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The Best Day of My Life 5/1/2009 9:00:00 AM
By Dan Proft
-Don Wade & Roma Morning Show - WLS 890-AM
Click here to listen to an .mp3 of this commentary as heard on this morning's Don Wade & Roma Morning Show on WLS AM-890.
37 years ago Wednesday was the date of my birth. But the best day of my life occurred 37 years ago today. That was the day that my parents adopted me.
According to the Dave Thomas Foundation, 60% of Americans have been personally touched by adoption. There is a general understanding that adoption is a loving option because so many have had their intuition about adoption confirmed firsthand-and millions of children and families are the better for it.
There are, however, a few places that have remained impenetrable to common sense when it comes to supporting adoption. And, yes, as you may have suspected, Illinois is one of those places where common sense is decidedly uncommon among its political class.
One way that 24 other states in our nation have sought to allow their residents to support adoption is by offering "Choose Life" specialty license plates. Residents are charged a premium for these plates and a portion of the proceeds go to support local adoption service providers. For example, in 2007, Florida raised more than $33 million for adoption services from the voluntary purchases of these plates by Florida residents.
In Illinois, we have some 60 different specialty plates residents can purchase to support various organizations and policies-but not a "Choose Life" plate to support adoption.
Illinois has established its license plates as a forum for speech, but only speech approved by House Speaker Mike Madigan who also serves as the state's Language Czar.
Czar Madigan had legislation to create the "Choose Life" plate killed in the General Assembly. Czar Madigan dispatched Jesse White and Lisa Madigan to federal court to block the creation of the plate. Illinois' Language Czar takes his job seriously.
Thankfully, adoption supporters are willing to risk the political gulag and speak out against the Language Czar. An appeal has been filed with the U.S. Supreme Court to take up this issue and uphold a lower court's ruling in favor of the creation of the "Choose Life" plate in Illinois.
When I think about all of the important things going on in the world, perhaps the fight about specialty license plates is relatively unimportant. And then I think about some other kid who needs a home waiting for the best day of his life to happen and I am reminded that no fight is more important.
 
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