Thursday, February 16, 2012

Here's The Thing

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Rental Revenue Is A Mirage":

Sorry, Matt, they are really really nasty which I think indicates that they might be feeling the heat. All pretense at co-operation has flown out the window. But none of us believed in any of that hooey in the first place. Threaten a nest of any species and you can expect trouble. It is a trifle ironic that this emerges from a place billed as a 'cultural' centre.
It was likely your excellent letter to the Auroran that drew their attention and there appears to be a habit of attacking facts with venom.
.Sprite

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

Matt  Maddock's letter to the editor was thoughtful, civil and well organised.  I think it deserved a at least a civil response. We know there's  more than one side of looking at things.

Elected representatives can  hear and consider all sides but they don't have the luxury of switching back and forth. Comes a point when a  decision has to be made. The only guarantee is, it won't please everybody.

My concern is the amount of money we  shovel out of the treasury into the culture centre'scoffers. No matter how much revenue is generated, they still get  a huge amount from the town withan increase every year, no responsibility for maintaining the facility and no rent to pay.

There isn't another facility in the town served like that. Every program user, cultural  and recreational, pays a fee. Serious effort is made towards equity among users.

The Culture Centre  situation cannot  be sustained.

We are in the process of passing a budget with a hefty increase in taxes. Money and service in kind the Culture Centre receives amounts  to more than 2% points in the tax rate. Add $50,000 for the Arboretum and $50,000 to the Historical Society without a town  museum,  twenty- thousand here and twenty- five there and we have tax bill that  I do not believe  can  be justified.

Council is being inundated with e-mails. One from a Whitby couple who  believe the town  should support the program. We assume they mean from taxation. 

They are all full of praise for the concept. Nary a one expresses a willingness  to pay whatever it costs.

Parents pay more than a hundred dollars a year for a child to play soccer Hockey I think costs twice as much. Then there's the expense to equip a youngster. Figure skating costs a fortune.

People make sacrifices to give their children the opportunity. Not just financial but in time as well.

Why would people who crave culture not expect to do the same?

If a senior, having a hard time holding on to their only asset, after a lifetime of working to provide for a family, who would anyone expect them to be thrilled to be spending  more than half their income on shelter , going without other things, and expected to pay for someone else's idea of culture?

Yes, culture  nice to have it. And yes you should be prepared to pay whatever it costs.

If it matters that much to you, you make the sacrifice.

I don't want to sound like a nagging mother. But I also think just because you are anonymous,you shouldn't forget your manners. You don't have to be  nauseatingly sweet. There's fun in  fencing with words. I do it all the time.

No comments:

Post a Comment