Gravelbourg & District Tribune

Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. – Oliver Wendell Holmes.

 

They were meant to pay for infrastructure like sewers, water lines, sidewalks and streets. Then along came the Olympics.

 

Politicians now take our taxes and fund multi-billion dollar stadiums to watch people run in circles, jump around and/or slide down mountain slopes.

 

I have nothing against sports. When living in Calgary, I skied, played tennis, did competitive curling and participated in many other racket sports as well as soccer. Here is the catch. I paid for it myself.

 

The Olympics are fun to watch but should be self-financing. Leave our taxes alone. The participants aren’t amateur. We have NBA and NHL players at the Olympics. Why are taxpayers dishing out billions in taxes to fund games for millionaires? Really!

 

The Olympic Committee is known as one of the most corrupt organizations in the world. Who polices those people? Every decision they make is steeped in politics. They ban countries for ridiculous reasons. Every attempt made to stop doping has failed. Yet we all watch and cheer them on.

 

The Roman games, or “ludi,” were a significant part of Roman culture, serving not only as entertainment but also as a method of uniting and controlling the populace. (World History EDU). Are we using the modern Olympics to control the populace?

 

Imagine taking those billions and reinvesting in sports at the local level? Better yet how about using tax money for the stated purpose of fixing sewer and water lines?