By: Diane Benjamin
When I moved to this area in 1980 if Democrats wanted to get elected they had to run as Republicans. Nobody here then would ever elect a Democrat. Some of those “pretend” Republicans are still in office.
Today it’s hard to tell the difference between Democrats and Republicans. Big time Republican Matt Sorenson (County Board Chair) has made it clear he will raise property taxes for mental health if Bloomington and Normal don’t get on board. That’s the same Matt who has made sure there is ZERO transparency at the County. The Illinois Policy Institute transparency score for McLean County actually went DOWN from the first time examination to the second. Citizens aren’t allowed to know where their County money is spent.
Question Matt: You want to build some sort of facility to treat mental health. The law doesn’t allow for involuntary long-term commitment. The law doesn’t allow the convicted to be held beyond their sentence. So, you are building a revolving door drop off center so you can say we are doing something? How many millions is this going to cost? Think maybe you should get the law changed instead of building a center to detain people when they legally can’t be detained? People needing mental health treatment rarely volunteer, nothing usually happens until a crime is committed. That’s a losing strategy, but that’s the system we have. How about addressing the obvious problem instead of spending millions to NOT solve it?
Bloomington is now considering raising Sales and Property Taxes because they can’t live within their means. You are expected to budget and not spend more than you earn, but not your fearless leaders. Your money is already theirs, they just need a vote by the 8 potted plants on the Council.
How do we get to #1?
Easy, it’s close:
All together now: Raise my taxes, raise my taxes – we’re #1 we’re #1
(Texas has NO income tax, the State Sales Tax rate if 6.25%, and property taxes are still lower than Illinois!)
If you will not post the information on thew post yoy pulled, please bring the information tonight, leaving out all references to blnnews.I will post it.
ok
I am curious how and why this mental health issue all of a sudden came on the radar.
Too many were being housed at the jail. They want to send them somewhere else.
McLean County is building a special wing at the County jail for inmates with Mental Health issues as well as special wing for female inmates. Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?
But….but…..but…..the Libbies always tell us that Texas has, by far, the highest property taxes in the nation, because they have no State income tax. That doesn’t appear to be the case. They wouldn’t deliberately lie to us, would they? Say it isn’t so!