Bad ideas: Competing plans to name Illinois expressways after Obama

Near Rock Island, Illinois

As I've noted many times before the US Postal Service does few things well but it has one stupendously correct policy. It waits for a person, with the exception of a US president, to be dead ten years before being honored on a postage stamp. And presidents have to be dead to be seen on a stamp. The reasoning is quite sound. While time heals all wounds, it also exposes all heels. A creep or a crook often isn't exposed until time has sorted out the details--and death loosens the lips of the survivors.

Right now, as I predicted, there is a movement to name an expressway in Illinois after Dear Leader, better known as former president Barack Obama. Actually, I am wrong--there are two movements.

One Chicago Democrat wants to name the portion of Interstate 55 that is southwest of Interstate 294--the rest of it is already named for another Democrat, two-time presidential loser Adlai Stevenson--after Obama. The other one wants to rename that other road, I-294--currently it is called the Tri-State Tollway--after Dear Leader.

Bad ideas.

Thank God Illinois has two Republican expressways--the Reagan and the Eisenhower. Those two men are among America's greatest presidents.

Meanwhile President Donald Trump is quickly erasing the Obama legacy.

Good.

On the other hand, both interstates can be used to exit Illinois, leaving high crime rates, out-of-control taxes, and unfunded government worker pensions in the rearview mirror.Maybe I should reconsider.

Related post:

Some Illinois legislators want to make Obama's birthday a state holiday