Lake Co. Soapbox: Way to go

The spirit of volunteerism is an awesome thing, and it's even more inspiring when you see it in our youths. That's why the Daily Herald is so proud of the 10 Lake County high school students selected to our 2007-08 Leadership Team, and the 16 others who received honorable mention status. The long list of volunteer activities they participate in is truly impressive. But their work goes beyond quantity. What really is inspiring is their drive and commitment now to make Lake County a better place to live and the hope they'll still be pitching in as they grow into adults.

Cost of going green

Lake County Forest Preserve officials voted this week to buy three new Toyota Prius hybrids at a cost of just more than $68,000. This came despite an objection from one commissioner who says officials should make sure that going green doesn't put the district in the red. The Priuses cost $5,600 per car more than the other option, the Chevy Impala. We think the extra money is worth spending, especially for a group of officials charged with overseeing the county's natural resources. If officials are worried about saving money, perhaps they should have purchased two cars instead of three. Two of the Priuses will replace outdated forest preserve district vehicles, but the third is a new addition to the fleet, for the district's finance director. We suspect she'd understand not getting a new car. After all, who is in a better position to understand that these days, money is tight all over?

Teens doing good in Gurnee

Last time we heard from 17-year-old Curtis Hiett of Gurnee, he was before the Warren Township High School board in October making a public apology after village police accused him of making racially charged comments at the Almond Road upperclassmen campus. That's why it's worth noting Hiett's name arose in a good way this week at Warren. Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik said she singled out Hiett and another Warren teenager, Dustyn Dixon, for their good works in helping her in the "Pennies for Pearl Harbor" fundraising effort. Dixon, Hiett and other teens were part of a crew that collected $756 for construction of a new USS Arizona visitors center building and museum.

Really tough sell

While governments at all levels, including in Illinois, continue to see higher taxes as the solution to all problems, taxpayers seem much less thrilled about handing over more money to governments seemingly inept and inefficient, especially when individual jobs and benefits are disappearing. That's why a proposal to raise federal gas taxes by 40 cents per gallon is likely to hit with a resounding political thud in the middle of a presidential election campaign.

Sneak approach

Once again, a major Illinois policy shift was sneaked in the back door with little or no debate. This time it was public taxpayers funding private schools to the tune of up to $75 million in textbooks, software, background checks, and health/safety areas. Tucked quietly into school funding legislation, the policy furthers blurs the line between public and private schools, which do not have to follow many of the state's education laws. A bad idea, especially when it is cooked up behind closed doors, which is what opponents claim happened. This is a major constitutional issue that sets an expensive precedent. It ought to be discussed at length and in depth, not slipped in under the cover of night.