The Imperial District: Redefining Material vs. Immaterial

Organized Exploitation ^ | 07-09-2009 | Paul Kroenke

[aic4ever]

What does $10 million buy? Many of you might buy property and become rental owners. Some of you might retire and live a life of leisure. Still others might decide they would like to help out those injured or in need, perhaps including those left in the dust by the federally bailed out and bankrupt GM and Chrylser. I just submitted a proposal to build a four-story, 40,000 square foot museum that should end up costing less than that to build, barring major design changes by the owners. The owners will have a fully functional and operating museum for less than $10 million dollars.

But that pertains to us regular folk. What does $10 million buy you if you're in the government? Well, as I have recently discovered, it buys you something ever so much more valuable than things like museums or retirement, or even justice. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, in awarding a construction contract in the Fall of 2008, spent 10 million taxpayer dollars on something ever so much more important than just a little old museum. They spent it on Minority Participation.