By: Diane Benjamin
http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1057&Inline=True
Bloomington’s future has revolved around restaurants and alcohol for quite awhile. The City loves the food and beverage taxes, a lot of people here like eating and drinking out. It’s a win-win except for the people locked in low wage jobs because few better exist.
True to history, these items are on the consent agenda for Monday:
Citizens got lucky, a car wash is thrown in. A weed shop would make the perfect trifecta: Eat, Drink, and get high. Sounds like nirvana.
It could be a really short meeting. Tune in.
I thought local government was all about getting college kids to stay here. Without good jobs, why would they?
WHAT? No abortion clinic?
Soccer complex?
Downtown hotel?
Opening a new restaurant that forces an existing restaurant to close is the classic definition of economic development in Bloomington-Normal and is cause for much celebration among the ruling elite and business class. Yes, ignoring the reality that economic growth hinges on attracting money into the area, they pretend that recirculating money that is already in the community is economic growth. This is why as our national economy booms, we sit like third string players on a championship basketball team wondering if we will ever have a chance of playing in the game that so many communities across the country are already playing in.
The question that no one wants to think about is: What will taking even 500 highly paid jobs out of Bloomington-Normal do to the industries that currently provide them with services (like prepared food)? How many people in those service companies will lose their jobs?
Bloomington-Normal is a ONE industry town with leadership that continues to “whistle past the graveyard” because they know it will not take much to bring our house-of-cards economy crashing into a pile of financial ruin. Their pay checks, positions and status depends on maintaining the status quo. Nothing to see here… move along citizens! https://youtu.be/pdFl__NlOpA
My husband and I make a point of going to independently owned restaurants. Tony’s, Parkview Inn, Tobin’s Pizza, Times Past Inn, Crawford’s Pub, Mugsy’s, Avanti’s, Eric’s, and many others. Our eat out money goes to these establishments instead of the corporate owned. Also, we do this when we are out of town as well. Busy Corner in Goodfield, Chanticleer in Eureka, Bernardi’s in Washington. I’m sure others have their favorites. Patronize these type of establishments the next time you go out to eat.