Krug: 
Video gaming not what county needs

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I’ve wrestled with the concept of video gaming for the past few weeks.

Talked to Rep. Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake, about it.

Talked to Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, about it.

Talked about video gaming with some of the people I know who like to lean against bar rails to make sure that those rails don’t fall down.

Plenty of differing opinions about something that costs a buck a shot.

At times of certain uncertainty, the notion of new revenue coming into the system from people trying to pair up their Queens and Kings seems like a pathway to easy money.

I’m not sure what to think.

I don’t suspect that Tryon is a true fan of video gaming. However, he is pretty sure that we won’t get our highway projects done without the new revenue from people feeding the meters from their bar stools.

Franks says we don’t need the money from video gaming for roads – that Gov. Pat Quinn has said that the revenue from gaming would account for no more than 25 percent of funding for capital projects and that it puts none of the local projects at risk.

The only thing for certain is that the county licenses slapped on the sides of the machines would bake a little more cake for the local coffer. But we’re talking cupcakes, really.

Aside from that, it doesn’t seem that there are many guarantees about where video gaming money will go and what it will and won’t do here at home.

Here’s my take: I am not a big fan of barrooms of people slouched and slumped over video poker machines, mindlessly flattening the edges of dollar bills so that they can be gobbled up. We have casinos not terribly far away. We don’t need a few dozen mini-casinos here.

Video gaming doesn’t fit my vision when I think about McHenry County’s future. The idea that every bar becomes a little gambling joint is not terribly appealing.

The next time you are in Las Vegas, take a stroll off the strip, away from the bright lights of the gambling Mecca, and into the suburbs – out where the regular folks live.

Take a look at those places. They’re not pretty. They’re not anywhere that I’d want to live. And they wouldn’t be terribly different from what we’re talking about bringing here.

• • •

And the winner is … Barack Obama: Incredibly, after only nine months in office, our president on Friday was named the winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

I probably listened to the Nobel committee’s explanation of why Obama received the award a half-dozen times during a rain-drenched ride back from Peoria on Friday morning, and I still don’t get it. Because he says that he wants to open a dialog with the world and talk about nuclear disarmament, he wins the prize.

Apparently just wanting to do something or suggesting that you are open to such a thought is enough to warrant the hardware.

Without question, our president is a powerful guy. But I side with those who see Obama’s Nobel prize as nothing more than a down payment on peace.

Hate to be skeptical about it, because he’s our guy, but it appears that Obama has cast a spell over the entire world. And that’s fine. But I’d just like to ask the world to simmer down just a skosh. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a big believer that 90 percent of everything is tied to showing up, but perhaps we should let the No. 44 do something first before we start throwing gold medals at him.

Too much too soon and this could get outta hand.

• • •

And the winner is … Barack Obama: In an incredible stunner, I predict that the president easily will defeat CC Sabathia and a collection of also-rans for the American League Cy Young Award for the near-strike that Obama threw at the All-Star Game while wearing his mom jeans.

• • •

And the winner is … Barack Obama: Sorry, Brad Paisley; I predict the winner of the forthcoming Country Music Awards’ album of the year will go to, you guessed it, Barack Obama. Simple formula: Pinstripes over Paisley every time, fella.

• • •

And the winner is … Barack Obama: Hate to break it to you, George Clooney, and you too, Brad Pitt, but the Oscar for the best actor won’t be coming your way in March. Tough luck, gents, but you just can’t compete with the budgets in Washington.

• • •

What can brown do for your cat? Strange wonder how a cat gets UPSed across 800 or so miles, from Dallas to Woodstock. No doubt, it was a surprising moment for feline and human alike.

I am truly disappointed that Cody the cat didn’t have a camera in paw pointed at Brett St. Aubin’s face when he hopped out of a box of chiropractic supplies last week.

You probably saw our story on it Friday: The cat must have stowed away in the box while his owner, a medical supplier, looked away. She returned to the package and sealed the cat in the box. The cat was returned to Texas on Thursday in an appropriate animal carrier.

Here’s hoping there are no, ahem, copycats out there.

• • •

And finally: Make sure that you take a look at PlanItNorthwest, Shaw Suburban Media’s new go-and-do site that recently rolled out.

It is a hyper-local, an all-in-one site that allows people in and around McHenry County to map out their free time and weekends, to find things to do and places to go through an event-planning calendar. It even allows folks to buy discounted gift certificates from local merchants and restaurants.

It’s new, it’s local, and there’s nothing like it in McHenry County. And Jessica Jacobsen, your Plan It guide, will give you a quick rundown of what’s new on the site and what’s going on in the area.

Click to www.PlanItNorthwest.com and give it a look. Let me know what you think.

• Chris Krug is executive editor of the Northwest Herald. Contact Chris by calling 815-459-4122, or via e-mail at ckrug@nwherald.com. Keep up with Chris’ rants, raves and insights by following ChrisKrug (no space) at Twitter.com.