Pulling out of Games will save taxpayers billions

Despite the multitude of virtues from proponents of the Commonwealth Games the bottom line is the taxpayer would have footed the bill for the event.

Critics of the decision to pull out of the process claim Halifax will no longer be taken seriously in the future when such chances arise. There may be some merit to this argument, but as the estimated costs continued to skyrocket, people began to question the reasoning behind the need to be the host city. Initial cost estimates were pegged at $500 million, a number that quickly rose to $785 million.

The infrastructure alone would have cost hundreds of millions and the last figure available was around $1.7 billion. This brings back memories of the U.K.'s money pit known as the Millennium Dome. Cost estimates were nowhere near the actual cost Brits had to cough up. In the end, contractors are still trying to win the bid to tear the Dome down after public protest over the price, corruption and ensuing scandal plaguing the project from the start.

At a time when the agriculture industry is on the verge of complete collapse, farmers must be wondering where the money to fund sporting events comes from when food producers are unable to secure any financial help from any level of government. When the finance minister said there just isn't enough money to help out farmers and that unless federal funds appear quickly, the situation will only get worse.

We also seem to conveniently forget our children in all of this. Nova Scotia spends the least per capita in our country on its students, and the AVRSB the least in the province. Think how many books a billion bucks would buy. Our University students also have to foot the highest tuition bills in the land. A billion would be a nice nest egg to begin a grant system for potential students who would love a higher education, but who simply can't afford it. And lets not even get into our health, and how much new medical equipment all that Games cash would purchase....

There also seems to be an unlimited fund when it comes to renovating lavish mansions for our regal representatives as seen by the many “face lifts” given to the official residences, especially in the recent past.

The province's populace seemed unaware of the vast sums of tax dollars that are spent to keep members of the legislature in new leased vehicles. It is the only job, aside from top executive positions, where every expense is “looked after”. Government leased vehicles, and the credit cards that go with them, are just another example of where some of the province's tax dollars end up. Yet the province has the gall to cry poor when they have been spending like mad in the form of salary increases and luxury wherever members travel.

If so much as an inkling of interest such as that towards the Commonwealth Games were directed toward saving the agriculture sector and other related industries, placing the necessary importance on funding our children’s' education, and boosting health care, at least some hope may be restored to a province devastated by government incompetence and financial waste.

If MLAs want new cars, buy them like everyone else has to, especially considering the substantial salaries being paid to elected officials whose most common goal is getting re-elected at any price.

The next time a politician comes knocking at your door soliciting your vote, make a list of perks members receive and ask which they would forfeit if they were elected and where the excess money should be spent.