Nothing but sad

I've gone through different stages:

outraged

disappointed

excited

ambivalent

mad

angry

argumentative



And now, I am just plain sad. I don't even really feel like arguing about it. I don't support the Olympics. That's all there is to it.



I never got a vote. I lived on Vancouver Island and only Vancouver was allowed to vote on the Olympic bid.



I have three major problems:

1. The redistribution of public money into private coffers

2. That we choose to spend so much public money on sport rather than healthcare, affordable housing, education (including post-secondary), the environment, and etc x 1 million

3. That the Olympics are just one big advertising party



The third issue is perhaps the least serious. To me, the Olympics have given up (if they ever had it) the right to claim that they are about sport and culture. Give me a break. If anyone believes that, then I really have nothing more to say to them because they are steeped in naivity. The Olympics lost all meaning for me when professionals became allowed to play in the marquee events (1992 US Dream Team for example). If it was amateur athletes playing for love of sport, then I would have more support for the Olympics. But seeing Venus Williams win a gold medal in tennis and hearing Donovan Bailey complaining that he didn't get enough sponsorship money after winning gold really turns me off.



Issue #2: Every time that a dollar is spent, it is at the expense of spending it on something else. If I buy a candy for $1 then I can't spend that same $1 on a lottery ticket. This is obvious. So by spending an estimated $6 billion on the Olympics (not counting the $1billion Canada Line, the $885 million convention centre and the $800 million Sea to Sky highway that is not being tolled) that is $6 billion that is not being spent elsewhere. When we are dealing with so many school closures, increased tuition prices, long wait times for surgical procedures, increasing homelessness and cuts to general social services one could ask: is spending money on sport really a good use of public funds? Is a contest to see who goes down the hill fastest more important than investing in our citizens?



Some contend that you have to spend money to make money. Think of this as a big advertising party. Plus some Vancouverites get to attend free concerts and go to not-so-free events. But this all leads very nicely into



Issue #1: Make money for who???? The City of Vancouver? The province of BC? The country of Canada? Working class citizens? Public services? Coke? McDonalds? The Bay? Vanoc? IOC? Pan Pacific?



Tourism is overrated. The majority of the jobs it produces are low paying. If the Olympics does bring more people to Vancouver then people who are losing high-paying, skilled, often union jobs can get a job for $12 an hour in a hotel or kitchen instead. Is this really what they are trying to sell us?



Yes, housing prices may increase, but so are property taxes. And even though prices increase, we are losing social services. And if I sell my current place, then I have to buy into an inflated market. Not positive unless you are A) moving to a different market altogether or B) have an investment property. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the majority of working class families and individuals do not own investment properties in the Lower Mainland.



I have also heard the claim that it will entice more immigrants to Vancouver. Last time I checked, Vancouver does not have trouble attracting immigrants. Our problem is that we often don't recognize the training they have and they are relegated to crappy jobs. Now, I'm not anti-immigrant. I'm exactly the opposite. But if the Olympics are just to attract new immigrants then I say we are all crazy.

This is just another excuse to use public funds to help private enterprise. And no, not local small businesses. Large corporations.

Anti-corporate? yes
Anti-Olympics? yes

It's not just me:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/feb/12/vancouver-winter-olympics-protests

Only one last comment: an educated population is the best investment you can make.