DuPage County: July 2008 Archives

The Naperville Township Board tonight meets to consider annual raises for elected officials: supervisor, highway commissioner, assessor, clerk and trustees. Last year raises were about 5 percent. This year, they may be less, one official said, though the final decision won't be made until August or September.

What do you think? What you be a fair wage increase these days for elected officials? And not just township -- what's fair for city council, county board, state representative, U.S. senator -- all those salaries and benefits your tax dollars pay for.

It's called Article 36, and it allows authorities to seize vehicles in 48 different instances in which offenders commit a crime, including driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license or transporting more than 10 cartons of cigarettes. (We are not making this up.)

As Wednesday's Sun reports, they've had tremendous success lately taking vehicles away from criminals in DuPage County. What about the Constitution? Isn't there something in the Fourth Amendment about unlawful search and seizure? OK, maybe this doesn't violate the letter of the law, but it certainly tests the spirit. Does the punishment fit the crime, in your opinion, when authorities can seize vehicles like this?

One word about this thread: Let's keep the discussion focused on the legislative aspect of this question, and not enforcement. We've had plenty of threads lately about police. Let's talk about the lawmakers who created this legislation, and the courts that have upheld it.