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"Will you be celebrating Jim Jones and David Koresh's birthday?" gadfly Arnold Sacks dramatically said during public comment before the City Council voted to approve around $40,000 in fee waivers--meaning the city absorbs the costs of paying overtime for workers to shut streets down--for special events around the city, including $3,000 for a L. Ron Hubbard Birthday Event taking place Saturday at the Shrine Auditorium.
Activist and pain-in-the-council's-neck Zuma Dogg hypothetically questioned what the public would want to do with a $5,000 gift to the city. Would you rather have "homeless services on skid row, give it to the underprivileged kids of LAUSD programs, how about keeping the parks an libraries open that we're thinking of cutting," he asked. "With all due respect, you got people like John Travolta and Tom Cruise that are part of this organization, how about if they can chip in and pick up the tab?"
The motion was passed unanimously, although Councilmembers Eric Garcetti, Tom LaBonge, Ed Reyes and Bill Rosendahl were absent from the meeting.
"This annual celebration recognizes the achievements of Mr. Hubbard, Founder of the Scientology religion, and honors Churches of Scientology internationally," wrote Councilmember Bernard Parks in the motion (.pdf). "The event is attended by over 7,000 local Scientologists, their families and friends, as well as by representatives of other religions and professions."
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Give me a f*&%ing break! Our taxpayer dollars should not be going toward L. Ron's birthday festivities, ESPECIALLY when you consider how wealthy that organization is.
Just think, at this very moment a kid doesn't have a desk in your local high school, city employees are taking furloughs, and the pot hole in your street is about to swallow your car.
I can't even compose a comment this makes me so mad/disgusted.
Yeah, if I was on the council, I think I would have made a point of being absent for that vote, too.
I'm sure the we'll all be allowed to attend this event being subsidized by our tax dollars, right?
max0r: of course you will...once you are audited.
No religious organization, almost all of which have some means of garnering funds from their congregants, should be able to use tax dollars. Hell, they don't even pay taxes.
shit, I better pick up some thetans before the big gala!
PROTESTS!
Fuck this shit!
Where's Anonymous when you need them???
I'm pretty sure, in true cult fashion, you're supposed to donate like 80% of your income to the Church. I'm also pretty sure Tom and John aren't doing that.
This is injustice. BUT, where do we draw the line? Everyday, tax payer money goes to things that not every taxpayer uses/wants/needs. I don't have nor intend on having kids, but my taxes still pay for schools, for the betterment/use of other people's children. My tax dollars also pay for police and fire services that other people get the benefit of. So how do we decide who gets cut off and who can take benefit of taxpayer services. This is my opinion ON PRINCIPLE.
BUT, don't get me wrong! I personally think it's a TERRIBLE shame that they can't drop this money on textbooks, after-school programs, or transportation improvements!
Gee that 5000 could also spay and neuter a lot of animals and save the lives of literally thousands of lives but LA decided it was better to cut the spay and neuter program and have a parade for Scientology. What is WRONG with these people, I am so disgusted with the City of LA.
SUCH a pity that all the $cientographists (or whatever) didn't invest all their riches with ol' Mr. Madoff
Utterly lame.
"This annual celebration recognizes the achievements of Mr. Hubbard, Founder of the Scientology religion, and honors Churches of Scientology internationally," wrote Councilmember Bernard Parks
This comment reeks of someone paid me to say this and vote yes. Scientology is already largely a tax evasion scheme, and now we are subsidizing them directly too, wtf?!