[Winona Online Democracy]
QUOTE:
[Obviously when the "arts" are concerned, the kids of the poorer
neighborhoods in this city are disregarded as irrelevant]
END QUOTE
This is patently false. Several years ago, I worked in the Page theatre at
St. Mary's University. Part of my job was to coordinate school programs
for all students in Winona. Of particular interest to the theatre
department at St. Mary's was working with schools with disadvantaged
children, children enrolled in HeadStart program, and other programs. This
is still continuing at St. Mary's University and in other arts programs in
Winona.
The arts are truly for everybody, regardless of age, of income level, of
educational or ethnic or religious background.
There have been many assertions in this discussion about how much money has
been promised, where it has come from, etc. There have also been many
assertions about what a drain this money is on the taxpayers and assertions
that the money used for GRSF takes money away from other arts programs and
is siphoned off to big cities far away. With the exception of a couple of
people who have actually cited sources for their figures, no one backs up
their claims with anything other than rhetoric. My question of several days
ago asking whether an economic feasiblity study had been conducted was left
unanswered, except with an insult.
I agree with Kathy that it is important to discuss what should be publicly
funded and to what extent. I also believe that important to the discussion
is genuine fact, not mere assertion. I'd like to see some of the claims
here backed up with facts or at least citations to actual studies.
I'd also like to see more posts actually signed, as is this forum's rule.
Terri Hyle
From: "c.e.w." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Winona] unreal
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:21:30 -0700 (PDT)
[Winona Online Democracy]
$75,000???!!!!
this entire study should cost no more than a couple thousand dollars at
best. we throw 75k of local tax dollars at a study on whether a money
losing, publicly underwritten money pit should be getting a new theater
(250k coming from state coffers...that $250k is still our hard earned $$
people, just because the check is coming from St Paul doesn't mean it
didn't come out of your paycheck).
Let me ask a more pertinent question here local taxpayers. What could
$75,000 have done for the dilapidated playgrounds of the east end of
Winona? Obviously when the "arts" are concerned, the kids of the poorer
neighborhoods in this city are disregarded as irrelevant. This is an
ABSOLUTE waste of taxpayer funds, whoever approved this should be ashamed
of themselves, how you can sleep at night after throwing our hard earned
monies out the window at a losing program is beyond me. We couldn't get $$$
to fix up run down playgrounds for the life of us. We had to beg and plead.
A bunch of Theater Majors come to town one summer( Ala the Music Man) ,
start doing some Shakespeare plays, and they are being funded to the tune
of millions of taxpayer dollars, while NOT contributing anything to the
local economy( how many of those tickets are actually sold? I have gone the
past few years and was given the damn things to me every night I wanted to
attend, which will never be again, I
refuse to participate in this shakedown any longer) GRSF doesn't
contribute a damn thing to this economy. The ROI (return on investment for
you Theater Majors) is negative, if anyone here can prove me wrong on that
premise, please, prove me wrong. I am more than willing to listen.
Can SOMEONE tell me how on earth it takes $325,000 to determine if we
need to build a theater for these crooks? Someone please break down the
costs for us, I am SOOOO curious as to where these dollars end up. If I was
building a manufacturing facility here in Winona I have a hard time
believing it would cost me $325k to figure out if it was feasible...let
alone a theater which won't carry a mandate to be profitable, or at the
very least, self sufficient...
When you fellow taxpayers are driving home from work tonight, take a
look around town...where else would $75k be better spent? Where else would
$325k be better spent? How much of that $325 is being spent legitimately
and responsibly and how much is just simply being pocketed?
Wake up winonans, pretend this is your money....because IT IS!!! We are
being robbed and shakendown by a a bunch of cons masquerading as a theater
troupe. WAKE UP! At the very least, hold them as accountable as you would
any corporate entity eating out of the public trough.
---------------------------------
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