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June 10, 2008

Comments

Eric H Janzen

Thank you Dave for articulating the churning in my stomach whenever I hear about '2010'. You raise excellent points describing the much larger and more real issues that come hand in hand with the Olympic movement. It has bothered me from day one that an event made by and for the wealthy is funded by public money from a majority of people who will not be able to afford even one ticket, but who fund a party for the rich. When I read about the 2 million dollars ear marked to wine and dine foreign dignitaries it made me want to simply show up and demand a plate of the fine food...after all didn't my tax dollars pay for it? Where is my invitation as a 'sponsor'?
The sheer waste of government funds derived from our taxes on the Games is shameful given the growing crisis of poverty not only in BC but across the country. If the Olympics were truly a celebration of the human spirit then the IOC ought to require that host cities have actually dealt with their poverty issues before awarding games to them. They should require that blatant issues of injustice and violation of human rights be genuinely dealt with and eliminated. Of course, this would mean the end of the Olympics. Instead, as you point out, the IOC provides an excuse to the corporate and wealthy elite to bring out the big broom and sweep the issues under the rug. If the wealthy want to have a party they should pay for it without public funds and the public should reap the rewards from them...in light of the devastation they have caused it seems the least they could do.

Sincerely, and perhaps a little emotional,
Eric H Janzen.

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