You have to eat every one of these boxes of cereal to actually have a nutritious breakfast.
It’s Tuesday, July 29, 2009.
Now, I’ll complete today’s time traveller cover-story by hitting you up with some current Edmonton news.
Alberta Taser guidelines expected to be amended this week
Mandel says Indy will make a profit by 2011
Cleanup of storm-felled trees likely by week’s end
Let me know if I missed something. I’m up early and apt to be sleepy.
I read “Mandel Says Indy Will Make a Profit” and immediately assumed that the Mandel in question was Howie Mandel speaking about his recent Capital Ex appearance.
Foolish me!
Or, even better, Howie Mandel is going to be in the next Indiana Jones movie and is trying to calm everyone’s fears it will bomb at the box office.
Does Howie Mandel play Shia LeBouef’s zany drunken uncle in the new Indiana Jones movie? Maybe he’s a crazy hippie or something…? Maybe they have to hide out from the Koreans by masquerading as hippies at ‘Oakstock’ & end up chilling with ‘Janet Jopler
and ‘Jamie Handricks’…?
So just to clarify, *STEPHEN* Mandel is proposing that the taxpayers cough up the dough to build permanent outdoor seating in a corner of the existing airport space in order to accomodate a niche, money-losing event. Sooooooo, we’re paying money every to keep the Indy afloat, and part of the solution is for us to pay MORE money to build outdoor seating that will be used once, *maybe* twice a year, in the hopes that this will help the Indy stop losing money… Am I correct so far? I’m paying money to build seating solely for an event that doesn’t benefit me in any way, in order for that event to stop losing money so that I don’t have to pay money to support it…
My head really hurts.
I pay taxes for schools I don’t send children to, subsidize buses I don’t ride, to build art galleries I’ll never visit, a horse track I don’t frequent, and maintain soccer fields I’ll never play on. It would be nice to have some of my tax dollars go to SOMETHING I like to do in this city.
And while I can’t comment specifically on a permanent Edmonton track, you’re correct in saying that there’d only be one or two major events each year. However, most of the other venues in North America have smaller events throughout the year and are utilized just about every weekend.
I just think our taxes would be more productively spent on, say, fixing roads and sidewalks, or building rec centres (without having to fall back on the P3 model) that large numbers of people can use year-round, as opposed to putting up covered bleachers that’ll sit empty for 350 days a year…
It sounds like the sole purpose of this plan is to ensure that a small group of businessmen/women don’t lose money on a single annual event. I don’t really see the “win” for the comunity as a whole.
I’m not by any means suggesting that the Indy should go away, but if it’s losing money, maybe it’s time they re-examine the business model, not run to the local government and ask every single person in Edmonton to subsidize their operation.
My car needs repairs; it doesn’t serve a very wide segment of Edmonton’s population, but the services it provides to that small group are invaluable. I can’t afford to fix it, mostly because of poor planning (I spent the money in my “Car Repair Jar” on beer) and some bad investments I made in other local businesses (VLTs). Every year, I pump $235,000 into the local economy (don’t ask me for specifics on how I came up with that figure, because I will only respond with vagaries and quickly change the subject); without my vehicle, it will be difficult for me to get to work, so difficult, in fact, that I will probably just quit my job, because, you know, laziness. That’s $235,000 that will no longer be going into the local economy!!! How many people/businesses will that put out of work!?!? Are you willing to take responsibility for people LOSING THEIR JOBS?!!? Here’s the thing: I need about $2000 to repair my car. If we divvy that up amongst everyone in the Greater Edmonton Area, that’s LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A CENT!!!! Surely, that’s a small price to pay to ensure that THE PEOPLE OF EDMONTON GET TO KEEP THEIR JOBS!!!!!!! If it turns out that A MERE QUARTER OF A CENT it too much for you people, then, fine I guess… I’ll just have to quit my job. SAYONARA, ALL THOSE JOBS!!! I bet the people of Calgary aren’t CHEAPSKATES! I bet they’d be more than happy to have my $235,000.
Play nice.
But to hit up the key points:
Yes, the Mayor wants to build permament grandstands, to save on the cost of erecting (heh) new ones each year.
Yes, taxpayers would be on the hook.
No, I won’t pay to fix your car.
Also…I wonder about the wisdom of building a race track (even for one event a year) right next to a potential new neighbourhood.
I also wonder about building anything for a racing league that can pull your race without a whole lot of notice, but I digress.