by:  Diane Benjamin CPA, reg

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/article_f82ad694-a293-11df-8558-001cc4c03286.html

The total cost figures for the multi-modal transportation station vary from report to report – but I will use the ones listed in the Pantagraph above:

Total Cost:                      $43,300,000

• Tiger grant:                    $22,000,000

• Other grants                  $11,400,000

• Normal’s Share              $  9,800,000

• Amt to balance               $     100,000  (Pantagraph needs a calculator)

2010 census showed the population of Normal as 52,497

Every citizen paid $ 187, not including the interest being paid on construction loans.

The bottom line is this:  Normal saw an opportunity to have the rest of the NATION pay for their new offices – and they jumped on it.  Part of the grants came from Illinois, but the rest came from the FEDS.  GRANTS are OUR tax dollars being re-distributed any way government sees fit.

Illinois and the United States government are broke.  How much of this grant money was BORROWED from China or printed by the Federal Reserve?  Since we borrow at least 40 cents of every dollar spent – just in the Tiger grant close to $9,000,000 was borrowed.

I hope Mayor Koos and the Normal City Council are very proud.  They ripped off the COUNTRY for gorgeous offices.  Tell your relatives across the country thanks.  They probably haven’t heard about what they paid for.

Sen. Dick Durbin says the stimulus dollars worked.  Sure they did, while the building was being built.  Are the same people still working?  Maybe they are re-building the rest of the new Uptown area.  What happens when it is done?  Bloomington wants to build – maybe they can shift a little south.  Maybe we can make government a permanent employer for construction!  Problem solved, housing construction still isn’t great.  Wow, on second thought the Town of Normal is saving the country.  Spread the word – more cities need to jump on this!  Borrow money to hire people – pure genius.

Maybe they got the idea from Communist China – Google China Ghost Cities.  At least for now we have a building people are using.  China used to build based on need too.

I hope all your grand kids are looking forward to paying for it!  Federal Debt at almost $16,000,000,000,000 and rising fast!  Congrats.

See this link for pictures of what YOU paid for:  http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/photos-uptown-station/collection_7cc26780-cdff-11e1-8544-001a4bcf887a.html