[+Kardboard+]

So just before six p.m. tomorrow TransLink's gonna have special Olympic messages and they're encouraging everyone to make noisssseee to start the one-year countdown.

Uh...if you see the wacko on the SkyTrain with the BT headphones, suit, and a tie on his head tomorrow that's me, and you now know why. :lol

GO CANADA GOOOOO

[KingDeeCee]

Yay....I'll still be sleeping :thumbsup:

[Supafly]

Im going to be the first guy to say FUCK THE OLYMPICS!

[BoneThug]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO olympics

[SoulCrusher]

Olympic cost: (est.) $5billion

[+Kardboard+]

lol so much negativity.

[!Aznboi128]

Im going to be the first guy to say FUCK THE OLYMPICS!


THANK YOU!

using all our money!

[van_driver]

screw the olympics...

rebuild the port mann without a toll you bastards!

[wahyinghung]

yeah screw them cash cows!!!!!!!!

[danned]

what noise???????????????

[JSALES]

i'll be working

[invader]

we should all be preaching to our friends across the world

WELCOME TO VANCOUVER!

Bring money

[03aspec]

Im going to be the first guy to say FUCK THE OLYMPICS!

YES!

[tonyvu]

errrr.... 2 weeks of school that i paid for down the drain....
can't really say that for highschoolers though... -.-'

[hotjoint]

cool

[lilaznviper]

but the olympics are going to inject a shitload of money into our economy

[silk]

not exciting at all

[turbos86]

but the olympics are going to inject a shitload of money into our economy

Probably won't break even with how much was spent for it.

[MG1]

I love the Olympics.......... just hold it somewhere else.

Haven't the poor suffered enough? Holding the Olympics here does nothing for the poor. Only the rich prosper. It leaves a legacy of......... really do you think the poor will go ice skating or skiing? They have hard enough time putting food on the table.

Like I said, I like the Olympics, just not all the costs and commercialism it involves. Good times for the well to do, but homelessness, poverty, health care, education, etc. need funding.

It's too late to protest now that it is going to be here, but it should have been held elsewhere. I guess it's good for the athletes having home court advantage, but..........

[Hondaracer]

I hope everyone that hates on them can stfu and sit at home with your blinds shut and tv off

None of you know the actual costs involved, the olympics will get Vancouver back on track economically alot quicker then we would have without them and it will in fact leave a legacy of sports and community in van

Boo fucking hoo about your tax dollars, if they weren't being spent on the olympics they'd be being dumped into safe injection sites and some low cost housing that would only perpetuate this "homeless crisis" rather then solve anything

Hopefully the olympics makes the cost of living high enough and the city prosperous enough to force the haters to realize they were wrong and now your living out in chilliwack

Olympics ftw, haters ftl, and I'll be firing my unregistered unlicensed handgun into the air at 6pm

GOOOO CANADA!

[slammer111]

Heard this morning on 94.5 (Kid Carson?) that all SkyTrains will honk (apparently they do have horns) at 6pm tonight.

And this morning at 8am they unveiled the Olympic Torch at Whistler.

[MG1]

I hope everyone that hates on them can stfu and sit at home with your blinds shut and tv off

Nobody here is hating the Olympics or the events or what it stands for. It's just holding the event locally is a burden on a lot of people. I'm not poor and yeah, it might actually benefit me, but there's more to it than......... and your comments are coming from a person who can enjoy those benefits. BTW, don't tell people to shut the fuck up.

[Mugen EvOlutioN]

Im going to be the first guy to say FUCK THE OLYMPICS!

+1

[Adsdeman]

Stop moaning, the olymipics is gonna bring a bunch of fine foreign ladies!

[MG1]

None of you know the actual costs involved, the olympics will get Vancouver back on track economically alot quicker then we would have without them and it will in fact leave a legacy of sports and community in van

You're absolutely right on the first count. Nobody knows the actual costs involved. In fact, we'll be, and I'm not talking just people who live in Vancouver, paying for this event for quite some time.

Back on track economically? How long are the Olympics?

You should have said put Vancouver on the map or something like that........

Legacy of sports........ I gather you meant arenas and venues. Yes, you're right on that as well. Spoken like a true athlete (jock). Perhaps, kids from the Downtown Eastside can take a field trip to the Richmond Olympic Oval and take advantage of the wonderful venue. I think they should scrap the lunch programme there for a month to make the trip.

[Noir]

I love the Olympics.......... just hold it somewhere else.

Haven't the poor suffered enough? Holding the Olympics here does nothing for the poor. Only the rich prosper. It leaves a legacy of......... really do you think the poor will go ice skating or skiing? They have hard enough time putting food on the table.

Like I said, I like the Olympics, just not all the costs and commercialism it involves. Good times for the well to do, but homelessness, poverty, health care, education, etc. need funding.

It's too late to protest now that it is going to be here, but it should have been held elsewhere. I guess it's good for the athletes having home court advantage, but..........

As much as I understand the POV of the anti-olympic community, the inner hockey nut in me just can't resist the opportunity of our boys representing right in our own backyard.

Unfortunately when it comes to hockey for me, inhibition > reason. :( SumAznGuy can vouch

[MG1]

As much as I understand the POV of the anti-olympic community, the inner hockey nut in me just can't resist the opportunity of our boys representing right in our own backyard.

Unfortunately when it comes to hockey for me, inhibition > reason. :( SumAznGuy can vouch

I agree with you, Noir. I think it's going to be a really good thing for hockey and sports in general. I too, live and breathe hockey. Like I said, I'm no longer in the poor category. I grew up in a poor neighbourhood and that's probably why I get a little hot under the collar, when it comes to the poor and disadvantaged. I lived a block away from Main and Hastings - for 16 years.

I really should move on and behave, talk, and think like a middle class citizen, now that I am. Still hard to forget where I came from. Still can't bring myself to throw things out because it's getting old, shit like that.

And, to Hondaracer.... I'm sorry I jumped at your comments. It wasn't meant as an attack on you as a person. Just that I get a little crazy when it comes to people not understanding the hardships poor people face day in and day out.

[icemiko]

More taxes.

[icemiko]

....wtf double post...

[Hondaracer]

grouping homelessness and the poor into the olympics is ignorant, yes you can say all day long that if u spent a billion dollars on homlessness that the problem would be solved [potentially not but people can think that way] but that wouldnt happen

throwing money at homelessness does nothing, building twenty highrises for homless to live in does nothing, so at what point do u say maybe money could be used in other places or other resources to better the city/province as a whole? for the actual hard working people, businesses, and communities that put money and time into projects and developments that pay taxes for what? like i said safe injection sites?

what would you rather tax dollars go towards, an olympic skating oval which is going to truely show off Canadian lumber and forest products [if u havent been to the oval yet u will see why when u go], a highway to whistler which will be an everlasting improvement, etc. etc. or some fucking needles for junkies to shoot up with?

homlessness can be summed up in Vancouver with a small cliche, you give an inch they take a mile, just because you think somthing is fixed doesnt mean the future doesnt bring up further problems and challenges, it will be an ongoing problem forever until Vancouver begins to see -40 tempatures from global warming, the amount of homless and their needs grow quicker then the cars/highways issues in BC.

[SlySi]

grouping homelessness and the poor into the olympics is ignorant, yes you can say all day long that if u spent a billion dollars on homlessness that the problem would be solved [potentially not but people can think that way] but that wouldnt happen

throwing money at homelessness does nothing, building twenty highrises for homless to live in does nothing, so at what point do u say maybe money could be used in other places or other resources to better the city/province as a whole? for the actual hard working people, businesses, and communities that put money and time into projects and developments that pay taxes for what? like i said safe injection sites?

what would you rather tax dollars go towards, an olympic skating oval which is going to truely show off Canadian lumber and forest products [if u havent been to the oval yet u will see why when u go], a highway to whistler which will be an everlasting improvement, etc. etc. or some fucking needles for junkies to shoot up with?

homlessness can be summed up in Vancouver with a small cliche, you give an inch they take a mile, just because you think somthing is fixed doesnt mean the future doesnt bring up further problems and challenges, it will be an ongoing problem forever until Vancouver begins to see -40 tempatures from global warming, the amount of homless and their needs grow quicker then the cars/highways issues in BC.



Interesting point of view.
Well said.:thumbsup:

[MG1]

grouping homelessness and the poor into the olympics is ignorant,

snip, snip, snip


OK, forget the homeless - bad choice. Just as bad as mentioning those useless drug addicts. They can die for all we care, right?

The poor are not going to benefit from any of this. You talk about the venues. Great. I see the benefit. It is always the people with money who win in these situations. It's like the tax benefit given to parents so they can get a break on sports equipment and whatnot. Again, great, but tell that to the single moms out there who can't even buy skates let alone get their kids to a rink or join a league. They can only dream about their kids getting any kind of opportunity.

As for the safe injection site. Uh, it saves lives, and believe it or not, yours and mine in the grander scheme of things. Right, forgot. Who gives a flying fuck about those low lifes.


"There by the grace of god go I".

[MG1]

what would you rather tax dollars go towards, an olympic skating oval which is going to truely show off Canadian lumber and forest products [if u havent been to the oval yet u will see why when u go], a highway to whistler which will be an everlasting improvement, etc. etc. or some fucking needles for junkies to shoot up with?

You're seeing this from your eyes. A lot of people are not as fortunate as you. There are plenty of people who cannot go to Whistler or to the oval, or to much. It's called scraping along to make a living. A highway to Whistler might a well be a highway to hell. The poor don't have cars. Won't mention homeless people again. There are people out there who cannot make ends meet. They don't use drugs, or rob people, or line up for hand outs. Most of them have two or more jobs. You need to get out and see the rest of the world. Nuff said.

[phatpower]

I will shout show me the money bitches then finish it with a epic FAIL

[Noir]

You're seeing this from your eyes. A lot of people are not as fortunate as you. There are plenty of people who cannot go to Whistler or to the oval, or to much. It's called scraping along to make a living. A highway to Whistler might a well be a highway to hell. The poor don't have cars. Won't mention homeless people again. There are people out there who cannot make ends meet. They don't use drugs, or rob people, or line up for hand outs. Most of them have two or more jobs. You need to get out and see the rest of the world. Nuff said.

I hear what you say, and I guess your previous background does shed some light into the depth of your current opinion.

But that being said, isn't increasing government support for the poor or homeless just encourages dependency on government aid? Kind of like pre-mature parents aren't deterred to have more kids because of welfare grants. In the same way, I can't foresee homeless people bettering their situation when they can get food and housing for free.

Do people remember APC and the interview with their president? I find it ironic, that he says its impossible for the people he represents to obtain jobs without the availability of an address, yet I believe he was questioned about his current occupation and his unwillingess to work full-time.

[Hondaracer]

OK, forget the homeless - bad choice. Just as bad as mentioning those useless drug addicts. They can die for all we care, right?

The poor are not going to benefit from any of this. You talk about the venues. Great. I see the benefit. It is always the people with money who win in these situations. It's like the tax benefit given to parents so they can get a break on sports equipment and whatnot. Again, great, but tell that to the single moms out there who can't even buy skates let alone get their kids to a rink or join a league. They can only dream about their kids getting any kind of opportunity.

As for the safe injection site. Uh, it saves lives, and believe it or not, yours and mine in the grander scheme of things. Right, forgot. Who gives a flying fuck about those low lifes.


"There by the grace of god go I".


Well what would you propose then? the government just released an additional 2 months of UI for these single mothers to help them in between jobs, would you just give them free money? could you not consider at some point in their lives they made a couple bad choices which put them in that predicament? perhaps they should consider moving somewhere else where they could actually afford to live rather then scraping by in a society where the cost of living is astronomical?

without construction of venues thousands of trades people, many whom you could consider "poor" would be completely out of work and not have the ability to get by, pay taxes, pay their living expenses not to mention the COUNTLESS other jobs created by projects not directly associated with the olympics as well as positions created for the build up, and aftermath of said games

Please enlighten me on where these jobs could be found WITHOUT the olympics coming? especially in economic times like these.


You're seeing this from your eyes. A lot of people are not as fortunate as you. There are plenty of people who cannot go to Whistler or to the oval, or to much. It's called scraping along to make a living. A highway to Whistler might a well be a highway to hell. The poor don't have cars. Won't mention homeless people again. There are people out there who cannot make ends meet. They don't use drugs, or rob people, or line up for hand outs. Most of them have two or more jobs. You need to get out and see the rest of the world. Nuff said.

As i said in my above post, if you are working 2 jobs and barely scraping by living, your probably doing somthing wrong if your working at mcdonalds and wendys and trying to live in a condo in burnaby, you dont think thats a choice that should be reevaluated?

In life you have to make sacrafices and decisions that will put yourself, your kids, your family into a better position then they currently are, if you cant do that then you should seek other means or accept that you dont have the will to make a better life for yourself

Im sick of hearing people in Vancouver especially the "homeless coalition" who say this and that should be given to them, that there are no jobs available, and they cant find their means to survive in Vancouver

as cliche as it's going to sound, my grandparents moved to Canada in the 50's with absolutely NOTHING, not only did they have not a penny to their name, they actually owed immigration canada $300 because the Canadian government had to lend them the money to pay all the imigration fee's etc.

both of them found means of living, both of them worked their fucking asses off to create somthing for themselves for nothing, wether that meant my grandpa taking up construction jobs in northern BC and the Yukon because of the lack of work in the lower mainland [which for the last 15 years there has been no such thing] or my grandma working 12 hour night shifts and 2 jobs until they could finally settle in, they had a big family, built a large home in a now highly regarded community, and now live happily retired

but no, some fucking goof downtown who has the full ability to work and live, who has family or a reservation to go back to and work and live would rather suck dollars from other hard working people and demand that things are their RIGHT not Privilege, RIGHT to have.. it's a joke.

But thats all besides the point, and I highly doubt you were one of the people out picketing the olympics and gathering petitions so your nothing but a band wagon jumper grabbing onto the hate train

the bottom line is:

THE OLYMPICS ARE COMING WETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

everyone as Canadians SHOULD support these games to make them an absolute success and make the most out of the opportunity that has been awarded to Vancouver

VanOC has nearly completed all venues and related projects well ahead of time, and although they may be over budget, they did an excellent job adjusting to this changing world economy and proceeding with plans that changed on a daily basis

Be a Proud Canadian/British Columbian and support these games when the world comes to Vancouver.

[Sodium]

I'm just glad that we got the Olympic Oval in Richmond.....ice skating ftw....^^~

[JHuJHu]

Olympics is very exciting to watch. especially the gynastics

[MG1]

THE OLYMPICS ARE COMING WETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

Be a Proud Canadian/British Columbian and support these games when the world comes to Vancouver.

If you read my original post, you would see that I said it was too late to protest and that it is coming no matter what. What does supporting the Olympics have to do with being a proud Canadian/British Columbian? I will support the athletes.

Hey, I give up. Let's just say you're right. No point arguing with you. You obviously see things only one way. Druggies, homeless, poor people, and now first nations people, are just lazy asses who can claw their way out of their situations if they only just tried a little harder.

[MG1]

But that being said, isn't increasing government support for the poor or homeless just encourages dependency on government aid? Kind of like pre-mature parents aren't deterred to have more kids because of welfare grants. In the same way, I can't foresee homeless people bettering their situation when they can get food and housing for free.

Yes, handouts are not the answer. Our government, and I can't blame them at times, always end up just giving money away. There are ways of using funds more efficiently. There are people out there who are less fortunate, not through any fault of their own. The government have to target those people. I hear about homeless and you see able bodied people out there taking advantage of the government's stupidity. They take resources away from the true homeless. The true down and out. The solution is not easy. There's more to poverty than meets the eye. You only see stuff the media shows you. Anyway, I'm getting upset at what Hondaracer has been spewing out. I'm just going to tune it out, because I have better things to do. My family clawed their way out of that place. I'm thankful for the breaks we got. Back to looking out for number one.......... It's easier not to worry about other people.

[rsx]

I think everyone knows and understands the possibly moral hazard UI or 'handouts' create. But, like your grandfather, some need a little financial help to make it. The government is trying to help those who really need it. Unfortunately, there are those who choose to exploit the system. We can't shut down social assistance programs to eliminate any exploitation. You take the good with the bad. It's unfortunate, but that's life.

[Jason00S2000]

Perhaps, kids from the Downtown Eastside can take a field trip to the Richmond Olympic Oval


Perhaps people who can't afford kids shouldn't have them?

[Peanut Butter Jelly Time!]

off-topic: poor people are essential to a capitalistic economy for the wealthy to build their empires off the backs off.

on-topic: so i heard there were problems with the roof of the oval in rmd cause it was built on silt and hence the slant/crack (or whatever it was). if something similar happens again say 5 years down the road, wouldn't the oval have just been a big waste of money for this one time event? if i remember correctly they only decided to build it in richmond to cut costs right?

[BoneThug]

does anyone else not care about the money and just about the congestion its going to cause? i'll still watch, but from some where far and safe. like mexico

[MG1]

Perhaps people who can't afford kids shouldn't have them?

So quit knocking them up.:D


I know a woman with two young kids who lost her husband to cancer. He had no insurance and they just started out. She didn't ask for that, but life sucks and then you die.

There are tonnes of reasons why people become poor. Anyway.

[ZhangFei]

can someone answer me this question.

if the olympics is going to put us in debt, how does that affect our BC economy?

what are things that we can't do or can't have anymore?

[+Kardboard+]

A) The Olympics are coming, whether people like it or not. This has been said before.

B) We don't know what it's costing us, but the costs are definitely not borne by taxpayers alone. Fair enough? Everyone chips in, some more than others, but it's economic stimulus that will draw a flow of business and investment into Vancity and BC and Canada. Nothing's going to change overnight other than a warm fuzzy feeling that we had the freakin' Olympics here and that Quatchi got ripped apart by high schoolers who thought it was funny. Miga too.

C) Culturally and socially, this is gonna be one helluva boon to us. We get to show the world just how bloody awesome we are, but at the same time, it's a chance for the world to see our most shameful, most desperate and unfortunate sides. The Downtown Eastside is there, the drugs, the gangbangers and all the other things that cannot and should not be swept under the rug. My hope is that not only will the governments shape up and really do something constructive and lasting, but the private sector as well. Actually, I know of one group which is making big strides into getting corporations involved in dealing with homelessness (specifically). Guess what? It often costs more in social assistance than it does to have them housed and given a new chance at a proper life.

D) Change is coming. No one group, government or business is gonna take charge and run with the possible positivity. It's up to everyone.




















...and wtf I heard no honking SkyTrains....I got off just before six and the asshole bus driver saw me and took off and all I could do was Facebook at the station for 20 minutes. :lol

[MG1]

can someone answer me this question.

if the olympics is going to put us in debt, how does that affect our BC economy?

what are things that we can't do or can't have anymore?


Good question. Here are my thoughts, not that I'm any expert. The Olympics will stimulate the economy, but I don't think it will last long. Sure, construction will be up and people will find jobs, but will that translate into spending by those who have the jobs? I think in these times, people are extra careful with their money. The Olympics will increase tourism. That's not a guarantee, either. The economy is not great around the world. I don't think people will have disposable income to travel. Although our fearless, drunken leader promises not to cut social programmes or education funding, those things will face cuts if the debt climbs past the worse case scenario.

The only way the government can get out of debt is to raise taxes. So, it comes out of everybody's pocket. Guys like Hondaracer won't mind, because an increase in taxes is a drop in the bucket. Plus, the feeling we get from hosting the event will keep us happy for quite some time. I don't know how people in the Interior and northern communities will take the increase in taxes. Like it was mentioned many times before, it's all too late.

What will we not have? Disposable income for people who are just above the poverty level. For the middle class and the rich? Not a big deal. For people living at or below the poverty level, one less meal for a day or two in a week? The very poor, of course, won't feel anything. You can't squeeze blood from a stone. For most of us on RS, it isn't a big deal.

It's a crap shoot. Perhaps by 2010, the world economy will pick up. The debt then is no big deal. If the economy worsens, then we just lost big time. Who would have predicted this when the Olympic bid came through a few years back? It's kind of neat that the organizers announced earlier that they were going to cut back on the costs of a few events. I think the world will understand the situation.

I remember the Olympics in Montreal. That city and its people were in debt for quite some time after the event. And they weren't going though tough times like we are now. I know, it was the summer Olympics and it costs way more to host a summer event. I can't remember how the Calgary Olympics went. Alberta has tonnes of money, so it probably wasn't a huge deal.

[Volvo-brickster]

Of course the olympics will make money for the economy.

Price gouging to the max !

Vancouver 2010, open to all but spectators.

[MG1]

We don't know what it's costing us, but the costs are definitely not borne by taxpayers alone. Fair enough? Everyone chips in, some more than others, but it's economic stimulus that will draw a flow of business and investment into Vancity and BC and Canada.

Let's hope businesses step up to the plate. If they're still around. Everyone will share in the cost? Cool, because there's no escaping the debt. Most people are upbeat about the whole thing right now and that's good. As long as the good outweigh the bad. I hope for everyone's sake that the event is worth it. I just pointed out some of the negative sides. When we got the bid to host the event way back when, everybody was happy. Party time. We were told the costs and everything was hunky dory. Has anything come at or below the original cost estimate? Security costs sounds like it's way off.

Hey, it'll be good times for everybody from hookers and escorts to taxi drivers and car rental companies during the games. People who attend the Olympics, other than the athletes' families, will have lots of money to throw around.

[+Kardboard+]

True that. We're no Alberta, but we're not that bad either. Canada hasn't been hit as hard by the recession as many other countries, and growth in BC for the past few years hasn't been shabby. That being said, we're not home free either, and it's gonna take (and is taking, for that matter) businesses and influential people with prudence and half a brain to guide us out of this steaming pot of chunky defecation.

The Olympics will help, but how much and for how long remains to be seen. :(

[oinkoinkpig]

I love turtles

[_Hotsauce_]

500 Turtles are good.

[Hondaracer]

does anyone else not care about the money and just about the congestion its going to cause? i'll still watch, but from some where far and safe. like mexico

who's gonna be working? :P

[!LittleDragon]

does anyone else not care about the money and just about the congestion its going to cause? i'll still watch, but from some where far and safe. like mexico

Werd, I already planned my trip to Miami and will be driving up the east coast. I wasn't fond of the Olympics coming here but as we're getting closer to the date, the less I want to be here. Now the recession is going to make it even worse, how many people can actually afford to come here now?

[rb]

The rates aren't that bad. I'm sure many people can afford to come :rolleyes:

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/search/apa?query=olympics&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max&bedrooms=

[goo3]

I hear what you say, and I guess your previous background does shed some light into the depth of your current opinion.


I also want to point out.. Not everyone who's poor feels the need to finger point and take down others in order to bring themselves up. Many just bury their heads and keep going and find resourceful ways to enjoy what's available to them in life. That's just human nature. You even see ppl who are semi-well off get jealous of the rich or ppl who are at the top and blame them for pretty much everything "wrong" their own lives.

I wonder if ppl were saying the same thing about Expo? Whatever the case, even though I was only able to go a handful of times, I'm glad it came. It was good for the city, it was good for the "rich," :rolleyes: and it was awesome for me as a kid cuz I still remember a ton of stuff from those days. 20 yrs from now, today's kids will have even bigger memories from the Olympics, and I don't think that's something the haters should take away just cuz they're pussy hurt that life isn't totally fair.

You can criticize the Olympics lots of ways, but saying it's only for the rich at the expense of the poor is total BS. It's a feel-good saying for the jealous and entitled and that's it.

[MG1]

I also want to point out.. Not everyone who's poor feels the need to finger point and take down others in order to bring themselves up. Many just bury their heads and keep going and find resourceful ways to enjoy what's available to them in life. That's just human nature. You even see ppl who are semi-well off get jealous of the rich or ppl who are at the top and blame them for pretty much everything "wrong" their own lives.

I wonder if ppl were saying the same thing about Expo? Whatever the case, even though I was only able to go a handful of times, I'm glad it came. It was good for the city, it was good for the "rich," :rolleyes: and it was awesome for me as a kid cuz I still remember a ton of stuff from those days. 20 yrs from now, today's kids will have even bigger memories from the Olympics, and I don't think that's something the haters should take away just cuz they're pussy hurt that life isn't totally fair.

You can criticize the Olympics lots of ways, but saying it's only for the rich at the expense of the poor is total BS. It's a feel-good saying for the jealous and entitled and that's it.

OK......... first off, if you were directing the comments in response to Noir's post, which I guess indirectly involves my post, let me tell you I'm not poor. If I were, I wouldn't be on RS, have a computer or have the time, because I'd be working how ever many jobs it takes to feed and clothe my family. And you're right in that the majority of the poor don't point fingers, and I'm not pointing fingers, either. Never have. I respect people who have wealth. I envy them, but that's about it. There are lots of people out there who became rich because of hard work and getting some breaks in life. More power to them. Also, I'm not one of those fucking retarded protesters who are still beaking on about moving the Olympics. It's too late for that. The Olympics are here whether we like it or not. I posted in another Olympic thread long time ago that it's time to stop bitching about it and move on, and that we need to support it - now that it has been awarded to our fair city.

I posted in this particular thread to speak up about the poor because I've been there and there are lots of people out there who don't seem to really understand the poverty thing. Nobody is blaming anybody for anything. I just think the Olympics should have been held elsewhere. We are all going to face some hardships because of the Olympics costing way more than predicted. It's just the poor are going to feel it more.

Like just about everybody on here, I hate people who take advantage of the system. Those who pose as homeless, when they can go out there and work like everybody else for a living. I'd be the first to shoot them dead if it were legal. These low lifes take resources away from the people who really need it.

Life goes on.................

[Noir]

Has anything come at or below the original cost estimate?.

But isn't that the nature of the beast though? Every development from building highways to building bridges always never come's in below its estimate. Especially for multi year projects. From planning to developing to finally constructing, so many cost variables change over time. That being said, it really shouldn't surprise anyone.

[Hondaracer]

not to mention when we were awarded the games no one knew of this recession/changing economic landscape, it was impossible to predict so of course the origional budget will be inncorect

[MG1]

But isn't that the nature of the beast though? Every development from building highways to building bridges always never come's in below its estimate. Especially for multi year projects. From planning to developing to finally constructing, so many cost variables change over time. That being said, it really shouldn't surprise anyone.

Absolutely. Nothing comes under budget, but they were so sure this time that they had accounted for inflation and over estimated a bit. Wow, were they ever off on the security thing. Instead of millions, it's in the billion range. There was something that came under estimate and ahead of schedule in this province. I think it's the new bridge between Langley and Maple Ridge. Now that's a good looking bridge.

[MG1]

not to mention when we were awarded the games no one knew of this recession/changing economic landscape, it was impossible to predict so of course the origional budget will be inncorect

The recession/economic downturn should not have been that much of a factor. The cost of materials have actually dropped. I guess companies/sponsors pulling out due to the economy may have a bit to do with the costs.

The good news with the economy being so poor is development of other projects and the housing market has dropped off. Lot's of people ready to work. I remember one of the worries back then was there would be a shortage of skilled workers.