Funding, tax questions loom over Obama Center opening – Center Square

“If we can just work a little harder to balance the negatives, higher housing costs, and speculation, traffic and not paying enough attention to public transit, and displacement, of course, then it could all be a win-win eventually someday,” University of Chicago Professor Emily Talen said.
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Fed Up Taxpayer
2 months ago

“If we can just work a little harder” sounds like a codeword for let’s raise taxes to pay for it. Hard no.

JackBolly
2 months ago

The City of Chicago is the property (land and bldgs) owner – liens and lawsuits can be directed there.

Free at Last
2 months ago
Reply to  JackBolly

Can’t lien public land. Only the funds set aside to fund the project can be liened and those are long gone.

Chercher
2 months ago

Yes, if all our dreams came true it could be wonderful. But this project has never deviated from its initial shady and politically-connected path. Full of broken promises and lucrative profits for the chosen few who don’t have to live with the broken promises.

Taxpayer
2 months ago

Will Obama be paying taxes on the income generated from his oversized Chinese food takeout container ?

Free at Last
2 months ago

I love that the Woodlawn residents now need reparations because they built the Obama Center for Liberal retardation there. If that’s the case, where are the reparations for all the Italian families displaced from the west side when they built the expressways? Oh that’s right. Only the blacks count. The Italians can go lump it.

Hello, Indiana!
2 months ago

An empty building no one wants to pay $30 to visit built on confiscated public land with no means of financial support thus shifting its upkeep to the taxpayers will never be a win- win for anybody except the layabouts that use it for free, professor.

ExChgo
2 months ago

This Professor points out the failings of this center, but still tries her hardest to be positive about it. The questions about not paying contractors and about not funding the endowment for operations are easily answered, yet I have not heard them answered. If they were untrue, wouldn’t Valerie Jarrett and O himself have mounted a campaign of vitriol against some right-wing media machine that fabricated these lies? They need to fix the problems and explain it in public. i could see a community center being useful. But not in the park: put it on some empty parking lot or… Read more »

David F
2 months ago
Reply to  ExChgo

They should sell spray paint and let them go at it, theres the money maker.

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