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Rauner adds World Shooting Complex to list of cuts.


RacerDave6

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Me thinks he does not know where a majority of the WSC/DNR monies come from. I hope our new DNR director can talk some sense into the Gov on this one.

 

https://www.illinoispolicy.org/rauner-rightfully-blasts-state-run-shooting-complex-in-budget-cuts/

 

In light of the Illinois General Assembly’s failure to send him a balanced budget, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced another round of spending reductions on June 12 to better manage the state’s precarious finances.

Included on his list is a suspension of operations for a shooting complex run by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Effective Sept. 1, all operations at the World Shooting and Recreation Complex in Sparta, Illinois, would cease and the facility would be closed to the public.

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Since I was the USPSA/Steel Challenge match director out there for about 16 months, let me tell you that I think that place is #$&!ed up.

 

Former employee fired for not stripping in front of state officials/employees:

 

http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article17714249.html

 

 

One of the things that stuck in my craw was that the big Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) matches seem to be or appeared to have been partially subsidized by the ILDNR. Long story short, if you were some state champion in whatever class or division back at your home state or some other state, then supposedly the IL DNR paid 100% of your match entry fee to whatever major CAS match was being held at the World Shooting Complex.

 

Not once were us USPSA'ers/Steel Challenge'ers afforded the same incentive for our major matches.

.

Yes, infrastructure wise, it is a nice facility. However, it really needs to be privatized and run like a business. Who gets picked to head of the facility really needs to have some business and marketing sense, not just be a political appointee because of whatever connections to the higher highers.

 

I have no idea what the length of the contract is or was between the trapshooting association and the IL DNR.

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Funding a shooting complex does seem a rather frivolous expense for a bancrupt State like ours. We are over 4 BILLION dolars in the hole thanks to all the spending on things we really don't NEED with money we really don't have. Hard times are not coming, there are here, and those of us paying property taxes are doubtless in for more financial hardships so I appreciate any efforts to cull the least worthy expenses from the State budget, just as we all have had to do with our budgets at home.
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I would much rather close the complex than have my taxes raised. I'm tired of my taxes going up.

I was having a discussion in the comments section of an article about Rauner cuts. I stated that if I am going to be forced into financial pain, then I want the pain due to cuts in spending - to get Illinois back on track, versus the financial pain of higher taxes and never ending spending. That statement received 30 or so thumbs up and six thumbs down. Believe it. Six people would rather we have higher taxes and never ending spending. How the heck can you have a discussion with people like that? I think their minds are a scary place to be.

 

Stay Safe and Carry Responsibly

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I would much rather close the complex than have my taxes raised. I'm tired of my taxes going up.

 

I was having a discussion in the comments section of an article about Rauner cuts. I stated that if I am going to be forced into financial pain, then I want the pain due to cuts in spending - to get Illinois back on track, versus the financial pain of higher taxes and never ending spending. That statement received 30 or so thumbs up and six thumbs down. Believe it. Six people would rather we have higher taxes and never ending spending. How the heck can you have a discussion with people like that? I think their minds are a scary place to be.

 

Stay Safe and Carry Responsibly

In their mind we would just tax the rich. The old Robin Hood effect.

 

I see a lot of these types on my Facebook feed pointing to the MN governor as if he's a hero.

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seems reasonable to me - trouble is people like us (useful producers) will say 'yah that sounds reasonable, even if it's a drop in the bucket' while the useless eaters will screech and moan at the cuts to their programs that are drowning this state.

 

 

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A lot of people don't seem to get the point here. These are not Illinois "tax" dollars; they are federal funds allocated to the state to utilize for a specific purpose. They are supposed to be BIFURCATED. As far as the rest of it goes, well, it's going to fund the pensions of a literal army of state, county and local officials and employees, both "working" and retired, for the most part ... and all of these pensions are underfunded and will collapse sooner than later if taxes are not raised to fully fund them, and quickly.

 

They're not going to cut unnecessary white collar contract patronage or unnecessary government jobs. They're going to keep overpaying for road work, sewers, buildings and other infrastructure due to prevailing wage laws they enact each and every year to ensure that the work only goes to union contractors who pay people $75-$100 in pay and benefits to stand in a street holding a "Slow" sign ... our tax dollars indirectly pay them these hideous wages because it's overhead built into the contracts. Bidding on contracts like these mean nothing when only union firms are allowed to bid. This is the gas that fuels the Illinois D machine, and they're not going to go on a diet. They'll raise taxes and fees, and cut things like aid to the developmentally disabled and other programs run through private organizations that aren't supported by unions.

 

Privatizing certain things means nothing in this state, because they cut the crap out of any state aid to whatever is privatized (like mental health), and use the money to shore up their backbone, the patronage army, the big contracts to supporters, and the unions.

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Good I am glad to see cuts coming . Now if we could just get in the FSA spending I would see hope for this state

Yup. I would like to see random drug testing for every mouth claimed to being fed on the public dime, and the food should only be approved items like the WIC program.

 

While this seems like a good idea . It is entirely too easy to defeat a urine test . I see it done all the time . If you went to blood or hair follicle test the cost would be astronomical .

Just stop giving the FSA anything

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I'd really like to see and accounting of how the Pittman-Robertson funds are spent in IL.

In theory, the money IL gets should be paying for WSC.

Remember, WE are paying for this through the excise taxes charged on firearms, ammunition and sporting goods.

Ever wonder why a blue box glock is $40-50 cheaper for an LEO then to the general public? Because LEO don't have to pay the excise tax (because they use the firearm for their job?). That extra $$ being collected is what WE pay so that we can have public ranges.

It's the Pittman-Roberson monies that also fund the FREE Hunter Education programs.

Maybe the Gov should make sure the monies IL is receiving go to running public shooting ranges instead of funding some 'study' at the U of I.

 

Here is an explanation how it's supposed to work.

 

http://range.nra.org/pittman-robertson-funds.aspx

 

The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act ("Pittman-Robertson") authorizes the United States Secretary of Interior to work with the States, through their respective State fish and game departments (or their equivalents), on a variety of projects related to wildlife. Among these projects are the construction, operation, and maintenance of public target ranges. States are not required, however, to use Pittman-Robertson funds on target ranges. Such ranges are merely one of the uses to which the funds can be applied.

Pittman-Robertson funds are apportioned among the States. States may use the funds to pay up to 75% of the costs of a hunter safety program and the construction, operation, and maintenance of public target ranges as part of such a program. The other 25% may be derived from license fees paid by hunters (or from other sources), but not from other Federal grant programs.

Follow link for more info.

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A lot of people don't seem to get the point here. These are not Illinois "tax" dollars; they are federal funds allocated to the state to utilize for a specific purpose. They are supposed to be BIFURCATED. As far as the rest of it goes, well, it's going to fund the pensions of a literal army of state, county and local officials and employees, both "working" and retired, for the most part ... and all of these pensions are underfunded and will collapse sooner than later if taxes are not raised to fully fund them, and quickly.

 

They're not going to cut unnecessary white collar contract patronage or unnecessary government jobs. They're going to keep overpaying for road work, sewers, buildings and other infrastructure due to prevailing wage laws they enact each and every year to ensure that the work only goes to union contractors who pay people $75-$100 in pay and benefits to stand in a street holding a "Slow" sign ... our tax dollars indirectly pay them these hideous wages because it's overhead built into the contracts. Bidding on contracts like these mean nothing when only union firms are allowed to bid. This is the gas that fuels the Illinois D machine, and they're not going to go on a diet. They'll raise taxes and fees, and cut things like aid to the developmentally disabled and other programs run through private organizations that aren't supported by unions.

 

Privatizing certain things means nothing in this state, because they cut the crap out of any state aid to whatever is privatized (like mental health), and use the money to shore up their backbone, the patronage army, the big contracts to supporters, and the unions.

 

In other words, cronies win, taxpayers lose. This is normal for Illannoy.

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"These are not Illinois "tax" dollars; they are federal funds allocated to the state to utilize for a specific purpose"Oh...I see... these are not MY Illinois Tax dollars being wasted....they are MY Federal tax dollars being wasted. Now I feel much, much better - LOL

What part of "you are paying about 5% extra for every gun you buy which the government sends to your state to use for sporting purposes" is so hard, here? Basically, it's a federal sales tax on gun purchasers. Do you think it's fair that you pay a tax for the state of Illinois to use to pay its employees, but nobody else has to pay it?

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"These are not Illinois "tax" dollars; they are federal funds allocated to the state to utilize for a specific purpose"Oh...I see... these are not MY Illinois Tax dollars being wasted....they are MY Federal tax dollars being wasted. Now I feel much, much better - LOL

What part of "you are paying about 5% extra for every gun you buy which the government sends to your state to use for sporting purposes" is so hard, here? Basically, it's a federal sales tax on gun purchasers. Do you think it's fair that you pay a tax for the state of Illinois to use to pay its employees, but nobody else has to pay it?

 

and ammo, camping gear, archery equipment etc. Pretty much anything that is used for outdoor recreational purposes has the excise tax added on to it.

Don't we want the excise tax dollars that we pay to come back to our state to be used for our recreation instead of sending them to some other state?

If we don't use them someone else will.

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I humbly stand corrected - this not a part of my Federal Income tax, it is a burdensome extra tax which is being allocated to a 'luxury' during a fiscal crisis. An 'Obama Phone' for the shooting crowd comes to mind.

 

I am certainly NOT opposed to a portion of the permit fees I voluntarily might pay for fishing/hunting licenses and stanmps being set aside for noble conservation efforts, but a 'little' tax here and another 'little' tax there and pretty soon there's nothing left.

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I humbly stand corrected - this not a part of my Federal Income tax, it is a burdensome extra tax which is being allocated to a 'luxury' during a fiscal crisis. An 'Obama Phone' for the shooting crowd comes to mind.I am certainly NOT opposed to a portion of the permit fees I voluntarily might pay for fishing/hunting licenses and stanmps being set aside for noble conservation efforts, but a 'little' tax here and another 'little' tax there and pretty soon there's nothing left.

I agree with you on this one. Especially when you live in Cook County and get absolutely nothing for the money being extorted from you. The only wildlife in the CCFP are two legged, and you have to let them prey upon you since it's a special CPZ thrown into the concealed carry law. Gotta keep coddling their criminal voting base ...

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Don't we want the excise tax dollars that we pay to come back to our state to be used for our recreation instead of sending them to some other state?

If we don't use them someone else will.

I want this burdensome extra tax to go away instead! How about if the government only pays for things necessary for key infrastructure (e.g. roads & police) and common defense, and just stops taxing us for everything else?!

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