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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Subsidies For The Wealthy -- Pay Your Own Way For Working People |
Current rating: 0 |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
06 Sep 2002
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I attended the July 30th Champaign County Board meeting where the proposals to place two referenda to support the county nursing home on this fall's ballot were approved and moved forward. Many citizens spoke out once again in favor of these measures essential to continuing the county's near 100-year tradition of having these facilities available to care for our older citizens. The _only_ member of the public to speak against these measures was a representative of the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce. She had appraised the mood in the room and, seeking to save face in the face of overwhelming public support for the nursing home, was careful to emphasize that the Chamber of Commerce's opposition to the proposed nursing home referenda was "at this time."
I unfolded the Tuesday, August 6 News-Gazette this evening to find the Chamber's slick monthly insert promoting the interests of business in Champaign County. The cover story was on the quickly-nearing completion of Campustown's $9 million facelift at public expense.
Without even a note of irony, the cover of this propaganda publication also noted that the board of the Chamber of Commerce _still_ "opposes a nursing home referendum." So, not much has changed since last week, except that their representative managed to escape a public booing by waffling on the Chamber's position at last week's county board meeting. I am not holding my breath on the Chamber changing their position at any time prior to November's election. Here's why. |
I attended the July 30th Champaign County Board meeting where the proposals to place two referenda to support the county nursing home on this fall's ballot were approved and moved forward. Many citizens spoke out once again in favor of these measures essential to continuing the county's near 100-year tradition of having these facilities available to care for our older citizens. The _only_ member of the public to speak against these measures was a representative of the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce. She had appraised the mood in the room and, seeking to save face in the face of overwhelming public support for the nursing home, was careful to emphasize that the Chamber of Commerce's opposition to the proposed nursing home referenda was "at this time."
I unfolded the Tuesday, August 6 News-Gazette this evening to find the Chamber's slick monthly insert promoting the interests of business in Champaign County. The cover story was on the quickly-nearing completion of Campustown's $9 million facelift at public expense.
Without even a note of irony, the cover of this propaganda publication also noted that the board of the Chamber of Commerce _still_ "opposes a nursing home referendum." So, not much has changed since last week, except that their representative managed to escape a public booing by waffling on the Chamber's position at last week's county board meeting. I am not holding my breath on the Chamber changing their position at any time prior to November's election. Here's why.
The need for a new or totally renovated nursing home building is well-documented. The nursing home director mentioned in public testimony that issues with the building could result in it being closed at any time if inspectors were to write up known violations of code found in the building (please note that these violations are _not_ related to patient care, which is highly rated by the community.) One referendum would pay for a bond issue of about $20 million dollars to build a new home and reuse the old home for other documented county needs.
The need for some additional funds to support the operations of the home is equally well-documented. The county board chose to eliminate paying for the retirement fund for workers at the home in 1993, which they had previously paid. That Republican board took credit for keeping taxes low, but never took the heat for undermining the financial viability of the home by its action. Since that time, the home has seen steadily declining rates of reimbursement for patient care from both the state and federal governments, eating up the nursing homes cash reserves and throwing its budget into a deficit. The amount of money that would currently be going to aid operation of the home, if the practice of paying for the nursing home workers retirement had continued, is some $630,000 a year. A bi-partisan proposal was made to include, as a separate referendum, a tax to raise an amount comparable to this level, roughly equivalent to the county board's previous contribution to support the nursing home.
Yet, spending even a dime to support this needed county service available to all county residents is anathema to the wealthy patrons of the Chamber of Commerce. In spite of the documented needs of the nursing home, they persist in asking for more "documentation of need" before they consider any support for the care of the elderly and disabled at the nursing home.
Nonetheless, they swell with pride at their bamboozlement of the public into paying for a renovation of Campustown, one that will do little to change the basic economic facts of life that much of the business that previously operated in Campustown has migrated to the malls, unlikely to ever return to this area no matter how much money is spent on "streetscaping."
Think of it this way. The Chamber of Commerce doesn't bat an eyelash at the spending of some $9 million in taxes, almost half the cost of the proposed new nursing home, to benefit a tiny group of businesspeople trying to hang on in Campustown. Yet they demand more documentation before they even consider any amount of money for the nursing home (which will benefit all county residents by continuing to make available quality care for the elderly), an amount that is only about twice the $9 million spent on their pet project where the majority of county residents will never venture, no matter how beautiful.
There is a profound disconnect in this stance by the Chamber of Commerce, one that reveals the fundamental hypocrisy of having its hand always out to the taxpayer when it will benefit a few of their members, but always opposed to projects that benefit the citizenry at large. This is one more example of how politics in our community has been twisted to put risks and burdens on the public, while subsidizing private profit for businesses.
The voters of Champaign County should wise up to this morally and politically indefensible stance. Everyone, no matter what their political philosophy or party, no matter whether they live in the city or the country, no matter what their income, race, or sex, will grow old. Everyone stands to benefit from renovating the nursing home's facilities and insuring its long-term financial viability. Thus, every voter should ignore the Chamber of Commerce's self-serving opposition to this needed public facility. Vote for BOTH nursing home referenda in November. The care you provide for now may be your own, or that of a loved one's, later. |
