The Olympics are long over....the cost of security for that event originally was estimated at $400 million dollars. It went a tad over budget.... $1 billion dollars!!!! And who foots the bill.....taxpayers. Now having family members who were involved in the security and knowing what they did....I don't know who got the money cause they didn't. Well most of them didn't.
Now Canada is hosting the G8 and G20 Summit in June. The original estimate for this 4 day event ..... "The costs were original estimated at 179 million Canadian dollars, but an additional 654 million Canadian dollars was requested Tuesday, for a total of 833 million Canadian dollars (780 million US)." I am not sure how they can justify a $654 million dollar increase? Isn't there something wrong with that? Who does their budgeting? That person or persons should lose their jobs instantly! I realize that it is not the 4 day event itself where the costs are incurred, it's the whole preparation for such an event. However, come on a $654 million over budget give me a break!
I ask you, if you were to run your household budget like that you wouldn't have a home now would you. The banks and collectors would take everything you had and then some. Your credit rating would plummet. So why is it ok for our government to so poorly plan and estimate expenditures and then expect by just a stroke of a pen they will get the funds they need or want?
It's just not right. I think someone should lose their job over this one! Yes national security is important. That is not my issue here. My issue is some high paying bureaucrat has so poorly budgeted and mismanaged the security funding for this event, and we as the tax payer have to foot the bill.
This brings other points to mind. Why does there always seem to be funds available for events such as this, but we have to close schools, hospitals, and shut down public services. Our provincial government is imposing yet another tax July 1 it's called the Harmonized Sales Tax or HST for short. I wonder who came up with that name. I mean really "Harmonized" what that heck is that? There is nothing "Harmonious" about another tax. This tax was suppose to replace a provincial tax....well guess what....I just got a bill yesterday and they charged me the PST, GST and the HST(which as I said doesn't come into effect until July 1st). So I am paying more taxes while my government is cutting services all over the place.
Back to the over budget security costs for the G8 and G20 Summit in Toronto. Who is being held accountable, why is this allowed to happen? If I saw one positive thing come out of these summits I would support them 100%. But nothing ever does. It's just a bunch of highly overpaid suits rubbing elbows smiling and shaking hands, and enjoying high end meals and sipping on fancy wines and libations.
Yup it just all seems so odd to me. I pay my taxes, I work hard and and I get penalized by being effiecient with my funds while the government can go over budget and no one ever holds them accountable.....Things that make you go Hmmmmmm.
9 comments:
There is more than just a tad of irony in this post -what with the people who are doing the budgeting and number crunching stuff are deemed to be the experts in their fields too, ya know. Kind of scary thinking of that isn't it?
I've always said that more women should be in those type of budgeting and staying within budget positions cause the majority of us are the ones responsible for keeping a household budget on tract aren't we? You want a job done right, get a woman to do it! Just a thought but maybe one whose time has come!
I hear ya! That same kind of thing goes on here in the US all the time.
I really don't understand how those of us who keep our household budgets in line, should not expect the government of any municipality to do the same! Kudo's to you, my friend!
It the same here our politition have no common sense here. But I never heard of harmonized sale tax so I'm going to google it.
I vote in our primary yesterday let me say I felt like when I vote I had to try to keep the nuts out but my choices I had was not all that great.
Coffee is on.
Lorne may be going to Toronto as a security manager for the summits and his air/hotel/meals will probably be paid for plus he'll get a salary. But as you mentioned in your post, I wonder just who is getting the BIG bucks because it won't be him. Plus he'll be working 14-16 hour days and will need a few weeks to recover from it all - just like when he did the Olympics!
That is beyond my ability to comprehend. You always do such a good job of writing about topical issues.
Like you I am getting sick and tired of the never ending taxes. The last 3 years in particular it seems I am paying nothing but taxes. When does it stop. I can't seem to catch up. While our fat cats wine and dine, we middle classes are squeezed out of house and home. I signed the petition against the HST. I am glad to see over half a million people did. I hope our premier begins to listen because he seems to be very hard of hearing on this matter. As for the person/s who budgetted for the G8, I agree they should be canned. That kind of over run should not be allowed in government when it isn't possible in ordinary households.
Yup it just all seems so odd to me. I pay my taxes, I work hard and and I get penalized by being effiecient with my funds while the government can go over budget and no one ever holds them accountable.....Things that make you go Hmmmmmm.
It's just the same here! :(
You could have been writing about things that are shameful right here in Australia. Our little primary school is having a huge gymnasium built as part of a "Stimulus" package. Good idea??? There are only 6 children at the school and the gymnasium is big enough for 60.Yet a young lad admitted to hospital with appendicitis waited 30 hours on a trolley because there was not enough beds.
Not looking forward to HST. They say it is good for businesses, but I don't see anything good for ours, just more paperwork. And as an individual paying more for the things I need isn't a fun prospect. I read in a article that if the current petition campaign does result in a referendum, it won't happen until September 2011. - Margy
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