http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20120831_Inquirer_Editorial__Music_festival_price_unknown.html
For many years, I've tried to get the local gentry to see through the lies and recognize the goals of privatizing our public spaces. I explained that parks were to become corporate venues which would exclude most Philadelphians. And that taxpayers would pay the costs to give the 1% their disneyland playgrounds like Dilworth plaza and Budweiser parkway. Now that the lies are unfolding in front of everyone's eyes, I'll try to help you understand the next phases and how the local grassroots park gatherings are going to be destroyed or corporatized. When I recognized this "neoliberal" attack over a decade ago, i couldn't give you exact time lines for Dilworth plaza or the creation of the Clark Park Partnership, etc. But it looks like the new park rental fees will begin next year. This year the city announced that its "Friends" groups (i.e. FOCP/UCD) wanted new and prohibitive rental fees assessed on all park and recreation facilities that would effectively bar 99% of all community grassroots park gatherings, like our culture and events in clark park. So that the warnings of truthtellers and whistle blowers could be called rumors and lies in the corporate media, they claimed that all groups would get waivers from this battery of fees and charges. People should have recognized that these universal waivers were just another lie, like school reform and little adjustments to property taxes, etc. Why would you make rules and fees that don't apply to anyone???? The city is currently spending millions of dollars for the Budweiser festival because large multi-national corporations don't pay city taxes but do receive all sorts of entitlement welfare. When the waivers for the rental fees are withdrawn from all independent citizen groups in the city next year, WE WILL LEARN THE COSTS OF THE BUDWEISER FESTIVAL! The working class people of Philadelphia will be scolded for expecting to use the parks free of charge because the city has spent a large amount of money on the parks! Of course the chess, volleyball, and clark park festivals don't cost the city anything and are free and open to all of us. Importantly, they are also organized by your mentally healthy neighbors instead of corporate hacks at UCD/CCD. The rental waivers for all park groups were part of a one two punch. We will be told that these prohibitive fees were decided by the community (FOCP leaders and CCD/UCD) in the distant past, and that it is too late to discuss openly among the people of Philadelphia. All current park activities will be required to become fee based clubs and get corporate sponsors to pay for the Budweiser festival and future exclusive parties for the 1%. As the mayor threatened about the budweiser festival, if the 99% don't have the cash they had better stay away. Riot police will now round up any unticketed citizens in our parks and put them in prison factories or in the chain gangs that clean up gentrified neighborhoods. I'm sorry i couldn't wake local folks up to the realities of fascism and plutocracy when our local Judas's demanded it, and before there was no hope except a global revolution. Well, now we all get to live in the new order and celebrate the happiness of the 1% and their disneyland parks. The crazy liar, Glenn ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
