I looked up Shays and Shays' Rebellion on Wikipedia. I don't remember hearing about him in history class in elementary school or high school, but history was not my best subject. From Wikipedia:
"Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising that took place in central and western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion was named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.
"The rebellion started on August 21, 1786, over financial difficulties and by January 1787, over one thousand Shaysites had been arrested. A militia that had been raised as a private army defeated an attack on the federal Springfield Armory by the main Shaysite force on February 3, 1787, and five rebels were killed in the action.
"In the aftermath, fear spread that the American Revolution's democratic impulse had gotten out of hand. This fear, combined with the lack of institutional response to the uprising, energized calls to reevaluate the Articles of Confederation and gave strong impetus to the Philadelphia Convention which began on May 17, 1787, which created the United States Constitution."
That completes our history lesson for the day.
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Racine Uncovered must have uploaded this view of the back of the Wolf Man's sign since I last visited. I didn't see this before: http://racineuncovered.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/picket-22.jpg
Very impressive.
Here is the History page I prefer:
http://shaysrebellion.stcc.edu/shaysapp/person.do?shortName=daniel_shays
TSE
As part of my Continuing Education message - let me share some facts and warnings about TIF Districts.
What is TIF?
"Tax incremental financing is an economic development tool used by local governments to redevelop
“blighted” properties. Its basic function is to help generate equity for real estate ventures by leveraging future property tax revenues.
A TIF district is drawn around the site of the proposed development, the assessed base value of the
property within the district is frozen, and an estimate about the development’s impact on the future assessed value is determined.
Based on the projected growth in assessed value within the district, the increased tax revenue attributable to that growth is determined. Those future property tax revenues are then used as up-front equity for the project.
Typically, a municipality will issue general obligation
bonds at the beginning of the project and use the funds raised for public infrastructure improvements and/or developer incentives. All new property tax
revenue (based on the TIF district’s increment value)
is then used to pay off the initial bonds, and the TIF
district is retired after the investment is repaid. At that time, all property tax revenues from the district return to the general tax rolls. Figure 1 further illustrates how TIF works.
During the TIF period, all incremental property tax revenue, including tax revenue that normally would go to other local taxing jurisdictions, is allocated toward repaying the TIF. For example, school districts,
water/sewerage districts, and county governments (as well as the municipal government issuing the TIF) do not receive the incremental property tax
revenue from the incremental value within the TIF district until it is retired. Because of this dynamic, representatives from the other local taxing jurisdictions
must approve all TIFs within their boundaries. Once the individual municipality approves the TIF, a joint review board made up of all other taxing jurisdictions affected by the proposed TIF must approve the TIF plan. Once the TIF is retired, all new property
tax revenue is distributed to the districts as it would have before the TIF was created.
In addition, TIF use is limited to those projects that would not be developed “but for” the TIF assistance. In other words, the development would not otherwise
occur."
http://www.publicpolicyforum.org/pdfs/2009TIFBrief.pdf
SO - Residents of Racine - By allowing the TIF, those who reside OUTSIDE the TIF are agreeing to shoulder a greater share of future budget increases than they would otherwise.
SO - You are going to allow JD and the City Council to BORROW more money, with interest, and, potentially, give it to the Developers.
SO - You are gambling that the project makes money and performs as JD says it will - DESPITE the fact that NO private developer would develop that area with all their own money.
What happens when TIF's don't work as planned?
"You can officially add Monroe Commons to the list of Madison TIF deals turned sour.
A partnership headed by the Keller Real Estate Group is not meeting payments due the city for $2.52 million to develop 52 residential units, the Trader Joe's grocery and related parking.
Under the tax increment financing (TIF) agreement, the developers were supposed to make additional payments to the city if new property taxes generated -- the "increment" -- failed to meet projections. And they haven't.
The developers owe the city $322,522, but a new agreement approved by the City Council last week requires only a $90,000 payment by the end of 2010. The developers will now have until 2014 to make full repayment.
This relaxed schedule gives the developers additional time to try to sell the eight vacant units in the 52-unit project while offering some breathing room amid a tight economy.
Still, revisions to the schedule will delay the estimated closing of the Monroe Street TIF District for approximately two to three years. This, in turn, delays additional tax revenues available to the city, the county and the public school district."
Read more: http://host.madison.com/ct/business/biz_beat/article_f26ae0dc-ee88-11df-91b0-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1mBkft0iB
JD is playing Racine residents as fools who will recklessly gamble. I agree with JD. Let him play you for all you are worth - which isn't much.
Racine - You got the Government you DESERVE. Choke on it.
TSE
OH WAIT! Racine already has an ON-GOING FAILED TIF. What's ONE MORE failure - right Racine? It's a way of life....
"MADISON - Gov. Jim Doyle on Thursday signed into law changes that lawmakers say should help Racine officials in their effort to clean up and develop the old Walker Manufacturing site along the shores of Lake Michigan.
The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. John Lehman and Reps. Cory Mason and Bob Turner, all Democrats from Racine, in cooperation with the City of Racine. The lawmakers say extending the life of the tax incremental financing, or TIF, district will boost job creation and redevelopment along Lake Michigan.
The law extends the city's current authority to use tax incremental financing for environmental clean-up and other improvements to redevelop the former Walker Manufacturing site for 10 more years. Walker once operated on the property along Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River.
The site was to become Pointe Blue, a $200 million residential and retail development, but the real estate and financial markets' collapse in late 2007 and early 2008 led to the project's demise."
Read more: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/doyle-signs-bill-to-extend-racine-tif-district/article_48e64a28-cfea-11de-b17c-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1mD973nx1
What is JD doing with those monies? It is subsidizing cronies in the area?
If you live in Racine - why not ask your Alderman, if they arn't too busy checking out Mt. Pleasant Parks after hours, in PAIRS - for their safety, where all the TIF districts in Racine are - and how they are doing - and how much money is being lost?
TSE
You're a politician's nightmare: a well-informed citizen.
My alderman is too busy with his personal legal problems to be much bothered with this city stuff. Anyway, he's been "marginalized" by the other aldermen and is ineffective.
They count on us being apathetic, and, for the most part, they're right. However, so many people today have been adversely affected by the turmoil in our economy and politics, that who knows what will happen?
I don't expect revolution in Racine. The best and the brightest will continue to exodus. The worst and the dullest will continue to reproduce. If we collapse into bankruptcy, I bet we won't be alone. It's common business practice now. As the world economy evolves and convulses, it might become common for cities, maybe even states, or countries, to go bankrupt.
I really believe that all of it is a crap shoot now. I've never seen the world so effed up. I lived through the Cuban missile crisis. We thought we were going to die. We were willing to do it for a purpose. Today, there is no purpose. Congress' rating is the lowest in history. We can't agree on a damn thing. I do not know of any clean politicians anymore, just ones who haven't been exposed yet.
I don't know what's going to happen, but I don't think we're going to get an Ozzie and Harriet happy ending this time.
Reuters: Greek lawmakers pass austerity bill as Athens burns
Nice job orbs for getting that burning picture up on site. It is better than the "front" picture
I suspect "Daniel Shays" of being the latest nom-de-plume of the scourge of the JT, enicar333/enicar666/acutepain/unisexcar.
RU disagrees with me, but his posts there match tone and style to Enicar's previous posts.
Anon, I agree with you, and assume that you are also he/she/it.
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