Well, this is a mighty auspicious accomplishment from Congressman and Gubernatorial-wannabe Crazy Pete Hoekstra. By throwing a hissy fit opposing moving Gitmo detainees to Standish, MI, he has officially chased possible jobs guarding Gitmo detainees to Illinois.
Check out how much the letter from Hillary and Bob Gates to Governor Quinn informing him formally the government is going to buy the prison at emphasizes how cooperative Illinois has been.
On November 12,2009, you wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Attorney General Eric Holder proposing that the Federal Government work with the State of Illinois to acquire the Thomson Correctional Center to house Federal inmates and a limited number of detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. We appreciate the leadership and assistance you and Senator Dick Durbin have provided during our evaluation of this proposal. We also would like to thank Thomson Village President Jerry “Duke” Hebeler and the people of Thomson and the surrounding region for their support and hospitality.
We write to inform you that the President has directed, with our unanimous support, that the Federal Government proceed with the acquisition of the facility in Thomson. Not only will this help address the urgent overcrowding problem at our nation’s Federal prisons, but it will also help achieve our goal of closing the detention center at Guantanamo in a timely, secure, and lawful manner.
[snip]
Federal officials also have consulted with local, county, and state law enforcement authorities to begin the process of identifying additional resources they may require to handle the increased population of Federal inmates and detainees. We are pleased that Illinois law enforcement authorities endorsed this plan in a letter to the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General dated December 2,2009. We also note that more than 30 villages, towns, cities, counties, chambers of commerce, and other community and business organizations have sent letters, approved resolutions, or otherwise expressed their support for this plan. We are greatly encouraged by this support, and we commit to working with local authorities closely as this process moves forward. [my emphasis]
You see, Crazy Pete? Not only did you ruin the opportunity to save jobs in Standish, MI, but you’ve made Michiganders look like cads by comparison.