Museum "Earmarks"

This project is going to be funded by mainly taxpayer dollars and Caterpillar. I figured that all along. I predicted the $4 million missing from the $9 million dollar underground parking, that was easy. The $10 million from a cash strapped State of Illinois was a small surprise. Wonder what Koehler, Leitch, LaHood and others who love to spend OPM had to promise other politicians? You know the old "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine". And yes, Dave and all, you are right, your political friends do need new water slide complexes and new swimming pools and some new bridges specified for developing sprawl. Forget the bridges that will collapse and kill people over the next decade. New bridges so developers can develop that wooded picnic area and some new roads to link up to this newly created sprawl.

It would be interesting to know what our locals swapped but of course, we will never know. While Medicaid and Medicare payments to nursing homes continue to beg. And our jails remain overcrowded with drug users and the mentally ill. Sleep well, you political thieves of people's real needs.

Even though my Democrat acquaintances say that LaHood is a "token" cabinet member, he can still raise token amounts of money, token, these days, meaning small millions, of course.

Counting the $14 million from the city, now $24 million from the state and feds, $40 million from the referendum, assuming it passes, it should with the RFM Committee spending approximately $700,000 and growing, against $2600 from the "no" group, will mean that if you deduct the $56 million from Cat and it's Foundation from the "projected" cost of $136 million, means the wealthy private sector has only contributed or pledged; no outsider knows haw many pledges will be "uncollectable", about $11 million plus the supposed $700,000 spent to educate the public, plus $5 million of the money they raised and already spent; over $4 1/2 million through June 30, 2008, (We don't know how much they have spent since then until we see their next financial statement in 2009).

How did I arrive at the $24 million from the state and feds? $6 million pledged or received by 6/30/08, plus the $4 million LaHood was holding in the 2007 Highway transportation bill for the parking garage, plus $14 million announced yesterday. I suspect part of the the $10 million will go to bring the endowment up from $1 million plus closer to the $14 million banker Doug Stewart's estimated $14 million.

When all this enhancement money makes Peoria a "destination" I will come back to visit.