Our leaders take a notion, discuss it among themselves, without consulting us at all, act on it even though it can cost billions,. There are so many instances; the greatest one of all, of course, is space travel, space stations and all those other scientific toys that the men in white coats like playing with. Apart from a few discoverers, new materials, and new processes, and also apart from the benefits of satellites, I don’t think we’ve got value for money. The newspapers, the TV, the men in white coats, most of all, had a ball, but I’m not so sure that the world is a better place for having a few hundred tonnes of space machinery flying overhead, 24/7. I simply can’t believe the rumour that President Bush has a stake in a tract on the moon. On second thoughts I can.
A lot of it is naturally to do with image and saving face; the idea and its implementation is about image, – not my image, their image – and when things begin to go wrong, they then pump more money in to save face. A prime, if silly example of this is that of the plastic tent in Docklands, the Dome. A high proportion of the populace was against that at the time, and even more so now, but every now and again it raises its tired head and someone feeds it a few more thousands, and then it stands idle for another bit. They’re busy talking about hosting the Olympic Games, mainly in London, and already the budget has become so big, the claw-back will appear like a scratch. .The aspect of it which takes me to the fair is the fact that people on the outskirts of Britain and the UK, will be asked to pay for it, when they haven’t a hope of being able to afford to actually go to see it, because the fares and the lodging costs will be exorbitant, presupposing that one is really interested any more in sports where drug abuse seems to be the route to success.. What the hell any way? No matter where it is held, we will see bits on telly!
Some time ago I was amazed to discover just how much three minutes of advertising time can cost to make, we’re talking in millions, and the government is not averse to forking out for some indoctrinating pieces about subjects we have all been made aware of in the press, such as obesity, the environment, and so on. If one were cynical one might think that the powers that be have a toe in an advertising company, it is so prevalent. I personally am convinced that this money could be better spent on helping the disadvantaged back into a sensible lifestyle, instead of the existence so many have, by providing ‘information and help’ centres, coupled with simple recreational facilities that will brighten their lives, increase communication, and just might improve their outlook which in turn could improve their future.
All sorts of figures are bandied about for the cost of maintaining a person in the penal system. One thing I am sure of is that it is pretty excessive, and that we’re not getting value for money from it. It is commonly stated the prison is an advanced educational facility to teach crime. Someone relatively innocent by nature, and in there fore some minor infraction, will be hardened, and taught criminal ways and possibly induced into drug addiction.. I cannot believe that this is the way to get value for money.
You may not agree with all that I have said, or even half of it, but if any of it is true, the amount of money that is being wasted is in millions. It’s an interesting exercise if you have nothing better to do, to sit and list in your mind all the areas where you know for a fact that there is simply a waste, put a nominal figure on each and tot them up, the answer is frightening. We are being taxed to pay for things that we think are unnecessary but have no voice to raise against them. Surely it is wrong, when a government official, faced with an audience where not a single hand is raised in agreement with the proposal put forward, says that they’re going ahead anyway and does so. Surely this is anarchy, going against the basic principles of democracy