September 24, 2008 / 08:51
Your hate-on for the CBC is absurd.
If you want to save money funding the arts, deny OSAP to students going to OCAD. That place is a joke. Haha.
September 24, 2008 / 09:10
Just because you don't care about something doesn't mean it isn't a good idea. Arts funding can be very helpful and creates a more rounded country.
Of course the Conservatives never waste money. They are perfect.
September 24, 2008 / 09:22
Before I am asked for it...here are some examples of things that I guess "Ordinary folks care about"...
For the year ending March 31, 2007, the federal government spent $86.9-million on print, television, radio and Internet advertising.
To promote what exactly?
Or
$500,000 from ACOA's Innovative Communities Fund for a soccer stadium in Stellarton, NS. Stellarton is in MacKay's riding.
$267,500 for an Iron Man Competition to be held in Corner Brook, Nfld. Corner Brook is in the riding of Liberal MP Gerry Byrne.
$500,000 to restore a historic railway station in McAdam, NB. McAdam is in the riding of Veteran Affairs Minister Greg Thompson.
September 24, 2008 / 09:28
Interesting to find out whose ridings get what.
Suspect the newspapers never say much about it as they may get cut out of the $$$millions of ads.
September 24, 2008 / 09:30
I have always agreed that the arts should be funded, in an effort to protect, and promote our unique Canadian culture. But there has to be a limit, there has to be balance, for there are other needs in this country along with artistic expression.
Housing, for example. Too many renters on fixed incomes are paying through the nose for dumps full of toxic mold. As a Board member of an affordable housing group in my city, I'd like to see more money for affordable housing. I'm glad there is some. There could be more, but there are other needs of equal importance.
Wouldn't it be a perfect world if every lobbyist got everything they wished for...but then we'd have a national debt rivalling the (I.O.U.)S.A immediately south of our border. Somebody has to say no, somebody has to mind the store. Don't get me wrong, the arts need to be funded. But everytime I see an eqisode of the Trailer Park Boys, and note that it was partially funded from some government-backed pot of cash (am I wrong about that?) it makes my blood boil. What's Canadian about the Trailer Park Boys? As taxpayers, why the hell are we contributing to it when people are out there living in apartments in February with little or no heat?
I know - I was one of them when I was a kid. Do y'know what it feels like to sleep in your winter coat because it's just as cold outside as it is, in? It would have been nice if a guy like Harper had the balls to take some money from the Trailer Park Boys and mandate our landlord to put some insulation in the walls and fix the furnace. It was hell, and there are others out there like I was then. Sure, as an affordable housing advocate, I could easily say screw the arts and fully fund housing. But I can't, and I won't. Fair is fair. Balance, baby. Strike a balance, which is what Harper is trying to do, and avoid the kind of economic chaos south of the border.
And I'll bet Randy has his gut insured by Lloyd's of London. I mean, come on...what's wrong with this picture? Spread the arts money around as much as possible, to museums, and writers (I'm a writer too--I'd LOVE a grant for the manuscript that's in my sock drawer...), film, libraries. But hey, people need health care, too. And they need to eat. And they need a place to live. That's why balance is important.
Taxpayer dollars for stuff like the Trailer Park Boys? As Ricky would say, "Fuck!..."
There is a difference between idealism and reality. And where's the wisdom in giving the arts and culture community everything they want, when there are single moms with their kids living in a hellhole? Balance it up, or that mom and those kids would be forgiven for moving into the museum and pitching a tent beside the longboat exhibit, or at the art gallery underneath the Menselson Joe abstract, because it's warm and it's somewhere safe...
Someone has to say no sometimes. Harper isn't afraid to do it. Being PM isn't a popularity contest. Hard choices have to be made. But that's okay, so long as it is fair to everyone.
September 24, 2008 / 09:51
This angry white man has such a jealousy of the CBC it is almost scary.
September 24, 2008 / 10:02
The reason Fred hates the CBC is because in Toronto Radio 1 has managed to blow away every "private" radio station away in ratings.
Can't beat the CBC then complain and whine to have them shut down
Fred, you're such a leftist man. Go back to whining about gas prices.
September 24, 2008 / 10:15
Hmmm Fred, looks like your making more enemies than friends.
Anybody considering voting to hope Harper wins a majority should really read his record first.
Go here, http://www.policyalternatives.ca/Reports/2008/09/HarperRecord/index.cfm?pa=BB736455
scroll down. You can download sections or the whole document, free.
September 24, 2008 / 10:19
gibber - how dare you hate on the trailer park boys. leaving aside the fact that they're fuckin funny as hell, they're actually providing jobs in that area of the country, and jobs my friend, are what drives housing. better job = better house. no job = whine & bitch about why there's no free housing apparently.
September 24, 2008 / 10:30
I'm a Trailer Park Boys fan but Gibber makes some very valid comments. Harper is on the right track when he has the gonads to stand up and take on some of the bleeding hearts in our country. Gibber's right on when he says this is not a popularity contest. It's sad that too many of us will jump on the bandwagon with someone like space cadet Layton because we like what we here without thinking through the overall impact to ordinary Canadians.
September 24, 2008 / 10:46
Fred, how do you feel about the fact that the culture generally being attacked is the same independent culture that once built CFNY, which gave you a career?
This isn't a rhetorical question, if you dare to answer it.
September 24, 2008 / 11:14
Politicians and polls. Sounds like an original thought....but!!!!
September 24, 2008 / 11:16
I think even Kink gets funding. Now that's weird.
September 24, 2008 / 11:21
Great news from Harper and the Conservatives - let’s just hope he fulfills his promise.
Approx 3 billion is spent annually on arts, sport and heritage. Isn’t there a better way to invest those funds? Come on people, our hospitals are in tatters, our schools are dumps and our police forces throughout the country are under-manned.
If an artist is truly talented, they don’t need the govt’s help – they will succeed on their own or with the help of a private benefactor. That’s the way its done in most of the countries of the world that produce the finest in the arts.
I agree the govt has wasted money on so many things (Olympic athletes, farmers, Indians, Quebec in general and grants for completely irrelevant studies) but that’s no reason to continue this worthless expenditure.
September 24, 2008 / 11:21
Opinions, discussions....nice to see people reading and talking rather than the usual just blog barking.
Didn't June Cleaver once say, "Ward, don't be too hard on the BEAVER".
TV has come a long way right up to the Trailer Park Boys.
September 24, 2008 / 11:34
Fred....you're redneck hick-town personality is really starting to reveal itself. The arts help define a country. But guys like you will never listen. You're too busy waiting to see what Harper says next so that you can agree with it. Grow your own brain...you spinless redneck!!
September 24, 2008 / 11:56
Hugh...If defining a country means shelling out cash to "artists" that can't earn a living with their useless trinkets, then I guess you're correct. Or - let the market determine what is art that has value. Those works are made by artists, the rest should find something else to do.
September 24, 2008 / 11:56
Hey Hugh, what art defines Canada to the world?
Its amazing how all the people that think they're smarter than everyoen else spew off personal insults to cap their statments... probably because their statements can't stand alone, they need to punctuate it with an insult.
September 24, 2008 / 11:58
Actually, Argie in other countries they do fund the arts more. With the exception of the US, other countries do spend a lot on the arts. However, in Italy the Berlusconi recently chopped the arts funding considerably.
The US is able to produce what they have due to private funding. Canada doesn't have the same population or money flowing that the US has.
I do think that the money spent should be carefully given away. There are a lot of "arts" funds that are probably stupid and worthless. But for every one of those we also have the Cirque de Solei. Regardless what you think of it, it is a huge Canadian product that began due to Federal Arts Funding.
It is too broad to say that ordinary Canadians don't care about art funding. I care about it and I pay a lot of taxes. Will this affect my vote? I am not sure. I am on the fence with the Conservatives. I don't like to see things like this happen. Of course, I don't like sponsorship scandals either.
September 24, 2008 / 12:22
The 3 billion invested in arts & culture produces something like 50 billion to the Canadian GDP. The industry makes up 4% of the GDP.
Sounds like a good investment to me.
But this is really a symptom of a bigger problem. It's the "new right wing". At one time, "right wing" meant educated & pro business. Today, the "right" are nothing more than a bunch of dumb redneck yokels that simply lack the intelligence to understand "culture". Unless it's shotgunning American beer at their trailer/cabin.
This "yokel right wing" mentality of people like Fred & Argie is the reason why the "right" has lost so many supporters. And the "new right" are like Cafeteria Catholics. They love the free market as long as it's one their side. If it's not (like gas prices) it's gouging.
A perfect example is south of the border. Classic yokels who are now bailing out the banking system because they drove themselves off the economic cliff. Mercantilism at it's finest. Everything that Adam Smith argued against.
September 24, 2008 / 12:45
Oh and for Pauly
Canadian Art to the world?
Cirque de Soleil
LM Montgomery
Margaret Atwood
Robertson Davies
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Art Gallery of Ontario
Toronto Internation Film Festival
There are a lot and as Irvine said, a lot of these also bring money back to Canada. If you want more, I can provide it.
September 24, 2008 / 12:57
Irv – You’re just an uneducated lefty bigot. You claim to be right-wing (in the classic sense) but you argue against every right wing point of view.
Besides, you frequently agree with Mike from Lowville which only proves my first sentence above is completely true.
September 24, 2008 / 13:22
I'm sorry, Fred..
What 'so called artists' who just fling paint at walls and ask for money are you referring to?
Because it sounds like you think artists in Canada live some sort of lavish, luxurious, care free lifestyle.
I know a lot of artists, actors etc. And pretty much they are ALL struggling to get by.
Fred, even if you think funding for the arts should be cut, at least don't paint artists with this broad 'they are all lazy, rich, scammers' brush. They're struggling (and for the most part) hard working people.
I think you're great, Fred. But, respectfully, you sound like a bit of an old fart today.
September 24, 2008 / 13:35
I'm a leftist? *LOL*. You mean where I defended when the gas price jumped overnight? I called it the free market, this forum called it "gouging".
As for the "uneducated" statement. Does that include the Bach of Commerce? And the Investment Certification to trade, stocks, futures & derivatives? And the oh..7 years of IT related education at UW & SAIT ?
Nice try dude.
September 24, 2008 / 13:44
God help us if Harper gets a majority. Guys like Fred will be walking down the street in their red plaid shirt and swimming in a pool they installed in the back of their truck.
September 24, 2008 / 14:30
Conservative majority?
When was the last?
Rooney?
He wasn't the best but you can name a few things he did.
Mr Chretien? can't name one, in what, 12 yrs.
At least BM didn't make things intentionally difficult for his successor like PET and JC.
I'm not pro Harper. Not pro Dion. Certainly not pro NDP.
September 24, 2008 / 14:38
Irv – With the exception of the gas gouging debate (which I actually agree with you on) you always seem to take the leftist POV.
As for the resume, thanks I always wanted to know your educational background. Actually, no I couldn’t care less.
September 24, 2008 / 14:38
I agree with Irvine. There are market forces at play with oil and gas and other commodities.
When the price went down, it went down about .25 a litre.
As for money in oil. Getty and Rockefeller where billionaires when that word didn't exist.
I doubt GBush has an effect on oil prices. But he may know someone who does.
September 24, 2008 / 14:54
Argie, you called him uneducated. He responded. Why do you always try and deflect things when you're proven wrong?
September 24, 2008 / 14:58
I agree with Irvine. There are market forces at play with oil and gas and other commodities.
When the price went down, it went down about .25 a litre.
As for money in oil. Getty and Rockefeller where billionaires when that word didn't exist.
I doubt GBush has an effect on oil prices. But he may know someone who does.
September 24, 2008 / 15:03
Go Harper Go!!!!
I love all the fuss this is creating. What is 45 million dollars in the grand scheme of things? If that amount of money tanks the entire arts scene then let it tank. I will not shed a tear.
September 24, 2008 / 15:06
The blogs with Republicans and Democrats are like war.
Everyone is wrong and no one is right. Viscious. Sid Viscious!!!!
Allegations , insinuations, demarkation on and on.
The coming bebates this Friday will allow the candidates to say what they say instead of us reading what they supposedly said.
September 24, 2008 / 16:00
Argie:
Actually Argie, I'm both right AND left wing. And I think that's what confuses you.
It seems to mystify you that someone can be pro market & capitalistic but still like the CBC & support the Arts. This extends my argument about the "one dimensional" modern day conservative. This "redneck yokel" mandate of the new Conservative government is the reason the party lags in the polls & will continue to do so eternally.
Ya know Argie, life's a bit more complex than you and Fred make it out to be. You and Fred remind me of the type of guys that use the answer "kick his ass" to fix every problem in the world.
I'm totally pro free market. And I'm a realist. I'm not left wing because I believe our society needs welfare. I just recognize that if we didn't pay it out, I'd be handing out my money at gunpoint in a bank machine at night. It's called realism dude.
Sometimes there is no right answer, just one that creates a civil society. And civil societies sometimes cost money
September 24, 2008 / 17:33
Hey Freddie, how the heck did so many artsy fartsy socialists invade your blog. This is getting way out of hand.Oh well, when Harper gets his majority they will really have something substantive to cry about.
September 24, 2008 / 18:25
The only people who knew who Freddie was before he started this blog are artsy and/or fartsy, sorry.
September 24, 2008 / 18:32
Jason, I work at OCAD, in Financial Aid, administering OSAP to students pursuing careers in the arts, and I can assure you it's no joke. Honestly, I'm totally disappointed.
September 24, 2008 / 22:01
Andrew, I know there is a lot of Canadian Talent, what I was getting at is that none of the talent we have defines us to the world. Lumberjacks, the Mounties, eskimo carvings and maple syrup define us to the world. So far the money spent isn't changing any of that.
As for the list you provided I'm curious to know how many of those were successful because of public funding? In fact I bet they would all be insulted that you think they're popular Canadian talent because of government funding and not becuase of their hard work and talent.
Point of fact that I think most have disregarded... Harper isn't cutting all Arts spending... only cutting back 8%, but all the lefties are screaming bloody murder.
Stephen Harper continues to wipe the floor with his opposition in the current election campaign, and yesterday he forged ahead even further in my mind by having the balls to say what so many others think.
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