Today's news: "County departments study fuel savings initiatives"
Tomorrow's news, only from the crystal ball of The Swami: Lake County employees ride to work on rented mules; snow plows drawn by oxen.
It sounds straight out of "Mad Max," but even without an Armaggeddon-style war over "The Precious Juice," the reality in 2008 is that everyone's budget is being pinched by higher fuel prices, and adjustments will be made.
Consider: In roughly one month, school will be back in session, and the buses will start to roll. Have you seen the price of diesel fuel lately? It makes the price of your regular unleaded look like it's 1998. This is going to cost you, the taxpayer/parent, one way or another.
So desperate times call for desperate measures, and suggestions for the survival of the species are always appreciated. Here are a few that could save our taxes from going up in a puff of exhaust:
1) SUVs could be banned for use by public employees in anything outside of a blizzard situation;
2) Police department bicycle patrols could be doubled or tripled (or just plain initiated by departments that don't have them) during the spring, summer and fall;
3) In that same vein, employees like building inspectors and health inspectors probably know how to ride a bike, too;
4) Two words: Conference calls;
and ...
5) U.S. Postal Service trucks could run on the same electric motors that power your father's golf cart in Sun City, Arizona.
And what about those school buses? The Swami wouldn't touch that one with the proverbial 10-foot pole, because one thing you can't mess with is kids. But, eventually, they might have to get out and push.
