What were they thinking - Ref: MJ Memorial (2009, singer, dancing)

[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.

[ProgShred]

It's downright repulsive really. Even if you take away the fact that he molested kids and is undeserving of anything, there is absolutely no reason why a bankrupt state should spend this kind of money on a dancing singer when so many people are out of work.

I don't know who the millions of idiots are who voted for the crooks we have in office. I didn't vote for any of them. Maybe this is more of a political topic.

[eagle7]

Los angeles is a city totally ran by idiots. So far they have received $17,000.00 in donations. I think its pathetic that the city of L.A. has a tard for a mayor, a police dept you cant trust & a city council that is the highest paid in the world at $300,00.yr (incl $100,000 slush fund,etc). The moron mayor is the highest paid in the nation. I have heard that the city of L.A. is once again considering raising trash trash. Why anyone would want to live in Los Angeles ill never understand.

[davidmg1]

I agree that it's a shame the money had to be spent on this.

But, if you look at the flip side, most of the money I believe went to pay overtime to police, Highway Patrol, etc... So at least they got more money in their paycheck to support their families and help stimulate the LA economy.

[QwertyFarmer]

Originally Posted by davidmg1

I agree that it's a shame the money had to be spent on this.

But, if you look at the flip side, most of the money I believe went to pay overtime to police, Highway Patrol, etc... So at least they got more money in their paycheck to support their families and help stimulate the LA economy.

Paying police officers overtime to control traffic for a non-public event being paid for by the public is like putting the cart in front of the horse. If the 1.4 million wasted on this event had been used properly the police would be earning exactly what they agreed to in taking the position and many other fellow citizens would have more for their own families. IMO

[virgode]

It's great the Jackson family had such a wonderfull tribute to
their brother, but why should the city have had to foot the bill
for the additional police coverage?

The Jackson family originally wanted to charge for the event.
I'm not sure what they planned to do with the money, it was
a memorial service, not a normal event. The public that wanted
to take part in the service at the Staples Center should have
had to pay to get in, I honestly don't think it unreasonable.
The money would have gone to the city to cover those costs.

[senalj]

Originally Posted by eagle7

Los angeles is a city totally ran by idiots. So far they have received $17,000.00 in donations. I think its pathetic that the city of L.A. has a tard for a mayor, a police dept you cant trust & a city council that is the highest paid in the world at $300,00.yr (incl $100,000 slush fund,etc). The moron mayor is the highest paid in the nation. I have heard that the city of L.A. is once again considering raising trash trash. Why anyone would want to live in Los Angeles ill never understand.

The only reason CA has only received $17,000 is because the website crashed because of all the traffic it received. Once it's up and running, I'm sure the donations will start pouring in and some of the costs will be covered.

MJ Memorial Donations -- Next to Nothing | TMZ.com

[QwertyFarmer]

Originally Posted by senalj

The only reason CA has only received $17,000 is because the website crashed because of all the traffic it received. Once it's up and running, I'm sure the donations will start pouring in and some of the costs will be covered.

MJ Memorial Donations -- Next to Nothing | TMZ.com

Seems to me with all of the artists who claim MJ was such an influence on them and they are not hurting financially, they should have had a very easy way to offer to supliment for the costs of the memorial. I guess when websites crash now it is all too hard for the people with the credit cards in their hands to call an 800 number, use a 42cent stamp to send a check, or just roll on over to the mayors office and drop a dime or two. Again this is IMO.

[senalj]

Originally Posted by QwertyFarmer

Seems to me with all of the artists who claim MJ was such an influence on them and they are not hurting financially, they should have had a very easy way to offer to supliment for the costs of the memorial. I guess when websites crash now it is all too hard for the people with the credit cards in their hands to call an 800 number, use a 42cent stamp to send a check, or just roll on over to the mayors office and drop a dime or two. Again this is IMO.

I agree with you; the website crashing should not be an issue for the people who want to contribute. But I read the article as saying the mayor wanted everyone to go back online and make their pledges again. That leads me to believe the website is set up as a means for the state of CA to either send out pledge forms later or have the individual pay right then (not everyone has a credit card). No matter what the hold-up, the mayor should have made sure the IT dept was better prepared. If there were over 1 million requests for tickets, what made them think the donation request wouldn't garner many hits?

[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.