I am being interviewed by Mark Welp and HOI News about my run from Memphis to Peoria. The basis of the interview is the attempt to raise money using Twitter. As I’ve mentioned before, this is Peoria runs first attempt to raise money off the Internet. St. Jude Memphis has been doing this already.

So far I have raised $375.00 off the Internet alone. Three donations from Facebook, and One Donation off of Twitter. I’m hoping some of my blogging friends can help also.

I’ll post when the actual segment will air.

Have a good Weekend.

John Mullun from the Forest Park Nature Center (where we have our meetings) has even offered to speak at our meet ups and give us some useful information about map orientation and gear. Our thought process was to support our local Park District. However, most of the people that have signed up need gear. So I asked the owner of Bushwhacker for some assistance. I understand Bushwhacker is more into patio furniture now, and bicycling, but they also have backpacks, tents, and clothing. I called, and left messages several times to get the owner Rich Pestien to help us. I stopped in twice. Each time he was to busy to speak with me. Even if it was offering a special to the Peoria Backpacking Group, or to come out and talk about gear. We weren’t asking for much, just a little support to get our group off the ground. After all, we are the first and only backpacking club in Peoria.

Rich nor anyone else from Bushwhacker ever called me back. If they weren’t interested, they could have at least returned a call. Nothing. Not to mention, I personally have spent thousands at Bushwhacker. Just bought a Kayak from them last year. Not even a call back from a Customer?

This last weekend our group took a field trip to REI in Chicago. Members got fitted for backpacks, and we bought additional gear, and received a discount. All gear Bushwhacker sells currently. In total, we spend over $1,000. All that sales tax stayed in Cook County (Chicago). Ironically the Chicago Backpackers meet at the same REI. REI was all to ready to help them.

Thank you REI. We will see you soon.

I’m not sure why Bushwhacker snubbed us. But it’s their loss. We will take additional trips to REI. We have almost 50 members currently. That says a lot about our local business community.

Today in 2009, they say, “be careful”.

By the way: Jim coming home from the office who gave it to Betty, and then gave it Betty’s Mother. I couldn’t stop thinking that Jim went to a Bar in Creve Coeur and came home drunk. Betty’s Mom is also a drunken whore and gave it to everyone else. When you look at it that way, it’s a lot funnier.

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Happy Earth Day. Or whatever.

This year St. Jude has developed an Internet web site for each runner to raise money. Each participant can sign up on the St. Jude web site, and have their own web page. This page can take donations right from the web. So, since this St. Jude is branching out into the Internet to take donations, I am going to raise ALL my money needed to run ($3,000) off the net. ALL of it.

I have signed up for a Twitter account called stjuderunner. Believe it or not, didn’t see one other St. Jude twitter account. So far, I am the only one. I am using other Twitter accounts I have to get others to follow my stjuderunner account and spread the word with my web page as a link.

To raise $3,000 all of the Internet, I need everyone’s help. Please spread the word. I’m also using my facebook account. I will be putting an Instamapper GPS tracking app on my facebook page so everyone can track my progress as I run from Memphis to Peoria. I will also have it on scottjanz.com.

In the meantime:

Please help raise money for the Children of St. Jude.

Anyway, I went to the Garden of the Gods. Some really high rock formations and bluffs. Very scenic. Since the economy sucks, this would be a great place to go for the day, camp out at the camground, then head home the next day. It takes about 5 1/2 hours to get there. Not too bad if gas prices stay around $2.00 bucks a gallon this summer.

Lots of day hikes, or you can get couragous and stay in one of the many caves they have down there. One good one is about 3 miles east of the Garden of the Gods park, and it’s along the River to River Trail. They have 4 camp in caves with fire pits. Very cool.

Something to think about if you are planning a vacation this summer.

If felt like Winter lasted forever. Anyway, since Easter is this weekend, I think it’s fair to say, “Happy Spring”.

Now only if the Cubs can get to the World Series and win. It will be a great summer.

Beth, I was really rooting for you. Recount, shmecount. I say fight to all the way to the Supreme Court. Seems to be popular to do that now a days. We should have had Bill Daily (Chicago Mayor Daily’s brother) as your Campaign Manager. He did a good job for Al Gore?

I had a bad dream last night that Ms. Van Auken won re-election. Some one WAKE ME. Or, I’m living in the Matrix and Neo failed to defeat Smith. Who in this case reminds me of Barbara. “What does it all mean, why, why do you persist”? Ok, I have a killer Smith impression you would have to be here.

Congratulations to Laura Pettele who ran for a seat on District 150 School Board. Ok first question to Laura. Do I have to pay $2.000 bucks a year as part of my property taxes anymore to Dist. 150? I don’t even have a kid who goes there. Us bloggers have to hang tight man. C’mon!!! Your first proposal…”NO TAX BURDEN FOR SINGLE MEN WHO HAVEN’T SPAWNED A CHILD OUT OF WEDLOCK WHO KIDS DO NOT ATTEND A DISTRICT 150 SCHOOL”. Yes, no?

Oh, and we just got bent over with a brand new shinny tax increase with a ribbon on it. Congrats Peoria. I say our next development should be in a 90 story sky scrapper with 89 of the floors vacant, but the County moving in (cause they need this) on the 90th. Then they can raise, raise, raise our taxes even more. Oh, I forgot, the first 3 floors is a new parking deck for CAT.

Ok, headed out to Shawnee National Forest and the Garden of the Gods. Taking a friend of mine son on his first backpacking trip. NO, I’m not making him carry all the water.

The big discussion back then was to build or not to build the Peoria Civic Center. How to fund the Civic Center, and would it make money? Huge debate ran rapid across the city, but eventually a “temporary” HRA Tax was adopted and the Civic Center was built. A little over 20 years later, we spend another 30 million in a remodel project, we still pay the HRA Tax, and the Civic Center operates at a loss. The temporary tax that Peorians paid to have the original Civic Center built, is still being passed on to tax payers. It brings in (according to budget) 1.8 million. Today, in 2009 after the general public pays 3 times to enter the Civic Center. (1) Gate Fee, (2) Parking Fee (3) Tax on Food & Beverage. (Of course Business and Vistors Pay more: add the Hotel Tax) The Civic Centers projected 2009 budget will be at a loss of 3.3 million dollars. The budget complains of “unexpected utility charges”, for some of the short fall. Really?

2009: We are deciding to “Build the Block”, and once again being asked to fork over tax dollars to do it. This was a drastic change to the original plan to have the whole thing built on private funds. This tax is only to build it. NOT to operate it.

The proposed one-quarter of 1 percent increase (1/4%) would equal 25 cents on every $100 spent on select purchases. The tax would be assessed only when residents and visitors dine at Peoria County restaurants, stay in Peoria County hotels or purchase non-titled, non-food retail goods. Groceries, prescriptions, property and titled goods, such as vehicles, would not be taxed.Web Site

Hey, it’s only going to be assessed when you visit all the chain restaurants in our town. Oppps good by small/individual restaurant person. The joke on you is: We still have non-titled, non-food retail goods. Groceries, prescriptions, property and titled goods, such as vehicles to tax later. Yippie!

The Build the Block idea might be good intentions or wishful thinking on steroids. Every project that YOU have paid for one way or another i.e parking fees, food & beverage tax, property tax, on the River Front has lost money. Wasn’t the HRA tax for the funding of the Civic Center only suppose to be temporary? Mmmm, feel like someone pulled the wool over your eyes on THAT one. Yea, it’s because they did. The wool will be pulled over your eyes again if you think this one-quarter of 1 percent is the cure for all. When operating expenses get out of hand, (and they will, they always do), utility rates skyrocket, fuel prices go up, or general inflation goes up. (and it will because the FED is printing money we don’t have), what is going to be the Museums future?

I can tell you. We will pay, pay, pay, and pay. You will pay to get in, you will pay to eat, you will pay to park, you will pay to higher property tax, food and beverage tax, higher municipality tax, oh, and your cell phone bill….TAX. We are all paying those now, but those will all be targeted when “unexpected operating costs” go up, and we will pay even more.

Someone once told me, “if you don’t have the money, don’t buy it”. Last time I remember our economy wasn’t so hot. The City and the County must have billions saved in the bank for the “unknowns” in our economy so the Tax Payers won’t have future tax levy’s on them. Really?

Vote NO to the Referendum. Take a stand to higher taxes. WE are living in uncertain economic times. We need the small business to flourish, and not close it’s doors. We need jobs, and stability in our Markets. Do WE really need to pay for a Museum?

By the way, when you google “Bettendorf Museum” only 125,000 people have ever googled that.