"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Tuesday 18 August 2015

WHEEEEEE

It's as if I stopped pedalling and the bike kept careening on down,picking up speed . I stopped writing....the blog kept going.

Except I had to moderate the comments. 

The Blog is political and not impartial. I do not support re-election of the current government nor publish comments that support same. 

Last night a headline noted a new plank in the platform. To spend billions to increase Defence spending by recruiting  30,000  additional armed force members. 

When the old drill shed  was returned to the town,a DND sign on the property encouraged young people to sign up for an exciting life-style. 
 
Fourteen thousand young walking wounded veterans of current campaigns are enduring  trauma from that exciting  life style. Jobs promised  at the end of tour of duty are not forthcoming. 

If attention was paid to the succession of caskets passing under the bridge over the Highway  of Heroes and the additional  thousands of walking wounded, why would anyone volunteer for Harper's Hostiles? 

Who is likely to respond to this call to glory?   

Young people with feet already firmly planted on an alternate  career path to financial success? 

Not likely.

It will be as it always has been; unemployed youth with little in their future,others with a taste for violence and few with any sense of what is expected of them. 

Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien won his last election strictly on the  decision Canada would not join the British and American expedition in Iraq. 

The current Prime Minister has picked a side in the Russia/Ukraine dispute and is prepared to send young Canadians into harm's way so that he can look strong and mighty and pick up votes along the same way. 

For me, that's the clincher. That's the cold,cruel deception. 

The blog will not be used to promote  re-election of the current Prime Minister.

*************

The Culture Centre is in focus again. 

Cost is significant. Financial support, maintenance costs for the building. Money going out,nothing coming in amounts to outlay of close to a million. It amounts to 3 points in the tax rate.

That's not small potatoes . 

Council has authority to set the level of support .They have chosen to maintain the facility in the style to which it has become accustomed. 

Why should they aim for  self-sufficiency? 

It's not the message received from this or the previous administration. 

Despite initial professional advice on how to prevent the facility from becoming a burden on taxpayers, a burden is exactly what it has become. With little to show.

Unless one counts the steady procession at the podium with endless demands for hand-outs to serve this or that  special interest. Whether it's buying unneeded land ,giving away free space or relieving friends of development charge payments.,

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know the writing is on the wall to at least cut the Centre back when councillors muse on mic that they do not want any other outfit to be funded in the same manner. It was a close call with the last budget. And I am sure the next one will be in trouble too - that group at the table are bound to over-spend again imo.

Anonymous said...

Good decision on the election - no one is listening to that man anyhow

Apples to Apples said...

Maintenance costs are incurred irrespective of the building's purpose. When discussing the cost to the Town of the Cultural Centre, please confine it to the dollar total of the grant re: the Cultural Services Agreement. (approx. $350K).

Anonymous said...

18:10
That is not quite accurate. If the premises, or portions of it, were rented out, those using the facility might handle their own maintenance. It seem ludicrous that the healthy patrons of the Centre are unable to shovel their own snow.

Anonymous said...

You mean the same councillors who are anxious to establish a Cultural Precinct in the heritage heart of town?

What we do know is that your bias clouds your vision, so any writing you see on the proverbial wall can't be trusted.

Anonymous said...

17:34- People are listening to everyone, its just too bad the others are not saying anything that I want to hear. Every election is the same BS by all.

Anonymous said...

It is completely accurate, 19:36. It's a municipally-owned building, so the Town is responsible for its maintenance. This is the reality, not some hypothetical scenario that suits your prejudice.

What is truly ludicrous is your last sentence.

Anonymous said...

Fact is the way the building was hijacked.

Anonymous said...

21:49
Yeah, I can see where shovelling your own snow would strike you as amusing. I just figured it would pass the time when the rooms are empty and the parking lot vacant except for staff and volunteers' cars.

Anonymous said...

21:49 - Your correct. The Town was stupid enough to make that deal with the SCC, the Town is going to have to honor it. Although....They can cut the SCC off at the knees when it comes to the money that they hand over every year. And I'm hoping that they do in the next budget. You would think that a group like this can show some sign of being grateful or being somewhat a little self sufficient. But I'm sure they or the Town would have some lame excuses about insurance or liability issues.

Anonymous said...

Come on 21:49 don't you know that renters (leasers) do the maintenance. That is why everyone in the apartment buidlings in Aurora have their own snow shovels and tool boxes to fix the heating systems.

Anonymous said...

Three individuals at that table are responsible for the on-going angst. I do not expect them to do anything different unless it really gets uncomfortable for them. But I think they might make it difficult themselves due to the spending pattern we have seen.

Anonymous said...

@10:53
The Centre do NOT rent nor lease.
Your comment illustrates why people can get irritated at that group. It would never cross your furry little minds to do some of the maintenance yourselves and help the town out.

Anonymous said...

The Cultural Centre is neither a renter nor a lessee (it's also definitely not a leaser). It provides a contracted service for the town (note the lower-case 't') in a Town-owned facility (that, as a matter of "fact," was never "hijacked").

You handful of haters need to get past the whole 'us versus them' factionalism that is fostered here - it doesn't apply. Close-mindedness means that you keep getting the wrong end of the stick. Of course, as stated elsewhere, some of you will never "get it."

Anonymous said...

7:51
Oh the drama of it all.... Hijacked? Really?

You should go audition at the theatre on Henderson. They are going to be doing "Harvey", you would make an excellent invisible rabbit.

Anonymous said...

13:45
Right - anyone who believes the Centre receives too much money in addition to the use of the building is a " hater "
And all those commenting are fostering factionalism ?
Who has the wrong end of the stick if only one or two characters does not " get it " ?

Anonymous said...

Auroran

Anonymous said...

This blog is about preaching to the choir, 15:04 (hmm, or is it more of a barbershop quartet?). How many differing views do you expect to find here?

For those that like analogies; it's like sharing a picnic table at Ribfest with a vegetarian.

Anonymous said...

23:05- Well when it comes to the SCC...there are 2. How many more should there be? Evelyn posts both. I haven't heard one thing from the Town or the SCC about the duplicated services from the Town's programs and the private businesses. If the Town competed with my small business in this Town I would be absolutely furious. How would you feel?

Anonymous said...

23:05 There is a modicum of sympathy for the Centre. It must be difficult to realize that one's group is redundant and actually bad for other town services.

Anonymous said...

7:29
Are you entirely sure that your perception of "duplicated" services is in fact real?

Just because you think they are duplicate, the Town or ACC may not.

Since You Asked said...

"How would you feel?"

As you're a hater, 07:29, it wouldn't bother me in the least if your small business got smaller. *winks*

Anonymous said...

The Town obviously doesn't think so, 07:44. They know that they couldn't provide the same services for that amount of money. Please try to see past the hate.

Anonymous said...

Now who has blinders on? Are you saying they're not? Oh my...this problem is bigger than I thought.

Anonymous said...

I have a small business here in Aurora. Thank goodness it does not provide these types of services. Although I do know businesses that are, and are not happy. If the Town invested the time and the amount of money and resources to help small businesses in this Town as much as they do at this center, this cultural industry would be thriving in this Town. I will never support this center. I do support and will continue to support cultural services to those private businesses only.

I Hate to Break It To You said...

"I will never support this center (sic)."

Pssst, you already do.