Iowa City Press-Citizen: Show Me The Money

Finally! An Iowa newspaper is calling for the con artists organizers of the Iowa Child rainforest project in Coralville to come up with some private contributions:

After landing a $50 million federal gift early last year, officials of Coralville's proposed Environmental Project have been busy seeking money from private sources. They haven't had much luck.

Now they've gone to state officials, requesting $20 million in Vision Iowa grants. It's a troubling development.

Nice start.

The Press-Citizen does raise some good points, but it would be nice if a newspaper pointed out that the con artists organizers have been promising to raise private money for six years and coming up with nothing.

By the end of the editorial the Press-Citizen completely loses their BS detector by repeating the marketing lies slogans of the con artists organizers:

Without doubt, there will be short-term benefits should building begin, as construction workers and contractors will have to stay and eat somewhere. But an estimated 1.1 million to 1.5 million visitors annually, with an annual economic impact of $185 million?

Do you newspaperpeople really think this project is going to stay on budget and will draw two to three times the number of people who visit Adventureland each year?

The Press-Citizen's wrapup is a bit schizophrenic:

Indeed, if state dollars were the last chunk of the $180 million that organizers needed, we'd call for the funding. The support of private investors and foundations would indicate that the community was being far too cautious. But until that time, too many questions remain, and there's no point in committing good money for a project that so many locals -- and apparently investors -- remain wary of it.

This paragraph doesn't make any sense.

Anybody who would be contributing private money towards the project wouldn't be an investor. This sort of thing is what an investor puts their money towards in the promise of a financial reward down the line. How dumb are these newspaper editors?

And what's with this call for more Iowa taxpayer funding for this project if private contributions start flowing in? What's the level of private commitment necessary before the taxpayers of Iowa have to roll over so this thing can be finished off?

The Press-Citizen was good to raise the issue of "Show Me The Money" concerning the rainforest, but their follow-through is terrible. That's the trouble with newspaper editorial departments: they're a bunch of timid, wimpy-ass, brown-nosing girlymen when it comes to taxpayer-financed con games like the PorkForest. Why is this? (baby voice) Do dey tink da politicians won't like dem anymo if the newspaperpeople rain on their taxpayer-financed parade? (/baby voice)


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