Saturday Soapbox: Those ringing phones
A bill has been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly that would ban those annoying "robo-calls" from politicians seeking your vote. You have to like this bill, though there could be problems with it in terms of infringing on free speech. Those could probably be averted simply by making robo-calls part of the national "Do Not Call" list. But what if citizens used their freedom of speech to turn the tables on the robo-callers, and by the thousands called their campaign offices, irritating the heck out of them in a statement of protest. Maybe then politicians would get a better appreciation of how annoying these calls can be, and put an end to them on their own.
Stress? You want stress?
As Associated Press report shows that many college students are finding life on campus to be a stressful experience. The pressures are so great that they can't eat, or sleep. They're always anxious. Well, their parents just might be feeling the same way as they attempt to pay those ever-higher higher education bills, even as their kids face poorer job and wage prospects once they graduate. In the past decade, tuition has skyrocketed 70 percent at Illinois' private universities and doubled at state colleges. That can cause parents to lose sleep -- and appetites -- too.
Listen up, ladies!
When it comes to planning a meal, arranging a ride, updating vacation plans and finishing a report at the office, all at the same time, women have no problem. When it comes to planning for their retirements, they have a long way to go. Women generally earn less than men and tend to live longer than men. Only a third have pensions awaiting them. Far more worry that they'll run out of cash in retirement than do men. Yet fewer than half say they've taken adequate steps to prepare financially for the final stage of their lives. No matter what your age, the time to begin a plan is now. To get started, try www.wiseupwomen.org, www.illinois.tomorrowsmoney.org or www.aarp.org/money.
Best way to stop Wrigley proposal
Some want the state to buy Wrigley Field, including former Gov. Jim Thompson. Others think this is a foolish idea, and rightfully so, considering there are so many other matters of greater importance that should be high on the state's to-do list. The best way to keep this proposal from going forward is to attach a rider, to any bill authorizing state acquisition of Wrigley Field, requiring that the sale be contingent on the Cubs guaranteeing that they'll win the World Series this year. Now that would be a killer amendment.
Healthy efficiency
A report by Environment Illinois found that if all commercial buildings improved the efficiency of lighting systems by just 40 percent, it would reduce pollution at levels comparable to removing about 800,000 cars from the road. That would certainly be a breath of fresh air in the energy policy debate.
This would great Page 1 news
Wouldn't you like to read this kind of news story someday: "The U.S. Justice Department announced that it is cutting funding for the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago. A Justice Department spokesman said recent vigorous action by state prosecutors in rooting out corruption, coupled with new state laws that have effectively deterred malfeasance in public office, permits the department to comfortably reduce funding of its federal corruption investigations unit. The spokesman also added that an increase in the number of ethical, honest people elected to public office in Illinois has also led to a diminishment in the workload of investigators." If only.