Cape's handling of Business Park

As a child, I remember Mom had a weekly amount allocated for groceries, gas and any other minor expenses that may occur during the week. Anytime my brothers, sister or I asked to spend money on something that wasn't in the budget for that week, Mom would say: Let's look at what we have left in the "cookie jar" (weekly allowance) to see if we can afford it. This practice worked well for the Hill family and kept us from overextending ourselves financially.

Since we have moved primarily to a "cashless" society, it's a little more difficult to look in the "cookie jar" to determine if we can afford an expenditure. Credit cards, debit cards, lines of credit and loans make it simpler to spend money. Sometimes, even money we don't have!

In my opinion, our past city leaders should never have purchased the land for the Greater Cape Girardeau Business Park. The city might have been able to afford the annual payment for the land using casino funds, but revenue was not available to develop the infrastructure of the park in a reasonable amount of time. Long-term projects require long-term funding.

This shortsightedness caused the city to lose a substantial amount of money on this project.

Hopefully, in the future, when our city leaders are considering a long-term project that will require long-term funding, they will look in the "cookie jar" to determine if we can afford it. This would be a wise move that would benefit all of us.

GARY HILL, Cape Girardeau