Villa Park to bars: Keep the dancing low to the ground

What do trustees in Villa Park want to prohibit next — lingerie shows in dimly lit venues? Where are they going to stop?

Members of the Villa Park Village Board may soon revisit the issue of banning people from dancing on the tables, bars and chairs of liquor establishments. The measure would also prohibit employees at bars from being intoxicated while on the job.

These concerns came to the board’s attention two years ago, but they were not implemented. Trustees are expected to discuss them again at their Monday, Sept. 8, meeting.

As for tavern employees over-serving themselves, I agree this should be prohibited. They must discern which patrons have already had enough to drink, and it would be difficult for them to do if they have a beer buzz going on.

But the board has no business deciding whether people should be allowed to dance on tables, bar counters and chairs. Yes, people can get hurt doing this in a tavern. But the key to people hurting themselves in some way at a bar is by drinking — so if you want to make taverns substantially safer, ban the liquor.

There would, however, be no need for the bar minus the booze. Dancing on the furniture is an unintended consequence, one that bar owners alone should decide if they want to accept.

Absurd rules stifle interest in the democratic process

A few weeks ago, someone identifying himself as joeychgo left this comment on my blog: “What do you think about the recent DuPage Republican attempts to stop Democratic challengers such as the Pankau/Cullerton case?”

First of all, I should apologize for not responding sooner. I truly appreciate all feedback I receive from readers.

The issue is whether Tom Cullerton, a Villa Park trustee, should be allowed to run as a Democrat against state Sen. Carole Pankau, R-23rd District, of Itasca. He was tossed off the November ballot by the DuPage County Officers Electoral Board because he voted as a Republican in the February primary.Absur

In early July, DuPage Circuit Judge Paul Fullerton ruled that Illinois election law does not prohibit someone from voting for one party in a primary and running as a candidate in another party in the general election. He put Cullerton back on the ballot.

But this victory was short lived. A three-judge panel in the 2nd District of the Illinois Appellate Court ruled Aug. 1 that Cullerton should be removed from the ballot, and that’s where the issue now stands.

Cullerton said he planned to appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court. But the state election board will certify the ballots Friday, and the Illinois Appellate Court has yet to release its written opinion on the case, making it unlikely Cullerton’s case would be heard by the Supreme Court in time for the general election.

Political parties go to great lengths to protect incumbents. Who cares if Cullerton voted as a Republican in the primary and has been nominated by Democrats to run for the Illinois Senate?

It’s little wonder so many people ignore the electoral system.

Elmhurst Historical Museum lists local ties to past Olympics

Now that the Summer Games in Beijing have concluded, you’re probably experiencing some Olympic withdrawal, aren’t you? No more Michael Phelps and his gold medals. No more Olympic baseball and softball (literally — these sports have been removed from the 2012 Summer Games in London). No more lip-synched songs by adorable Chinese children.

Thankfully, the Elmhurst Historical Museum has offered some tidbits about local ties to past Olympics. These gems come from Nancy Wilson, the museum’s curator. They were sent to me in an e-mail from Patrice Roche, marketing and communications specialist for the museum:

• 1976: Mike Farina, a York Community High School student, was the youngest wrestler in history to make the U.S. Olympic wrestling team when he participated in the summer Olympics in Montreal.

• 1984: Gordon Beckmann represented Elmhurst when he carried the Olympic torch across the Rocky Mountains. “I was proud to carry the torch and equally proud to represent our community of Elmhurst,” Beckmann said.

• 1988: Joe Newton, longtime track coach at York Community High School, was an assistant manager to the men’s track team at the Olympics in Seoul.

• 1992: Betty Okino competed on the women’s gymnastic team at the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona.  In addition, Linda Mastandrea competed in the International Paralympics in Barcelona in the 100 and
400 meter wheelchair races. Mastandrea is assisting the city of Chicago in its bid for the Olympic Games as vice president of Sport and Accessibility for Chicago 2016.

• 1996: Linda French, who grew up in Elmhurst, competed in Atlanta on the U.S. badminton team.

• 2002: Dan Ahearn, a Zamboni operator, traveled to Salt Lake City to act as rink manager for five outdoor hockey rinks.

Anyone who has information about people with ties to Elmhurst who participated in the Olympics but were not included on this list is encouraged to call Wilson at (630) 833-1457. Many thanks to the Elmhurst Historical Museum for helping to keep the Olympic spirit alive.

Everyone’s least favorite nanny takes on health care

Is there any personal concern that people may confront that Gov. Rod Blagojevich won’t seek to “remedy” through sleight of hand legislation?

The Illinois Senate earlier this week approved a measure paving the way for parents to keep their children on their health insurance policies until they turn 26 — the age limit is raised to 30 if the child is in the military (which is funny, because I’d think someone serving in the military would be covered by the federal government).

Blago apparently used his amendatory veto power (hocus pocus dominocus) to draft the legislation last week, and the Senate turned the bill into law this week with a 35-17 vote. And the youths don’t even have to live with their parents — or even in the state — although they must remain single.

Gov. “Hazel” (my new nickname for him, since he wants to be everyone’s nanny) thinks this is a terrific plan for the 300,000 young people eligible to take advantage of this. What didn’t occur to him is that many of the remaining 12 million Illinois residents will have to pay higher insurance premiums as a result. Regardless of what Hazel believes, there are no free lunches when it comes to insurance.

Why do legislators believe they should be running this portion of the private sector? Centralized economic planning has failed everywhere it’s been tried.

First Hazel tosses a lifetime supply of bus tokens to senior citizens, and now he wants Chad and Buffy to get extended insurance benefits. He must realize that his chances of re-election or incredibly slim, so perhaps he’s positioning himself for a Nobel Peace Prize.

The DuPage Two will finally have their day in court

It’s hard to believe that after more than a year, prosecutors are still proceeding with this case.

On May 6, 2007, Sarah Hartfield of Naperville and Jeff Zurawski of Downers Grove staged a protest on a pedestrian bridge that crosses I-355 near Glen Ellyn and Lombard. They had a banner that read, “Impeach Bush and Cheney — Liars” and posted a U.S. flag upside down (the signal for distress).

An officer with the Illinois State Police arrived and asked Hartfield and Zurawski to remove their display because it could distract motorists. They said they would comply with took down the display.

As they were leaving, three deputies with the DuPage County sheriff’s office arrived on the scene. One appeared to be very agitated by their display and told them that there was a report that they had been throwing items off the bridge. As a veteran who had a son serving in Afghanistan, the deputy told Hartfield and Zurawski that he thought their display was very disrespectful to U.S. troops.

They denied throwing anything off the bridge and explained that the upside-down flag represented a nation in distress. The deputies took down their personal information and allowed them to leave.

Zurawski was arrested three weeks later, and Hartfield turned herself in a couple of days after that. The case being pursued by the DuPage County sheriff’s office comes down to a motorist who thought someone on the bridge made a throwing motion. Doesn’t sound like hard evidence against The DuPage Two to me.

The trial will begin at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Room 4007 of the DuPage County Courthouse in Wheaton. Let’s hope that both free speech and common sense prevail.

Canadian National proposal puts the cart before the horse

Canadian National Railway has my head spinning.

In the latest regarding its quest to acquire the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway, CN today asked the federal Surface Transportation Board to put a rush on approving the merger. But the deal would be subject to the STB’s final decision on the environmental impact it would have, CN proposed.

“CN said today that it has asked the (STB) to take a new approach to CN’s proposed acquisition of the major portion of (EJ&E),” according to a CN press release issued this morning. “CN has asked the board to issue a final decision on the transportation merits of the transaction in time to permit the transaction to close before year-end, but to preserve the environmental status quo pending further STB action on the environmental issues posed by the transaction. The new approach would assure adequate protection of the environment for communities along the EJ&E. At the same time, it would avoid the risk to the broader public interest in improved rail transportation posed by regulatory delays that threaten termination of the transaction.”

Here’s the problem with CN’s request: What if the STB takes the bait and permits the merger before the end of the year only to conclude in its final environmental impact study that such a deal would severely impact surrounding towns? Would the STB be able to tell CN that it must un-buy EJ&E, or would it feel compelled to modify its environmental impact study to permit the merger?

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-13th District, of Hinsdale, who has been a chief opponent of the merger, urged the STB to reject CN’s proposal.

“Once again, CN is trying to pressure federal regulators into making rash decisions about the safety and quality of life of suburban residents. They’re asking the STB to make a mockery of the public comment process,” Biggert said in a press release issued today. “That’s completely unfair to those who are being asked to pay the price so CN can add to their bottom line. From safety to traffic to pollution — the STB’s job is to evaluate the true cost of a transaction before it’s approved, not after. It would be entirely presumptuous to allow the merger to go forward and just assume that unknown environmental impacts can be dealt with down the line.”

Lawmakers turn down pay hike given economic hard times

Those poor, noble souls — how in the world are they going to get by?

Somehow members of the Illinois General Assembly will have to make ends meet on the meager 3.8 percent cost-of-living salary increase they received last month. Yesterday by a vote of 47-0, the Illinois Senate rejected a proposed additional pay raise of 7.5 percent OK’d by the Compensation Review Board.

Thankfully our elected leaders were shrewd enough to realize this wouldn’t be a good time to hike their salaries. To get two pay raises in the same year when many of their constituents haven’t been offered any would seem a tad heartless.

“The Democrat leaders that run Springfield have failed — their behavior these last several years has been disgraceful,” state Sen. Dan Cronin, R-21st District, of Elmhurst said in a press release (he co-sponsored the resolution in the Senate rejecting the pay raises). “Although many of us are working hard to do the right thing in spite of Gov. Blagojevich, no one deserves a pay raise in these tough times.”

I couldn’t have said that better myself.

Cook County sales tax hike was foolish but not abuse of power

Fed up with the way the Cook County government is run (they’re definitely not alone), several state senators have declared that they want to pass legislation to reduce the county’s sales tax rate.

State Sens. Matt Murphy, R-27th District, of Palatine; Christine Radogno, R-41st District, of Lemont; and Frank Watson, R-51st District, of Greenville  said the tax rate of 1.75 could hurt the state as well as the county last Friday at the James R. Thompson Center in downtown Chicago. Calling the Cook County Board’s actions an “abuse of power,” they proposed legislation that would reduce the rate to .75 and require any future sales tax increases to be approved by voters in a referendum.

Now I’m all for lower tax rates, sales tax or otherwise. But as a home rule entity, the County Board has the authority to raise its sales tax rate as it did. I too believe it could prove ruinous for Cook County, but you aren’t abusing power merely by exercising it.

The senators are correct that raising the sales tax like it did was foolish on the County Board’s part. But they shouldn’t seek to change the rules simply because the board acted within its discretion to increase revenue.

Bensenville secures small victory in losing war over O’Hare

Bensenville officials have been fighting the good fight to keep the adverse effects of the O’Hare Modernization Plan to a minimum, and a DuPage County judge this morning granted them a 30-day reprieve from the roar of bulldozers.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Popejoy prohibited any work from occurring at properties in the 300 acres that the city of Chicago has acquiried to enhance O’Hare International Airport. This will give Bensenville attorneys time to craft an appeal of a ruling last week that gave Chicago the green light to move ahead with the project.

This is a small victory in a long war with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. But Bensenville officials should be aware that Daley has the patience and clout to eventually get what he wants.

Five years ago, he ordered demolition crews to start ripping up Meigs Field on the city’s lakefront in the middle of the night. This followed a protracted battle over Meigs with Govs. Jim Edgar, George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich. Daley didn’t even bother telling officials with the Chicago Fire Department that Meigs Field was being demolished that night, and they had an air and sea rescue team stationed there.

Daley also recently prevailed in his quest to cram the Chicago Children’s Museum underneath Grant Park. This was despite substantial opposition to the plan.

So Bensenville gets an A for sticking to its guns, but Daley’s resources are enough to wear down just about any opponent. It has already proven to be a lengthy and costly battle. Village President John Geils should realize that it’s highly doubtful Bensenville will prevail against Chicago, cut his losses and move on.

Big Oil not the culprit some politicians make it out to be

In response to an editorial I wrote this week (slightly condensed from a blog posting I made Aug. 4), Kevin Chrisman sent me the following e-mail:

“The article states that Jill Morgenthaler’s comments against Peter Roskam’s protection of oil profits was ‘misleading rhetoric’ and that she ’shouldn’t jump on the Bash Big Oil bandwagon without all the facts.’ Perhaps you should heed your own advice.

“This is the second time ExxonMobil has set record US profits. This time, they reported a net income of $11.7bn. This, according to the Financial Times, is ‘in spite of falling production, lower refining and chemical margins and rising operating costs.’ It is true that oil is driven largely by the demand for it, but has the demand for oil skyrocketed in the last four years? It’s true that China and India’s economies have grown in the last several decades, but 25% of the world’s oil imports are here in the US despite the fact we make up a mere 4% of the world’s population. We should take a look at ourselves.

‘The fact is lapdogs like Peter Roskam serve the demands of those who really run the country; powerful multinational corporations including several from within the oil industry. The goal of any corporation is to maximize profits, even if it means hurting its own citizens. We have the right and good reason to jump on the ‘Bash Big Oil’ bandwagon, and the facts are right in front of us.”

While Chrisman obviously differs with my opinion, I truly appreciate his input. It’s good to know people take my comments seriously enough to respond, even if they don’t share my opinion.

That being said, here is where I believe Chrisman is mistaken. He wrote that ExxonMobile reported a record profit. But as I said in my blog posting, this was a record profit from a fiscal quarter.

The only way to gauge how well a company is doing is not to focus on one quarter but an entire year. The enormous profits a corporation earns in one quarter may well be offset by revenue losses in other quarters.

Oil companies have reported annual profit margins of between 6 and 10 percent in recent years. There are other industries that have had higher annual profit margins than this. While they may not have earned as much total money as have oil companies, their percentage of annual profit (what they grossed minus what they spent) was higher.

Some industries purchase their oil supplies early in the year so they will avoid paying higher prices later on when oil is in higher demand. This would account for oil companies recording higher profits in the first and second quarter of a fiscal year, with profits leveling off somewhat in the third and fourth quarters.

And again as I wrote in my previous blog posting, record oil profits help those who invest in the oil industry. If your financial advisers are worth anything, they have oil as part of your portfolio. So your retirement plan or pension fund benefits when oil companies make large profits because you’ll get more back from your investment.

Yes, the United States accounts for about 25 percent of the worldwide demand for oil. And yes, we hurt ourself by being so “fuelish” (to borrow a phrase used in the 1970s). The recent drop in oil prices resulted from decreased use. So there is a connection between how much oil we demand and how much we pay at the pump.

But the additional strain on oil demand that has spiked prices recently has come largely from China and India. For example, Beijing has spent the last several years getting ready for the Olympics going on right now. We still use much more oil in total than these two countries, but there’s no denying the recent increase in demand has come mainly from them.

So we won’t know how much total profit the oil companies have made for 2008 until next year, and much of this profit will go toward rewarding investors (most of them average Americans saving for their future). We can affect the price we pay at the pump by using less gas, and we will benefit from the higher oil profits when our retirement plans come due. This is not as bleak a picture as some politicians want to paint.