The Soapbox
Requiring responsibility:
A proposed Cook County Board ordinance would fine people who fail to report if their firearms are lost, stolen or sold. Too often, guns bought legally get into the wrong hands — or the buyers sell them but claim they were stolen if the guns are later used in a crime. This is a gun-control idea everyone should be able to get behind.
A good sign:
A sign of a recovering economy might be an increase in road improvement projects. Just this week we learned that $3.65 million in state funds would be used to fund major work on 55th Street, 75th Street, Gary Avenue and Fabyan Parkway in DuPage County.
State generosity:
The DuPage roadwork funds from Gov. Pat Quinn come only a few months after he announced a $26 million overpass to take traffic past a dangerous railroad crossing on Route 38 between West Chicago and Geneva. DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin said Quinn “has been very good to DuPage County.” We agree.
Slap shots are back:
More than seven months after the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup, the NHL is back and the Blackhawks hit the ice in L.A. today. While there are a lot of hurt feelings among fans, the team’s plan to give away 1,000 autographed jerseys, 250 autographed pucks and 100 autographed sticks to fans this season is a good one. Welcome back, Hawks.
Get it together:
Grayslake Elementary District 46 teachers walked off their jobs this week, canceling classes for three days and idling 4,000 students. Thursday’s bargaining failed to produce an agreement; another session is set for Sunday night. We urge both sides to arrive prepared to compromise and quickly get kids back in school.
Get it together, Part 2:
Like siblings fighting over a toy, the mayors of Wheeling and Prospect Heights are back at it over the jointly owned Chicago Executive Airport. The latest argument is about which of their picks should head the governing board. Sounds like it’s time for a huddle.
That’s messed up:
We have mentioned this before in the Soapbox, but it’s worth repeating: It’s very discouraging to see parents allow children to drop trash on the ground or out of car windows. Come on, people, we’re all in this together.
Give it all you’ve got:
Best of luck to area “American Idol” contestants including Mariah Pulice of Darien, Andrew Jones of Hoffman Estates and Alex Oechsel of Naperville. We wish them the success that past Chicago and suburban singers Jennifer Hudson, Haley Reinhart and Lee DeWyze have enjoyed.
Uncivil liberties:
It wasn’t criminal, but a parent’s action at a Geneva elementary school last week deserves the strong reprimand it got. The man objected to how kindergartners were saying the Pledge of Allegiance and the school pledge, but coarse language and belligerent emails are a poor way to make one’s point.
Advice urgently needed:
It has been a tough week in the character counts department with news about the hoax ensnarling Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, the confession of cycling’s Lance Armstrong and the drug arrests of three Schaumburg officers. And Dear Abby, bless her heart, is no longer here to help us make sense of our lives.