Zoo means more than money to Elgin
21 August 2009
Elgin Illinois
16 Comments
Loading ...
Loading ...16 Responses to “Zoo means more than money to Elgin”
You can subscribe to these comments via RSS.
Please support this site by doing your online shopping
through these links:
Amazon.com / eBay
We encourage you to sign our petiton and let the city hear your voice - http://www.petitiononline.com/LPZBISON/petition.html
Please visit the Friends of Lords Park Farm Zoo website to learn about their progress working with the City to make Lords Park Zoo viable, sustainable and thr history of our Bison, Elk and Deer herds intake for future generations of Elginites.
http://www.LordsParkFarmZoo.org
When Elgin was formed as a city I imagine the intent was to provide police and fire services and eventually working sewers. We don’t have working sewers in many of the older parts of Elgin and consequently when it rains too hard they get sewage that backs up through their basement drains.
As much as I like animals how can you justify spending money on animals and ribs when our citizens have been told it will be 20-30 more years before some of them can expect a working sewer system that does not back up when it rains too hard?
Our country is in a mess because almost every politician who gets elected to office wants to put their mark on their position by offering something extra.
The days of reckoning are here because at the federal, state, county, and local level there is not enough tax coming in for all the programs, many programs such as pensions are underfunded.
Social security is a bigger ponzi scam than Berney Madoff funds.
One of two things is going to have to happen before the Chinese decide to stop financing our excesses. We are going to have to cut back these extra government services that are not providing the basics of government or the taxes are going to have to be raised. We can’t print money at the federal level forever and the other levels of government can’t print money.
As a taxpayer I have too many obligations and not enough income for everything I would like. So I for one do not want my taxes raised. That leaves the other solution. Cutting the frills out that have been added by countless politicians over the years at all levels of government.
So that means the bison will no longer be defecating in Lord’s park but unfortunately for about 20-30 more years some of our tax payers in Elgin will still have defecation or sewage backing up through their basement drains when it rains too hard.
It just doesn’t make common sense.
Common Sense Clarence Hayward
I think we need to change the city council to a ward system. Those of us on the east side of Elgin are being left behind. “Must think west” seems to be the motto of the council.
I vote to keep the zoo.
“I vote to keep the zoo.”
Maybe you get what you deserve.
The city is short of funds. Budgets need to be cut.
But the citizenry doesn’t get worked up over $3/4 of a million of “gifting” (in the words of the mayor) to seniors for a tax rebate!
Maybe you get what you deserve.
What the city payed off and bribed the seniors with would have paid for the zoo, paid for the July 4th fireworks, paid for free admissions to Foxfirefest with plenty of money left over!
The city priorities are clear.
You are getting what you deserve.
I get upset by any stupid spending. Don’t make ASSumptions Paul.
“I get upset by any stupid spending. ”
Really!!! Yet you remain completely silent about the city council “gifting” (in the words of the mayor) $3/4 of a million to seniors, while you complain about some minor city budget expense cutting like the zoo!
How did the council members vote on the “gifting”? I looked on the city web site under council meeting minutes and couldn’t find anything about that vote. Was that done in secret executive session so us low life citizenry won’t know how they voted?
“Don’t make ASSumptions Paul.”
Everything YOU do, Jay, is based on myriad ASSumptions. That is a fact, not an assumption.
You get what you deserve.
I must deserve comedy. Because I do find it rather amusing that people complain about $36K cut from the budget for a petting zoo, $60K cut for 7/4 fireworks, $50K cut from Foxfirefest, yet utter complete absolute silence on “gifting” $750K to select political constituents!
The comedy part comes in from the evident inability of the citizenry to correlate the “gifting” out of one side of the city mouth to pleading poverty out of the other side of the city mouth.
The city of Elgin does not lack for money. The city of Elgin lacks from responsible expenditures of the money they have.
By the way Clarence… Must be nice to be so righteous. I suppose you’re on the side of the people who live near O’Hare that complain about the noise. Common sense man. If you’re near an airport, it will expand and take your house. It will be noisy. Move elsewhere!
Jay, I like where I live and I like complaining when things don’t make common sense. Not ready to move until I can collect my social security in hopefully eleven more years if they don’t change the age.
I will also add to the above:
There are senior citizens in Elgin who could have used volunteers to help them clean up their basements when the sewage backed up but one resident reported that their doctor says you should get a bunch of shots to prevent disease if you are around that stuff. So take proper medical precautions if you are going to help in the future.
Corporate and private funding to sponsor the zoo would be a reasonable alternative.
Would you like to be the Mom who expressed her frustration at a city council meeting of having to junk her washing machine because it was filled up with sewage from the too strong of rain? She had to junk her dryer and tear out their basement dry wall as well.
Or would you like to be the senior citizen couple who came and told how he and his wife are getting a bit disabled and it is getting harder than ever to clean up the mess when it rains too hard.
I will bet that there is going to be more public outcry at the next city council meeting for the Bison than there was at the council meeting when the citizen’s got to relate their years of cleaning up sewage out of their basements.
It is a sad state of affairs that human nature will rally more for animals than for humans.
Once again I will concede that corporate and private sponsorship of the zoo could be a reasonable alternative if you can raise the funding.
A number of citizens in Elgin don’t have any funds to contribute because they had to spend their money on new washing machines, dryers, and drywall that were ruined by the inadequate sewers in some of the older parts of Elgin.
It just doesn’t make common sense to me.
if it cost you guys 80,oooto for a year.or to move the bison,elk.deer.
what is the real reason.i have a farm in wi.in 20yrs.i had cows,pigs,geese,chickens,and did not cost 80,000 to takecare of them a
they ate good, our pigs even got oriole0.cookies.
Did you allow the public to access your farm and park on your land to do so and pay insurance for that opportunity?
Did you have an 8′ high fence to protect those animals all around your farm?
Did you pay wages and health insurance for someone to work on your farm?
Just thinking that may be the difference.
I find it interesting that the city can afford to build a skate park in the flood plain called Willard Ave but they cannot afford to keep the zoo open. Gee, that was good thinking.
Actually it was brilliant thinking. The skate park was part of a state grant; it cost the City very little while providing the kids of the area an outlet for excercise and socialization while staying out of trouble, off drugs, not drinking, etc. Don’t complain about having to pay for people on welfare, food stamps, teenage pregnancy, drug related arrests, prostitution, and childhood obesity but not provide an outlet or alternative to these other choices. Thank you City of Elgin for providing this great alternative to other choices.
Last summer I was on vacation but staying at home and my son and I were able to help build the first skate park on Jackson. It was probably the hottest week of the summer but we all felt a sense of accomplishment when it was all built.
I am planning on helping Administer Justice move their offices to Elgin this morning. I have a soft spot in my heart for anyone who helps the less fortunate. I sure hope it doesn’t rain.
Common Sense Clarence Hayward
That’s great, I’m glad the city was able to build the skate park and spend very little. I’ll be watching for the kids swimming across Willard to get to it.
I think we need to change the city council to a ward system. Those of us on the east side of Elgin are being left behind. “Must think west” seems to be the motto of the council.
I vote to keep the zoo.