TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2010

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"No home should ever be on any hill or on anything. It should be of the hill, belonging to it, so hill and house could live together each the happier for the other."

- Frank Lloyd Wright
"An Autobiography" {1932}


Frank Lloyd Wright, the great American architect and designer, was born in Wisconsin on this day in 1867. One of his masterpieces is the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.


RANT OF THE DAY

Taxpayers are going to have to fork out 1 billion dollars to pay the security bill for the G20 Summit in Toronto. As far as I am concerned, this is outrageous and obscene. With all the technology available today, there has to be a better way for politicians to exchange ideas. Yes, I know we can't risk any harm coming to a world leaders. Yes, I realize that in a post-9/11 world, the cost of security is high. Yes, I am aware that leaders must meet and discuss matters. But why must they meet in the centre of a big city and dine on gourmet food while they make plans to cut deficits and downsize? All that money could be put to far better use - how about health care and education? How about programs for youth or programs to alleviate poverty? You can sure feed a lot of hungry people with 1 billion dollars. Instead, the lives of Toronto's citizens are going to be disrupted and the city is going to be at risk for terrorism and vandalism. It's not worth it.

Another stunning waste of taxpayer's money was the Mulroney inquiry. A May 31, 2010 article from Torstar News Service says that "a two-year inquiry into Brian Mulroney’s dealings with German-Canadian arms lobbyist Karlheinz Schreiber has concluded that the former prime minister acted in an “inappropriate” way when he accepted large amounts of cash from Schreiber . . . Estimates of the cost of the inquiry have reached $16 million—including $1.8 million for Mulroney's lawyers."

Why did we have to spend all those millions to conclude that the former prime minister behaved inappropriately? We already knew that. One more thing. If Mr. Mulroney were a man of honour, he would return to taxpayers the settlement he won in in his $50-million defamation lawsuit against the Canadian government. In 1997, Mulroney settled that lawsuit out of court for $2.1 million. That $2.1 million could also be used for health care and education.

SPORTS

The Blue Jays had an off-day yesterday. They start a series with Tampa Bay today.

- Joanne