OPINION

GUEST COMMENTARY LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A happy birthday
sans complaints
I’ll be celebrating
another birthday
this weekend. It’s
not a milestone, so
hold your gifts and
condolences. Don’t
fear. I’m not going
to use this column
to get too philo-
sophical about the
meaning of life. Or
to dwell on my Mike Neiman
checklist, which still
remains for the most part
unchecked. I’m also working our TMZ-infused diet of the
really hard at not getting hot daily antics of so-called
and bothered as crotchety
old guys have a tendency to
do.
I promise I won’t com-
plain about my aches and
pains. I refuse to admit that
my body can’t do the same
things as it did 20 years ago.
Now, I just follow the doc-
tor’s advice of taking an
Advil or two. Over and over
again I’m told, “It’s part of
getting old, get used to it.”
Well, I’m not ready to suc-
cumb to the inevitable. Like
every other baby boomer,
I’m not going down without
a fight.
You also won’t hear me
getting cantankerous about
the state of our society —
although based on the slew
of nasty negative ads that
have been force fed to us
over the past few months, I
should have reason to be
concerned. Republican or
Democrat? I have low expec- revert back to his whiney self
tations that either can
accomplish much besides
maintaining the status quo
and blaming each other for
the woes we face. So why get about the cold. Sorry, that
all flustered about it? It will
just raise my blood pressure
and I don’t think Advil can
cure that.
I won’t be grimacing about
members of the younger
generation, who sometimes
seem more attached to their
iPhones than reali-
ty, or about the
masses who are
more interested in
celebrity than
global warming.
Maybe that’s why
Sarah Palin wisely
spoke of her 2012
ambitions first to
Mary Hart on
“Entertainment
Tonight”.
While I’m on the topic of
celebrities, I’ll try to look the
other way when washed up
stars like Lindsay Lohan
command the media’s atten-
tion for their downward spi-
rals. Collectively, can’t we
just say who cares? There are
so many more positive role
models deserving our atten-
tion, some who are actually
celebrities.
I’ll attempt to bite my
tongue on the power of
sports. Last week’s tragic
incident at Notre Dame
where caution was literally
thrown to the wind cost a
young man his life. An
unfortunate example of our
‘winning over everything’
attitude. Granted, I like to
see the teams I support win,
but we all have to stop at
some point and say, “Is it
worth it?”
You’re probably wonder-
ing. Will this old columnist
after his birthday passes?
The odds are in your favor.
Winter is around the corner
and I’m already complaining
will never change.
— Mike Neiman of Hinsdale
is a contributing columnist.
Readers can e-mail him at
news@thehinsdalean.com.
Time for BP to pay up on its debt to the U.S. government
It’s time we present our
first check to BP. I say first
because they are returning
customers and will be for
years. Nothing has been in
the media as to what they
owe the U.S. government. I
think we served
1. Thousands of hours of
Coast Guard and Navy
reconnaissance flights over
the Gulf of Mexico
2. Coast Guard cutters,
small craft, and possibly air-
craft carriers scanning the
Gulf
3. Military personnel who
had other things to do
Schuster thanks those who attended engagement sessions
In the past two weeks,
nearly 200 parents, teachers,
board of education members
and other community mem-
bers participated in commu-
nity engagement sessions.
These 90-minute meetings
provided a brief “state of the
district” presentation, fol-
lowed by small-group dis-
cussion on District 181’s aca-
demics, finances and vision
4. Personnel on the
ground in the various
parishes of Louisiana and
counties of Alabama and
Florida
5. We also provided “on
site” inspectors, be it on land
or sea, but BP forced us to
have inspectors and that
increases their bill.
6. President Obama’s trips.
They should be reimbursed
in full as he lessened the
spill impact on BP.
We doled out too many
appetizers to remember, but
we were compelled to order
meteorologists, biological
statement. I would like to
thank everyone who came to
our middle schools to add
their voices to this important
conversation on Oct. 20 and
26. We are compiling the
comments and will make
them available on our web-
site during November. Your
thoughts and suggestions
will be presented to our
board of education and will
scientists and fish reproduc-
tive scientists.
Dessert? OK, let’s split
Thad Allen’s salary. He has
done a great job! Otherwise
he might have been unem-
ployed.
Tip? Let’s view this as the
fine. At 20 percent, BP
should owe at least another
billion.
Why have we heard noth-
ing about the government’s
bill when GM, Chrysler and
the banks have started pay-
ing their debts? — Bob
Mattern, Hinsdale
serve as the basis for the
next step in our planning. I
look forward to continuing
the dialogue as we set the
course for the future of your
elementary school district.
— Dr. Renée Schuster,
superintendent,
Community Consolidated
Elementary District 181

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The Hinsdalean • November 4, 2010 • Page 11