Pantagraph.com | News | Blagojevich cuts historic sites budget in half

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

historybuff98 wrote on Jul 13, 2008 11:09 PM:

" I am appalled by some of the comments that say our history is not important. Learning about history is the most important thing we can do, so we are not doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Furthermore, sites like the DDM are a FREE resource for teachers to augment school curriculums. If sites like the DDM where not around, many children would not be able to go on field trips. Many students can walk to the DDM from their schools. Many fieldtrips get canceled because the schools do not have enough money for the buses to take these children to these sites. Also, History is getting left behind in the schools. Like Lincolnlover said, many public schools do not require much more than a year or a semester of history to graduate. The ISAT tests do not even test on history anymore- they only test on reading, math, science, and writing- which is truly sad. Lincolnlover- I have to agree with you- the DDM is a big draw for tourism in this town- and is a valuable educational resource for our community. SAVE OUR HISTORY! "

lincolnlover wrote on Jul 12, 2008 5:41 PM:

" So if we follow your logic correctly, we should raise private funds to pay for parks and lakes, too? After all, they are just unused land. Why couldn't we just sell off all the parks and campgrounds to farmers and developers? Then we would have more than enough money. Of course, if we are going to do that, there should be no more subsidized housing or transportation. Come to think of it, why should I keep paying taxes to a school? Why can't they all be private? Private schools seem to be thriving in this town, so why do we need public ones?
GET A CLUE! "

alexp wrote on Jul 12, 2008 2:53 PM:

" If the mansion has private money then why are they using state dollars to pay employees? It doesn't seem right that the state should be sending money if the mansion is able to raise private money. If they can't raise enough private money to keep the mansion open then that just shows how unimportant it is and it should be closed. Price of petrol is up so there has to be belt tightening somewhere. "

lincolnlover wrote on Jul 12, 2008 1:03 PM:

" And some people just like to complain about things they don't bother to know anything about. "

Dillybar wrote on Jul 12, 2008 12:05 PM:

" some people are just stuck in their ways "

lincolnlover wrote on Jul 12, 2008 11:45 AM:

" Have NONE of you visited the Davis Mansion lately? Or ever? If you did, you would know that the tour is about people and their relevance to the present, not about a "house that is only good to look at". I can't believe how ignorant people are of this wonderful gem that is in their own back yard. "

ktlin wrote on Jul 12, 2008 11:21 AM:

" I wish he would take a common sense approach. Instead of political pandering and kowtowing to lobbyists he needs to keep in place things people really need, things that help the state make money, etc. Then once the common sense approach is in place he needs to think about raising taxes. He is raising everything else. The problems come in when things are not thought out as to how much money is made for the community as a whole (not one lobbyist or private group). Too often money is spent on the ridiculous or on things we don't really need and the stuff we should have is taken away. I know there is controversy on what that is but that is where common sense enters. Maybe next time we vote we should have a place where common sense is checked and must be used. "

lincolnlover wrote on Jul 12, 2008 10:56 AM:

" And, Dillybar, if you google David Davis, one of the largest hits you will get is the David Davis Mansion website - gee, I wonder how that got there? Someone has to do the research and put it on-line for those of you who are too lazy to go visit. "

lincolnlover wrote on Jul 12, 2008 10:54 AM:

" No, Dillybar. You are the one who "looks dumb". You obviously haven't taken the time to inform yourself of the current state of education. Did you know that the Illinois High School requirement to graduate is one year of history and that Bloomington High School only offers one semester of US History? That is why free sites like the Davis Mansion are so important. They fill the void and they are not outdated. Again, when was the last time you visited? I'm still betting it was never. "

lincolnlover wrote on Jul 12, 2008 10:50 AM:

" Don't worry, CBD1, not much of your tax dollars goes to the Davis Mansion. It IS supported by private donations! The only thing the state pays for are 3 jobs that amount to less than what the idiot gov makes in a year and the utility bills. Everything else, including All programming, including education programs for 5000 students last year, the Christmas and Garden programs was paid for by the David Davis Mansion Foundation - NOT the state! How do I know this? I took the time to inform myself instead of making stupid assumptions. I also found out (from our local convention and visitors bureau) that the economic impact on Bloomington/Normal from tourism - sites like the Mansion - is somewhere around 20 million a year. So, maybe your piddly little dolloar of state taxes that you paid for the Davis Mansion brought in 100 extra to the city? Oh, but its so much easier to remain ignorant and just complain, isn't it? "

The Original JD wrote on Jul 12, 2008 10:49 AM:

" We spend so much money wallowing in the past, that we short change the future. Money is a finite commodity, and the more we spend on preserving the past, the less we can spend preparing for the future. Perhaps if we invested money into education, instead of some building that is only good to look at, we would not be falling behind the rest of the world in education.

The more people want, the less they are actually going to get, as the pie continues to get sliced into smaller and smaller sections. We need to prioritize our spending, and while the past is nice, it is not as importat as the future. "

Dillybar wrote on Jul 12, 2008 10:19 AM:

" there are millions of other ways to learn other than going to these sites. these sites are just old school. you can get a great education at this crazy place called a school and the internet. infact people are probably smarter today than they ever were. these sights are just out dated. no one said get rid of them. just gut the budget for other important things. and to lincolnlover and Downstater, personal attacks on a news paper web site are not needed. it just makes you look dumb. "

CBD1 wrote on Jul 12, 2008 9:19 AM:

" Diltybar is right. Don't spend my tax dollars on the David Davis Mansion. It should be supported by private donations. "

The Peanut Gallery wrote on Jul 12, 2008 9:02 AM:

" Is there not a fair amount of irony that Hot Rod - rapidly becoming infamous in his legacy - would cut money to sites maintained as a tribute to one of Illinois' greatest citizens? The Gov. refuses to even live in Springfield. No wonder he doesn't care about historic sites there. What a slug! "

lincolnlover wrote on Jul 12, 2008 8:57 AM:

" To Dillybar: Your online name kinda sums you up, doesn't it? I bet you would be one of those nitwits that Jay Leno interviews who doesn't have a clue who the Secretary of State is or what your personal freedoms are because you don't know what the Constitution says! What is the point of being healthy if you are too stupid to know anything? And when was the last time you visited the Davis Mansion, ever? You would probably be one of the first to complain about high school students not knowing who the president was during the Civil War. How do you think they know anything??? Someone has to teach it! If you don't know where you came from, its hard to know where you are going! "

Downstater wrote on Jul 12, 2008 8:54 AM:

" to Dillybar: what a ridiculous comment to make. Besides the fact "historybluff98" is right on the money, historic sites are a great boon to the economy. The visitors to the sites also spend money in the towns. Take away the sites and you take away not only the money for the businesses but the sales tax revenue as well. "

floyd wrote on Jul 12, 2008 8:41 AM:

" Now ifd we can only shut down his office and cut his pay(including the plane). "

isunormalil wrote on Jul 12, 2008 8:24 AM:

" So many whiners out there. They wouldn't be happy no matter what program the governor cut. They dont want to pay more in taxes, they dont want casino's, they just want to whine. "

Jarhead71 wrote on Jul 12, 2008 7:41 AM:

" I wonder how much the raises for all Legislators, the Gov, Lt Gov and all the other executives is going to cost the tax payers of IL? I'll bet cutting those out this year would pay for the historic sites. "

Pontiac Resident wrote on Jul 12, 2008 7:05 AM:

" Has Blagojevich ever said "what" wants this money(saved by these cuts) for? Chicago? CTA? His flights to and from Chicago? Hanna Montana concerts? "

BC wrote on Jul 12, 2008 6:59 AM:

" For all whining about the cuts blame the guilty parties. The General Assembly passed a budget that is illegal by the laws they insisted on putting in place. The state budget has to be balanced. They then adjourned and went home. Those involved knew the average Joe in Illinois was stupid enough to hold the governor responsible for any problems, cuts or extra expenses. thus taking the heat off them during an election year. When they decide to go back and do the job they were elected to do his cuts can be restored. He has no choice but to cut something, and non-essential programs is a sensible choice. "

In the Know wrote on Jul 12, 2008 6:08 AM:

" let's keep an old building running, which most are volenteers that work there anyway, and shut down a prison or a mental health and give early parole etc. the hell with Abe's 200th...is he gonna make it??? If he can, than give the money... "

Dillybar wrote on Jul 11, 2008 10:57 PM:

" good. now we can focus on important things like health care. and who cares about the davis mansion? what a waste that thing is. you wanna learn about him google his name. "

historybuff98 wrote on Jul 11, 2008 9:57 PM:

" I think this is a terrible thing for our governor to do! These state historic sites are a valuable educational resource in our state for people of all ages. It would be especially tragic if the David Davis Mansion would have to shorten its hours or even worse close- the Mansion is a great place to visit and also a great place for the children of this community to learn about the some of the important people of our county, state, and country's past. I hope that our senators and congressmen will NOT support Gov. Blagojevich's push to slash our state historic site's budgets. There are plenty of other PORK programs where money can be cut from and save OUR HISTORY. "

ES wrote on Jul 11, 2008 7:27 PM:

" So the Rod Blagojevich Memorial Broom Closet of Significance is going to be closed as well. Good! "

Not so Political wrote on Jul 11, 2008 7:11 PM:

" good start !! "

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