Danielle Baker

I was in traffic this morning and listening to National Public Radio's Eight Forty-Eight. Steve Edwards paid tribute to a former intern Danielle Baker, who was killed earlier this week in a drunk driving accident.

He broke down telling the story, which made me cry, too, and I wondered how many listeners at that very moment had the same reaction, how many Chicagoans were sitting in their cars crying for this talented 22-year old woman who won't be coming into work anymore, who won't parent her two-year old daughter, who won't take care of her parents as they get old.

It's Friday, friends. That's a signal for people who drink to start drinking, just because it's Friday. Drunk driving accidents total over one hundred billion dollars a year in this country. Only 1.5 million drunk drivers are arrested and it's thought that only 1 of 200 drivers will be pulled over by police while under the influence. (Thank you, 848, for the stats)

So to some people that means they should go ahead and drive while under the influence because the chances are VERY slim that they'll be arrested.

It's always someone else that gets arrested, someone else that's in an accident, someone else's sister, mother, daughter, who is killed.

Maybe I'll dedicate Fridays to the joys of alcohol.