A letter appeared today in The Vancouver Sun from Dr. Tom Perry as follows:
"Is it ethical to proceed with spending more than $1 billion on security for the "Olympic family" or should we divert at least some of those dollars, police and military personnel and health workers to Haiti, where they could really make us proud to be Canadians?
I volunteer my share of Olympic tax dollars for Haiti, instead of Whistler. How about it, Prime Minister Harper and Premier Campbell?"
Dr. Perry is the former socialist Vancouver MLA that brought us the bicycle helmet law among other NDP annoyances. In his letter he can be seen arguing for the freedom to choose however, judging by his letter and past intrusive (albeit unenforceable) legislation, dictating how we dress to ride our bicycles, he clearly does not support freedom to choose for others beside himself.
You see the questions he should really be asking in his letter are: "Is it ethical to confiscate tax dollars to pay for a party?". Or, "Is it ethical to ask only Vancouver citizens in a vote whether they want the Olympics, only to go ahead and proceed anyway while expecting the rest of BC and Canada to pay?" Or maybe, "Is it ethical to confiscate money to pay for discretionary events, thereby reducing money available to devote to more important events... like helping the people of Haiti?".
He does not ask the above, rather he wants Canadians and BC'ers to divert his tax dollars being spent on the Olympics security to be spent in Haiti instead.
I don't get it. Presumably in the eyes of anti choice tax and spenders like Dr. Perry, Olympics security is a discretionary expense and not one of necessity.
Wrong...unless complete incompetence reigns over those responsible for Olympic security budgeting (admittedly a distinct possibility) and we have been misled, security is not discretionary.
However, the Olympics themselves were discretionary and if taxes were only imposed strictly for necessity, Dr. Perry and the rest of us would not have to pay for the Olympics. Therefore redirecting taxes from security would be a moot point and the Dr. would be free to take his money and send it where ever he wants. I wonder if he voted yes for the Olympics?
Ironically the outcome, of this "no choice" discretionary spending for a party which has been imposed on Dr. Perry and everybody else, has been and will be less choice in both where and how we spend money.
Haiti should be a wake up call in defining discretionary vs necessary.
I agree with you, sometime in the middle of the twentieth century, somehow it became ok to steal money from taxpayers for things other than basic health education and protection. And the response from the fat, apathetic albeit wealthy yuppie population is to just throw their arms up and say "oh well, what can you do?". It will be interesting to see what the younger crowd thinks of the boomers when they have to pay the bills in the future....
ReplyDeleteDear Sir:
ReplyDeleteI am not sure of whom was on the program... I missed the name but was glad to hear someone with some common sense on the subject.
I understand the frustration of those calling in as well, as I am one of those people who am constantly at odds with the government on driving and enforcement and who is on the road causing all the problems and ITS NOT mature aware speeding drivers that are causing problems on the highways, that are built for speed! The municipality and traffic police are writing tickets to the wrong drivers...speeders are easy and the only big money raiser for them. They are criminalizing the local hard working dad or mom going to work in the morning. They use these usually hard working individuals who are strapped for time and are always behind morons, like you said there is a dumming down of the mortorist. There are left turn lights now that are ridiculous, they are making the driving public like Mcdonalsd servers , where the server cannot count change ..the till tells them what to do.? Sir, 30% of drivers shouldnt be on the road, they can barely think , let alone drive. Then you get these idiots who drive from vancouver to chilliwack in the passing lane at 90, and wont move over.
People talking to their kids, or passenger, blocking driveways to gas stations, Left turners blocking rural roads from traffic getting by on one side causing backups for miles. People do not know how to use entrance lanes to the freeway, and cannot merge properly... They dont even signal properly..they signal after they're making the turn. Its sick. The new portmann bridge will be a bottleneck when they open because of the idiots on the road..it wont change. They are afraid to drive across the bridge and there will be five of them , one in each lane doing 60 in the rain with miles of traffic backed up behind them. If they have 2 people in their car and cant drive over 60 they think they have the right to be in the diamond lane?
Sir My family is 5 generations here in bc and not once has anyone in my family ever needed to phone the police for anything, we are all law abiding productive citizens, but when it comes to the road... i am a criminal because ...they catch me for speeding going down a hill and coming up the steep side on a farm road and they nail you for speeding. This is typical. Or the only place to pass on a single lane road the cop will be in that spot to nail you. Its nothing more then criminal on the municipality side...and road officers are now given the ok to take cars from people and make them walk.? Tell me whats the difference between mexico and here..they steal your car but here in Canada they just steel the money out of your pocket with a fine.. You may as well stay home , then go to work, its cheaper. We can all quit and go on welfare... Thankyou Garry