By: Diane Benjamin
Today’s story: Chamber of Commerce declares “There Are Jobs Out There”.
Sure. Fast food, retail, and jobs with 10 years experience required doing things nobody has every heard of.
The average family income isn’t dropping because opportunities abound! http://blnnews.com/2016/03/14/bloomington-what-citizens-need-to-know/
McLean County – Median household income
- 2014: $60,460
- 2000: $67,873
- Percent change: -11%
The rag got worse with yet another anonymous editorial (probably by Mark Pickering) called Illinois Keeps Sticking It to Taxpayers.
Promising title, but after recapping the hell it is to live in Illinois if you are a taxpayer, he calls for higher taxes to get us out of this mess!
DUDE:
Illinois did that already!
We are now more in debt than before income taxes were raised.
Almost totally neglected were the local HUGE spenders taxing and taxing and taxing some more.
Too many layers of government was blamed – true, thanks for noticing. I see you are really fighting hard to change the system. Where’s your in-depth reporting on the actual cost so citizens are informed and fired up to fight for change?
Sorry, I forgot you don’t do any investigative reporting.
Let’s recap what Bloomington has done to their citizens:
Gas Tax – 4 cents per gallon expected to generate $1,000,000 (Now they are expecting $2,400,000-it was sold to the Council to fund roads)
Yes votes were: Mwilambwe, Schmidt, Painter, Fruin and Black
Amusement Tax – 4% expected to generate $1,000,000 (Now they only expect to receive $700,000)
Yes votes were: Mwilambwe, Schmidt, Painter, Fruin and Black.
Utilities Tax – Taxes Natural Gas/Water, Electricity, and Telecommunications expected to generate $2,700,000 (not enough info to see how much it is bringing in)
Yes votes were: Mwilambwe, Schmidt, Painter, Sage, and Black
Don’t forget the garbage tax and the coming water and sewer tax increases.
Let’s not forget the 1% Sales tax increase!
Evidently the City wants you to forget – the minutes from the 9/21/2015 meeting still haven’t been approved, so no minutes are posting saying WHO voted to raise them!
Let’s use the visual instead:
Back to the crappy local newspaper:
Bloomington used to be mostly insulated from the shenanigans in Illinois. Taxes weren’t constantly raised, businesses flourished.
Your buddy Renner got elected and brought Springfield politics to Bloomington. He thinks he is a developer who will make Bloomington great again.
Instead he is destroying the local economy. Thanks for sitting back and watching while hoping your building gets in on the deals.
We will not forget your part in the destruction.
You seem to indict your Tea Party economic ideas with this post.
Economy was fine under Clinton and Obama has fixed it again.
It is the far right that is causing income inequality with their daft ideas about economics.
Again I say stop whining and do something.
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Clinton had a Republican Congress that forced him to balance the budget and do welfare reform. The Obama economy is awful – 1% or less growth, millions more people on food stamps, and the real unemployment rate over 10%. Nice talking points though. Too bad you have been lied to.
Hey Tom,
What part of lower taxes do you want to argue about?
Is it because it leaves more money for those who earn it?
Is it because it stops irresponsible spending from those who thinks my money is theirs?
Is it because it exposes civic projects as nothing more than ego stroking white elephants?
Is it because people like you think you know what is good for me?
I am fed up with people like you who constantly whine about how ignorant, uneducated and uncouth the opposition is when we question the rationale for additional taxes or spending.
Tom, I will give you the same advice Tari, Hales and the rest of the potted plants tell their constituents who opposes them “stfu and bend over”! (Sorry Ms Benjamin, please feel free to edit as you see fit)
Illinois taxes were lowered Diane. Try to keep up.
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It was! Congrats are real info for a change. Too bad the extra money wasn’t used for fiscal recovery. They spent it.
Tom, the tax increase under the Democratic governor was allowed to expire as the law was written. Taxes have not been lowered. This comment is not coming from a “tea party” person–just a fiscal conservative and constitutionalist. Beyond popular belief, the government does not control the economy. The legislature & administration set policy which will affect the economy. Global economics also play a part.
The mayor has not been in state government. Try to keep up.
I suppose you would rather have the economy of Kansas or Louisiana?
How daft.
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Both parties have destroyed the economy in many places. Fortunately some places know government is the problem, not the solution.
The government that you want to be a part of if you just could win a election? If government is not the solutions what is anarchy?
One last shot before you banned again. Name ANY problem we have today the government didn’t cause. There’s your answer, allow us to govern ourselves and government only provides essential services that we can’t. Read the Constitution.
Why are you commenting on local issues from California? You guys have your won issues with people fleeing oppression, democrats are doing so well there!
OMG, Tom. You brought up state government. The Bloomington sales tax increase of 2006 was set to expire in 2015. This administration voted against the sunset in 2014. In 2015, the Council voted for an additional 1% sales tax increase. Does that sound similar to the State’s tax policy?
A well respected local Realtor told me that people are reluctant to relocate here because of the high taxes. Maybe those individuals do prefer Kansas or Louisiana. We’ll never know.
This uniformed guy is in California lecturing us. That’s a laugh.
California’s Gov. Brown (a Republican, I believe) had the sense to “outlaw” TIFs because of the financial mess they were causing. Brown is trying to save them from themselves.
Moonbat is a Democrat.
Actually it’s Gov. Moonbeam. Bat just fits better, except with TIF’s. They were probably absorbing too much state money that he needed.
Sorry–my mistake about thinking Brown was a Republican. His action agains TIFs tripped me up. It will be a long time before California gets out of debt from the use of TIF districts.
What a dizzy little ‘progressive’ you are. You keep blathering on about Kansas as though it makes your point, when in fact it only shows just how lame you are.
If your reading comprehension isn’t as bad as your intellect, you can check out this article about how people are leaving Missouri by the droves ..TO KANSAS!
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rexsinquefield/2015/10/21/486-million-in-growth-later-kansas-historic-tax-cut-should-set-example-for-neighbors/#5b54d532a941
That has consequences Tommy. The economy of Kansas will benefit for years to come because those people will earn and spend their money IN KANSAS!
If your empty little head didn’t explode from that article, try this one. It is a direct comparison of two states which chose different paths; Illinois and Kansas. Care to wager which one came out on top?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevemoore/2014/09/27/a-taxing-tale-of-two-states/#5c1cdc266e7c
As for Louisiana – why would anyone move to a state ruined by corrupt Democrats. Like Illinois, that mess will take decades to clean up.
But hey, thanks for playing. Let me know if you need help finding your way back to the kiddie table.
Regards. Gent
Sent from nowhere near Tommy’s La-La Land
Thanks for the posts about Kansas. I read awhile ago that the negative press about Kansas was FUD generated by those who had a vested interest in their changes failing (read: Democrats). Not sure if that is still the case. I have not heard anything about Lousiana.
While I appreciate the opposite perspective, spouting random unproven talking points is not helpful. Also, other Republican successes such as Wisconsin, Indiana, and Texas cannot be ignored.
I got back from Brookfield, WI late this evening. I cannot believe the number of buildings that are going up for shopping up there. I was up there in Dec. and it must have been soon after that that things popped and they started building. I don’t know but Gov. Walker must be doing something right up there for the growth I saw. I even saw houses being built.
Down here at Bloomington the best they can do here is move Dick’s from Normal to Bloomington and move a Kroger store. What jobs are there here? Has anyone checked the local chicken coop liner paper lately? Don’t blink because you will miss the 4 or 5 jobs listed. Not to mention how bad the streets are becoming around here and the wonderful job IDOT does patching patches on Veteran’s Pkwy. No joke things aren’t getting better here.
Dump Renner 2017. Where do we donate?
Nobody has announced they are running against him yet. Hopefully somebody good steps up. Being Mayor of Bloomington wouldn’t be that tough if essential services were the priority instead of being king.