http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2...797/story.html
Ditch the cynicism and enjoy the Games
Well, the Olympic Games' organizers said they would help stimulate our economy and this week we will see the truth in that statement.
Thank the protesters who are already gathering in Victoria, putting the finishing touches on their plans and their signs as they wait for the arrival of the Olympic torch from Greece.
By the time they're finished, they will have given everyone a boost, thanks to the way spending ripples through the local economy.
Those protesters are a capitalist's dream, except, of course, for the attitude thing.
Those who are not from here, or couch-surfing, will stay in motels and hotels. They will buy food in local stores, eat in local restaurants and check out the bargains in Value Village.
Those coming from the mainland will boost the bottom line of B.C. Ferries and probably Pacific Coach Lines.
They will buy masks from the Halloween selection at local dollar stores -- if you don't already have your Gordon Campbell mask, you're probably too late -- and big sheets of paper and paint and so on.
Their protests will mean overtime for police officers, security firms and probably some reporters. It will be a nice economic boost all around.
All of this so they can tell the world that they are not thrilled about the Games. Yawn.
Complaints about costs and misplaced priorities have swirled around the Olympics for decades.
Here is a prediction, based on past Games: All but the most cynical will get swept up by the Olympic buzz.
It will be hard to escape the excitement as we find ourselves in the world's spotlight, with athletes and fans from just about everywhere discovering what we take for granted.
I was in Calgary for the 1988 Winter Games. The city came alive and the Olympic critics quickly learned to keep their mouths shut. There was no point trying to poop a massive international party.
Admittedly, this is not Alberta. Calgarians don't cotton to complainers; they respect people who get things done. Here, for some reason, we give way too much time to whiners.
And except for the torch run, Vancouver Island will miss much of the excitement.
Besides, the Calgary Games came at the end of a lengthy downturn. The Olympics provided a tremendous boost to the economy and gave the crazy Albertans a chance to forget that their mortgages were for more than the value of their homes.
Twenty-two years later, the Games arrive as the B.C. government is scrambling to find money to cover even its most basic costs and we are seeing cuts to health, education and just about everything else the government does.
The government's ineptitude has not helped. Neither has its preference for secrecy.
Only after prodding from the New Democrats, for example, did the Liberals admit to spending almost $1 million on 3,000 tickets to Games events.
What is more offensive here -- that government MLAs will get free tickets? That the government has found yet another under-the-table way to subsidize the Olympics? That our money is being frittered away? Or that the million dollars could have been put to better use?
Mary McNeil, minister of state for the Olympics, was quick to note that with 1.6 million tickets available to various events, 3,000 is a tiny number. But that claim falls apart when you realize that there is little demand for tickets to mind-numbingly boring sports such as biathlon.
And what about the provincial government employees who are being "volunteered" for Olympics service? Some are looking at 12-hour days. They will get tired. Watch the sick time after the Games.
It would take forensic auditors a few years to sort out the true cost of these Games -- you can bet that many hard costs have been neatly buried -- but there is no point in tossing more money down this well. So let's not bother.
We should also not forget the impact on individuals who will be unable to deal with government offices during the Games, or on the businesses forced to shut down for the duration.
In short, there are valid reasons for concern about these Games, although you won't likely to hear them from the protesters. Besides, if they were honestly concerned about the cost of the Games, they would simply stay home.
dobee@tc.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
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Everybody could use a healthy dose of H1N1. Honestly, I stopped being overly concerned about it when I learned there are 5 players in the NHL still actively playing WITH H1N1. Yes, if you can play professional hockey at a high level with the virus, and aren't instantly put on bed rest, as the media seems to portray will happen (instant death!) is it really that serious? Yes, I know, some people have died from it (far less than have died from the real flu, mind you) but, I'm in no hurry to get my vaccination. And if they want to give it to the torch bearers so be it. And the Calgary Flames can have it, too! I'm not in the "not believing in vaccinations" crowd, but I've never even had a flu shot before.
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