By: Diane Benjamin
The Town of Normal lives on grants, they think it is fantastic to bring money back to Normal.
What Normal is really doing is getting grants for things they can’t afford – the underpass being the latest. It is an amenity that isn’t needed, Normal just want it. Like inflation? The feds printing money for Normal contributed!
The Town made that exact point in the documentation for the additional IDOT funds. PDF page 44: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4382
Play along! See anything left out of the above?
- More trains
- Longer trains
- Stopped trains
Who does the Town of Normal NOT care about?
You sitting in a vehicle waiting for the train to clear the tracks. They could have built a combined underpass for all traffic on Linden instead of one just for their chosen beneficiaries. The cost is up to $30,000,000 to save 50 feet. https://blnnews.com/2022/05/09/no-surprise-normal-needs-6-million-more-to-build-the-underpass/
Nomal could have had an overpass for train traffic for less than $115,000. https://blnnews.com/2021/06/08/underpass-too-late-to-stop-it/
They could have still received a grant for an underpass on Linden that would serve everyone. Springfield built one for much less than Normal’s underpass that won’t do a thing for people sitting in traffic: https://blnnews.com/2019/11/21/normal-outrageous-price/
Listen to Kevin McCarthy gloat about making people who don’t live in Normal pay for their wants. Just hit PLAY.
First it’s the function of the federal government to print money. Second, inflation is worldwide not just in this country.
Third you live all the way in Ellsworth not Normal. Your opinion is the lowest form of knowledge. It’s more about “things you don’t want because you don’t live in Normal”.
Too funny! Thanks for playing
Those out of town visitors (ie. Ellsworth) are the ones who need an underpass for their vehicle to bring tax dollars into the community.
Normal council is so short sighted that they can’t see the forest for the trees.
@CARL BLY
First:
The US Federal Reserve prints money – the US Federal Reserve is not the federal government.
Second:
Inflation is not worldwide – there are countries reporting negative inflation.
Third:
Stop being so petty! These articles are written for ALL residents of McLean County and we appreciate the research and information that is shared here.
Besides, we are tired of the Bike Shop Mayor! And now we are tired of you too!
This blogger stated that the ‘feds are printing money for Normal”. That’s patently untrue, the Treasury Department prints money, not the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve regulates our monetary policies. Printing money has nothing to do with Normal or inflation in this country.
Inflation and the price of gas are high worldwide, not just in this country. Both the pandemic and the war in the Ukraine have affected both. As far as deflation (your negative inflation) that is even even worse than inflation.
Inflation worldwide:
https://inflationdata.com/articles/2022/05/21/worldwide-inflation-by-country-2022/. AND https://www.global-rates.com/en/economic-indicators/inflation/2022.aspx
As far as an infrastructure I’m really scratching my head over the opposition for an underpass. An underpass. I wonder why Mr. Nord is opposed to just about anything that would be a positive addition to Normal. People come on here complaining about Normal being a backwater, people are leaving etc, they don’t want to live here. Well no wonder when something that positive becomes possible, the naysayers like Mr. Nord pop up.
Feds spending requires money printing. Happy? Maybe Nord opposes amenities when essential items are neglected.
Carl Bly, I agree that those that those who live in Normal should have more of a say in Normal’s government and the spending priority than those who don’t. Did you know that less than 40% of Normal’s town staff, including the directors actually live in Normal? Pam Reece and Mayor Koos consistently value the wants of these “out of towners” over the needs and input of the people who actually live in and pay the Town of Normal taxes.
Stan Nord
So tell me, is the Blue Kool-Aid Blueberry or Raspberry? You must be one of those people who are either tethered to the government for your sustenance and that means you WORK for them or you get a lot of YOUR income due to grants or “free money” in other ways, research, academia etc, that’s why you have pretty much zero understanding of other and better ways money can be used nor do you understand how to live within an actual budget by looking for less expensive goods and services and better ways to spend money. “Inflation? What inflation? My life hasn’t changed.”
You also haven’t connected the dots to see the big picture as to WHY inflation IS rampant but only in CERTAIN countries, and don’t say “The pandemic”, that’s only a small part of it, but it sure was a great way to scare the flock so they could be more easily controlled, and it helped them to further their little agenda, yes i said Agenda, just like the UN and the WEF does.
@Carl Bly First, that money you’re so vehemently defending being printed is worth no more than the paper you wipe your butt with. Since the gold standard was abolished back in the early 70’s, our money is worthless. Your first statement, therefore, is moot. Second, I’m tired of lazy, arrogant liberals blaming their mistakes on Ukraine and Russia. Biden has crapped the bed, and you’re trying to pass the buck. It’s real easy to claim you helped create thousands of jobs when you destroyed those jobs in the first place.
Lastly, get over yourself. Who made you the arbiter of who gets to speak about what they want? Who told you that you alone could crap all over the First Amendment and tell others what they should care about and talk about? Sit down, and shut up, you arrogant prick. I don’t always agree with Diane, but she has the right to care about, comment about, and inform about anything she damn well pleases, and there’s nothing that your whiny little butt can do about it.
Hey, but at least we don’t have mean tweets, eh, Carl?
I hope people realize that when a train comes into town, Normal prioritizes saving bicyclists and runners from waiting or exercising to the underpass located 2 blocks away higher than ensuring emergency vehicles can get to your home or hospital to save lives.
They prioritize the customers of “Mayor bike and shoe shop” so high they are lying to the federal government about the cost to weasel more of our tax dollars out of them for this pet project.
Carl: The reason I left BN include but are not limited to the following: high property taxes that are repeatedly wasted by the benefactors; no one considering my classroom performance , work ethic and experience in the local job market; rural deadbeats and out-of- towners moving into neighborhood and destroying it; crappy needed infrastructure like good roads (not frigging underpasses for the McLean County Wheelers and Bike BloNo); increasing violent crime compliments of retread Chicago vagrants; unresponsive local government that is beyond arrogant and only cares about their friends; the clubby cliques that rule both communities; increasing vacant storefronts; no willingness by community leadership to attempt to diversify an economy; welcoming only businesses that they hope to monetarily profit from; universities and colleges that only care about minority students and those from Chicago and so on. There is more but you should get the idea. Wife and I happy beyond expectations in our new home outside of Illinois’ border.