By: Diane Benjamin
Last night’s Bloomington City Council meeting was over 3 hours, it included a Township meeting that started at 5:00. The longest discussion was about the Community Development Block Grant funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Stop for a second and think about this program. The Feds take your money in taxes, launder it through channels to the appropriate federal office where more bureaucrats decide how to redistribute it across the country after plans are submitted by local bureaucrats leading to more bureaucrats approving the plans. Money finally lands in the hands of local bureaucrats who redistribute it to other organizations after they submit applications the local bureaucrats have to approve. It finally gets to assist whoever gets to the money first, after paying even more salaries. (Yes, I used run-on sentences on purpose)
The City of Bloomington thinks it will receive $3,120,114 over 5 years plus $329,114 in additional money via the CARES ACT. Since this money doesn’t exist it further increases the deficit spending.
After mostly Jenn Carrillo and Jeff Crabill asked numerous minutia questions starting around 1:30:00, Tari Renner finally stated at 1:50:25 technical questions should have been asked in advance instead of during a Public Hearing. Both obviously thought money should go directly to people, even those without social security numbers, instead of to landlords, mortgage holders, official day car providers, utilities, etc. CDBG funds can not be paid directly to people, it must be paid to who people owe.
Public Comment about the funds started at 1:54:00 with a retired Holy Trinity priest, Doug Hennessy. He started by saying he is a member of IPA – that would be the socialists Illinois People’s Action. He thinks taking federal money to meet the needs of the locals is in the best tradition of our country. 5 other speakers followed, all IPA members with similar comments. This is the “government needs to take care of us crowd” that doesn’t understand government is the worst avenue for efficiently getting help to people. (hence the run-on sentences above) I am appalled a minister believes this is the “Judeo-Christian tradition”.
Father Hennessy must have missed the parable of the Good Samaritan. Two men of faith passed by a crime victim along the road, an outcast among Jews had compassion and took care of him – even spending his own money. Jesus asked who acted as neighbor and showed compassion, then he stated “Go and do likewise”. Jesus didn’t say get the money from Jerusalem or Rome and hand it out to the needy.
Contrast this with the discussion that followed concerning Eastview Christian Church asking for an alley so they can expand parking to better serve the west side of Bloomington. All Eastview asked for was waiving the $9,073.44 value of the alley, it would cost the City more to maintain it.
Eastview didn’t have to locate a second church in west Bloomington. They did it to serve the residents. Listen to why they purchased that property several years ago at 2:17:00.
Who is the real Good Samaritan?
If Bloomington residents refuse to vote early next year the Council will be filled with social justice socialist warriors. If good candidates refuse to run the results will be the same.
The only other interesting part was Tari at 1:29:20. Jamie Mathy had asked if down-payment assistance to purchase a house was part of the plan. It isn’t. Tari then stated homeowners get to participate in middle-class welfare by deducting mortgage interest and insurance etc from their income taxes. Tari must not realize that tax reform increased the Standard Deduction making it unnecessary for most taxpayers to itemize. Insurance was never deductible. Those reforms also limited the amount of interest and property taxes that can be deducted because low tax states were subsidizing ones like Illinois. Don’t forget he teaches political science. Maybe he should be audited.
“Government is the worst avenue for efficiently getting help to people.” According to you alone.
SNAP successfully feeds millions of families with children. Those with SNAP benefits go to local supermarkets and distribute those benefits into the local economy. The school lunch program also feeds millions of children who would go hungry. The same with Section 8 housing which gives housing for millions of Americans who would be homeless with it. There is a need for these social safety nets. Despite your contention, no faith based charity can match the effect the government has on poverty and hunger.
The parable of the Good Samaritan? You’re certainly took a Biblical story and distorted it. There is nothing in the Bible that states that governments can’t have strong safety nets that help its citizens in dire need. You have yet to show any charity that delivers effective help to people in the millions like the government. Every single advanced Democratic Republican have strong safety nets that are a part of their governments. Even with you run on sentences you make no actual argument that there shouldn’t be a strong safety net.
Too easy: “I am for doing good to the poor, but…I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed…that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”
― Benjamin Franklin
Yeah, so get back to me when 55 years of Great Society wealth redistribution has had any positive effect. Read some news stories from 64/65 and the issues and complaints are the same as today. If perpetuation of poverty and generations groomed to be on the dole was the goal it has been hugely successful.
IPA always trots out a socialist priest or reverend to try to claim the moral high ground. Its simply a stunt and the priest knows it. Wolves in sheeps clothing.
Eastview Christian Church has been a target of the left in this town for a long time. Remember a couple of years ago when Scott Black attacked them during alderman comments because they preached against homosexuality. This will be interesting to see how things work out for them with this alley. This property would be in Black’s ward.
4-H–The fee waiver was unanimously approved by Council.
I have had my share of disagreements with Fr. Doug. He is a product of Depression Era Bloomington and was raised on the west side so I get the we against them stand he takes on social issues. He is also a product of Fordham University and has served in Rome as well. There is little doubt he is a liberation theologist and believes in many aspects of the current liberation theologist pope. That said, he has always thought that way and should know better than joining a radical organization such as IPA and identifying any of his parishes with it. He was likely influenced by political upheavels of the sixties and influenced by the shenanigans of ultra leftists priests such as the Berrigan brothers. Local conservative Catholics know who he is and do not identify with his actions. He should be more concerned with outing homosexual priests who he likely knew and were involved in the sexual scandals but never will. I believe in the doctrines of the Church but have never put people like Hennessey or any other priest or Protestant minister onna pedestal. Most of the time they disappoint and wind up being people who were not what you thought they were. They are not the Church anyway. Most are just normal people with just a many human failings, if not more, than you or me.
Mpeabody, who are these local conservative priests that you speak of? Better yet, truly understand that the Catholic Church advocates for capitalism in order to benefit the common good and not select corporations or people. The government being greedy is bad, but so is large corporations seeking profit at the expense of a people’s well-being.
http://www.loyno.edu/jsri/catholicism-and-capitalism
Interesting comment from Chicago, but I expect as much from the socialists utopia. If you don’t like a corporation capitalism allows you to buy elsewhere. Socialism doesn’t. Do you realize that is the alternative to capitalism? Giving more power to inept government is a mentally ill thing to do. You should know that since it’s on open display in Chicago.
Oh so sorry John Reed. Slight reading error on my part. I don’t know of any conservative Catholics who don’t like Fr.Doug. And sorry, I participate in Church every Sunday and yes I donate. The fact is the church doesn’t care if a Communust, Socialist, or Capitalist gives money to them. Sorry bud. Pointing out the cons of Capitalism isn’t Socialism and the Church certainly is not Socialist. If that is a problem for you there are plenty of other Churches out there. Heck you can join the Quiverfull Movement which basically says you should have as many kids as possible and have sex only for procreation. Then you don’t have to worry about Pedophile priests (not Homesexual, these are little boys that were violated for the most part, not guys you eye balled at the Y).or liberation theology. All you have to do is have kids.
I know many who are appalled at Fr. Doug!
Guardian, you need to work on your reading comprehension. I said, conservative Catholics, not priests, although I am sure there are a few conservative priests left that have not swallowed whole the worldview of one Pope Francis. Also, I think I already have a spiritual guardian so I decline your offer of protection. It is also interesting that you support your views by referencing a Jesuit publication, one that the current socialist pope would also likely reference to point out the error of my comment and ways. Like our local liberation Catholic of convenience Jeff Crabill, I am sure you contribute to the collection often, when you do show up for church. You kinda sound like him too. Nice try.
To ChanceTR: Snap and section 8 are safety net programs. They were not intended to maintain generation after generation of the same families who decide that work is too much for them to tolerate, or forsake education and let the world pass them by, or have a multitude of children at an early age and then need the to government to help them get by.
Piasano – I have to disagree with your reasoning behind safety net programs and why people use them. I find this article really beneficial for understanding the cycle of poverty: https://www.mercyhousing.org/2016/01/6-ways-being-poor-is-expensive-2/
“…no faith based charity can match the effect the government has on poverty and hunger.”
Sadly, you are So Very Right. Government has impoverished millions. Look at Venezuela. Look at the millions that the Soviet Union starved. The US has a large Irish population because the British starved them into fleeing. And now look at Illinois – impoverishing people by extending the lockdown long past its public benefit. And the only reason people aren’t starving is because the government is impoverishing our children with ever greater debt.
Say your lawn needs fertilizing. The government way is to hire several people to raise multiple dogs each to do the ‘fertilizing’. You pay for the dogs, the dog food, their vet bills, etc, and the dog-keepers’ salaries, and the accountants to keep track of all the spending. Then they point at your luscious green lawn and brag. The private sector would hire a lawn service for less than half the price. Both leave you with a wonderful lawn, but the government solution robs you of the money that could have gone towards landscaping, or helping your neighbors with their lawns, or whatever other good you might choose to do with your own money.
Except in instances where government is the only realistic choice like the military or a court system, government is almost always the worst choice. The problem is not always obvious like government-led genocides, it’s usually hidden opportunity costs – How many people can’t afford cars or bikes or taxis or ubers because of the millions spent on inefficient and expensive mass transit? How many people have Not been helped by charitable organizations because their would-have-been-donations were taxed away to provide fewer people with government-paid benefits? How many are poor because jobs never came into being because their would-be wages instead went towards taxes to pay for for money-losing vanity projects like the arena or uptown?
Not sure mayor renner has ever worried about being accurate but as you point out his old tax returns should be audited.
Diane, if they are talking to you, then chances are I would have never associate with them. Sounds like the pre-Vatican 2 types that lost a kidney over the mass being done in English and priests facing the congregation. Anyone who has a problem with a particular priest can move to another one. Father Doug is good people. He has served the poor and welcomed them as sisters and brothers. He doesn’t sit on a blog all day complaining about the government and how the country is going to hell. He actually goes out and lives his faith. By the way ask your buddies how they feel about Catholic Churches getting PPP loans? Around 9,000 have been approved. How Capitalistic they are!
What you call complaining others call information