It is vital that we save our historic structures. They are dissapering at an alarming rate. Once these structures are gone we never get them back. It is so important to view older structures to retain the past.
There are few places the state can invest its money with a bigger return than these historic sites with the return of tourist dollars. It makes no sense to cut funding.
I support this petition. There is no reason for the closing any of these historial sites since the $223 million has been alocated & passed by both houses. The only reason Blagojevich is not signing the bill is to punish his opponents but instead he is punishing the people of Illinois. In a buget crunch how do you expect to get tourist dollars unless the tourist sites are open. Plus the fact hundreds of state empoyees will lose there jobs. Fort de Chartre has several events each month and the spring and fall rendezvous' bring 10-25 thousand visitors per weekend. The spring rendezvous is in it 39th year and take years to bulid a an event like this. The closings have to be reversed now.
I support this petition. A renowned gentleman, a Professor and past president of Society of Architectural Historians, Richard Longstreth of George Washington University has even written to the SJR about the Dana Thomas House and
expressed the dire need of keeping it open! He said, "You have a work comparable to a Michelangelo in Springfield... No budget crunch should put the crown jewels in jeopardy."
His letter is in October 10, 2008 edition.
We have to do something!!
I support our Illinois hisotic sites and governor, you sir are an idiot if you think saving a few dollars by closing historic sites benifits the states finances. Why don't you start paying attention to all of those expensive ads you have tourism run for the 3-day getaways.
This is an unfortunate situation. I hope the people of Illinois value their history and culture more than this. Even if they do not (I do not know), now is the time for museums to prove their value, not the time to cripple the remainder of the state's historical conscience.
I support this petition.
I agree with who ever said; This is the most disgusting result of political nonsense I have ever encountered! There is no way these sites can be re-created if they are lost. Look beyond the ends of your political noses and keep what is national history as well as state history available, or hand it over the the federal department of the Interior.
