EDITORIAL

Solid-Waste Franchise Has Potential To Save Green

For the past several months the City has been working on a solid-waste franchise, under which one competitively chosen waste-hauler would serve most of the businesses and residences in Evanston not now covered by City services. Pickup of both garbage and recycling would be at least weekly.

Economies of scale come in several forms - reductions in costs, noise, air pollution and use of alleys. We would also know when and by whom the community's garbage will be picked up. Who has not noticed alleys with often-overflowing dumpsters, supposed to be picked up at different times by different haulers?

City staff have provided information that a similar franchise in Skokie saved businesses nearly $1 million by its fifth year of operation.

Yet there are some concerns with the current plan. The City has been persuaded to allow its largest institutions - Evanston Hospital, Northwestern University and St. Francis Hospital - to opt out of the program, eliminating a significant sector that could help make the franchise viable. Conversely, on the small-business end, where at least one manager has said his solid-waste disposal costs would nearly double under the franchise as proposed, the City seems reluctant to offer the same opt-out privilege. City officials say they will attempt to address this by having the City absorb the entire difference for at least one year.

To preserve the franchise, though, the City proposes not to allow opt-outs for economic reasons, saying the franchise would collapse if too many people were allowed to opt out.

We support the goal of the franchise, to make Evanston cleaner and greener. In addition, if the cost savings are to be achieved, that could be an economic enticement for attracting and keeping businesses here.

On July 14, the City Council's Administration and Public Works Committee agreed to hold the ordinance for further discussion rather than pushing it to City Council. We think that was a good idea. "Green" as the ordinance is, it is still green, in that it has potential to grow. We hope the Committee will clarify in ensuing discussions what the benefit to the community as a whole would be and whether the ordinance unfairly or unduly burdens certain small businesses or certain types of businesses.

If, as a City staff member said at the recent meeting, the franchise will fall apart if too many people opt out, then perhaps City staff should take another look at the economic premises and models of the proposed franchise and make sure it is reasonable and attractive enough that business owners will not wish to opt out.
It may be that with the three-year phase-in provisions and a competitively bid franchise, all businesses will garner savings before the phase-in period is over. In any case, though, the goals of efficient and streamlined solid-waste disposal for those not covered by City services are worth pursuing.

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Scalia's Gun Count

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its ruling in the case of Heller v. District of Columbia on June 28. Justice Antonin Scalia authored the majority opinion.

In that decision the Court ruled that the handgun ban in the District of Columbia violated the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Since the ruling, the following gun-related incidents have been reported by the Evanston Police Department:

• 4 arrests for unlawful use of weapon
• 2 arrests for illegal possession of a weapon
• 1 arrest for suspicion of shooting
• 1 arrest for illegal possession of an air pistol
• 1 report of broken glass, subject suspected to be using a pellet or BB gun.

Gun Crazy

By Charles Wilkinson

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ..."
And let them have guns.

The spirit of 1776 lives.

Tho' cities soar and sprawl across our land
And we call ourselves civilized,
Ours is yet an untamed wilderness
Of angers and savageries,
Of viral fear and cruel, untimely
dyings.
Centuries' old necessities,
Logically amended to our Constitution,
Remain.
Beyond the "golden door"
There is no Eden.

Once upon a revolution
Liberty, sanity and guns were brothers.
Today
In our homes and on our streets,
Mid-day and mid-night
That is no longer so.
Metal muscle deals death haphazardly,
Screaming one's right to bear arms
As if... as if
That need be so.
I am grateful
My own right to arm myself
Is far removed from wanting to
Or needing to.
But I live with a sadness
For the insanities
Liberty
In its own name, they say,
Allows.

Perhaps, in some enlightened future,
One's need to bear arms
May be more clearly sanctioned
Than one's right.
Then we may know
Liberty
Has come of age.

‘Pitiful!'

By Peggy Tarr

"Pitiful" was the adjective my mom often used to describe people and conditions. That one word captured a sense of pity, distress, despair, contempt and hopelessness for the person or thing described.

To describe someone or something as "pitiful" was essentially equivalent to my mom throwing up her hands. It meant that she felt nothing could or would change the person or the situation. Attempts to change the "pitiful" would be futile. "Pitiful" people couldn't help themselves. And so my mom used the word "pitiful" for womanizers and prostitutes, kleptomaniacs, "witches" and "warlocks," stutterers, inarticulate orators, the illiterate, the uneducated, inept doctors, ugly people, destitute people, croaking singers, ineffectual parents, liars, "bad-shaped" people, starving dogs and cats; unkempt households; the physically challenged; the mentally challenged, pigeon-toed people, bad cooks, corrupted politicians, sinning ministers," etc. "Pitiful" was never used to describe people who were mean to others.

No matter where my mom was - on the porch in the summer, in stores, in church, on the street, she found someone "to be pitied," and in fact, this declaration of a person's condition as "pitiful" allowed my mom to minimize any emotional investment in or distaste for the person. With this in mind and in reference to his most recent comments about Senator Obama, my mom would certainly describe Rev. Jesse Jackson as: "Pitiful! Just pitiful!"

*pitiful = (1) deserving pity. (2) deserving to be despised.

pity = sorrow for another's suffering or misfortune; a cause for sorrow or regret.

Letters to the Editor

ETHS Athlete Thanks Kiwanis Club
Editor:

Hi, my name is Earl Washington and I am a thankful patient in the Kiwanis Club's mouthguard donating project. I was very honored to be a part of the wonderful project the Kiwanis Club is doing for our school's athletic program.

I was one of the first athletes to receive one of these great mouthguards. Not only was the mouthguard good to wear while playing an aggressive sport like basketball, it also gave me an extra boost of confidence while playing.

I loved the fact that people are trying to help keep us kids safe while we are playing sports; it made me feel like people in the community really do care about us.

So I am very glad and proud to say thank you, Kiwanis Club, for keeping me and my fellow athletes safe while we play our games and win for Evanston.
--Earl Washington, Jr., Evanston
Township High School Athlete
P.S. We had a winning season.

Evanston Health Department Continues to Exist; State ‘Willing to Help'
Editor:

In response to your June 25, 2008, article entitled, "The Health Department: One Year Later," several issues need to be clarified for your readers.

First and foremost, the Cook County Department of Public Health is working with the Cook County Capital Planning Department to open a health clinic to provide very limited services around sexually transmitted infections (STI) at the Skokie Courthouse to serve the entire Northeast Region of suburban Cook County, not only the residents of Evanston.

This clinic renovation project is out to bid and remains on schedule since the passage of the FY 2008 county budget.

While we wait for this project to be completed, our public health team is referring potential clients to our other suburban locations and partners to ensure access to these vital services.

Second, state-certified local public health departments have, among other duties, a statutory responsibility for the prevention, control and investigation of more than 70 communicable diseases including all sexually transmitted infections.

To date, the Evanston Health Department continues to exist as a state-certified local public health department. Until the City of Evanston relinquishes this state certification, surveillance, prevention and control of these diseases remain its responsibility and the responsibility of the Cook County Department of Public Health.

Third, notwithstanding its own pressing financial difficulties and service demands, the Cook County Department of Public Health stands willing and able to assist the City of Evanston in its commitment to these important public health issues.
--Stephen A. Martin, Jr. Ph.D., M.P.H.
Chief Operating Officer, Cook County Department of Public Health

Reader Rejects ‘More Equals Less'
Editor:

Thank you for Jordan Graham's article on engine idling (p. 12, July 9 RoundTable). I am in full agreement with the wisdom of avoiding idling whenever possible.

However, Mr. Graham quoted something that I have been trying to document ever since I first saw it in the Evanston Chamber of Commerce's 2008 Community Guide and Annual Report.

The quote was: "An idling vehicle emits 20 times more pollution than a vehicle traveling 32 miles per hour."

If this is true or even remotely close to true, I fail to comprehend the physics. Most automotive engines idle at about 900 RPMs, the slowest speed - using the least amount of fuel - that allows the engine to run smoothly.

Driving at 32 mph requires 1200-1400 RPMs, depending on the vehicle's gear ratios. There is no way to make an engine increase RPMs without adding more fuel or decreasing the load, and more fuel equals more, not less, pollution.

Even if you presume that the engine runs slightly more efficiently at that increased speed, i.e., the fuel is burned more completely because of higher temperatures so that there is less CO and more CO2, for instance, CO2 is also a pollutant, a greenhouse gas. In any case, I can see no logical way that a faster running engine under an increased load could produce 20 times less pollution. That is a huge claim.

I have found this quotation proliferating all over the web, but always without documentation. The most knowledgeable purveyor seems to be the Sierra Club. At this time, someone from there is attempting to track down where they got it -- so far without any luck. So if Mr. Graham or anyone else can offer an explanation, please do so or refer us to the source.

While I am eager to live green and am no defender of idling engines, there is a certain hysteria abroad that allows people to throw out all kinds of claims or accusations in the spirit "going green," some of which defy logic. And that is a disservice to the people and the cause.
--Dave Jackson

Theft a Blemish on Parade's Community Spirit
Editor:

Since moving to Evanston in 1974, my family (now three generations) and I have seldom missed an Evanston Fourth of July parade. Whereas it is certainly no Tournament of Roses, it does have its own unique appeal and conveys a true sense of community. So, last Thursday, I dutifully scouted out a good vantage point along Central Avenue and set up enough chairs to accommodate my family. Imagine my shock and disappointment the following day upon discovering that two of those chairs had been stolen. It certainly put a damper on the remainder of the day. I am sure that we will be back again next year, but I am also sure that the spirit of the parade will never again feel quite the same.
--Peter Orlinsky

Questions Extension of D202 Superintendent's Contract
Editor:

We have a report that the District 202 School Board extended the high school Superintendent's contract for two years [to 2013], with a 4 percent salary increase. It also increased the retirement annuity to 18 percent ($38,844) and pays contributions to the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System.

It looks like the Board has lost touch with reality and needs disbanding. Shouldn't the high school first be brought out of its problems before extending the contract to a date most corporate executives would like to get if they only could?

Surely a public official can live on the current [before the raise] salary and does not need the additional benefits the Board heaps on him. These are the kinds of give-aways that got the City in the trouble it is in.

We should get the quality of the schools back first and foremost. As it is, more parents have to consider private schools and home schooling.

As a friend who homeschools for educational, not religious, reasons says, "My 14-year-old took physics, calculus and Latin (4th year) this past year. Somehow I don't think her eighth-grade counterparts in the government schools are doing the same."
-- John Fuqua