First, by way of full disclosure, I am in favor of the south shore expansion to Lowell and Valparaiso. I have posted here on Porter County Politics my thoughts on the project, the jobs it will create, and the possible funding sources.
Some other conservative bloggers though are voicing some discontent at the process and possibly even shying away from the project. Will the real cost of the south shore expansion please stand up from Team Hammond asks a series of questions that should indeed be answered to unite those supporting this economic development project.
I have said all along that informing the electorate and the public is the key. When the Illiana Expressway was proposed, all we got was the "opinions" of the naysayers, and then the politicians lost their nerve. I fully support the $130,000 invested by RDA in the educational effort conducted by the Northwest Indiana Forum to expand the voice of those in favor of this economic development project. The fact that there is a debate, means the educational effort is working.
As for those that will be against anything, ie Commissioner Bob Harper of Porter County, he and his cohorts have probably stood against progress one too many times to matter much anymore. I can debate with Team Hammond, they are actually concerned about jobs and construction and the continued growth of NW Indiana. Harper and the "taints" could care less, they just want to keep Porter County small, rural, and white.
2 comments:
The anti-development forces will have troubles in the form of traffic jams from Valparaiso all the way to the major highways if they don't start thinking about building the South Shore extension and building up Porter County's roadways, including CR 100W which turns into 109th which will soon have a nice brand new interchange with I-65 and will become a viable alternative to US 30 for drivers hoping to avoid all of the traffic lights and traffic near Southlake Mall.
People will keep on moving to the "country" because it isn't far for Chicago and other economic centers.
People can plan for the future, or wait until things are so bad that the voters throw them out and elect people who will think ahead to the future.
There will be growth and outsiders moving into the area. I don't think there is anyway to stop it, unless Illinois stops raising taxes every year and Indiana's housing prices rise to levels higher than Cook, Will, and other Illinois counties.
Presidential candidate John McCain said something that upset me. He said he would cut the gas tax by 18measly cents. I find this rather comical when we consider we can run cars off hydrogen, which comes from water, the most prevalent natural resource on the planet and it is free.
U.S. company with R&D lab in Australia claims to have an engine that runs only on permanent magnets, with no other input except a starter apparatus that is powered by a battery and then disconnected. October 2003 TV footage shows demo prototype in action. Company claims to be building a prototype that can be fitted to an automobile.
It is evident that all presidential candidates serve special interest groups such as oil company crooks, selling us gas that destroys the earth when we can have something practically free that will not hurt the earth... Aren’t we tired of fighting wars for these idiots and their prehistoric energy, gasoline, which is outdated? It is high time someone bring on a revolution.
We can run cars on water by products, or even free energy such as electromagnetic engines, that use no gas or electricity to run, and keep the earth safe for other generations to come.
Victor M. Gonzalez
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