The Soapbox
Talk in circles:
Elgin canceled plans for a roundabout at a Dundee Avenue and Summit Street because it couldn’t acquire the needed property. But roundabouts can work beautifully at some intersections, and developing towns should continue to consider them before the congestion gets too out of hand.
We app-rove
AT&T’s new app automatically sends an “I’m driving” reply when it’s turned on, letting callers or texters know that you’ll get back to them later. Available for Blackberry and coming soon for other phones, the DriveMode app sounds like a great way for anyone to avoid the temptation to text while driving.
Labor Day and athletes
Do we want to start prohibiting pro athletes from working on Labor Day? The contract squabbles of the Chicago Bears alone are enough to make a fan’s head spin out of control with this paycheck plight. Walter Payton and Michael Jordan honored all of their deals, why can’t others?
Labor Day and athletes, Part II
What a year. Olin Kreutz rejects $4 million from the Bears to accept $2 million elsewhere. Carlos Zambrano gets 30-days without pay for leaving the job site early. Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen and Lance Briggs of the Bears have contracts worth millions but feel unappreciated.
Labor Day and athletes, Part III
And then there’s the NBA lockout, which followed the NFL lockout. And it’s not much better in the college world of multimillion-dollar coaching salaries and endless scandals. Maybe all this mess is why high school sports keep growing, and schools shut down on Labor Day.
Keep it clean
A headline on AOL’s home page, the gateway to email and other services for users of all ages: “Police caught on video in shocking act.” A smaller headline describes the shocking act, which is, well, shocking. A parent complained to us about all the inappropriate material in full view of anyone old enough to read. Tone it down, she says. We agree.
Under budget, giving back:
In the hallowed tradition of use it or lose it, Illinois lawmakers routinely buy up anything they can to use up their full office allowance. Not state Rep. Keith Farnham, an Elgin Democrat. He is returning more than $7,000, leftover from the $69,409 he was allotted last year to run his district office. Not a lot of money, but definitely the right mindset.
Dos and don’ts for Labor Day:
OK, perhaps your mother would tell you this, but we want you to be safe:
Ÿ Do keep the mayo in the picnic cooler
Ÿ Don’t drink and drive a boat
Ÿ Do buckle up, even to the store
Ÿ Don’t put raw meats on a plate you’ll use for serving
Ÿ Do watch out swimming near riptides
Ÿ Do apply sunscreen liberally
And on the roadway:
Yes, those highway safety checks mean tickets and the tickets mean money, and the specter of quotas makes us all uneasy. Yet, we should also be uneasy about Des Plaines traffic Cmdr. Tim Veit’s observation that catching one seat belt violator an hour isn’t that hard. If that’s true, let’s hope that tickets, by changing behaviors, also mean safety.