Quote:
Originally Posted by The Cobra
This is generally a good letter, well done, although I can't say I agree with all of it.
Regarding reduced price tickets (or even free ones) for the less fortunate will never fly. The argument would be that those less fortunate aren't getting the benefit of the City spent money, but those people for the most part aren't paying property taxes anyway, and aren't contributing to the City money anyway.
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Also, the less fortunate tend to be the primary beneficiaries of most publicly funded projects, buildings, and whatnot. That is their nature. And that is as it should be.
But not every single public dollar needs to go to the most unfortunate - it's okay to have some things that benefit everyone else too. It's okay to have some things that make your city better, and more enjoyable to live in. Those things benefit everyone, whether you participate personally or not.
Also, the net cost to the city, with this deal, is very close to zero (it will depend on revenues that will likely be better than the conservative projections used). A subsidy that is nothing, or close to nothing, for an event centre that improves the lives of all Calgarians, seems like money well spent to me.