The Orange County Register has finally published what the Orange Juice blog has been reporting for the past four months. “Anaheim is paying for it’s $150,000 float with Convention Center funds meant to promote tourism.” I totally support that investment.
“Huntington Beach’s $200,000 was raised through donations.” If the private sector wishes to have their own float or mutually fund one for a city that’s OK with us.
“Mission Viejo spent $300,000 in city funds.” Enough said.
For all those who are upset with the BOS spending somewhere over $300,000 to fix their 5th floor offices at least I will see those improvements every time I visit. The MV float will be seen for a few minutes then fade away as we turn the calendar to the New Year.
I commend Mayor Curt Pringle and the Anaheim Council for a proper use of taxpayer funds.
Happy New Year
email reply:
Hopefully this kind of float frivolity will not repeat itself. H.B. and Anaheim used their thinking caps. In spite of poor fiscal handling, we look forward to seeing the float tomorrow and remain proud of our pretty place.
Be proud MV, you at least have a citizen who is paying attention. How many other cities, districts, and divisions are having their money spent to benefit one of the principals or their friends? That’s right, we don’t know.
From a MV resident’s mass email is the following:
Hi All and Happy New Year,
Now that our “float” is sitting on in a field with flowers rotting on it, and water from the pool that will be wasted………..
Think of the college scholarships we could have awarded with this money. That is something that brings enrichment back into our community.
Another way is with communal gardens. Instead of gluing dead flowers onto a wasteful structure, we could have transformed a few of our many unused parks into gardens that we rent out as people learn how to grow food that can sustain families (see Santa Barbara Ca examples). We water this land anyway and it is lawn that does not serve much of a purpose in many of our parks.
We could have purchased a small home to use as a something like a Ronald McDonald home near Mission Hospital.
The money could have been used for school supplies for those children in need on our city, or swim lessons for underpriveleged kids.
Instead we put a throw away float and a half-filled pool on a street for 1 minute of airtime to feed a few egos.
It may be said that we did it for the volunteers, however, I think these same people would have enjoyed planting gardens or helping others in the community….things that are sustainable and bring a better sense of accomplishment to volunteers.
I am ashamed of our city for their wastefulness and lack of consideration for their citizens.
Unfortunately, it is nothing new.
Happy 2009!
In response to an email from a MV resident, responding to “additional” Rose parade expenditures I was given the OK to add the following:
“no problem posting that
what trinkets and t-shirts? Please tell me that I did not donate tax dollars for those as well……
How sad for those citizens who are just squeaking by each month, and those that are being foreclosed on, that their tax dollars paid for not only a float but also float souveneirs?!
We are out of control in MV”