Saturday Soapbox: Hats off

Lake County Clerk Willard Helander and her staff should be proud of the job they did recovering from the Election Night computer meltdown that delayed vote counts. The staff scrambled to work through the problems and had votes counted by 11 p.m. or so. That's hours later than normal, but Lake County had completed results posted before Cook and McHenry counties. But there is work to be done -- county officials must determine why the meltdown happened and make sure it doesn't happen again. The problem centered on election judges being unable to properly transmit vote results electronically via telephone lines. We agree with the county's decision to hire an independent consultant to investigate and look forward to the findings and the county's response.

Win, win

Lake County officials have the chance to dramatically expand a dental care program that serves indigent veterans. Right now, about 15 veterans receive dental care each year through the county's Veterans Assistance Commission, at an estimated cost of about $1,000. But if the county board accepts a $25,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs this month and matches it, the program could reach more than 100 veterans a year and offer more services. The proposed program would provide examinations and cleanings through the College of Lake County's dental hygienist program. This is a win-win situation, first and foremost for the veterans who've so honorably served our country, and second for students who'll get additional hands-on experience. We hope the county board approves this relatively small expense when officials meet next week. In this case, a little money truly will go a long way.

Ignoring the opposition

Democratic U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean of Barrington is trying her best to pretend she doesn't have re-election competition in the 8th Congressional District, which spans Cook, Lake and McHenry counties. Why that is, we're not quite sure. Bean all but ignored the fact peace activist Randi Scheurer of Lindenhurst was her opponent in this week's Democratic primary. She was equally dismissive of her opponent in the November general election, Republican Steve Greenberg of Long Grove, after her victory Tuesday. Instead, Bean just wanted to talk about her support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama rather than he race with Greenberg. We think Bean might want to get interested in Greenberg by, let's say, Nov. 3.

A popular ban

Politicians seem to understand one issue, if few others. Many people detest being called at home by telemarketers. That's why it looks like a federal "do not call" law is about to become permanent with bipartisan support. More than 150 million people put their phone numbers on that "don't-call-me" list when it first became available on a temporary basis. Now, we're guessing, those same people would like to find a way to ban calls from those politicians, their spouses and their minions at election time.

Retirees could be good teachers

Suburban school districts are struggling to hire a sufficient number of math and science teachers. Here's a potential talent pool to draw from -- those who have retired from careers in science and finance. They just might be interested in teaching in the elementary and secondary schools, and their working knowledge of science and math is a great qualification. Teacher recruiters should be doing what they can to persuade these individuals to bring their life experience into the classroom.