August 2008 Archives

The Hound remains stunned this morning following John McCain's masterstroke in naming Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin his running mate. He also signaled to his Democratic opponents they're in for the fight of the new millennium.

McCain plucked Palin out of that hockey team her son must have played for in Mystery, Alaska. Or is this a miracle on ice? It's not that the 40-something pro-life, gun-toting mom brings a lot of Electoral College votes --- three, exactly what gray-haired, 65-year-old Joe Biden brings from Delaware --- to the table.

What she does bring is 13 years in public office, albeit in Alaska. Lake County has more skunks than Alaska has people, right? But her folksy, straight-talking manner certainly is a striking difference to Biden's used-car salesman look. Plus, she's got five kids, one handicapped and one heading to a war zone. That sort of stuff plays in Pennsylvannia, which Barack Obama kissed off in the primaries. It also plays in small-town America.

If Obama's choice of Biden raised the ante, McCain just checked. And, it took away Obama's convention bounce. Let's see what the Republicans have to say when they convene Monday in Minnesota, a state known to have lots of hockey moms.

As Sen. Barack Obama, adopted son of the Illinois prairies, accepted the mantle of his party last night in Denver before 75,000 fellow Americans, the convention partying ended and the presidential work begins just as Republicans begin their political gathering in St. Paul, Minn. The Hound believes there is much work for the candidate and his party to occupy their time from now until Nov. 4. That is, if Democrats want back in the White House.

"A political convention is just not a place where you come away with any trace of faith in human nature," Murray Kempton, the late journalist was fond of saying. Too bad he couldn't make Denver because Democrats this time around have come away with a faith in the historic nomination of the first black American who has a chance to be president. But to elect Obama, the party needs to "outhustle, outwork, out-think" Republicans for the next 60 days, as the candidate's campaign director told delegates.

For that to happen the Obama-Biden ticket and their handlers need to: 1) Dodge swift boats 2) Make sure either William Ayers or Tony Rezko don't become the Willie Horton of 2008 3) Unite 4) Ignore right-wing talk radio 5) Target blue-collar whites 6) Make sure the core constituency is registered to vote 7) Keep Jimmy Carter at home 8) Don't let Rod Blagojevich campaign on your behalf 9) Unite 10) Apologize to Cub Nation.

It's not like John McCain and Republicans are going to roll over. No one wants to give up being in power. No presidential candidate has been elected at a party convention. The marathon's end is in sight, but it's still a long way to November. And, just as the Democratic National Convention ended 40 years ago in Chicago, the whole world is watching this election campaign.

Oxygen depravation must have overtaken Gov. Rod Blagojevich the other day at the Democratic National Convention in the Mile High City when he actually bragged to an Associated Press reporter he's "a great governor". Ah, The Hound sees another Illinois pol as a legend in his own mind. If The Hound could text message the gov, it would be: LOL.

This is the governor who has reigned over play-for-play to do business with the state; who is referred to as "Official A" in a federal indictment; this is the governor who invited a Mr. Rezko to be one of his advisers (attention, Barack Obama); this is the governor who can't get along with his fellow Democrats (except for Emil Jones Jr. and Emil Jones III); this is the governor who thinks Elvis Presley is the greatest singer in the world.

Despite that kumbaya hugfest led by U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. during the Illinois caucus session Wednesday, his fellow Dems don't trust him. For that matter, Blago doesn't trust Illinois voters. He's impaled them for the past six years, except when he's giddy on a Rocky Mountain high.

Democrats are having a real barn-burner of a convention this week, but isn't something or someone missing? Like 10th District Democratic congressional candidate Dan Seals? Incumbent Congressman Mark Kirk will be a featured speaker at next week's Republican bash.

The Dems have featured Congressman Bill Foster of the 14th Congressional District who wrested Denny Hastert's seat into the blue column. They've introduced Debbie Halvorson who's vying in the 11th Congressional District for the seat of retiring Republican Jerry Weller. Congresswoman Melissa Bean of the 8th District has been getting face time.

But no Dan Seals. Seals won't even be in Denver when fellow Illinoisan Barack Obama accepts the nomination. He's going to be in Northbrook at a "convention watching party."

Perhaps the national Dems have given up on the 10th? Kirk does have a 2.5-to-1 cash advantage in campaign funds and already has started airing radio ads. The election isn't until November.

The GOP certaintly hasn't given up on Kirk. The Highland Park Republican will be in the spotlight dance, tapped as a podium speaker direct from the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. on Sept. 1, the opening day of the convention. Kirk, an early John McCain supporter during the GOP primary season, is scheduled to speak on the Arizona senator's record of service to the nation.

The Hound thinks Illinois Dems missed a chance to give Seals an election-year boost against a strong incumbent in a Republican-leaning district. If this is what they do during a boffo convention week, what can Seals expect from the party come October?

The Hound isn't so sure those orchestrating the Democratic National Convention in Denver were wise to showcase so many Illinois elected officials. The rest of the nation might get a bad impression of from where presidential candidate Barack Obama hails. After all, this is a motley crew state Dems have sent to the Mile High City.

Obama mentor, Senate President Emil Jones Jr., who anointed his son, Emil Jones III take his Senate seat, already has gotten into a spat with a Clinton delegate when he called her either an "Uncle Tom" or a "Doubting Thomas". Everyone knows she would be an Uncle Tomette or a Doubting Thomasina.

The entire roster of statewide Democratic elected officials will speak before the Denver delegates, except fellow Chicagoan Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The Hugho Chavez of the Midwest is being punished for sparring too often with his Dem friends. Who wants a party pooper at a political party?

So here's the stellar lineup of those Chicagoans who will grace the podium in the Pepsi Center in no particular order: Congressmen Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Rahm Emanuel; Comptroller Daniel Hynes; Attorney General Lisa Madigan; City Clerk Miguel de Valle; and Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.

This alone makes The Hound proud to be an Illinoisan. Hope the rest of the nation doesn't think this is just a bunch of Illinois political dons.

After all the suspense, the text message promise, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama picks Joe Biden of Delaware. Now that's change you can believe in. Isn't this the guy who said during the primary season that the junior senator from Illinois didn't have the experience to be president? Maybe that was another Joe Biden. The one without hair plugs.

As The Hound predicted, the press corps knew before the text message nation did. Somebody leaked the Biden pick and most newspapers, even with old media deadlines, either called it or intimated the Delaware Democrat was Obama's choice for running mate.

But this is presidential politics and while Dems party this week with a Rocky Mountain high, The Hound has to question this old pol choice of a running mate. Obama has given Republican John McCain a pretty good opening when it comes to experience. Obama might as well tabbed former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn for his veep, although he might be the secretary of defense in an Obama administration.

Biden is a Washington insider who doesn't bring many electoral votes to the ticket. Is this a baby boomer choice on Obama's part, to lure the largest voting bloc into thinking he's one of theirs with Biden's gray hair flowing. Bet Biden even knows the words to David Crosby's "Almost Cut My Hair."

McCain can't do worse in his veep choice because it appears Obama once again relies on the establishment pols, whether they be Chicago machine regulars or inside the Beltway establishment to help him in his quest. The Hound forecasts this is one of many changes Obama will be making on the road to the White House.

If The Hound could text message, these paws would be wrapped around a cell phone breathlessly awaiting word on who Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is picking as his vice-presidenial running mate. Obama is supposed to text message his supporters with his choice to battle this fall John McCain and whomever the Republican picks. Looks like those folks won't be getting any more of a scoop than the political press corps.

These national politicians make such a dramatic process over picking a presidential stand-in. Let's face it. Vice presidents are, as Texan John Nance Garner offered in this sanitized version, "not worth a bucket of warm spit." He should know because he was vice president for seven years under President Franklin Roosevelt.

Vice presidents are like window dressings or a good steak. Nice to have around, they should be in good taste and easily chewed.

Who but political junkies remember who was Michael Dukakis' running mate in 1988? Who was Michael Dukakis, you ask? Right. Quick, name Richard Nixon's running mate in 1960. The Hound rests.

At least Sen. Obama is making the good citizens of Springfield happy with holding the vice presidential unveiling there. Without the Legislature in session, Springfield's about as happening as chasing one's tail.

Wonder what McCain's cooking up to announce his running mate. That's right, he's doesn't text either.

There must be sheriffs all over the United States cursing Mark Curran since Lake County's top cop checked himself into a suite at the county jail in downtown Waukegan. You know somebody's going to see the story about Lake County's sheriff and ask their sheriff: "When you going to jail?"

The Hound isn't sure what the sheriff will find on this week-long fact-finding mission about what it's like in jail and how the jail is run, but it sounds like he's going to be a regular inmate without one of those cellmates seen on "Prison Break" or "Oz". Yet, it certainly doesn't sound like a summer camp jaunt.

Inmates might be warned, though, that Curran could find the place too soft and start doing what Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff has done. Known as "America's toughest sheriff", Arpaiio has served inmates bologna sandwiches, limited meals to twice daily, banned coffee, smoking, porn magazines and weightlifting gear. You want TV in his jail? You get Animal Planet, Disney Channel, The Weather Channel, A&E, CNN and the local government access channel.

Inmates there wear black-and-white jail uniforms, get issued pink underwear and some are sent to tents. So inmates might want to be careful what they say.

The Hound understands one of the CDs Curran has in jail is "Live at Folsom" by Johnny Cash. What, no "Jailhouse Rock" by the King?

The Hound all of a sudden is feeling sorry for Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He hasn't been given a chance to strut his stuff at the Democratic National Convention next week in Denver. Also missing, though, is Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, the guv's buddy and mentor to presidential hopeful Barack Obama. This is the least of Blago's problems.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan will speak at the national party convention in the Mile High City. So will Comptroller Daniel Hynes. So will state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulis, as will Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. But not Blagojevich. Guess that's what happens when you become the Hugo Chavez of the Midwest. Nobody wants to be your play pal.

Yet, The Hound thinks it's not so much Blago's unpopularity with Illinois Democrats, let alone voters, it's more the baggage he might carry onto the convention floor. Such as a 7.3 percent unemployment rate in July. That's the state's highest rate since September 1993. Wasn't a Republican in office then?

The national unemployment rate was 5.7 percent, a five-year high. But it's not even close to the Illinois rate, which translates into 491,300 people unemployed in the Land of Lincoln. In July alone, the state lost nearly 10,000 jobs. Heaviest hit were jobs in the construction industry.

Now do we see why Blago has pushed for his capital improvement plan? Outside of the teachers' unions and public service unions, trade unions account for lots of jobs and campaign funds for Illinois Democrats. You build things and they will come --- jobs and union campaign funds.

So the guv heads to the Centennial State with a ticket, but not a date. Sounds like he's a loner to The Hound. Like going to the prom without a date.

A hundred college presidents want the nation's drinking age lowered to 18. As one cowboy once told The Hound: Too much college, not enough high school. What is Lake Forest College President Stephen Schott thinking? He is one of the 100.

Veteran reporters (read old) at The News-Sun have told The Hound of the days when Illinois and Wisconsin lowered their drinking ages to 19 and 18 respectively. These university eggheads are worried about binge drinking on campus? They should have been here back in the late '70s and early '80s, The Hound was told. There was binge drinking every night!

Along with that were the alcohol-related fatals. So many in fact they dubbed the Lake County/Kenosha County line "Blood Border". College kids, high school kids, sailors --- they all died DUI deaths. This is what reported educated college administrators are pushing for, including the president of The Ohio State University.

Sounds like perhaps these college presidents have a problem on campus and want the rest of us to take responsibility for it. Which has The Hound confused about the call by the LFC prexy for a lower drinking age. When's the last time they had binge drinking at Sheridan Road and Deer Path? Don't those crazy Foresters go to Highwood to be booze hounds? Heck, Lake Forest only has one tavern, The Lantern. Do they even have a full-service liquor store?

Hopefully, calmer heads will prevail, like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and this call to get 18 year olds loaded more often will pass. And don't even bring up the fact they can vote at 18 they should be able to drink. Or, The Hound's favorite: If they can carry a rifle. Most of the collegians clamoring for a drink aren't going into the service. Bring back the draft, then we'll talk.

As for LFC prez Schott, he needs a couple of Jager bombs to sober him up. Skol!

Has the sloppy gathering of petition signatures cost state Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, a shot at being president of the Illinois Senate? Time will tell, but odds are Democratic senators don't want anybody with baggage taking over as one of the "four tops."

Link's name has been bandied about as a replace for Senate President Emil Jones who is expected to announce his retirement plans today. The Chicago Democrat, a strong ally of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, has been in the Legislature since 1973 and has been Senate president since 2003.

Apparently, Jones, 72, is tired of Springfield after not getting his way trying to ram a legislative pay hike down taxpayers' throats.

Besides Link, who is one of Jones' floor leaders in the Senate and doubles as Lake County Democratic Party chairman, others mentioned for the Senate president post include John Cullerton and Rickey Hendon, both of Chicago; Jeff Schoenberg of Evanston and James Clayborne of Belleville. Of course, it could be short tenure as Senate president if Democrats fail to hold on to the upper chamber next year.

But back to Link's hiring of two individuals to collect signatures for petitions of candidacy for his and other county Democratic candidates. The two were indicted by a grand jury last week after investigators discovered dead people on the petitions. If Republicans were smart, they'd push for a quick trial for these two to help Link's November opponent, Waukegan businessman Keith Gray of Mettawa.

While Link has some baggage, Jones' financial dealings didn't hurt him in becoming Senate president. Jones, a former city sewer inspector, endured criticism for taking tens of thousands of dollars in interest-free loans from his campaign fund and for multimillion-dollar, no-bid government contracts steered to a technology firm headed by his stepson, John Sterling.

Jones is on the Nov. 4 ballot, making it likely he will turn over his seat to a hand-picked successor. The Hound would expect no less.

Looks like state Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, is going to let his two petition-gathering associates twist slowing in the wind. Link is standing pat that he had "no involvement" in the gathering of tainted petitions and authorities back him up on that. But what's missing here?

Link's campaign workers, Kenneth Davison of Waukegan and Jerry Knight of Zion, were indicted this week on charges of perjury and forgery after the pair allegedly gathered petition signatures which included fake names and dead people. As Link says, "It's very unfortunate that this happened, but it was a mistake." Perhaps they might have accidentally copied signatures from candidate petitions from previous campaigns?

The senator, who also is Lake County Democratic Party chairman and Senate President Emil Jones' caucus leader in Springfield, is making this whole affair one of nugacity. Indeed, from Link's excuse he might not have been in the same state during the collection of signatures on his behalf by the petition-gathering duo.

Who hired these guys to collect signatures, not only for Link, but for several other Democratic candidates on the November ballot? Doesn't a petition circulator have to live in the district in which he is passing petitions? If Knight lives in Zion, he doesn't live in the 30th Senate District, which Link is defending against Republican Keith Gray, a Waukegan businessman and Mettawa resident, come November.

How much do petition collectors earn and how much did Link pay out to not only Knight and Davison, but the other 18 or so circulators the senator used to gather the more than 3,300 signatures he filed for re-election. Did they get paid extra for collecting for the other Democratic candidates?

One more observation from The Hound: If he's pretty lax when it comes to watching over his legal petitions, what other things in Springfield is Link lackadaisical about?

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The Hound is disillusioned that Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik is not voluptuous. On Monday, The News-Sun reported some bystander along the Gurnee Days Parade route said she was voluptuous. On Wednesday, they corrected that and said she was merely vivacious. The Hound would rather be voluptuous than vivacious and would be except for that trip to the Beach Park Animal Hospital.

Perhaps the parade-route heckler said the mayor was vivaciously voluptuous, although the newspaper did correct that. The Hound figures voluptuous means hot. In a good way, not the Paris Hilton way. Vivacious means perky. In a good way, not the Paris Hilton way.

Regardless, both "v words" could be considered sexist for which male mayor would one consider voluptuous or vivacious. Most need to have their pulses checked to see if they're still with us on most Village Board nights.

But on the other hand, there's this new official guidebook for the next women's revolution, "Red Hot Revolution", that's just out by author Arielle (no last name!) "The '70s revealed a generation determined to change the face of women and we did!" Arielle says. "It's time for us to do it again...Let's kick up our red stilettos!" Now that sounds voluptuous and vivacious.

Arielle says a member of the new revolution is one "who is living or, aspires to live, her passion, thus creating an entire body of women who are living and giving with passion." There's also the economic side: Most women over 50 have more money and power than ever before and are expected to live longer than previous generations.

Her Web site is www.redhotrevolution.com. Arielle may be on to something both voluptuous and vivacious.

The Hound is disappointed to hear that there might not be any cockroach eating contests this fall at Six Flags Great America's annual Fright Fest. Like cats, they taste just like chicken. For all you cockroach-eating aficionadoes, you'll just have to travel to Madagascar and hunt for those giant hissing roaches.

Six Flags corporate folks apparently have caved into complaints by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who protested the past two years the downing of the live cockroaches during the Halloween-inspired Fright Fest. They've made the decision to ban the event at the Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, although the Gurnee park is still on the bubble. Those PETA folks sure know how to take the fun out of things.

The Hound doesn't see theses vegans complaining about the eating of crickets, nightcrawlers or wax worms, which are also served up at Great America's fall festivities. Park goers eat the creatures to earn front-of-the-line passes to rides and year passes.

PETA's bluenoses called the Six Flags decision "compassionate", calling the eating of the bugs, "insect abuse." Would they have the same feelings about eating mosquitoes?

Bon appetit, PETA. And just eat it.

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For a while there, Antioch really was in the toilet and not just village finances. At least it smelled that way.

Sewage sludge spilled off a truck over the weekend along Main Street (Route 83) and surely raised a stink among village residents. More so than the last Village Board meeting.

The village moved about 16 truckloads through town on Saturday, getting rid of 80 tons of sewage sludge destined for some farmer's field. Who knew Antioch residents could produce that much effluent?

And, how would you like to be living next to that farmer's field after 80 tons of the stuff is dumped? Not The Hound, that's for certain. Remember that the next time you flush away.

One more thing. We also now know that Antioch's um, stuff, indeed, does stink.

Like Sammy Hagar, The Hound can't drive 55. Nor can most Americans which is why they sell radar dectectors. Now along comes Gov. Rod "The Impaler" Blagojevich who wants to install speed cameras on interstates across Illinois. This move would be for safety reasons and has nothing to do with the dismal state of the Land of Lincoln's finances. Right.

We sat by idly as they put up red-light cameras at various intersections in Waukegan. Red-light cameras have now spread to Gurnee and Libertyville will be the next community. Once again, these are installed for safety reasons, although drivers are liable for a fine, but not a ticket that shows up on one's driving record. And these aren't moneymakers because?

Blagojevich, the Hugo Chavez of the Midwest, believes speed cameras will raise $50 million a year, enough to hire 500 more state troopers to help Chicago battle its war of insurgency going on in some city neighborhoods where 35 school children have been gunned down by gang violence. No wonder parents want their kids enrolled at New Trier.

Arizona currently is installing speed cameras on its interstates, an idea which Rod the Mod obviously has copped from that desert hell. Illinois uses speed cameras in construction zones mainly because motorists are too dumb to understand people are working inches from speeding vehicles.

The guv's plan, merely in the planning stages, would send tickets to drivers clocked at 15 miles over the speed limit. At least that's what he says but, really, who can believe this guy? One more thing: There's no money budgeted and the Legislature would have to approve installation of the speed cameras in the 20 State Police districts throughout Illinois.

Until then speed racers --- go. Go like the wind.

Apparently, one doesn't have to be a 49-year-old black woman to be treated poorly in the Vista Medical Center East emergency room. If you're an 18-month-old white girl you get the same neglect.

In a case reminiscent of one two years ago, toddler Emily Booden of Waukegan was left waiting in the ER for two hours while waiting to have the top half of her thumb reattached. The toddler was taken to Vista East by Waukegan paramedics after she caught her finger in a set of French doors.

Not receiving satisfactory treatment at Vista, the family then drove north to Children's Memorial Hospital in Milwaukee where a surgery team was waiting and the youngster's thumb was reattached. Vista maintains "appropriate care was provided in an expeditious manner" for little Emily Booden

On July 29, 2006, Beatrice Vance, 49, was left to die in Vista's ER waiting room after moaning in pain for two hours. She died of cardiac arrest, a death a Lake County Coroner's jury ruled was a homicide. Jury members pinpointed Vance's arrival at the hospital at 10:15 p.m. and that she was unconscious when a nurse called her name for
treatment at 12:25 a.m.

A deputy coroner testified Vance's heart attack was caused by a blocked artery, and contributing factors were delayed and inadequate treatment. The Lake County State's Attorney's Office declined to pursue criminal charges against Vista East Medical Center or any staff member for Vance's death.

The Boodens met privately this week with Waukegan Mayor Richard Hyde and 6th Ward Ald. Larry Ten Pas. This certainly isn't the first time the mayor and city officials have heard complaints about the Vista ER since Beatrice Vance's death.

How long will they continue to ignore these complaints from city residents, taxpayers and voters? After all, there is an election next year. Perhaps health care in the city should be an election issue, along with rebuilding the downtown, cleaning up the lakefront, controlling expenditures and boosting Fountain Square. After all, they're all tied to quality of life in Lake County's largest city.

Better late than never, The Hound always says. Antioch village trustees finally approved a new budget this week, four months into the new fiscal year. As the document was adopted, The Hound noticed fellow trustees didn't join Bob McCarty in kicking back their $6,000 per annum salaries to the village coffers to save the job of one $42,000 village employee.

Instead, two full-timers and seven part-timers will be laid off under this new budget, which is almost $1 million less than last year's budget of $11 million. Who lays off municipal workers? Isn't government a growth industry?

Maybe McCarty knew these folks needed that $6,000 more than one of the workers. In early drafts of the document, originally it was proposed cutting four full-time and 11 part-time positions.

Now this is how they do things in Antioch. The layoffs will save about $390,000, but retroactive 3 percent salary increases are in the budget, adding $63,000 to personnel costs. Isn't that like moving money around in a circle, or chasing one's tail as The Hound has done many a time?

All that tax-rich property the village annexed has sure paid off with increased revenues for the village coffers. It's worked so well, perhaps officials should move full speed ahead and get that Antioch Marketplace inside village boundaries. More money for the revenue pipeline, but sadly not quick enough for nine village employees to keep their jobs.
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The do-gooders at the Metropolitan Planning Council are releasing a study today that most of us are quite familiar with. That traffic in the six-county Chicago area is bad and getting worse. The Hound thinks they released the same study last year. In fact, this could be the same study, but with '08 figures plugged into the equation.

While The Hound figures somebody has to bring this to our attention, there's really nothing we can do about. OK, we could stop driving. There's nothing our do-nothing elected officials can do about it because there's no capital improvement/infrastructure plan coming out of the Legislature.

So, the "Moving at the Speed of Congestion" study the policy wonks will be dishing out today just adds to the gridlock: How many reporters and camera crews will be jamming Chicago streets to get copies of the report and sound bites for the evening news?

Last year, one study showed that metro Chicago loses about $4 billion annually because of traffic congestion. Today's study will undoubtedly see that and raise it. Time to get a horse and saddle up.

They've taken Waukegan's new car dealerships , so is Scoop the Loop in Gurnee the next thing the village scoops out of the county seat? Gurnee Days will have a "Scoop the Loop" car show from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 10 at Viking Park, thanks to North Shore Rods, which was savvy enough to copyright "Scoop the Loop".

Remember that the city of Waukegan took over the annual cruise in the downtown a couple of years ago from North Shore Rods and renamed it " Scoopin' Genesee". Nice try, but no cigar. Folks still call it "The Scoop".

So now Gurnee is having a "Scoop the Loop" car show and it isn't that far a leap from holding a full-blown "Scoop the Loop" in the village. The Gurnee Mills McDonald's already hosts cruise nights on Fridays during the summer.

Now, if Gurnee only had a downtown to scoop. Work on that, would you?

Is North Chicago Unit School District 187 board member Charles Shipley the only one who is outraged over Gloria Harper's insistence on hanging on to her seat on the school board? Apparently, like Mr. Smith who went to Washington, Shipley is a lone voice crying in the wilderness.

Harper, who continues to hide behind legalese that she is not guilty of anything, after she and Tyrone Pipkin, a Gurnee resident on paid leave from his high-paying job as District 187's director of technology, authorized their attorneys to have the companies they owned cop a plea in federal court.

Trust The Hound on this one: If these companies --- Computer Training and Associates Inc., and Global Networking Technology Inc. --- were publicly traded, like Enron, and Harper's name happened to be Ken Lay and Pipkin's was Jeffrey Skilling, they would be in jail instead of trumpeting their non-guilt. These two were small fish and the feds cut the deal to get money back to the North Dakota school district the firms were accused of scamming and pay for the taxpayers' legal fees.

North Chicago taxpayers just keep taking it on the chin. Keeping Harper on the board and Pipkin employed on the taxpayers' dime sends a weird message to students the district is supposed to educate. District taxpayers complain about high taxes but continue to re-elect the same, tired pols.

Shipley so far has the gumption to speak out. Where's the rest of you? Perhaps waiting until April 2009 when, The Hound has been told, Harper will be on the ballot. Taxpayers, the ball will be in your court.

The Hound often wondered what the attraction was at New Trier High School, outside knowing that nearly 100 percent of the student body will go on to college and not normally state school. Usually Ivy League places. State Sen James Meeks, D-Chicago, wants Chicago high school students to find what the attraction is by enrolling them there. This could get interesting Sept. 2 when Meeks wants to bus thousands of Chicago Public School high schoolers to Winnetka.

Especially considering Chicagoans don't pay taxes to the New Trier school district, nor do the students reside in the district. Meeks wants to sidestep the residency requirement by introducing a bill barring school district residency requirements across the state. Just in time for the Woodland District 50 educators in Gurnee who are holding a proof-of-residency during back-to-skool registration this month.

Meeks complains that the way schools are funded in Illinois is unfair to poor school districts, of which he considers Chicago Public Schools. The senator laments that New Trier spends $17,000 annually per student, while CPS spends around $10,000 a year per student. He overlooks the fact that New Trier taxpayers also pay a high property tax rate to make their school one of the top in the nation, let alone Illinois. And, $10,000 per student isn't chopped liver.

Meeks equates spending money to the difference between getting a "good" education versus an "inferior" education. There's more to that, especially considering one study which found charter schools in Chicago did a better job educating students versus the usual publick school. Besides, bet New Trier doesn't spend as much on security, which would go toward educational studies there.

New Trier officials are having lawyers study the legality of enrolling Chicago students. The Hound suggests they enroll all of them and have their parents and Sen. Meeks figure out they'll get to class every day. Meanwhile, the CPS will miss out on state aid money. That's a trade-off for any skool, which New Trier would get which could mean a cheaper tax rate for taxpayers.
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