Merle's Musing

We had a open meeting covering progress of the museum. It appears, as I warned it would be, one large CF. No building by Caterpillar or the museum will start before sometime near the middle of 2010. Money not raised as promised by the "big hitters" plus other things that Mark Johnson, speaking before the Optimist Club called a "mess". As I gather my information I will give a more complete report.

Monday evening at 6:00, the County will hold a Meeting of the "Committee as a Whole" at the Peoria County Court House, Rm. 402. If you live in Peoria County and think this doesn't affect you, think again. Projected cost as I last heard was $41 million; whoops, just opened my latest mail and costs have escalated to $50+ up from $29 million less than 8 months ago. (As posted in the JS by JS Reporter, Karen McDonald) of which the county BelWood fund may have from $3 to $7 million available to build, the rest to be bonded out over 20 or 30 years. BelWood anticipates collecting around $1,800,000 in property taxes next year. Further funding of B-W comes from County subsidizing Social Security, FICA, etc., $1+ million in 2010. A total of approximately $1.2 million plus direct property taxes of $1.8 million in 2008.

An article in the WSJ on 10/22/09, title "The Chicago Way" starts with a line from the "Untouchables", "They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago Way."

With Rahm Emanuel (See my blog of 11/05/08, titled "Rahm Emanuel - A New Deal for the New Economy" promising to use a baseball bat to knee-cap is nothing new for Emanuel, the Chicago Gang of Eight, and Pres dent Obama. Who are they knee-capping this time? The National Chamber of Commerce who has shown a lot of backbone to stand up to this all encompassing administration. For the cheek of disagreeing with the Democrats on climate control and financial regulation, it was reported the Oval Office will neuter the business lobby. Right away, Nike and P & G, who both do a lot of business overseas out of Obama's regulation canceled their membership with the Chamber, Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett slammed the business lobby as "old school" and "they'd be wise to seek better protection", wrote Kimberley Strassel of the WSJ on 10/23/09.

This administration will attempt to stifle all dissent by every tool at their command. This summer, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, (who I had a chance to meet, talk to and listen to) criticized the wasteful use of stimulus dollars. Obama cabinet secretaries sent letters to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, one letter stating "If you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to the state, as Sen. Kyl suggests, let us know". If we believe that Obama, Emanuel, and his ilk aren't preparing an enemies list, we better read up.

Just in, Muslim Faleh Almaleki of Arizona ran his car over his daughter saying she was becoming "to western". Alameki fled to Atlanta where he was captured trying to board an air flight to the U.K., a hot bed of Muslim radicals. His daughter is in the hospital in serious condition.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world", said Margaret Mead and that was before roadside and dirty bombs and anthrax.