Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
This is why most things aren't put to a vote - most things would be voted down. The recent Olympics are one example, but it's largely true. Had they had a vote for the music center or the new library, would they have passed? If they had a vote for a stretch of highway, or a train #cough#lrt, would they pass?
The bottom line is that the majority of people don't use most things. And if you ask them to vote, they'll only vote for things that they want. And then nothing gets built.
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All true. A big thing to distinguish is the barrier to entry for each item. Roads, libraries, bridges, and transit are totally accessible.
Music Centre, rec centres, convention centres, Stampede, etc. have a modest barrier to entry and may not always be totally available to everyone.
One could argue that Hitmen and Roughnecks tix have some tix that are modestly priced, but neither actually require a $500M+ building to function.
Then there are things like say the airport - pretty substantial barrier to entry, but the downstream benefits are massive and more quantifiable.