull a few votes from a few evangelicals and assorted conservative wingnuts. And some uninformed voters who are susceptible to fear-mongering.

We've got a faltering economy. A never-ending war in Iraq. A deficit that will haunt our great grandchildren. Hunger. Homelessness. Major problems in our public schools. Cancer, AIDS. MS. A host of other diseases that need our immediate attention. Racism. Sexism. Hate.

And they're worrying about a gay marriage amendment? An amendment that's already justifiably dead.

Think about it: Two people love each other. They want to get married. To pledge to live their lives together as one, as a couple. Committed to each other; to monogamy. Exactly how does it hurt ANYONE what sex the partners are? You're not invited into their bedroom anyway.

But, if it can become a campaign issue, the GOP will make it one.

Maybe that's why the GOP's running scared in this midterm election. It can't find the issues for the rhetoric.

My suggestion: Want a gay marriage amendment? How about this one: "...marriage in the United States shall consist of the union of consenting adults. Neither the Constitution, nor the constitution of any state, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of consenting adults."

There. Did that hurt? Threaten your marriage? Didn't think so.

And so it goes.

Two in one

Sunday was the best.

The Cubs gave up two grand slam home runs IN ONE DAMN INNING against the Mets.

And from the look in the Cubs dugout, not a single player, coach or manager seemed to care.

I notice Jim Hendry and Dusty Baker are still employed.

The Cubs are a beaten team. The players have given up. It looks as though Baker has given up. And given the inaction from Hendry, it looks as though management has given up.

Time for a Florida-style house cleaning. No one's exempt. Start at the top. End with the batboy.

And so it goes.

Call me a prude but ...

I enjoy a well-turned ankle as much as the next guy, but....

Then again, maybe I am a prude. Maybe it's just a sign that I'm getting older (a LOT older).

But am I the only one who is bothered by having 13-, 14-, 15- and 16-year-old high school girls in swim suits or tight short shorts and belly shirts (or whatever they call those cutoff things) standing on street corners waving signs for charity car washes?

Is that what schools are teaching our daughters? That the way to get what they want is to use their bodies, their sexuality? At age 14?

Where are their parents? What are they thinking?

It bothers me. It's the wrong message.

And it doesn't make me want to get my car washed at their event.

And so it goes.

Idle speculation

Little birdy told me the race for the open Champaign City Council seat is all but decided.

All because someone shot herself in the foot.

Only three candidates have emerged for the open position: County Board member Patricia Avery, political oddball Bill Githerow and perennial candidate Deb Frank Feinen. (Although it's officially a 'nonpartisan' council wink wink nudge nudge knowwhatimean, that's Avery D, Feinen R and Githerow ??)

At first glance, Feinen would seem the strongest of the three. It took some nasty back-room shenanigans after the last opening to deny her the position before. (And that ended up blowing up in the shenanigan-ee's face.)

So what's Feinen do? She pulls out her shotgun and blasts her left foot off. She announces she'll not vote against the already passed smoking ban while she's an appointee, but after she's then elected to the post she'll work to repeal the law.

BOOM!

'Bout the only way Deb's gonna get elected is as an incumbent. She ain't gonna become an incumbent unless she becomes appointed. She really doesn't have all that much political capital in the community outside the small dedicated R circles. She's spent so much time trying and running and hoping and talking that she's yesterday's news without ever becoming today's headline.

Last time I counted there were 5 votes for the smoking ban and 4 against. Think those 5 votes are gonna vote to appoint someone who will reopen a dead and buried promised and passed can of worms?

Not likely.

BOOM!

Had Deb kept her mouth shut...

That leaves Githerow and Avery.

Githerow's pretty much a political flake.

Leaving Avery.

Welcome to the council, Pat.

(Wonder who's gonna take her county board seat? Let the speculaton begin!)

And so it goes.

Celebrate!

And so it goes.

Refresh my memory

Just wondering....

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong (and there's a good chance here...)

But a few years back didn't the Supreme Court declare the line item veto unconstitutional? At least it was when it was going to be in the hands of Bill Clinton. If I recall, it was one of the big items in Newt's Contract On America.

Then why, pray tell, is Congress (and the Wimbecile in the White House) again contemplating such a measure? I believe a version of the bill's already passed the GOP-controlled House. Perhaps it's a more appealing prospect when it's potentially in the hands of a GOP president. One who's already made a few politically-motivated and questionable appointments to the Supreme Court.

If it's unconstitutional in 1998, isn't it unconstitutional in 2006?

Then what's the point?

Just wondering ....

And so it goes.

Who knew?

Turns out sniffin's as bad as puffin.

At least the Bush folks say so:

WASHINGTON - Breathing any amount of someone else's tobacco smoke harms nonsmokers, the surgeon general declared Tuesday -- a strong condemnation of secondhand smoke that is sure to fuel nationwide efforts to ban smoking in public.

"The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard," said U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona.

More than 126 million nonsmoking Americans are regularly exposed to smokers' fumes -- what Carmona termed "involuntary smoking" -- and tens of thousands die each year as a result, concludes the 670-page study. It cites "overwhelming scientific evidence" that secondhand smoke causes heart disease, lung cancer and a list of other illnesses.

The report calls for completely smoke-free buildings and public places, saying that separate smoking sections and ventilation systems don't fully protect nonsmokers. Seventeen states and more than 400 towns, cities and counties have passed strong no-smoking laws.

What a revelation! Does that mean that we should go smoke-free? If GWB's own surgeon general says so .... how can we argue?

And so it goes.

Still puffin'

Wonder if Mayor Smokey realizes that people are laughing at him concerning his continued reaction to the smoking ban.

Even people who haven't followed the issue closely are finding his actions humorous bordering on delusional.

Da Mare hates to lose so much he refuses to recognize the evidence when it's right in front of him. You lost, Jer. L-O-S-T.

Jer: Ha Ha Ha Ha He He He He Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Get over it and get on with the business of government. If possible.

And so it goes.

27-43

Why is Dusty Baker still employed?

And so it goes.

The times, they are a changin'

Or are they?

Rod Blago is fiscally the worst governor in years and years and years. Right?

Jim Edgar was the best, most monetarily sound governor in years and years and years. Right?

Then how do you explain this from today's Sun-Times?

Under Gov. Edgar, the state's bond rating was downgraded on three separate occasions, and he underfunded the state's pensions in every one of his eight budgets for a total underfunding of $9.7 billion -- the single biggest under-funder in state history. At the same time, Edgar gave away the casino licenses for next to nothing, making a number of Springfield insiders millionaires many times over. That's good fiscal management?

Of course, this is a letter from Roland Burris, hardly an impartial bystander. But the numbers speak for themselves. And if you can find a copy of Tuesday's Sun-Times, there's even a chart comparing the two govs.

Even I was surprised.

Still don't like him, but Blago comes out pretty strong in comparison.

Somehow.

And so it goes.

Next year

If you're a Cubs fan, you're used to 'Wait 'til next year.' It's a way of life.

But this year, next year came a lot sooner than we expected. It's really pretty discouraging.

Dusty's a good manager; a smart manager. He's been a successful manager. But one wonders if Dusty's the right man to manage that team. He has speed but seems to have no clue how to manage it. He has only sporadic power, but seems to want to rely on it. And he seems to want to burn out pitchers' arms at an alarming pace. That is not a good menu for success.

Don't know if anyone could do better than Dusty, but could anyone do worse than 26-40?

Time to run up the white flag (since the W flag's gone into retirement) and start rebuilding a little earlier this year.

Perhaps start at the top? (It'd save on your toothpick budget.)

And so it goes.

Blink, Blink, Blink

This'n'that"

-- Can someone PLEASE explain to me why CU drivers find it so difficult to turn on their turn signals? Does it waste THAT much gas? Does it over-tax the electrical system? Or are CU drivers just stoopid?

-- Speaking of stoopid, will Mayor Smokey ever give up his tilting at the smoke-free windmill? It passed Jerry. You LOST! You don't get to declare overtime just because you're 'da mare.' Get on with governing the city, Jer. And give up those smokes before you drop dead yourself. It really ain't that hard. The Ol' Guy did it.

-- Exactly WHEN will the BOT act of the Cheef? It's coming. We know it. They know it. Even the newly-elected Cheef (another white suburban boy) knows it. Cowardice goes only so far, folks. Wouldn't it have been nice to have seen out all-American tennis players in the NCAA playoffs this year? What about next year's? And don't forget softball and soccer and women's basketball (ha!) and volleyball and all the other minor sports that are now paying the price for the UI's institutional racism.

And so it goes.

Yer darn rights...

...and while we're at it, hassling legitimate businesses and infringing on our precious, Constitutionally-protected property rights, let's start passing a petition to repeal:

-- Ordinances regarding General food handling
-- Ordinances regarding Food storage
-- Ordinances regarding Food containers
-- Ordinances regarding Food handling
-- Ordinances regarding Food Preparation
-- Ordinances regarding Food Removal and Disposal
-- Ordinances regarding Minimum food temperature holding ordinances
-- Ordinances regarding Food Product Thermometer ordinances
-- Ordinances regarding Thawing of potentially hazardous foods
-- Ordinances regarding Displaying frozen foods
-- Ordinances regarding Food Display
-- Ordinances regarding Dispensing Utensils
-- Ordinances regarding Food Transportation by the Retail Food Store
-- Ordinances regarding Employee Health
-- Ordinances regarding Personal emplpoyee cleanliness
-- Ordinances regarding Cleaning Frequency
-- Ordinances regarding Wiping Cloths
-- Ordinances regarding Manual Cleaning and Sanitizing
-- Ordinances regarding Mechanical Cleaning and Sanitizing
-- Ordinances regarding Drying
-- Ordinances regarding Equipment and Utensil Handling
-- Ordinances regarding Equipment and Utensil Storage
-- Ordinances regarding Single-Service Articles Handling and Storage
-- Ordinances regarding Prohibited Storage Areas
-- Ordinances regarding Water Delivery
-- Ordinances regarding Water Under Pressure
-- Ordinances regarding Steam
-- Ordinances regarding Sewage
-- Ordinances regarding Plumbing
-- Ordinances regarding Grease Traps
-- Ordinances regarding Garbage Grinders
-- Ordinances regarding Drains
-- Ordinances regarding Toilet Installation
-- Ordinances regarding Toilet Design
-- Ordinances regarding Toilet Facility Maintenance
-- Ordinances regarding Handwashing Facility Installation
-- Ordinances regarding Handwashing Supplies
-- Ordinances regarding Handwashing Facility Maintenance
-- Ordinances regarding Garbage and Refuse Containers
-- Ordinances regarding Garbage and Refuse Container Storage
-- Ordinances regarding Garbage and Refuse Disposal
-- Ordinances regarding Insect and Rodent Control

And we especially need a referendum on the health inspection of restaurants and taverns.

They're infringing on a business's personal property rights, too. Aren't they? To quote one of the many bar-orchestrated letters to the editor, "Are business owners not allowed to make decisions for themselves? Can they not choose .... Must government dictate every aspect of our lives? ... Soon Russia will have more freedoms than we do."

Imagine! The affrontery! Coming in and telling ME what to do with MY business! Well I never! There's Communists everywhere! (Probably even in the State Department. Whoops, wrong war...)

There are laws and there are campaigns.

It's all public health. Go wash your hands and put out that cigarette in public.

And get over it.

And so it goes.

Muhammad hates knees?

Civil war? What Civil war?

From the AP:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi tennis coach and two of his players were shot to death this week in Baghdad because they were wearing shorts, authorities said Saturday, reporting the latest in a series of recent attacks attributed to Islamic extremists.

Ah, the birth of a forced democracy is well....

And so it goes.

The best and the brightest

This is the best we can do?

That's depressing.

And so it goes.

Out there somewhere

Anyone know if the UI tennis team is still alive in the NCAA tournament?

If they are, we know where they are at: On the road.

Thanks to the UI and BOT's institutional racism. You can say it any way you want, but hostile and abusive is hostile and abusive. And that won't go away, either. Even if we close our eyes really really tight.

We should expect more?

And so it goes.

I care? Cough Cough Cough

Talk on other blogs is that come August 1, all the smokers will abandon Champaign and Urbana bars and head out to the Senator's Inn and the bowling alley bar in Savoy.

My response: so what? Buh-bye.

If any large-scale boycott happens, and I'm most doubtful, it MAY last 2-3 days. Probably less. Smokers do not go to bars simply to smoke. Despite what you'll read in the conservative free-trade-or-die blogosphere. They go to drink. They go to watch sports on TV. They go to play pool. Play darts. Eat. Throw peanuts on the floor, cuss, grunt and fart. And most important, they go to socialize with their friends. If your friends, your pool league, your darts league and all your other Cardinal fan friends are sitting around the Esquire (the thankfully smoke-free and suddenly pleasant Esquire) are you gonna sit with a bunch of disgruntled smokers in the cramped little Senators Inn bar and SMOKE all by yourselves? With clenched fists, a furrowed brow, a lighted cigarette clamped tight in your lips and a victorious frown on your face? You've beaten The Man! I doubt it, but if so, enjoy yourselves. That just means more room for me and my nonsmoker friends in more suddenly pleasant bars in Champaign and Urbana. Don't let the swinging bar door hit you in the ass. I really doubt you will be missed. Any revenue loss will be temporary.

Just be careful after an evening of heavy smoking and heavy drinking when you decide to drive back home. The cops will be waiting; you can bet on that. And there's no bus service in Savoy, remember? DUI anyone?

Mean time, just how many students are gonna leave Campustown bars because they can't smoke? If it's 1 percent I'd be surprised.

Mean time, it'll be my guess that about 5 percent of the smokers in other C-U bars may stay away -- temporarily. But it's a pretty good bet that that'll be offset by an increase in folks like me who had long since given up on nightlife because we tired of scratchy throats, itchy, bloodshot eyes and smelly clothes.

Fair trade.

Enjoy Savoy, folks.

I won't miss you. Neither will most bars. Not if they honestly admit it.

And so it goes.

Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles!

A whole lot of new bars and restaurants will open up in Champaign-Urbana (well at least Champaign, for now) come August 1.

There are a lot of businesses, particularly in downtown Champaign that I have never been in and that I will begin patronizing after August 1. And I bet I'm not the only one. Nonsmokers like me spend money, too. There are more of us. Really. And we're not busy wasting money buying tobacco, so we have more money for food and drinks.

For a real big belly laugh, check out the whining over at IlliniPundit. It's precious. Especially the comments. You'd think the Champaign Council had just negated all of the 10 Commandments and the entire Bill of Rights in one vote. The apocalypse has arrived!

Sounds like smokers have rights. And business owners have rights. But breathers don't.

It's time for smokers to be locked out of a few bars and restaurants (at least while they're smoking). We nonsmokers have been locked out for years.

Fair is fair, right?

Guess not.

And so it goes.

Figures

OK, let's see: Urbana can go nuke-free.

But not smoke free?

I suppose it makes sense -- to someone. Hey, it's Urbana.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING: This blog reached a momentous milestone Monday: Old Guy Blog is now officially 1 year and 1 day old.

And they (and I) said it wouldn't last. Then again, as long as there are wingnut conservatives ...

And so it goes.

If not now, when?

For the UI Bored of Trustees, the future finally is now.

Providing they have enough cojones to face it. If I was a betting man ....

Check out this link from USA Today.
And from Thursday's News-Gazette online sports blurbs.

CHAMPAIGN -- Brad Dancer knows how important Chief Illiniwek is to Illinois fans.
The coach also knows his Illinois men's tennis team, ranked eighth in the country and seeded seventh in the NCAA tournament, won't host first- and second-round matches like other national contenders.

When NG sports says 'Illinois fans' mostly what it means is Loren Tate. The same Loren Tate who has bragged that the Cheef won't be retired in his lifetime. (Although there's some arguement whether that's already come and gone.)

But what the story really means is that the UI tennis team is being punished because the BOT and other dinosaurs insist on hanging on to a long-since-disgraced halftime minstrel show which benefits a few old alumni while punishing the students and athletes the UI is supposed to be serving and helping.

It's my guess that the BOT finally is going to face the music. Only question is when. And again, its my guess that they'll do it after the semester is over, after the students are gone and after the alumni are otherwise engaged with lawnmowing and patio cocktail parties.

Whenever it comes, it's gotta come soon. The eighth-ranked UI tennis teem has been placed at a very decided competitive disadvantage because of the inaction of the BOT and the stubbornness of the tradition-blinded alumni.

OK, BOT, the tennis ball is in your court. When the tennis team makes an early withdrawal from the tournament because it has had to play all its matches on the road (while the other contenders are safely nestled on their home courts), who are you gonna blame?

BOT: Whatcha gonna do...?

And so it goes.

Ding dong

The Chief is dead.

Except that some die-hard ignoramuses (ignoramusi?) who just can't get it through their pointy little heads that it's over.

As for the pro-Chief camp, Roger Huddleston said he was disappointed in the NCAA's decision, but he was optimistic.

"We have to see the board's response and we have yet to see what the legislation will do on a national basis. There are other things out there, other initiatives that are still viable," Huddleston said, referring to possible legislation that would call for denying the NCAA the right to impose sanctions against a university because of its team name, symbol or mascot.

Doesn't our government have a few more pressing issues to deal with than an outmoded, pathetic, racist relic from a past that's better off buried?

And so it goes.

I wonder

How many times have our legislators said they're gonna address the rising gas price problem since 911?

When do you suppose the action will kick in?

And so it goes.

Inferring nothing

Just wondering.

How would the immigration debate be playing out if the bulk of the illegal immigrants were from the Middle East rather than being Latino?

Making no judgements. Just wondering.

And so it goes.

A good Monday

Republican Gov. George Ryan has been found guilty on all 18 federal racketeering and corruption counts.

Tribune alerts email called it a shocker. An understatement.

But most welcome.

And don't forget that it is Judy Baar Topinka's and Judy Myers' mentor George Ryan being found guilty on all 18 federal fraud, corruption and racketeering charges.

Gonna take some talking by the state GOP to spin their way out of this one. I'm sure they'll try. But remember, THEY ELECTED HIM. More than once. Can't spin their way out of that.

And so it goes.

Not forgotten

Posting will continue to be light here for the near future. Long hours, low pay and high boredom all factor into a lack of time, energy and motivation.

(Just in case anyone was wondering.)

And so it goes;

One from Column B

After close to examination and some soul searching, I've finally decided to join the ala carte government movement. It just makes sense for those of us with enough resources to do things ourselves.

For instance, I don't use the street lights in the downtown 'historic' district, therefore, I will begin a petition drive to eliminate my neighborhood from having to pay for them and their upkeep. You want lights in your neighborhood, YOU pay for 'em. My porch lights work just fine.

I also don't think I should have to pay for maintenance for the downtown brick streets since I don't use those, either. Petitions are being prepared.

I rarely see police patrolling in my neighborhood, and since crime around here is rare anyway, I think I'll start a petition drive to halt payment for law enforcement. We have a few hunters in the neighborhood, and, using our Second Amendment rights, I think it'd be more cost effective to form our own neighborhood militia.

Snow plows seem to visit our neighborhood usually two or three days after the snowfall, which accomplishes nothing. I shortly will be organizing a petition drive to allow our neighborhood to stop paying for that city service. It's only a service if I want it and it serves me, right?

Streets in my neighborhood haven't had a thing done for them in years. I don't think I should have to pay for street maintenance. Prepare your petitions, gentlemen.

Likewise, street sweeping really isn't necessary since we really don't litter much around here and all of us rake and bag our own leaves. I am wlling, however, to allow the city to pick up my bagged leaves, so I won't be petitioning eliminate that service.

Likewise, I do use the library fairly regularly, so I won't be petitioning out of that service.

I've never applied for welfare or used the local DSC or health district. I don't think I should have to pay for that, either. Petitions are pending.

We've never, to my knowledge, had a flood in our neighborhood. Why should I have to pay for storm sewers? I'm working on that petition as we speak.

My house has never caught fire, nor have any of my neighbors houses, but I suppose just to be safe, I'll agree to keep paying for fire protection. But if something doesn't happen soon ....

I own a couple cars, so I soon will be passing around a petition to halt paying for bus service, since I never use it. Doubt my next door neighbor will like that, though, since their daughter uses the bus to get to college every day, but heck, I never use it, so why should I have to pay for it?

I have no children, therefore I will be petitioning to exempt myself from paying school taxes. It's only fair. It's a service I never asked for, so why should I have to pay for it?

What do I need with city planning and zoning departments? I'm not planning on moving, buying any property or starting any subdivisions. Petitions will be forthcoming there, too.

Since the precedent has been established (thanks, Scott), I really think I have a good chance of reducing my tax bill by about 90 percent, doncha think?

Get ready, Mr. Tapley, I'm expecting you and your little band of tax protesters to help pass all these petitions and campaign for all my issues.

After all, isn't ala carte governnment the only fair way to go?

Stuff'n'Junk

Stuff I thought of when I probably should have been thinking about other stuff.

-- If Scott Cochrane wants to hold his yearly UI student drinking binge and vomit-a-thon, make him pay for it. Pay for extra police, pay for street cleaning, pay to restore the damaged and destroyed city and university property and pay for all the extra emergency room visits by OD'd students. Oh, and pay the families of the dead students as well. For once, I have to agree with Mayor Jerry. Cochrane has no business serving on the city's Liquor Advisory Commission when he has no intention of following city liquor ordinances. He invented a 'holiday' in order to make more money. He never stopped to consider the cost. Binge responsibly indeed.

-- I believe I said a week or so ago that no No. 1 seed would win the NCAA tournament. I was right. But I also said I thought UI's No. 4 seed was too low. Looks like I was wrong. Anyone in America got an intact Final Four bracket?

-- Blago's campaign ads are already hitting the airwaves. His campaign's already taking shots at Topinka. The Topinka campaign's already reeling. Hang on, it's gonna be a bumpy ride to November.

-- If that's not the start of a civil war in Iraq, just what is it? There are like 40 deaths per day with one sect attacking another on a daily (hourly?) basis. OK, so it's a religious war, not a civil war. Hard to tell the difference. And our president says things are going well. Sure.

-- Champaign-Urbana's gonna miss John Lee Johnson. You may not have always agreed with his positions, but you never could argue with his passion. Or his sincerity. He may have cared more for our community than anyone else who's ever lived here.

And so it goes.

Primarily

Some people were surprised at the outcome of yesterday's primary voting.

That surprises me. Because nearly every issue was pretty clear a couple weeks before the election.

Did anyone but a dreamer expect Eisendrath to knock off Blago? The fact that Eisendrath carried Champaign County, I think, was as close to a surprise as I could find. I imagine it was just like me, when Dems pulled the curtain closed and looked at the ballot, they just couldn't, just wouldn't, they were just a little too uncomfortable voting for someone who still needs directions to 'Downstate' after 3 years in office (I almost typed 3 years in Springfield. Ha!)

Did anyone but a blind loyalist expect JudyBT to lose? Really? Why? The big question mark in this primary was the vocal push by state ultraconservatives for Brady or Giddy or even Obie. The problem with that constant vocalization is that the conservative wingnuts may be vocal, but they aren't as numerous as they would imagine. Think about it folks: If the only people you hang around with are right-wing redstate wannabee nutcases, sooner or later you begin to assume that the whole state is composed of right-wing redstate wannabee nutcases. You forget the slapdown the nutcases took a couple years ago with Alan Keyes. Ultra-conservative politics really isn't all that popular with the average Illinois Republican right now. With you and your little band, sure. But it's not a movement in ascension right now. Sorry. Maybe JBT is a little too 'liberal' for some GOPs. But it looks like the other candidates may have been a bit too conservative for the party as a whole. You can argue that the 'conservatives' got more combined votes than Judy. (Was Obie a conservative, or just a real rich nutjob?) But Judy still won. She got the MOST votes. There's a similar argument that other Republicans were afraid of Judy because of her association with George Ryan. So votes not for Judy weren't 'conservative' votes but anti-Ryan corruption votes. Still, more Repubs voted for JBT than anyone else. And you can't argue with that.

If Republicans hope to regain the governorship, they need one candidate that can appeal to more than the fringe right. Is Topinka that candidate? Can't say yet. But there wasn't another candidate to fill those shoes in the race.

Why didn't Brady do better? He's too bland, too conservative, too whitebread and too downstate at this moment. He had little money and not much else to separate himself from the field. He was just another little-known conservative. What WAS his message again? Missed it.

Anyone really surprised at the failure of the Champaign school bond issue? That plan had more holes than a wiffle ball. Come back with a plan that makes sense, a plan with some real thought and a plan that doesn't promise a whole lot more spending in the near future and you MAY have a chance. But don't bet your retirement on it. School district voters showed right now they're pissed. And they don't necessarily trust their 'leaders.'

The closest thing to a surprise was in the county board's District 9 race, where 4 candidates finished in a near dead-heat. Right now, the incumbent Demo-publicans are looking like winners. But it won't be over until Shelden finishes cooking the books in a couple days. Or weeks.

Finally, an aside to those whiners who wanted to vote for some Republicans and some Democrats. This was NOT an election. It was a political primary. It is the way political parties select the candidates for the election. Democrats, for some strange reason, want Democrats to select their Democratic candidates. And Republicans want Republicans to select their Republican candidates, for some strange reason. Go figure. In some places, they do it with caucuses. Others vote. But don't be fooled. This is a political function of the parties, not a general election. Sorry, that comes in November.

Which, given the political climate in this state, can't come too soon for me. Politics in Illinois ain't beanbag. (Unless they've changed the beanbag stuffing lately.)

And so it goes.

How low ...

I'm probably the last person in the blogosphere to see this, but geez, this is really a new low in politics, even for Illinois.

Makes you want to wash your hands (and 'puter screen) after reading it.

And so it goes.

Uh ... no

I've said before I've never voted against a school referendum. Despite the fact that I have no kids in school (and never have had).

So I've been fighting a war within myself as to how to vote on this week's $66 million proposal. I hate to deny kids any advantage. After all, someone paid for my public education.

But the other half of my brain says this plan simply isn't a very good idea. It's been flawed from the very beginning.

For instance, after months of hearings, meetings, debates and discussions on what people, the administration and the board wanted and needed, the board said 'we want $66 million.' And then they went about deciding what they would spend the $66 million on.

Isn't that a bit backwards?

Then, the plans they finally proposed were so screwed up as to be simply unsupportable. It has everything to do with politics and little to do with education.

I'm all for air conditioning. I've got it in my house. But in these hard economic times, if I didn't have it, I wouldn't be thinking about adding it. Not right now.

Probably they do need a new elementary school north of University Avenue. Probably the consent decree demands it. But to say, OK, we'll build one, give us the money. THEN they decide on a location so damned far out of the affected area that it is in agreement with the consent decree but will do absolutely nothing to actually achieve the decree really is pathetic.

And my final straw is the Savoy school. Maybe Savoy does need an elementary school. Maybe it deserves one. But this decision is NOT about need. Promising Savoy a school will assure that the referendum gets lots of 'yes' votes from the Savoy area. It had nothing to do with need. It has everything to do with votes.

That's just wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Two elementary schools north of University Avenue have been closed in the past couple decades. One new one has been built and still has empty desks.

Just what is the reason for building another?

I don't see that it's justified.

I can't support it.

And I doubt enough other people will, either.

The school board's blatant politicking is a little too transparent this time around. If you want me to support education, give me a smart plan.

This is stupid.

I'm voting NO.

With no regret.

And so it goes.