Published: June 22, 2010 5:00 PM
Everybody wants something. The arts groups want their own space in which to work and exhibit. The musicians want space in which to rehearse and hold small concerts. Some say the volunteers in Sooke should have their own office from which they can send out people to help where help is needed.
All of this sounds absolutely amazing but where is the money going to come from? Some say government grants, others say opt for fund raising. Government funding is not sustainable and a business plan should be crucial to any enterprise which uses taxpayers money, whatever purse it comes out of. Personally, I think the public’s pockets are picked clean and there is no more disposable income for very many of us. We have ever increasing property taxes and the HST is due to steal what’s left come July 1. Add to that “fixed” incomes both in pensions and in the work place.
Sure, discussion at the ArtsWave public input meetings centered around a wish list, but some got the distinct feeling that what was said was going to become gospel and be used as a reason for moving forward on an expensive multi-purpose centre. I sure hope this is not the case for that particular survey or the other one being filled out in regard to a volunteer bureau. These are good ideas but this is not the time to dangle those kind of carrots in front of a population reeling from a new tax and a new financial reality. I’m betting they will not support another form of bureaucracy, even as well-intentioned as it is. I don’t mean to rain on the parade, but let’s not get carried away with planning big, new buildings, let’s focus on what we can do with what we already have. This goes for the idea of a new municipal hall as well.
The government is giving out grants but they are for job creation not for capital projects. Most of the grants which previously went for arts and sports funding are now going to support kids’ programs, not adult programs.
Volunteers are being asked to do more and more to make our life a little rosier and government is doing more and more to make our lives just a little dimmer. They have shifted the responsibility onto you and me while shirking theirs.
People come out to volunteer for things they are interested in, and they do it because they want to be a part of making things happen. They don’t necessarily do it for recognition and they never expect to be paid and I suspect if someone were to get paid to do what others did before for free, there would be a lot of hurt feelings out there. A lot of people would say, ‘why bother.’ It’s a touchy subject and one that needs to be handled with the proverbial kid gloves. As for a volunteer bureau, it’s a good idea but the timing is off.
Taxpayer money is being squandered on events like the G8/G20 Summit. Not that what is discussed isn’t important, but wouldn’t a conference call suffice? That’s what the rest of us are expected to do. It is infuriating when there is one rule for us lackeys and another for those in positions of power. Do they all have to fly in on their personal airliners with an entourage that would make a rap star green with envy. A billion dollars would go a long way to feeding hungry Canadian children or helping a single parent cope. Never mind what it could do for seniors or the handicapped.
Life as we know it is changing, at least for us plebeians, but those in positions of power don’t feel any of it. They seem to be immune to the real issues real people have to face on a day to day level. That goes for all levels of government. We continue to be the cash cow for those who say they represent us.
A recent radio show highlighted the fact that unbridled spending is the worst at the municipal level in most communities. There doesn’t seem to be anyone looking at where the money is going or how the ever-poorer taxpayers benefit. Rising taxes are driving people out of their homes and businesses and there is no relief in sight — and there should be.
This may sound negative but it is meant to raise questions, although no answers are in sight.
