• About Us
  • Write For Us
  • Advertising
  • Support
  • Contact Us
March 20, 2023 10:50 pm CDT
LISTEN LIVE:
No Result
View All Result
Heartland Newsfeed
728x90 Explore Twitch Services
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Illinois
    • Local
      • Capital Area
      • East Central Illinois
      • West Central Illinois
    • Regional
      • Chicagoland
      • Metro-East
      • Northern Illinois
      • Quad Cities
      • Southern Illinois
    • Obits
    • Executive Watch
    • Legislative Watch
    • Road Conditions
      • Illinois
    • Weather Closings
      • Central Illinois
  • Missouri
    • Regional
      • Northeastern Missouri
      • East Central Missouri
      • St. Louis Metro
      • Southeast Missouri
    • Executive Watch
    • Legislative Watch
    • Weather Closings
      • Greater STL Metro (IL/MO)
    • Road Conditions
      • Missouri
  • Weather
  • National
  • World
  • Sports
    • Basketball
      • NBA
    • Bowling
    • Boxing
    • Football
      • Arena Football
      • CFL
      • NFL
      • XFL
      • USFL
    • Golf
      • PGA
    • Hockey
      • NAHL
      • NHL
    • MLB
      • MiLB
    • MMA
      • UFC
    • NCAA
      • Basketball
      • Football
    • Olympics
    • Preps
    • Racing
      • Horse Racing
      • NASCAR
    • Soccer/Futbol
      • Bundesliga
      • Champions League
      • FIFA
      • La Liga
      • MLS
      • NWSL
      • Premier League
      • U.S. National Soccer
      • USL
      • USL Championship
    • Tennis
    • Wrestling
      • AEW
      • Independents
      • MLW
      • NJPW
      • NWA
      • ROH
      • WWE
  • Entertainment
    • Crossword
    • News Quiz
  • Opinion
    • Letters To The Editor
    • Editorial
    • Columnists
  • Radio
    • Affiliates
    • Live Video
      • HLNF Live
      • RTMP Direct
    • Network Schedule
    • Network Streams
    • Podcasts
      • Radio Network
      • Podcast Network
  • Features
    • Classifieds
      • Current Ads
      • Job Board
        • Job Listings
        • J2CTalroo
        • Post a Job
        • Receive Alerts
        • ZipSearch
    • Community Calendar
    • News Feeds
      • Statehouse
      • Legislative
      • Breaking News
  • Store
  • Deals
  • Calendar

No products in the cart.

Heartland Newsfeed
No Result
View All Result

KEEL: Crony capitalism plays in Peoria

Guest Poster by Guest Poster
November 19, 2017
in Letters To The Editor, Opinion, Opinion-Editorial
Reading Time: 2 mins read
Donate
0

The Peoria City Council has approved an extra 1 percent sales tax, but not for schools, roads, or fire/police protection. This “enhanced” tax rate was set up to benefit the developer who is bringing Portillo’s, the popular Chicago-area hot dog franchise, to Peoria.

Developer William Torchia convinced our City Council that such assistance was the only way to bring the iconic restaurant to Peoria. Torchia hopes to recoup $650,000 in costs associated with land acquisition and property development.

The Libertarian Party of Greater Peoria stands in opposition to the actions taken Tuesday. We believe the city council should not pick winners and losers in a free market. Any business worth opening should do so without taxpayer subsidies. Undoubtedly, savvy developers for any future projects will now request the same treatment under the guise that the project is paying for itself. But in reality, this tax diminishes the risk of the developer. It is a true example of “crony capitalism.”

Portillo’s looks appealing because it appears it will be a spigot of fresh revenue and jobs. It’s been estimated that the sales will produce up to $880,000 in annual tax revenue. We simply don’t see it. To think that Portillo’s will not take customers away from the other local eateries is naïve, at best. Establishments such as Five Guys, Chick-fil-A, and amazing local restaurants Donnelly’s Shamrock Pub, Kouri’s Pub, and Louie’s Sterling Family Restaurant have created the environment that brings customers to that area! Many pennies made at Portillo’s will come from those businesses.

The new jobs this Portillo’s will bring are not anything to write home about, either! They will be at or near minimum wage, not the kind that sustain middle-class families. Additionally, Portillo’s isn’t even a family-owned or Illinois business anymore, as it was purchased in 2014 by Berkshire, the private equity firm from Boston. All the profits shoveled into Portillo’s registers will not only go out of town, but out of state!

In addition, the floodgate has been opened. We now have a city government tilting the playing field to assist a developer on a project in an area already ripe with successful restaurants. The purpose of this tax isn’t noble. Torchia didn’t need this subsidy. He knew our City Council was too incompetent and weak to call his bluff. He was right.

Wake up, Peoria! We’ve been played!

Joseph Keel is treasurer of the Libertarian Party of Greater Peoria.

Guest Poster
+ posts
  • Guest Poster
    https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/author/guestposter/
    LETTERS: Ranked choice voting
  • Guest Poster
    https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/author/guestposter/
    JASE Medical is disrupting the medical industry
  • Guest Poster
    https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/author/guestposter/
    Four gifts for the sports enthusiast on Prime Day
  • Guest Poster
    https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/author/guestposter/
    The basics to protecting your family's financial health

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Telegram
  • Print
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...
Tags: BerkshireBerkshire HathawayChicagoChick-fil-Acrony capitalismDonnelly's Shamrock PubFive GuysJoseph KeelKouri's PubLibertarian PartyLibertarian Party of Greater PeoriaLouie's Sterling Family RestaurantPeoriaPeoria City CouncilPortillo'ssales taxWilliam Torchia
Share196Tweet123Share5Send

Discussion about this post

📻 ON AIR NOW

.
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Five things you should know before purchasing auto insurance

    602 shares
    Share 241 Tweet 151
  • Nokomis council passes dumpster ordinance

    540 shares
    Share 216 Tweet 135
  • Illinois to see two gas hikes in 2023

    535 shares
    Share 214 Tweet 134
  • Viola Armstrong, 92, Pana

    528 shares
    Share 211 Tweet 132
  • Leto Voudrie, 83, Moweaqua

    526 shares
    Share 210 Tweet 132

HOURS AND INFO

800 Capps Ave.
Nokomis, IL 62075-1415
admin@heartlandnewsfeed.com
Online all the time 
Office Hours: 8 AM to 8 PM
Newsroom: (217) 569-4230
Listen Line:
(217) 569-4230 ext. 1
Advertising:
(217) 718-5281
After-Hours:
(217) 565-9709 / (217) 565-9273

Sitemap | Published Press | Privacy Policy
Staff Email | Independent Media

LIVE WEBSITE VIEWERS

.
ADVERTISEMENT

DEADLINES

Daily: 11 p.m. Central
Weekend: 11 p.m. Central
Sports: 11 p.m. Central

Upcoming deadlines
NYE/NYD: December 30, 5 p.m. Central

WEBRINGS

Hotline Webring: Previous — Next

Some rights reserved 2017-2023 by Heartland Newsfeed, a subsidiary partnership by Heartland Internet Media Networks and Heartland Media Group of Central Illinois LLC. Content published by Heartland Newsfeed staff is covered by the BipCot NoGov license. This allows use and re-use by anyone except governments and government agents. License on record. JNews theme designed and developed by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • World
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Gaming
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Sports
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Health
    • Travel

Some rights reserved 2017-2023 by Heartland Newsfeed, a subsidiary partnership by Heartland Internet Media Networks and Heartland Media Group of Central Illinois LLC. Content published by Heartland Newsfeed staff is covered by the BipCot NoGov license. This allows use and re-use by anyone except governments and government agents. License on record. JNews theme designed and developed by Jegtheme.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

00:00
00:00
WP Radio
WP Radio
OFFLINE LIVE
%d bloggers like this: