Opinion

Tollway is wrong way to honor Reagan

Posted January 21, 2008 10:00 pm

As usual, Illinois bureaucrats at the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority got it all wrong when in 2004 they named the East-West Tollway (I-88, formerly Illinois Route 5) after Illinois' native son, President Ronald W. Reagan. Even though this stretch of tollway passes near President Reagan's birthplace and hometown of his youth, our former president would have declined the "honor" of having a tollway named in his memory.

It's one matter to name an aircraft carrier after President Reagan, or an airport, or a park, or maybe even a college or university; but a tollway is not a fitting "memorial" for the man, Ronald Reagan, who once said he believed that every day in America should be like the Fourth of July. But Democrats think every day is April 15 -- the federal income tax payment due date. For the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, every day is definitely (and perpetually) April 15 -- taking an extremely heavy toll on Illinois motorists, Sundays included!

Roy W. Mashek

Downers Grove

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