By: Diane Benjamin
Last weekend a soccer tournament must have been held on the fields by the airport. Cars and kids were everywhere, so many that a Bloomington Police officer was on duty ALL day to control traffic. Did the soccer people pay his salary or the citizens of Bloomington?
Both Normal and Bloomington are now talking about soccer fields again since their location is supposedly too dangerous to use. In March of 2014, a group called Citizens Advocating for Area Youth (CAAY) wanted a 1/4% Sales Tax increase to pay for a new complex, create a Community Center in south Bloomington, provide space for the YMCA to rent, and upgrade the Boys and Girls Club. That plan went nowhere, moving anything out of downtown will not get Tari’s approval.
At the time I researched who benefitted from the proposal. See these 2 stories:
http://blnnews.com/2014/03/14/burying-bailouts-in-quality-of-life/
http://blnnews.com/2014/03/14/burying-bailouts-in-quality-of-life-part-2/
The beneficiaries list included: State Farm Bank, Busey Bank, Hundmans, Dave Stark, and probably a few others.
The new mantra from the left is Trickle Down Economics has failed us for 30 years. What they really mean is Capitalism has failed, but since this country was founded on capitalism, they can’t get by with that.
Capitalism never fails. You produce a product people want, people buy it. You make money, hire people to make more product, you make even more money. Trickle Down does work! It doesn’t matter what color you are, what your sexual orientation is, or what gender you are. If you provide something people want you will succeed.
Likewise, if people no longer want what you are selling – you fail! Capitalism REQUIRES failure.
The soccer proposal bailed out people and businesses who needed to live with their failures. The Giebelhausen downtown proposal bails out people and CEFCU who need to live their failures.
Capitalism (Trickle Down Economics) no longer works because of bailouts. Capitalism didn’t fail, government interferes and allows their friends to keep making bad decisions at your expense.
Thousands of local kids play soccer. Thousands and thousands of others don’t. If local government forces all citizens to subsidize soccer, they are further destroying capitalism. Somebody will be receiving a bailout, there is always a taker behind every government project.
Next time you hear Trickle Down Economics has failed, ask if the speaker prefers Marxism, Socialism, or Communism. All three have failed everywhere, but CONTROL of the people is too difficult for some leaders to resist. Look at Tari, only projects he approves downtown will get permission to exist. He stated recently that a Jiffy-Lube would not be acceptable.
Tari and Koos think they are smarter than you and therefore entitled to their vision with your money.
Keep electing the wrong people folks. It’s working out great for your wallet.
(Don’t bother commenting about how great socialism is for a few countries. When everything is free because government provides it, why work? Eventually they will run out of other people’s money.)
As a parent that has kids that use the airport soccer field, I can tell you that while I’m not certain if the behind the scenes politics, there is a problem that needs to be resolved when the fields go away. Not only do private entities PCSL, and Fusion Soccer use the fields, but Bloomington HS & Central Catholic HS use these as their home fields as well. There needs to be a public/private solution to this that does not devolve into another good old boy political bailout.
I know why you feel that way, but why should citizens with no affiliation support your kids? They are already forced to support the Coliseum and BCPA whether they ever attend or not. When does government control end and individual freedoms to spend your own money the way you want begin?
My kids played soccer. They played on school fields located all over both cities. It worked fine. My church rents a practice field to some soccer teams. Games could be played there. Public/private partnerships is just a way to make taxpayers responsible. You have thousands of kids playing. Save money while making do and build your own complex. You will get all the profits if it is successful.
No Bruce we don’t “need” a public/private solution as the concept of public/private although it sounds harmless usually leads to straight back to the good old boy network of crony capitalism. If there was an viable or overwhelming need (as you suggest) for soccer fields a private developer would see it as a revenue generator and do it themselves. The coliseum wasn’t viable, the BCPA wasn’t viable, the downtown plan isn’t viable. These economic times simply do not warrant the extra expenditure for your kids “need” of a soccer field.
This deal is very similar to the downtown hotel. Citizens are told what a wonderful economic boost the soccer community is to Bloomington / Normal, how many people will come to tournaments if they have world class facilities, etc. So, if this is the case why wouldn’t a private developer want to build it and make money off of it? What you’ll find when you start asking these types of questions is the conversation will start to go in a whole different direction. I know, I’ve had these conversations with the powers that be. What I’ve concluded is I don’t want to hear the economic boost speeches unless a private developer is going to take advantage of the opportunity. Simply stated if it’s not a sound investment for private development then it isn’t a sound investment for our community, period.
I see that you listened to Ben Yount…….
My take on this is those who want it need to seek out donors instead of asking the taxpayers to pony up and pay for it.
What is in vogue now may not be in x number of years. I seen the same thing with racket ball and hand ball. Now few people play it and I even hear the number of golfers are down locally. So what do we do with un-used taxpayer paid for soccer fields? Turn them into a public cemetery?
Myself and others would love to have a Olympic sized pool to swim in too here but that doesn’t mean we should be asking the taxpayers to pay for it so we live with what is in the area. Even if I have to drive over to the Champaign-Urbana YMCA.
An Olympic sized pool? You’re thinking too small as what the surfdom of Renner can build. Dammit man let’s just build an ocean! All of the kids in my neighborhood want to go surfing. So let’s just skip the small stuff and go straight for the big time.
LMAO. Oh I’m sure if there was a way he would.
The new co-op grocery store being built next to Beer Nuts could be a good business model for the soccer community.
Here’s an idea: Let those who use the soccer field pay for the soccer field!
Whoa now…that’s just crazy talkin’ there!
Huge overlap in the BLN/NL “Soccer Crowd” and “Cycle Crowd”. Many (most?) are pretentious, overbearing, have a HUGE sense of entitlement, are condescending toward more traditional interests (like cars and football), and politically, lean heavily RINO to far Left. Your know the type….typical Renner supporters. Taxpayers–Watch your pocketbooks!
Did you see only 100 bikers shows for their ride when they wanted 200?
They are probably sick of each other.
It’s because its a community enrichment. Not everyone uses the constitution trail but they keep updating it because it better enhances the communities. Not everyone uses the Pepsi ice center but it’s filled everyday. Enough kids and families will benefit and strengthen the community and give more reasons for more business to stay or start here. Just because you don’t benefit from it, doesn’t mean you should be selfish about it. Get your head out of where the sun doesn’t shine. How about more positive post about our community. Why do you still live here. Move.
So people who can’t afford to use these things are forced to pay for them. Brilliant
Can’t pay for what? Do your research most organizations offer assistance to those families who need it.
Oh look, the troll mentality has arrived. You talk about selfishness then suggest someone move because they don’t agree with you. What a jerk!
I told them to move because they don’t agree with me. I simply stayed if you aren’t happy hear (because of the ridiculous amount of hatred articles of bloomington normal) then get out. Where are the ideas to fix them. Instead of bashing the problems that are presented by our city offer advice, find groups where people can go to help, offer solutuons other than tax payer money quit putting this banter on the Internet if you don’t have any solutions. how about we remove the negative news and report stuff that has helped change the city for the better. I was simply saying why live in a city of you have nothing good to say about it and bash everybody the city does. Move and find your perfect city or bag on another city for all I care just leave this community that has thrived for so long alone and let it grow.
In regards to mooks 3:36 post my reply is, lol!
Let me spell this out a bit more clearly for you asshats who hear “soccer fields” and “taxes” and turn your brain off there. I, for one, am pretty certain i am much more fiscally conservative than you native Ellinoians. My home state of Oklahoma raised me to be logical and conservative. I am 100% AGAINST the city of Bloomington, town of Normal, any township, any county, the state, the federal government… or government on ANY level building, purchasing, leasing, renting, etc al…soccer fields. My point is…. the current fields are used by 1) a public school, Bloomington HS (hence my use of the term public/private partnership, which you immediately construed to be a taxing body), 2) Central Catholic HS (im confused as to whether this is a private school or what since it seems they benefit from public funding), & 3) PCSL/Fusion Soccer. (a private organization). Therefore, a solution NEEDS, yes i said NEEDS, to be derived that meets the needs of a public school, a private school, and one/two private entities. No, not needs to be solved by the taxpayers, but by the entities involved. There are a myriad of solutions that do not involve taxpayer funding. It seems perfectly logical that either all parties involved could get together and procure a site for soccer fields, or perhaps, one of the cities in BloNo could allow an existing park to be converted into a soccer complex and those parties involved (schools, soccer leagues for those of you are Rio Linda transplants)(yes i did a Rush thing there). The caveat would be that since the entities who would be using the complex are not governmental entities they would have to LEASE THE RIGHTS TO USE THE COMPLEX. This is one solution that does not involve a cost to the taxpayer, nay it could actually generate revenue…… :-0 This sure beats the hell out of a route 66 museum, a sidewalk to nowhere, a hotel, a big expensive money losing sign, or even flamingos.
Last time their first choice was a tax increase. Just history!
Oh i agree whole heartedly…. govt in ellinoy is soooo screwed…. tax and spend are the default settings.