It’s time to talk about the Obama library funding.
We have no problem with a Barack Obama Presidential Library landing in Illinois. It should be in Illinois. Political views are irrelevant and facts are facts. The facts: Barack Obama spent his formative years here. He launched his political career here. He was twice elected President of the United States. He should and will have his presidential library. And how historically significant is it that the same state that claims the president who wrote the Emancipation Proclamation also should claim the first African-American president? Indeed, the Obama library should be built in Illinois. Here it also could bring in scads of tourists and tourism dollars and become a terrific, historic attraction that boosts Illinois.
What we do strongly object to, however, is financing this library with $100 million in tax dollars at a time when Illinois is saddled with debt. As of this writing, Illinois has more than $2.5 billion in unpaid bills owed to real people and businesses that provided services to the state long ago. Illinois has one of the worst credit ratings in the nation and still faces the worst unfunded pension liability in the nation. These also are facts.
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