Landlords Own Things
September 24, 2008 · By Adam Dyck
This has to be the single biggest insult to my intelligence this election season. That’s right, it has surpassed Captain Planet’s claim that The Green Shaft was revenue neutral! It’s gone miles ahead of when Harper ignored the fixed election law and hoped we’d all forget about it. As for May’s whining about deserving a spot in the debates? This blows it out of the water.
Gordon Pinset’s statement that artists “should be the landlords of our own industry, not the tenants” is insulting to me in all sorts of levels. First there is the obvious fact that he is angling for more control of government funding to his industry. Why should artists be given the choice of how much artists get from the government? And what makes him think that tax payers should have to prop up entertainment at all?
Secondly is the whole matter of being a landlord. He says that they should get more control of how much they’re given. Last time I checked, landlords own things. They pay their own way, and don’t whine for freebies.
Finally, he claimed that the country actually earns a nice return on all this money being thrown at the arts. From the Globe Article:
The performers — including Colm Feore and Wendy Crewson — noted that the arts provide 1.1 million jobs within cultural industries and contribute $86-billion to the GDP.
Anyone with a cursory understanding of economics knows that this is laughable. When interest groups claim that government funding is actually a good investment on behalf of the taxpayers, there are certain facts they like to leave out. Like that any return is negligible when compared to what could be done investing the money in other areas. Or that their numbers are almost always incorrect. Or that they like to have a fairly broad view of what constitutes “the arts” when looking at jobs and GDP.
So if they wish to claim that the taxpayers are getting enough cultural or intellectual benefits to justify this funding, then fine. But to claim that it makes good financial sense is insulting to my intelligence, and yours.
Just how important do these arrogant twits think they are? They demand that they be given control of the funding so they can decide where it should be spent. They also want a say in determining the amount of funding. And, to top it all off, they sent out that Marxist shill Shirley Douglas to issue their ridiculous demands.
It’s time these self-important buffoons learned that they earn their living by entertaining, in one form or another, all the plebians that they hold in such distain.
Where I was once a believer in a resonable amount of support for the arts and culture, they have managed to turn me off completely. Cut off their funding and redirect it to the mentally and physically handicapped!
If they want to be landlords then go get a mortgage and then control how you spend it. A grant is not a mortgage. I do not owe you a living.
I too am insulted by the arrogance of these people. Pinsent could hardly get his point across, it was almost like he was inebriated. I worked in industry for almost 50 years on both sides of the Atlantic. The reason I could hold down a job was because I had skills that I could offer to my employers. No skills, no job. I am proud to say that I worked on the Canadian Frigate programme and helped to build these ships. We should not be giving out tax payers dollars to people just because they are members of the art community. If they are not talented enough to make it on their own dime, find a real job….Past midnight in old N.B., a single malt and off to bed….argee
Ah yes the starving artists, generating what some 86 billion ? Really well what are they whining about sounds like they are rolling in it. That poor french? guy from Quebec who is begging from a board of the “hated english” who don’t understand him, the horror, the horror, one would think that if his work, his art was so compelling that his “fellow Quebecers” would be pleased to support him, maybe they don’t understand him either, get a job wanker I am tired of seeing millions splattered about on foolish and questionable ” art”. Have I offended you? I certainly hope so.
Cheers Bubba
All great responses! I agree with every word. The unchecked arrogance of these couldn’t-get-a-job-if-their-lives-depended-on-it-welfare-celebrities is beyond belief. They want to put out garbage like Little Mosque on the Prairie and then have we lesser-beings bending over and taking it by grabbing our tax dollars.
AdD,
The calculation of GDP is certainly a mischievous trick. However, those artists you are correct: money spent by government increases the calculation of GDP regardless of how it is spent.
Furthermore, they have every right to claim that it is a “good” investment because there really is no objective definition of what constitutes “good” spending.
If you are looking for a “good” government spending program to be defined by something that multiplies or instigates more economic activity to contribute further to future calculations of GDP, fine — but you have to present an argument for it too. Most people enjoy frivolous luxury expenses.
One more thing: some landlords are granted title to “things” they bought through credit which in turn is subsidized by the tax-payer.
Wow! I wouldn’t know what to do with a grant like these “professionals” get.
I have crossed Canada doing what I love, and like many other entertainers, we never thought of getting a grant. I may not get “rich” doing what I do, yet at least I feel I get paid for my work instead of doing a little paper work and have a comfortable living not worrying about expenses. Sure January and February are very slow months in my profession – everybody is “Christmased out†– but you learn to budget and take other jobs.
I have met a few “artists” who are very arrogant because they feel they deserve the money. One told me, “it’s free” and I should try it. No thanks, I feel it would cheapen what I do and love. It is my tax dollars that are paying his’her wages.
Though I do admit that some times the people/groups I work for get grants [from provincial/federal grants] for paying us, many of us are thankful for that. These are usually fairs and festivals. I have no problems with these communities getting grants and spread it around through various people.
Yet, if these “artists†are so good, why do they need a grant – their talent should carry them, not my tax dollars
canadian music sucks anyways