Thursday, August 28, 2008

Who Can it Be Now?

The DNC is at the end of the festivities. The coronation of the emperor is about to take place and everyone is wondering ... who is McCain going to choose as his running mate? He'll apparently take the high road tonight and congratulate Barack on his historical achievement, especially given that this is the 45th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That is bound to be a major tie-in tonight as he is outlined by the columns on the stage in a 21st Century re-enactment of the speech given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. But, like most Hollywood movies (or Oprah-produced events) the setting is all style and of questionable substance. Can he sell himself to middle-America? Will the cowboys of Texas or Montana or Wyoming say, "Now that is someone I can get behind and support." Or will the great event ring hollow like a motivational speaker who revs up the crowd, counts his cash, and never has any follow-through? So far, I have only seen the latter in the rhetoric. There is a division that still exists between the Barackians and the Clintonians and no words of Bill or Hillary will be enough to satisfy the disaffected, the disgruntled and the disengaged.

Back to McCain. I look at three possible choices and know that I will most likely be wrong. McCain will want someone with broad appeal, who doesn't vary greatly from his stance on the abortion issue, and who has the chutzpa to put the long-winded, plagiarizing senator from Delaware in his place. So, look for someone who is respected and known well-enough to Americans that they don't need a phonetic dictionary in order to pronounce the name or a Who's Who book to recognize. Most likely it will be someone like Minnnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (though Minnesotans have failed to do well in national elections, see Mondale, Humphrey, albeit they were Democrats), Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison ( could have wide appeal among discouraged Hillary backers), Mitt Romney (though he comes across as too much like Dan Quayle and that may not fly), or my personal favorite choice, Secretary of State,Condoleeza Rice. She is not a politician. She has vast international affairs experience. She would be able to appeal to all races and while she carries the baggage of President Bush and the boisterous media's incessant chattering about all-things negative for America, she can hold her own in any situation.

We'll find out tomorrow when the GOP and Senator McCain meet in Dayton, Ohio. And I'd be willing to bet against 3:00 a.m. text messages to alert the party's faithful. McCain probably doesn't text message, anyways.

The Democratic National Commercial

If it is possible to get diabetes through the extra syrup coming through the t.v. screen, I think I may have to stock up on a supply of insulin. Illinois political "hugfests" and fawning over the foe that vanquished you to the extent that it was like a 60's "lovefest" have just about made me sick to my stomach. There is no animosity for Barack Obama, the man, but there is no Barack-envy for his far-left stances on partial-birth abortions and protecting Americans in these troubled times.

Did anybody else find it rather ironic (or is that sardonic?) that Hillary failed to mention her husband, Bill, during her glowing introduction of herself? She came before us as a "proud mother," a "proud Democrat," a member of the "sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits," among other definitions of who Hillary is, but with Bill mouthing his "I love you's" visible to every person watching television, she did not wish to be or chose not to be, a proud wife. Is Bill that big of a liability now, or is it that she is no longer a wife, but a senator, a public servant, a mother, and Bill is, well, it looks like Bill is now on his own.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Where Does One Draw the Line?

The yellow lines are painted, quickly, along the south side of Empire Street. Three blocks of No Parking should solve any sight line issues along the street, until someone else is hit, like the accident on Friday or worse. No Parking for 12 months of the year and 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to allow people to cross over to the baseball diamonds seems a bit excessive, me thinks. Could there have been some dialogue before putting this up for a vote and implementing the No Parking zone to such an extent? Sure, it was presented to the Council, but if you are like me, I don't read The J-S cover to cover and much of the agenda is not even included in the paper. I also don't regularly attend City Council meetings, but perhaps I should start.

I was speaking with a civil servant the other day, also known as a mail carrier, and this person informed me about the same type of situation along Harlem, south of Cannova's and the surrounding businesses. The mail carriers now have to park half-way up the street in order to deliver to the businesses and most often have to transport mail from these establishments back to the truck. The carrier thought that it was to discourage street parking for Cannova's, but it also affected those serving the area throughout the entire day, even when the restaurant was closed.

I'm not sure that I understand this need to overcompensate for these types of situations. Why can't there be compromise as to the times that these ordinances are in affect, much like what happens in Chicago. Is it that difficult to put the times on the signs when an parking ordinance is in effect in order to allow for greater productivity? It doesn't appear to work that way, apparently.

We want a beautiful city, but some only want to do it one way, their way. There has to be an attempt at compromise when trying to establish new entities without infringing on the rights of local business owners or homeowners. So far, we're still waiting for that to happen.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Like a Good Neighbor

There are certain days that one feels like the windshield and other days that one feels like the bug. At least that's how it has been said. This was the week to be the bug. First, the basement floods with a back up of the septic system. Then I'm informed that the septic and sewer rider that could have been had for $40 per year and was never offered, is not in my homeowner's policy. Talk about food for flies!

If there was a bright spot to the entire fiasco, it was the service that we received from RestoreX in Freeport. Not only were they professional and efficient, they were courteous and respectful of my family and the situation. The sound of the fans and dehumidifiers was like living in the engine of a 747, but the family room level dried out and they were able to minimize the odor. I have the utmost appreciation for Rob and his co-workers for a job well-done, well almost done... there are still a few things to be finished, but it could have been a great deal worse without their expertise.

Back to the bug's life... our building has been here for 23 years and we've occupied it for the past seven years. A love-hate relationship has developed with Little Cubs Field, which was built across the street from our office. Our parking lot has become a de facto parking spot for those that find it more convenient to walk to the field than using the lot north of the field. When little consideration is given to the property (not to mention the signs posted that vehicles will be towed if parked in the lot) then it was time to take action. This was done much to the chagrin of a certain city official, who may think it is easier to appease the attendees than be concerned for a business owner and explain that said business owner is protecting his business, which he is fully in his rights to do. Liability issues being what they are, we don't need the extra risk.

As the Little Cubs take on the Little Cardinals this afternoon, I am looking forward to a fair and equitable resolution for these issues for the safety of the people who live in the neighborhood and those who are patrons of the parks.