No Guns or Butter

Your LakeCountyEye doesn't know how they are supposed to celebrate the New Year or the Fourth of July in the village of Highland Park. According to the News-Sun ...

A district court judge ruled Thursday that Highland Park's ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines does not violate constitutional rights under the Second Amendment, according to the city.
Judge upholds Highland Park's ban on assault weapons

Lake County citizens typically commemorate victories like these by gathering in their town square to discharge their firearms in celebration.  But, observes your LakeCountyEye, they will not be in Highland Park.

Something else they will not be celebrating, is the price of victory:

The city spent $89,887 in legal fees defending the assault weapons ban in the first three months of 2014, according to legal bills obtained through a Freedom of Information request in May of this year.
Judge upholds Highland Park's ban on assault weapons

$90,000 is not an insignificant amount, even in the village of Highland Park. One official from one undisclosed village told your LakeCountyEye that a $90,000 line item on their city budget is equivalent to "a month's revenue out of our Half Day Road speed trap."

Your LakeCountyEye decided to do some actual research and discovered that there were quite a few village budgets with line items equivalent to $90,000 -- well, OK, 10 to be exact:

Ten $90,000 Expenditures Found in Some Lake County Village Budgets

101 AR-15 Assault Weapons (now available at Walmart) 1800 Potholes 15 Village Trustees (Park City only) 1½ Springfield Lobbyists 1 Bike Lane 28 grams Medical Marijuana (estimated street value) 19% Stake in a Mine Resistant Vehicle 1 Backyard Chicken Inspector Walking Around Money 27 inches of Route 53 Extension

Look for your LakeCountyEye in a nuisance suit near you.