To the editor:
When I look at what is going on with our provincial government, I can only surmise that it is becoming a land for the rich and elite.
Our representatives do not seem to have a problem when it comes to giving themselves a hefty raise, bonus or enhanced pensions and payouts, yet when it comes to giving the people on the front lines who administer health care, teaching or infrastructure, they seem to have a real problem justifying this.
They also do not have a problem with building extravagant buildings such as B.C. Place and a Convention Centre that go way over budget and only the rich and elite can afford to attend for an event and who needs a roof that opens up where most of the time they experience rain but the more elegant the more the elite stand to make in profit. Can’t say our government doesn’t give the people the best but the interior of B.C. does not benefit from this in any substantial way.
Our paying $6 million for legal fees for people who plead guilty makes one wonder why this took place, as I am sure our legal costs would not be covered if we needed legal assistance as our government has minimized this asset which was available to the common person.
Many millions of dollars have been wasted in penalties for cancelling contracts after they have been signed, not to mention the legal costs involved. This could have gone a long way in helping those who need it instead of to the ones who are already well off.
Also when it comes to helping the less fortunate with feeding themselves or acquiring affordable housing these budgets are administered by people whose bonus or raise and pensions are predicated on the amount they can save which directly reflects on the people who need it most. I would think this is a direct conflict of interest.
There seems to be a bottomless pit of money when it comes to proving a murder case or like as the one mentioned above. That being said, justice does have to be served.
But if the same amount of money went into feeding and housing the innocent, I think we could just about do away with food banks and people living on the street or who need help controlling their mental incapability’s.
I think if the government took a huge step towards being open in where our tax dollars are going and not just putting everything into general revenue—without being accountable to the people in how they are spending our tax dollars, just taxing us more and more to mainly benefit the elite—then maybe people would have more faith to go out and vote when an election does come up.
I am not a dreamer and do not expect to see any major changes in the near future, but one does get tired of the lame excuses proffered for their enhancement instead of setting an example for the people who elected them.
John D. Grant,
Kelowna
