Jerry Klein - Art Funding is More Important Than Some Realize

Jerry, of the JS writes Sunday "It takes no great perception to determine that most people would probably be against the use of their tax dollars for a Downtown museum, or for the rescue of WTVP-TV Channel 47, for that matter". You may or may not have read his whole column but I'll sum it up. Jerry believes "you people" in Peoria just don't get it. You would rather have your money spent on more practical matters like good roads and safety. Never mind that a kid playing a violin is "off the streets",(did I ever tell you about one of my high school basketball players telling me in later life that during his music lessons with his female teacher that they were "getting it on"), but Jerry is correct, he was off the streets.

Jerry says, why the Civic Center would have never been built, the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Statue of Liberty (built, shipped and erected in the nation's largest city by France)would never have been built with the attitudes "you people" have here in Peoria.

He ends, "This battle to save the arts to celebrate beauty, to lift us to something higher should not be allowed to be defeated by those whose battle cry has become 'not with my tax dollars'. We all deserve better than this".

Well, Jerry, its different strokes for different folks. You are from the "artsy set" and many of us aren't. Most of us enjoy the arts, we just don't think we need to build "Eiffel Towers" to enjoy arts. If you want to donate your money, please do. Some us will donate, and some of us will pay the price of admission as the people in Tazewell, Woodford, and other surrounding residents do when they visit what we built with our property tax dollars.

In the meantime, you wll be reading about the hue and cry of what many perceive to be "outrageous" property tax assessments for many of us who live and pay property taxes in Peoria. (I could not find a Jerry Klein in the phone book. Interesting. I'll look him up downtown at the assessors office tomorrow to see if he is a Peoria County Property taxpayer). So many who tell us how to spend our money don't pay property taxes in Peoria County (which this year have turned out to be outrageous to many of us and I personnaly am not in the mood to promote any project that puts more burden on those of us who pay property taxes in Peoria County. We appear to be one of the most property overtaxed communities in the country).

The Peoria County Board meets this Thursday at 6:00 PM fourth floor of the Courthouse. Visitors are welcome to listen and speak if you wish. You must sign in so that we know you want to speak. Be resonable and we will listen well, and maybe join in. I understand there may some visitors this Thursday who may have some comments about how the Peoria County Assessor and the Board of Review of Assessments handled property taxes and appeals this year.

Always bear in mind that half the people who vote for expenditures, are not property tax payers.