http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard The Community Viewpoints Board advises the Register Star on the Editorial Agenda and on topics of the day. They are conservatives, liberals and independent. Some are retired. Others are doctors, teachers, pastors, social workers and marketing specialists. Several members of the board agreed to blog on rrstar.com. They’ll share their views here on local issues. Their thoughts – as well as the opinions of other board members – also will appear with other opinion content online and in the newspaper in the Opinions section. Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:42:26 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I work to be “green” so you probably won’t find it a surprise about my use of the cruise control to increase gas mileage. Returning from northern Wisconsin I chose to follow the speed limits to see just how good the mileage could be. Imagine my surprise when during the length of the ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard/2008/08/25/300-miles/ It’s a great opportunity  … the school district needs to save on gas expenditures … kids need to spend more time outside. Let’s get more children walking to school! What will it take? More crossing guards? More neighborhood groups to help guarantee safety and to help parents be comfortable with it? Help ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard/2008/07/18/opportunity/ "We learn simply by the exposure of living. Much that passes for education is not education at all but ritual. The fact is that we are being educated when we know it least." "We learn simply by the exposure of living, and what we learn most natively is the tradition in ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard/2008/06/29/exposure-of-living/ As we all pitched in to help flood victims of Iowa, were we adding another problem to Iowa's list? We sent bottled water, water in bottles that it is unlikely even 20% of will be recycled. Okay, I know it’s a “time of trouble” decision that will be followed by ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard/2008/06/23/the-subject-is-water/ At last evening’s Community Viewpoints Board we talked what Rockford needs to make this the kind of community in which we are proud and happy to live. After a great deal of discussion, Ray Garcia summed it up as “you have to have HOPE”. I felt as if I was ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard/2008/06/18/hope/ Read it this morning ... every 5 mph that you reduce your speed in an automobile, you reduce fuel consumption by 7%.  Just think what that means if you drive 40 on North 2nd Street (instead of your normal 45? 50? 55?). Hummm ... could save a LOT of gas. ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard/2008/05/13/five-for-seven/ There's a lot of complaining going on (my mother would have said bellyaching) about the cost of gas, how often fill-ups are needed, and how much oil companies are making. Each day, every one of us has an opportunity reduce the amount of gas we use by driving more sensibly, leaving on time so we ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard/2008/05/09/we-have-an-opportunity/ I was driving to work this morning & couldn't help but notice that gas prices went up again.  No surprise.  What did surprise me was my reaction - I had none.  I remember when gas prices first went over $2 a gallon.  I was angry and upset, and decided to ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard/2008/04/24/what-can-i-do/ This morning I read in a Register Star story ... "Estimates suggest that 38.4 percent of 25-year-olds in the United States will experience poverty at some point in their adult lives."  It is so unbelievable, I hope the information is wrong. Even if it it had said 19 or 20 percent, it's still ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard/2008/04/16/unbelievable/ Closing two successful businesses, at the corner of Latham and Auburn streets to allow the building of a new drug store appears wrong to me, when the South East corner of Main and Auburn has available space. The empty gas station which backs onto the empty restaurant (formerly Joel's) looks ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/viewpointsboard/2008/04/13/walgreens-on-wrong-corner/