Redford's Heading to London--for $83 800
It was on the front page of the Edmonton Sun as I walked by it and I decided to have a look online to find out more about it: Redford heading to London at a cost of $83 800.
That's a lot of money.
I was relieved to find out that it's not just for her: 2 ministers and 3 staff members. Except... 5 days and nearly $84 000? That's $14 000 per person for a 5-day trip! Let's say it's $3000 return (with all the taxes and whatnot) for the flights (and that was one of the more expensive flights), and London's expensive and it's the Olympics and they are government, so let's be generous: the Savoy is about $400 per night, so let's say $500 per night per person with the hotel taxes--if they are staying 6 nights, which can happen with 5-day trips, that's $3000. So, $6000 for flight and accommodation together for one person, leaving $8000 for transportation and food??? Are you kidding me? That's $48 000 for 6 people to eat and get around London for 5 days?
She says she's going there to promote Alberta, encourage investment, tourism, things like that. It will be 5 days of meetings, Redford says. (And it's going to cost her $14000??) If other Premiers were doing the same sort of thing, I'd say, well, okay, maybe. As far as I can find, they're not. And if they were, I'd still question a government that laid out a budget, then called an election and started making spending promises like crazy, and then adds on such an expense.
I find myself feeling so very frustrated over and over with this government. Well, governments in general. I think they should all take some financial management lessons. They keep creating larger and larger deficits with questionable spending activities. Activities they say will bring back money. But really, they don't know that. They're gambling with our money in many cases or just frivolously using it up. And in immeasurable ways. We will never really know if this trip is going to pay off in any way, shape or form. Nobody is going to visit Alberta and let us know that they came because someone from their country attended the Olympics session.
People are going to the Olympics for the games, not some session the federal government has decided to host. I see no reason why Redford needs to be there with 5 other people at the cost of $14 000 per person. I thought maybe I was missing something, but the Canadian Taxpayers Federation feels the same. If they could cut the costs, I might not feel so outraged. As it stands, it looks to me like they are paying possibly twice as much as they need to.
Licia Corbella thinks we are being petty if we think it's ridiculous for Redford to go on this trip at that price. She seems to think that the government is paying for 17 artists to go, too, though. It's not true, but if they were I would say, "Excuse me???" Why should the Alberta government pay for 17 artists to go to the Olympics?? And if they are in a separate expense... She thinks we should be upset if Alberta weren't there. Except, like I said, no other Premier is going for this reason, as far as I can find. Albertans have every right to be upset at yet more spending by a spend-happyregime government. What I find even more bizarre with her article is that she lauded Scott Hennig's work for the Canadian Tax Payer Federation, yet seems to think he's "spoken too reflexively" in this case (what is that supposed to mean exactly? "speaking reflexively means to speak while reflecting on yourself). How about if he's been fairly accurate in the past, we consider the possibility that he's right about this?
I've read some neutral articles and read articles on both sides and I'm still finding myself very annoyed that the Alberta government is doing this. They seem to be like so many in our society today who have a thought come to their heads and they don't even think to question whether it's a bad idea or how it will impact others. They take the thought and move on ahead with it. Then when there's opposition, they defend themselves, surprised that anybody would object and refuse to consider that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to begin with.
That's a lot of money.
I was relieved to find out that it's not just for her: 2 ministers and 3 staff members. Except... 5 days and nearly $84 000? That's $14 000 per person for a 5-day trip! Let's say it's $3000 return (with all the taxes and whatnot) for the flights (and that was one of the more expensive flights), and London's expensive and it's the Olympics and they are government, so let's be generous: the Savoy is about $400 per night, so let's say $500 per night per person with the hotel taxes--if they are staying 6 nights, which can happen with 5-day trips, that's $3000. So, $6000 for flight and accommodation together for one person, leaving $8000 for transportation and food??? Are you kidding me? That's $48 000 for 6 people to eat and get around London for 5 days?
She says she's going there to promote Alberta, encourage investment, tourism, things like that. It will be 5 days of meetings, Redford says. (And it's going to cost her $14000??) If other Premiers were doing the same sort of thing, I'd say, well, okay, maybe. As far as I can find, they're not. And if they were, I'd still question a government that laid out a budget, then called an election and started making spending promises like crazy, and then adds on such an expense.
I find myself feeling so very frustrated over and over with this government. Well, governments in general. I think they should all take some financial management lessons. They keep creating larger and larger deficits with questionable spending activities. Activities they say will bring back money. But really, they don't know that. They're gambling with our money in many cases or just frivolously using it up. And in immeasurable ways. We will never really know if this trip is going to pay off in any way, shape or form. Nobody is going to visit Alberta and let us know that they came because someone from their country attended the Olympics session.
People are going to the Olympics for the games, not some session the federal government has decided to host. I see no reason why Redford needs to be there with 5 other people at the cost of $14 000 per person. I thought maybe I was missing something, but the Canadian Taxpayers Federation feels the same. If they could cut the costs, I might not feel so outraged. As it stands, it looks to me like they are paying possibly twice as much as they need to.
Licia Corbella thinks we are being petty if we think it's ridiculous for Redford to go on this trip at that price. She seems to think that the government is paying for 17 artists to go, too, though. It's not true, but if they were I would say, "Excuse me???" Why should the Alberta government pay for 17 artists to go to the Olympics?? And if they are in a separate expense... She thinks we should be upset if Alberta weren't there. Except, like I said, no other Premier is going for this reason, as far as I can find. Albertans have every right to be upset at yet more spending by a spend-happy
I've read some neutral articles and read articles on both sides and I'm still finding myself very annoyed that the Alberta government is doing this. They seem to be like so many in our society today who have a thought come to their heads and they don't even think to question whether it's a bad idea or how it will impact others. They take the thought and move on ahead with it. Then when there's opposition, they defend themselves, surprised that anybody would object and refuse to consider that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to begin with.
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