This morning, there is a reasoned and well considered communication to the Mayor and Council questioning the town's $5 k 'sponsorship" to the commercial Jazz Festival to be held in the park.
On the first Tuesday when the presentation was made seeking funds, there were more questions than answers from the Mayor and Council. It looked to me money would not likely be handed over without the correct answers for the third year in a row.
On the second Tuesday, the tune had changed and a decision was made to hand over $5K of taxpayers' hard earned money. In Councillor Gallo's words "I am an arts lover" and Heigh Ho,away we go and deep down into our pockets went the greedy grasping hands.
There had been no meeting between the Tuesdays. No intervening public discussion to suggest a reason for the change.It was like the night the Town Hall address was changed. And many another night that followed.
With as few as five votes in hand, there was never a need to offer a sensible reason.. Doing it in public appeared to be sufficient. "Close your eyes and think of England"
I hear it is a lengthy and expensive business, requiring legal assistance, to create a foundation .
I know it was the case when the Seniors created one when their new facility was built.But once a foundation is in place, receipts can be given for charitable donations , records must be kept and taxes filed.
It's not hard for an organisation to become non-profitable. Simply hire enough bodies. pay exorbitant salaries and provide generous expense allowances. Presto...the deed is done.
We regularly read in the media of gigantic scams of millions of dollars with a single family living high on the hog; million dollar mansions homes, several of them, boats ,planes and Riviera vacations. All paid for with charitable donations from gullible and generous Canadians with barely a penny going astray from the pockets of the scam artist.
And we think; how do these people get away with that. The answer is almost always, they not only get away with it.... they are enabled.
So if you object to money being taken from your pocket for a questionable purpose, I suggest you follow the example of this morning's communicator. Let your Mayor and Council know how you
object. It can be civil .It can be emphatic.It can be effective.
Sunday, 27 February 2011
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3 comments:
I am a cat lover. Can I have $5K and free use of the park to put on a cat show? Does being a lover of something mean that the town hands out money to you? My mind is still boggled from Tuesday's meeting over this AFA jazz festival crap.
"I hear it is a lengthy and expensive business, requiring legal assistance, to create a foundation ."
I wonder if some of the legal fees paid for a lawyer to advise or help how to set up a foundation so that the St. Kitts festival could continue with the assistance of town money.
Anything like that show up on the books, councillor Buck?
Evelyn - please keep up the good fight.
In my world, and I have been around for quite a few years, I have found musicians to be loosely divided into two groups.
Those who have made it and give freely of their time and talent - and the BOTTOM FEEDERS.
Unfortunately, I have watched the bottom feeders right in my own family group. And here I sit letting them get away with it because they are not taking from MY back pocket.
THEY GET A GRANT FROM THEIR CITY COUNCIL. THEY HAVE TRILLIUM GRANTS. THEY ARE ALWAYS AFTER THE MERCHANTS.
Through, unsupervised, ticket sales - they hire their other bottom feeder friends. They take their bottom feeder friends on international trips while the rest of the band has to pay their own way - they have an "event" in their city park and yet more money is given. They sell booze and food, and their big thrill is that they have a weekend party all laid on by their city. They brag about this behaviour - and year after year - BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE for their public funds - they get away with it.
If we give any group cash I want IT TO BE TO A NEEDY GROUP AND NOT A GREEDY GROUP and to be able to see a full accounting of how the money is spent.
JB
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