Well Truth Be Known, Our Country Canada Has Oodles Of Money For Whatever Comes Down The Pike....We are so blessed. Even if that blessing does not extend to our Children and our Children's Children.
Since it is not like we pay our way, heck Canada and its 10 Provinces have accumulated the highest debt in our country's young history... some $1.5 Trillion Dollars or approx. $40,000 per man, woman and child.
Not bad for a Country with a population of only 35 million.
And that dear reader does not include the various pension shortfalls!
Galagher we thought today's Blog was about Ottawa's Main Library?
Oh right - I was simply setting the stage for why we in Canada continue to dig ourselves further and further into debt, and am using the construction of the Taj Mahal Library as an example of a needless expenditure. Indeed, such edifices are a relic of the last century but plans continue to build one in downtown Ottawa. The last estimate I could find was just shy of $170 Million which you and I know will exceed well over $200 Million by the time shovels break ground.
True many Baby Boomers still rely on hard-copy books but those coming after, have transferred en mass to electronic versions. But for us Baby Boomers there is still a workable Library Infrastructure in place - why Ottawa alone has well in excess of 30 Branch Libraries. They too can be expected to downsize and eventually disappear as the last of us Boomers go one to our rewards.
So why then the Taj Mahal...other than for the fact that money is never an object when it comes to government spending.
The best explanation was given by the City Councillor in charge of Libraries who readily admitted on radio that it was not needed for books anymore as they are becoming more and more passe. Rather, it was because other major cities have Taj-Mahal like edifices housing their Central Libraries. I guess that is the 'keeping up with the Jones argument'. The other reason he gave was the need for such a building to accommodate the needs of refugees and immigrants...a meeting place if you like. Silly me, I had thought that was one of the main purposes for Community Halls.
On the radio today a big discussion took place around another growing use for Libraries and that pertains to freely accessing porn...even young children are not prevented from viewing it. It used to be the neighbourhood pervert skulked around to do his nefarious deeds, now he can go to the nearest Library and work his ill as a respected patron. Unbelievable but True. And you and I are paying for it.
So in the future when you see more money spent on initiatives such as the Paris Accord or on Green Energy fiascoes, think about our spanking new but totally unneeded Central Library.
And speaking of wasting money.
On the front page of one of Canada's national newspapers today is an article about a small tribe in Southern Ontario population 368... spending $546,000 Canadian Tax Dollars on a Pow Wow. Included in the article was reference to the Chief contracting to have her son video the event in return for $190,000. Not a bad pay day even for our Governments' low standards.
But I have to think that if I was native and had to sit through a Pow Wow I'd want ample liquid refreshment close at hand too.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
