Soapbox: Quinn's swagger and the real cost of the discount

Taking too much credit:Gov. Pat Quinn is bragging daily about new laws he's signing, as if he alone made them a reality. After Quinn failed to persuade the legislature to address the state's most critical problems, it's irksome to see him swagger about laws that, in some cases, he had little to do with and fail to solve financial woes.About those woes:Every tax dollar you save on back-to-school purchases starting next Saturday through Aug. 15 is one less dollar that goes toward fixing the budget problem. Of course the shopping incentive is good for the economy, but we still view the 10-day state tax holiday as a gratuitous political move.Hot and lovin' it:The eternal optimists we are, we came up with several reasons to enjoy the fact it's been 90 or hotter more than half this of this month. The grass doesn't grow. If it were only 83, someone in your house might guilt you into turning off the air conditioning. And ice cream cones become an approved food group.Friends indeed: Antioch is showing it won't turn its back on one of its own. The community is rallying around Marine Cpl. John Peck, who lost all four limbs after bomb exploded in Afghanistan. A fundraiser Aug. 7 will feature four bands performing for free, and local groups are donating items. Good neighbors indeed.Grooming a future Phelps?The boys and girls swimming state championships are at Stevenson High School this weekend, with finals tonight and Sunday. Here's hoping Illinois can continue to be fertile training ground for Olympians such as Matt Grevers, a gold and silver medalist in Beijing.Clip ... and save:It's a good time to remind our public works departments that after summer rains the signs along our roadways can be blocked by low-hanging branches or untrimmed shrubbery. That can cause some unnecessary quick stops at intersections. Please prune where needed.Sign of the sports times:Thousands enjoyed a minor league ballgame this week in Schaumburg with a special added attraction - getting an up-close glimpse of new Hall of Famer Andre Dawson and other baseball legends. But the event was marred by pure profit-oriented rules suddenly sprung on autograph hounds. Come on, does it really have to be this way?Our own verdict:We'll let the jurors do the job on the corruption counts. But dragging your daughters through the media gantlet and into bleeping court? We pronounce Rod and Patti Blagojevich guilty of crass manipulation and bad parenting.The Cup in the suburbs, Part 1:We've enjoyed watching Blackhawks bring the Stanley Cup to the suburbs, such as John McDonough's parade in Elk Grove Village, an equipment manager's salute in Lombard or Coach Joel Quenneville's visit to Arlington Park.The Cup in the suburbs, Part 2: When assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff's family shared the Stanley Cup with kids at the Hoffman Estates Community Ice Arena and with Special Olympics athletes at Grove School in Barringon, well, we just knew hockey has a big heart.Pot, meet kettle:Is it just us, or do you too think there's something richly ironic about state legislators telling Metra directors they're not doing a good enough job protecting the public's money?