Total cost is now 9.2 Billion $'s and counting

[grammafreddy]

*snip (because your personal attacks are tiresome)

show what an awesome country and province we are, you'll shut up and actually accept our awesomeness.

Sure, Canada is awesome and yes, BC is awesome, too. But I really don't think we needed to spend billions and billions of dollars and drag our taxpayers into debt for many years to get that message across.

[mountain_climber4567]

Let's do some basic math.

13%HST and higher provincial income tax. Guaranteed.

If you're going to use basic math at least know the tax rates to start with.

HST will be 12% and as of 2009 the BC personal tax rate starts at 5.06%...the lowest it has been in over a decade. Almost half of the 9.9% it was in the late 90's. The federal rate is also a couple percentage points lower and they have added other tax credits that help lower wage earners.

Lower income earners are taking home a higher percentage of their gross pay than in past years.

[NAB]

I am sharing Cateyes' concern for these huge costs and I also am inclined to lump a lot of what some are calling infrastructure into the Olympic equation. Without the hosting of the games, a lot of this would not have happened, so it isn't entirely right to exclude them from the costs.

Perhaps another way to look at it is that, while many of these projects might have happened anyway (or may not have, or an alternative priority may have taken precedent), they were non the less accellerated to benefit the Olympics. Accelleration to hit tight deadlines carries extra costs, so it will always be an argument as to whether the full net cost of these projects or, part of the net cost of these projects (and to what percentage) will be attributable to the cost of the Olympics. Going forward the armchair analysts will be playing with these numbers for years trying to arrive at the true bottom line. The test question of course will be... "Had we NOT held the 2010 Winter Olympics, how much of what they cost (net) would we have spent anyway, and on what?

Nab

[steven lloyd]

The test question of course will be... "Had we NOT held the 2010 Winter Olympics, how much of what they cost (net) would we have spent anyway, and on what? Nab

Pretty impossible question to answer (outside of opinion anyway), isn't it ?

[grammafreddy]

The test question of course will be... "Had we NOT held the 2010 Winter Olympics, how much of what they cost (net) would we have spent anyway, and on what? Nab

Pretty impossible question to answer (outside of opinion anyway), isn't it ?

It certainly is - I doubt the BC taxpayer will ever know the real cost of these games. Not in dollars and not in cutbacks to other services to help pay for them. We'll just keep on paying for them, not knowing what we are paying for.

[Liberty and Truth]

I am sharing Cateyes' concern for these huge costs and I also am inclined to lump a lot of what some are calling infrastructure into the Olympic equation. Without the hosting of the games, a lot of this would not have happened, so it isn't entirely right to exclude them from the costs.

I disagree - head down to Vancouver and see it for yourself like I did - then judge.

[Liberty and Truth]

*snip (because your personal attacks are awesome and necessary given how much you are attacked)

show what an awesome country and province we are, you'll shut up and actually accept our awesomeness.

Sure, Canada is awesome and yes, BC is awesome, too..

Thanks for agreeing!!

[flamingfingers]

^ You are BACK already?? Must be. But wonder how you managed to be so AWED by BC's AWSOMENESS when you were posting about it all the time. Hmm....

[Fritzthecat]

^ You are BACK already?? Must be. But wonder how you managed to be so AWED by BC's AWSOMENESS when you were posting about it all the time. Hmm....

No kidding....
You went to Vancouver when?

Sounds like a load of bovine feces to me.

[Liberty and Truth]

^ You are BACK already?? Must be. But wonder how you managed to be so AWED by BC's AWSOMENESS when you were posting about it all the time. Hmm....

No kidding....
You went to Vancouver when?

Sounds like a load of bovine feces to me.

you would know what bovine feces sound like all right

I am back all ready - too bad for all you cry babies and whiners. Deal with it.

[Liberty and Truth]

^ You are BACK already?? Must be. But wonder how you managed to be so AWED by BC's AWSOMENESS when you were posting about it all the time. Hmm....

It's called a Blackberry. Look into it.

[Fritzthecat]

^ You are BACK already?? Must be. But wonder how you managed to be so AWED by BC's AWSOMENESS when you were posting about it all the time. Hmm....

It's called a Blackberry. Look into it.

You spent your time in Vancouver at the 2010 Olympics which so passionately champion, surfing Castanet on your Blackberry?

Keep it up! I need a good laugh.

[Liberty and Truth]

^ You are BACK already?? Must be. But wonder how you managed to be so AWED by BC's AWSOMENESS when you were posting about it all the time. Hmm....

It's called a Blackberry. Look into it.

You spent your time in Vancouver at the 2010 Olympics which so passionately champion, surfing Castanet on your Blackberry?

Keep it up! I need a good laugh.

Give it a rest already. We don't like each other. I think everyone gets it.

[Fritzthecat]

^ You are BACK already?? Must be. But wonder how you managed to be so AWED by BC's AWSOMENESS when you were posting about it all the time. Hmm....

It's called a Blackberry. Look into it.

You spent your time in Vancouver at the 2010 Olympics which so passionately champion, surfing Castanet on your Blackberry?

Keep it up! I need a good laugh.

Give it a rest already. We don't like each other. I think everyone gets it.

Hey man, I'm just asking you some questions, If you want to BS fine, but don't get your feelings hurt if you get caught, OK?

[Liberty and Truth]

^ You are BACK already?? Must be. But wonder how you managed to be so AWED by BC's AWSOMENESS when you were posting about it all the time. Hmm....

It's called a Blackberry. Look into it.

You spent your time in Vancouver at the 2010 Olympics which so passionately champion, surfing Castanet on your Blackberry?

Keep it up! I need a good laugh.

Give it a rest already. We don't like each other. I think everyone gets it.

Hey man, I'm just asking you some questions, If you want to BS fine, but don't get your feelings hurt if you get caught, OK?

Get caught? What? I honestly don't care what you are even talking about.