Lawmakers sweeten pitch for the Obama library with taxpayer dollars
Today is the submission deadline for proposals to the Barack Obama Foundation, the organization tasked with accepting bids from various contenders vying for Obama’s future presidential library and museum. The competition as it stands is between Hawaii, New York and Illinois; where President Obama was born, where he received his undergraduate degree and where he...
Today is the submission deadline for proposals to the Barack Obama Foundation, the organization tasked with accepting bids from various contenders vying for Obama’s future presidential library and museum. The competition as it stands is between Hawaii, New York and Illinois; where President Obama was born, where he received his undergraduate degree and where he began his political career while raising his family, respectively. To gussy up their pitch, some Illinois politicians have offered up $100 million in taxpayer dollars that would be allocated to the construction of the site, expected to cost at least $500 million in total. But the costs won’t stop once the last brick has been laid – the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the nation’s 13 presidential libraries cost taxpayers $75 million in fiscal year 2013 alone.
It’s easy to throw around money that’s not yours. While hardworking Illinoisans are pinching pennies just to afford gas and groceries, some elected officials prefer to ignore the obvious: we are flat broke.
The Illinois Policy Institute has been following this story since the day this legislation was filed in April. We’ve been telling the truth: This proposed expenditure is an irresponsible use of state and federal funds – one that would be dumped on the backs of middle-class families.
Barack Obama is indisputably the most prolific fundraiser in political history. Surely his supporters – the likes of billionaire couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z or members of the Pritzker dynasty – could write a check. After all, every single presidential library has been constructed entirely with private funds since the system began in 1939. As a matter of fact, state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, introduced legislation that authorized individuals interested in donating to this project to do so on their state income tax forms. A resolution was also introduced showing support for “the efforts by many to locate a Presidential Library and Museum to the State of Illinois without the use of taxpayer funding.”
Even though the spending proposal died before the spring legislative session adjourned, you can expect to see it resurrected should the Obamas ultimately choose Chicago as the library’s host city. Proponents of spending taxpayer dollars to build the library in Chicago argue that doing so would spur economic growth and create jobs. But shortsighted tax-and-spend policies under Illinois’ single-party rule have already been tried and have failed Illinois’ families. There are 18,530 fewer Illinoisans working today than when Gov. Pat Quinn took office in January 2009. Unless the plan is to employ 18,530 librarians in the Obama museum, state lawmakers would be wise to come up with some fresh ideas.