Let me start by saying that I am all for the Olympic games. The competition is excellent and the entertainment value is top notch. I don’t think there are many of us that can say we do not follow the Olympics at some point during the event. The dedication of the athletes and the amount of effort it takes to achieve this level of competition is unthinkable to us mere mortals. I for one, love the Olympics and everything it stands for. I truly hope that more of our top-notch amateur athletes get the needed funding to keep their dreams alive. Damn it…we better support them.

Now here is where things start to get a little fuzzy. No…down right stupid. VANOC…as they like to be called, seem to have been given the green light to do just about anything they deem necessary to disrupt the day-to-day activities of us regular people. First, we were told there would be a limited number of Olympic tickets made available and we were to put our names in the hat if we wanted them. Huh?? Ok…I’ll give them the muligan on that one. Next shot. They sliced this one….there are going to be road closures throughout the Olympics in downtown Vancouver and those that live in the Whistler area are going to need special passes to get up the Sea-to-Sky Highway. Ouch! Hey, but it’s ok….if you want to sell your tickets that you were very lucky to get in the first place you can scalp them on VANOC’s website now. YES!! It’s totally legal. All you scalpers out there unite…it is a glorious day for you tools. Ah..but wait…there is a slight catch….since you paid so dearly for your tickets and now you so dearly want to get rid of them VANOC is going to take 20% of the sale. I guess this is to re-coupe some of the money they lost sticking it to you when you bought them in the first place. Weird heh??

I understand that there needs to be security in place at the Olympics. I understand and can appreciate there are going to be some people who are put out by the security measures. People who live and work in Whistler, sorry…life must be pretty tough. Here’s the thing. To ask 30% of drivers in the greater Vancouver area ( I am sure the number is actually probably going to be a lot more but I’ll use their numbers for this one ) to not drive to work and instead plan on using another method of transportation is noble but dumb. People drive here. That is what they do. To try and tell people to take public transit is or car pool is like asking VANOC to drop the ticket prices for events so the “regular” person can attend….it wil never happen…at least not to the levels that organizers expect.

VANOC…what are you trying to pull?!? Let’s open a website and dedicate it to those who want to sell their tickets “legally”. Hmm…how about we make it worth our while and charge a 20% commission on all sales? Ya, that sounds good. Do you really think that the career scalper is going to try and sell their tickets on-line legally and put a 20% loss in their books. Not likely. I wonder how much the site costs to build and run? That must be why they are charging people to use it.

I like the Olympics. I really do. As I stated earlier. I fear, like most who have voiced their opinions, that we are going to be in for a HUGE financial burden when this is all said and done.

I can’t wait.

Let’s forget for just a moment about the massive deficit we have, the absolutely amazing amount of taxes we pay, the amount of bureaucracy and red tape, the “let’s make a committee to study this and make a recommendation” garbage, the make-work projects that seem to always crop up, and look at exactly who is “running” our country.

Stephen Harper. Michael Ignatieff. And the other guy…oh ya, Jack Layton.

Well, first our “leader”. I don’t know Stephen Harper from a hole in the ground. I have never met him. Truthfully, who really knows anyone in government. From the outside Mr. Harper looks like a pretty nice guy, the kinda guy who might live next door and help you shovel your sidewalk and driveway. Perhaps too nice. Case in point – while in China for meetings he was (well, Canada was through him) belittled by a leader who by rights, and I use the term “right” loosely, seemed to think Canada needed to do more with China. Mr. Harper maintained his composure and kept smiling like any good politician would. If it was me, I would have perhaps taken China’s leader aside and quietly suggested that until he gets his house in order he should not be throwing stones. There is too much smiley, smiley and not enough brass tact. A true minority government in action. Which brings me to the Liberal leader.

Mr. Ignatieff. Talk about contradictions. On one hand, here is a guy who is threatening to bring down the government in one breath and on the other hand is saying he wants to play the waiting game. I read in the paper today that he wants to renovate 24 Sussex Drive and will not stay there until it is done, choosing to instead stay at one of two Ritzy hotels in Ottawa….”for three or four years and let us get a residence for the Prime Minister that makes the country proud.” WTF!! So, let me get this straight. Canadians are going to foot the bill for a renovation and at the same time pay for a hotel room for 3-4 years?? I sure hope it comes with a kitchenette and bar fridge so you can cook for yourself. Ya right. Give me a break. Talk about a mess waiting to happen.

Jack Layton. The name itself makes you want to belly up to the bar and have a shot of JD while pondering what may have been. Talk about a guy between a rock and a hard place. We all know the NDP love to spend money, at least that has been their mantra for as long as I can remember. Talk about a no-win situation for Mr. Layton.

So here we are. A country with a mixed identity and 3 guys who have no real direction apart from wanting the other guys job. And we pay for this. Pretty silly I would say. Mind you, we pay for a lot of things that are pretty silly don’t we?

So, you ask, where do I stand?? What’s my point?? Get off my soap box. Ok. I stand right here…shaking my head at the whole thing. Top heavy governement. So many contradictions and money grabs. Over taxed to the point of almost being laughable. Wondering where all the money goes…shaking my head at bail outs and the misuse of my, no our money.

So, I’m thinking of renovating my house, you know…so it is something I can be proud of…will you pay for a hotel so I can stay there for a few years?? I promise I will get a kitchette and bar fridge so I can cook for myself. Ah…who am I kidding? I think I’ll eat out every night.