Jim Dey: Former U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard an open book

Aug. 9—It's time once again to dive into another round of quick takes on the people, places and events that were being talked about over the past week:

Blast from the pastRemember former U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard? The Southern Illinois Democrat ran for governor in 1998, narrowly losing to Republican George Ryan.

Poshard's defeat led directory to years of corruption and prosecutions that swamped the administrations of the GOP's Ryan and Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Now 77, Poshard has written an autgbiography — "Son of Southern Illinois" — about his life as a kid growing up in rural poverty, elective politics and higher education. He served as president of Southern Illinois University from 2006-2014.

In the book, Poshard reveals for the first time his struggle as a young man with depression and what he described as a "nervous breakdown" caused by a series of personal losses.

"When I was 14, my sister and three of my best friends, who were all 17, were killed in an accidents. My mom and dad's marriage fell apart over that and then I lost my best friend in Vietnam, and he was the first kid from White County to die over there," he told the Edwardsville Intelligencer.

Poshard said he "buried all those feelings" before deciding to seek medical assistance.

"There are a lot of folks today, especially young people, who are going through the same thing and, hopefully, my experience can help them," he said.

A politician of the old school, Poshard lamented the increasingly venomous nature of today's public discourse that he said is "to the detriment of the country."

Bipartisanship livesPresident Harry Truman once said that politicians who want to have a real friend in Washington, D.C., should get a dog.

Champaign state Sen. Paul Faraci and his fellow legislators have a new take on that truism: If you want to get votes, give a dog.

Here's how one of the Springfield flacks describes it.

"Senator Faraci champions measure that waives pet (dogs and cats) adoption fees for veterans," a news release headline stated.

Faraci, who's relatively new at shilling for votes, is among Springfield legislators who supported legislation that will "require local animal shelters and animal control facilities to waive the adoption fee for military veterans in Illinois."

"We are cutting fees so veterans can access the sense of companionship that animals provide," Faraci said, noting "pet adoption fees vary widely depending on the organization, ranging from $50 to $275."

Actually, legislators are not "cutting" fees. They are barring pet shelters from charging their usual fees. Adoption fees are one way animal shelters cover their costs. The mandated benevolence costs the state nothing.

While the toxically independent and disdainful nature of cats invites skepticism, there is no question that dogs are without peer in the buddy category.

Dog owners can depend on the endless loyalty and unconditional love of their dogs, qualities notably lacking in members of the political class.

In fact, it's pretty much indisputable that the average dog is a far better creature than the average person.

That's why everyone, not just vets, needs a dog.

The law — HB 2500 — was passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. It will take effect on Jan. 1.

It's hard to imagine a legal challenge to a bill like this. But on what legal authority can the state forbid a free-standing entity, like an animal shelter, from charging standard fees to people who hold a particular status?

Rewarding failureLori Lightfoot probably isn't among the worst mayors Chicago ever had, but voters sure thought so.

They threw her out of office earlier this year. Her public support after a four-year stint in the mayor's office was so low, she didn't make the final run-off featuring Paul Vallas and eventual winner Brandon Johnson.

What is this failed high-profile politician doing after the thorough drubbing she endured?

Lightfoot is going to Harvard University this fall to teach students there how to — or perhaps how not to — govern. She has been "appointed as a Senior Leadership Fellow at Harvard's School of Public Health.

Lightfoot will teach a course titled "Health Policy and Leadership," although judging from her mayoral performance it's not clear she knows much about either subject. She'll also spend time "mentoring" students.

Vanity, not obscenityThe Illinois Secretary of State's office allows motorists to apply for vanity plates that deliver a special message to their fellow motorists.

But there are limits to the language allowed. The Peoria Journal-Star recently reported that in 2022, the state rejected 383 of more than 50,000 requests based on their "tawdry, lewd or offensive nature, or because they were difficult to read."

Among those suitable for publication but rejected as unsuitable for state license plates are: GOTPOOP, SUCKER, BITEU, COKAIN and HAILNo. Also rejected was an indecipherable message reading WMWWWMW.

In a clear tribute to the sometimes coarse human imagination, the newspaper noted "the ever-growing list of banned Illinois vanity licenses plates stands at more than 7,000 submissions."

Be on alertMotorists who drive on U.S. 24 should keep their eyes open.

It's been labeled as the state's "most feared highway" in Illinois, according to a survey of 3,000 drivers across the country.

Historians say that from Quincy to Peoria, the U.S. 24 route follows "the old Peoria to Quincy stage coach" line. It ranked No. 19 as the nation's most feared road.

The Belleville News-Democrat reports the threats the road poses range from its antiquated design to lack of maintenance.

It said that "the road narrows from a four-lane undivided highway to a two-lane road where vehicles move past each other at high speeds."

Illinois is in the midst of aggressive road building and maintenance that includes improvements to U.S. 24.

Oh, the humanityRetail stores in the Chicago area have embraced a new tactic to discourage lingering and loitering, particularly by homeless people and panhandlers.

They're playing classical music, according to a recent report in the Chicago Sun-Times. The newspaper reported that Deerfield-based Walgreens "declined to explain why it thinks it'll work."

A spokesman for The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless expressed outrage over the tactic, calling it "really disturbing."

"The root problem of homelessness is a lack of housing, and the problem is not going to be solved by getting people to move from a parking lot to somewhere else," the spokesman said, excoriating businesses that "treat people like a nuisance rather than a human being."

Music clearly has an effect on people's movements. That explains why so many restaurants play it to encourage customer turnover.

Among the pieces cited in the newspaper's article were Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Rossini's William Tell Overture and Strauss' Radetzky March — "vigorous pieces all meant to encourage patrons and vagrants to move along."

Here comes oneIt stands to reason that candidates hoping to succeed retiring state Sen. Tom Bennett will be coming out of the woodwork.

But so far, just one has thrown his hat into the ring for the Republican-dominated 53rd District.

Paul Ducat, vice chairman of the Iroquois County Board, said he's running because "I'm driven to help our community grow."

"My mission is to serve as a responsible individual to give everyone a chance to have hope, be heard and live a better life," he said.

That's a pretty vague political platform, but it's still early. Assuming more than one candidate gets in the race, there'll be political differences to air.

The 53rd is rare GOP turf among the state's 59 Senate districts, a political reality that has made the GOP a super-minority in both the Senate and House.