What were they thinking - Ref: MJ Memorial (ticket, US, Action)

[virgode]

Originally Posted by calipoppy

Once the smoke clears, the memorial will have been paid for by private funds. End of story.

People make such a big deal out of nothing. The true disappointment would have been to not allow for a public mourning of an icon.

The city is in financial trouble, the additional cost for
the police dept. coverage is what the donations are for not MJ
memorial service

[virgode]

Originally Posted by QwertyFarmer

I am so irritated over the mess I perceive to be the Michael Jackson memorial. Any emotion of sadness I have had has quickly been squashed by the unnecessary spending of the city of Los Angeles and mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Having spent 1.4 million dollars so people could show up and pay their respects to an entertainer who two weeks ago from the moment I am writing this would have had zero success in asking the city of Los Angeles to let him hold a free concert at the Staples Center at the expense of the tax payers.

Why did the city of Los Angeles in a state where IOU's are being used to pay their debts to its own citizens think it was ok to accept the check for this event? That 1.4 million dollars would have been better used to provide for the citizens of Los Angeles who so desperately need it right now. Did they actually think a man who lived such a wild ride of a life really needed their charity. What a gross misappropriation of funds. Especially for a man who was known to be so giving, would not a price for each ticket have been more appropriate? The city could have sold the tickets and possibly have made a profit which then could have gone back into funds needed to help the citizens of Los Angeles or at the very least one of the many charities that MJ supported.

I do respect peoples needs to say their good byes, I do not respect the need to say good bye at the detriment of another living person or city of people. I am interested in seeing how Los Angelenos will be demanding the city keep their hands out of their pockets for having hosted this private party.

Where did you get this info from? Where did you hear the city of LA
paid for MJ's memorial service?

[DontH8Me]

The local news reported on the day of the memorial that the city would be getting over $5 million benefit to local business from the tourist traffic. I'd say that with the taxes those businesses pay (more than anywhere in the country) it's already a wash.

Moderator cut: unnecessary

[ProgShred]

Makes sense to pay cops overtime to control traffic to a child molester's funeral, rather then having them out on the streets trying to eliminate crime.

[GloryB]

I don't think QwertyFarmer was being negative against the event or the person. The thread is about the huge expense created for a city that is already in the financial hole. Family and friends SHOULD chip in and help out. Most funerals aren't free.

[eagle7]

The numbers have been adjusted once again & its now at 3.9 million dollars. AEG & the jackson family should pony up & pay the bill. This is gross spending by the city of los angeles. Jensens in wrightwood,ca (80 miles east of L.A.) charged the city of L.A. 50k for 3500 boxed lunches. The city of los angeles is surely ran by total idiots....WOW!!

[Houston3]

The day of your funeral your family will have to pay for the police escort, not the taxpayer. Ot maybe a new trend has been started here.

[QwertyFarmer]

Originally Posted by iTsLiKeAnEgG

1.4 million is chump change to a city the size of LA. It will be repaid swiftly by donations and the increased foot traffic caused by the event.

HHmm? Do you think the man or woman who is not getting their needed service of food, medical, or financial aid would consider your statement fair or valid? BTW the 1.4 has been bumped to over 3 million. Maybe we should tell the hungry don't worry it will come eventually.

.

Moderator cut: quoted post deleted; comment was orphaned
Why this event was launched into action before the money bag was assigned to a person, company, or combination of the sort is IMO a truly irresponsible use of power concerning the lives of the living citizens in Los Angeles. This is an awful but true example of throwing good money after bad. Politicians should not be gambling with the benefits of its citizens, especially when they are using IOU's to pay their debts.

[eagle7]

M.J was a great entertainer but he was strange. The man slept with his chimp (early yrs) & did odd things. His kids never went to school & had no friends but other family members kids. Its all coming out now & more will follow.

[iTsLiKeAnEgG]

Originally Posted by QwertyFarmer

HHmm? Do you think the man or woman who is not getting their needed service of food, medical, or financial aid would consider your statement fair or valid? BTW the 1.4 has been bumped to over 3 million. Maybe we should tell the hungry don't worry it will come eventually.

So you are you telling me that if it wasn’t for MJ's funeral a man or woman would be getting 1.4 million dollars worth of food? Of course not, but you are very good at completely missing the point. The foot traffic created by the funeral will boost overall business revenue far past the miniscule 1.4 million nibble taken out of the city budget. The city expected something like 700,000 non residents who all needed a hotel, food, etc. This increased revenue will further allow "the man or woman who is not getting their needed services" to be taken care of. Ever heard the phrase "you have to spend money to make money"? Your thought process is so one dimensional I'm sure you'll have difficulty comprehending any of this. Here is some very fuzzy math:

If 700,000 people spent an average of only $100 over their several day stay, various businesses combined would make $70,000,000. Considering the cost of restaurant food and a hotel stay its not unreasonable for many to spend well over $100 (this doesn't even include the people who would go shopping while in LA). If each of those people only spent an average of $50 or only half of the 700,000 showed up to spend an average of $100 you still have $35,000,000. Does spending 3 million on a funeral now seem like obscene waste of city funds? You can take those numbers, spin them any you want (within reason) and still not have a solid argument against the point I'm addressing.