By: Diane Benjamin
Add CIRA to the list of projects government created firmly believing it would create economic activity, benefit citizens, and not be a tax burden. CIRA now joins the ranks of other local boondoggles like the Coliseum and the BPCA.
If we build it, they will come.
For awhile they did come. CIRA had airlines willing to fly to where people wanted to go. The free parking can’t be better. The facility is beautiful.
Times have changed. The airport can no longer pay the bills with the current taxing system. They need more money, so the plan is to make the whole County pay. Bloomington and Normal would balk at tax increases (each like to raise their own), so let’s hack off the County and give Bloomington-Normal a break.
Can somebody explain what was wrong with the old airport? Isn’t the point of an airport to land planes and have them take off again? It wasn’t fancy enough? The runways weren’t long enough, but there was no way to fix it without building another facility?
Anybody still wondering why I investigate spending in Bloomington and occasionally Normal while living in the middle of a field by Ellsworth?
Duh!
Because they got a huge “grant” from the feds. Also, “Duh”. =)
aaaaannnd where do the feds get the money from?? wait for it….the taxpayer or actually the grandchildren of the taxpayers
Are you one those supporters of big government, increased taxes, and foolish enough to think it is possible to spend your way out of debt? Why do some people throw the word GRANT around like the money is a gift from GOD? Grants for municipal projects are allocated by the federal government to state and local government FROM TAX PAYER funds. Now if you had any knowledge about federal grants you would know that they come with many conditions and stipulations. Not only is the money earmarked for specific projects but the recipients of those grants on one end or the other have to kick in money of their own. Sometimes it is on the front end of a project and other times after completion in order to keep the program going. That results in taxes going up at the federal, state, and local level. Now do you understand what GRANT really means Ron? It means higher taxes at all levels for working people.
I think Ron was being sarcastic.