Finally,I Get To Say

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Dragon Is Smouldering":

8:25 PM
You can have a look right here in Aurora. The Bellamy Inquiry identified ' donations to charitable events sponsored by PUBLIC OFFICE HOLDERS as ' problematic
corporate benefits' because they ' erode public trust'. If
Ballard's Ranger Gala solicitation of donations for the auction and flogging tickets to corporations such as Magna doesn't break the rules, show me why not.

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This is reflects another one of those changes that happened over the years that is definitely not a change for the better.

Time was when the tax collecting bodykept itself separate from the voluntary fundraising community.

The United Appeal was the classic example.With one hand,they solicited voluntary donations in the community. With the other, they regularly appeared before Councils and requested contributions out of tax revenues.They didn't get it.

They asked for employees to be encouraged to have automatic deductions from salaries. They didn't get that either.

It was an example of double-dipping in the clearest of terms. The aggressive nature of the United Appeal was not lost on the community.

In those days, we had few developers,consultants,big legal firms, road builders etc. to be coerced into contributing to fundraisers.

I have never felt comfortable with the decision-makers asking for contributions from companies likely to be affected by the decisions.

The practice is widespread. It doesn't stand up to the test.

A voluntary group fund-raising for a particular project and having no influence on decisions to be made is different.

A corporation deciding of their own will to provide
financial support for a project is something else.

In my view, there is an inescapable element of coercion when politicians do it. And an inescapable expectation of favourable consideration on the part of the contributor.

There, I am glad to have had the opportunity to say that finally without it sounding like a gratuitous attack on a colleague.