by Carol Henrichs

Created on: September 21, 2009   Last Updated: September 24, 2009

For four decades, Governors and legislators in the state of Illinois have been trying to build a new airport in the cornfields about 40 miles south of Chicago. Long ago they zeroed in on a rural farming community near the small town of Peotone. The project became known as the Peotone Airport. It has also been named the South Suburban Airport to fuel claims that the project would benefit the poor south suburbs.

The initial proposal was a 23,000-acre mega airport that would dwarf one of the busiest airports in the world - O'Hare International Airport. Interestingly, the effort to build a new airport began largely in the communities surrounding O'Hare that claim they get no benefit from the Chicago-owned airport.

Those who support the construction of a new airport have dismissed the notion of growing food, even though it is one of Illinois' most lucrative economic endeavors. llinois is a leading farm income state with corn its main commodity. State leaders speak highly of their states' farm economy, but their actions view the corn and soybean fields in eastern Will County as merely expendable - vacant land ripe for development.

Most people in Illinois already view the project as dead in the water, since it no longer attracts headlines. But the state continues its behind-the-scenes efforts.

The people most affected, including the local governments of three of the surrounding communities and several adjacent townships and organizations, have resisted the development for more than two decades. There have been town and township resolutions, petitions, protests, and every other kind of statement the public can make - all to no avail.

Eastern Will County is sparsely populated. There isn't much the good folks of eastern Will County can offer the dealmakers who have designs on their land and farms. They have no bargaining chip to get what they want - or in this case - keep from getting what they don't want.

Instead, this politically-innocent region has fallen prey to Illinois' well-funded, long-entrenched political "pay-to-play" scheme. It is one that rewards supporters and contributors with lucrative jobs and contracts in return for campaign contributions and voting blocks that grease the way back to the public trough in every election cycle.

The irony is that despite what the people, the common sense answer is lost to a foe who spends their own money against them. Tens of millions of tax dollars have funded a multitude of government lobbyists who make regular

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