The Mexican Customs facility in Kansas City

Well here I go again on a tirade about the Mexican customs port planned for Kansas City. I located the text of the Committee Substitute for Ordinance No. 071068, which regards finance for the facility.

The link I tried to provide is broken but you can google it under CityClerk.kcmo.org.

This is all PAID FOR by the City of Kansas City. Let's see, $600,000 just to pave the thing, and $2.5 million for construction of it. I've heard rumours that an old building in the West Bottoms area will be utilized, so if this is true, why do they need $2.5 million dollars???? There's also a stipulation in there for $20,000 additional reimbursement from the City for scouting for "other sites." I think this could possibly be money for officials' travel expenses back and forth between here and Mexico. I could be wrong though, but it's a sneaky suspicion.

I don't remember voting for this. Do you? Of course there is a "disclaimer" that Smartport will have to pay the City back, at a rate of 4 percent over 15 years. Gee...do you know of any business loans right now that are offering those kind of rates? Meanwhile, Kansas City residents are fighting to keep their mortgages paid at rates of 6.5% or higher in this volatile market and economy. Who does this benefit? Why, Mexico, of course! And when the North American Union is formed, and the Amero is forced upon us, who will we have to thank for it? Kansas City will have blood on their hands.

Now are we so stupid to think that we will actually get this money back? Having lived in Oklahoma City as well, I know just how quickly funds can get "paid back" to the city for services. There was a "MAPS" project in the works many years ago to help revitalize the downtown area of Bricktown. People naively voted for the additional sales tax. Then came the bombing and MILLIONS of dollars poured into the city. All of a sudden we see a river ride, new restaurants, new entertainment venues, all things that were not to be laid to ground for some time because of the collection of this MAPS tax. I even saw elected officials proudly proclaiming in the Gaylord empire's mouthpiece, The Daily Oklahoman, that funds from the bombing should be combined with MAPS taxes to "help rebuild" Oklahoma City. I bet they were giddy with excitement when they saw the envelopes of donations! Just like the televangelists. Meanwhile, MAPS taxes were collected in their entirety from the folks. Uh, did we get reimbursed for that? You decide.

That money was supposed to help the victims and small businesses get back on their feet, not to build a glitzy river ride. But it was all handled in the usual political way, behind closed doors and under the table shady deals. In the end, many bombing victims did not receive the fair compensation they were entitled to.

Don't get me wrong. I love Bricktown, but it should not have been paid for because of an act of domestic terrorism and the sincere outpouring of support from everyday Americans. And Kansas City could very well be headed down that same road, but instead of revitalizing it as they claim to be doing, the money we are paying for this will instead destroy American jobs and our economy in this beautiful city.

Meanwhile, we buy our hybrid cars to save on gas and pollution. Wait...I see some Mexican trucks coming up that superhighway without EPA regulations....