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143 Comments
- StigNordas, on 07/12/2009, -1/+67I'm sure the cops who were getting 2x pay for sitting around are feeling pretty good about it.
- gigi52, on 07/12/2009, -2/+65of course the taxpayers are getting ripped off. Around here, if an organization or any sort has a festival or anything that requires additional police or costs for the city, the organization is billed. That's what LA should do.
- sjbdallas, on 07/12/2009, -1/+64Really? I think i'm going to schedule a big event in the Staples center and tell everyone i'm expecting 250K people. Oh, I can't do that without the city's APPROVAL in the first place? Weird.
- apzdsx, on 07/13/2009, -2/+61California sure loves to throw parties it can't afford.
- Bloodwine, on 07/13/2009, -3/+46Sorry LA, you can't have sex with the MJ memorial and then regret it afterwards and cry rape.
- leahpee, on 07/13/2009, -4/+441. Who foots the bill when someone kicks the bucket anyway? The family. Shouldn't his family or estate (what's left of it anyway) have to fork out for the funeral, no matter how elaborate the gig might've been?
2. I think it's pretty unreasonable for someone to ask for donations for someone's funeral, especially to such a high profile celebrity. I really respect MJ and his music, but he wasn't exactly a charitable organisation for people to donate to. Haven't his fans been "donating" their cash in exchange for his albums for years? - alamedaman, on 07/13/2009, -2/+36I have an idea- don't have a ***** giant event for an entertainer who died!
- r2builder, on 07/13/2009, -2/+32The major media corporations should donate a proportion of their MJ profits as a sign of good will.
- chriskzoo, on 07/13/2009, -3/+29LA had no obligation to provide extra police, shut down expressways, etc. If they did that of their own free will, then they are making a determination that the extra pay for cops, etc. was not as important as ensuring public safety. I'm sorry, when you are in a major city where events like this can happen, you better have it somewhere in the budget or a rainy day fund.
- bluekangaroo, on 07/13/2009, -3/+28They even had their lunches paid for.. $15 box lunches driven in from 80 miles away. They could have had subway sandwiches for $5... and what about paying for their OWN lunches?
- EatingPie, on 07/12/2009, -8/+29One of the main purposes of the city is to provide protection to the people they serve. If there is a big event scheduled, then it's the city's job to help out. That is what we pay taxes for. If it went into overrun, then the city should find money for it from somewhere else, like say the overblown City Council's salaries.
The LA City Council's thinking is exactly the same that says when the budget is cut, axe the police and fire departments, or the teachers. (The city of San Diego has done exactly that, and there have been two of the largest fires in California history in the last 6 years... and even then, adding more firemen is out of the question.) The public service areas get the cuts, not the "pork barrel" spending, where politicians are in over payed, do-nothing jobs.
Sheesh.
-Pie - Stevanoski, on 07/13/2009, -3/+15California waste taxpayer money? Say it ain't so Joe.
Can't they just issue IOU's to pay for it? - Barackalypse, on 07/13/2009, -3/+14When have the taxpayers ever not gotten ripped off?
- Shaggy3, on 07/13/2009, -2/+12Memorials for a culture icon? Sorry, but no it isn't.
- inactive, on 07/13/2009, -2/+125.... 5 dollar... 5 dollar foot loooonnggg
- BassMastr, on 07/13/2009, -9/+19How much did the state make in taxes? A lot of people came to town and stayed in their hotels, ate their food, bought their goods, and rented their cars. Get some $$$ from the state...O wait they are broke too but it has nothing to do with not making enough money off the Jackson circus.
Most cities beg to have large events come to their towns. I'm thinking we should take away the Rose Bowl and any other major events or any conventions until they can afford it again. We would hate to burden their state with large events that other states beg to have. - franklymister, on 07/13/2009, -5/+14Los Angeles has earned millions and millions and millions of tax dollars over the years that Michael Jackson lived there, thanks to tourists coming to the city, MJ's own direct tax payments, taxes on millions of dollars of merchandise and performances, all the jobs that were created by the Michael Jackson empire, the videos that were made, etc., etc.
I think a couple million for a funeral is hardly enough to wipe out all those years. I'm sure any city in America would have been thrilled to have the windfall that 30 years of Michael Jackson living in their town would have brought. - Jimbob200, on 07/13/2009, -3/+12I'm sure every city just has money lying around just in case the top pop star in the world dies in their city...
- dsmith5237, on 07/13/2009, -1/+9They should have thought about it in advance. If they didn't demand any expenses up front then they basically made it a community service/outreach event.
- inactive, on 07/13/2009, -1/+9You couldnt really call it a funeral if more than half of the people there were just journalist or celebs that's never even been in the same room as Michael Jackson. More like a sideshow.
- Barackalypse, on 07/13/2009, -0/+7Except the point of Government isn't so that some people can make money off an event that everybody paid for. Its point is to protect the life and liberty of its citizens.
- kreatre2007, on 07/13/2009, -0/+7The family should pay for the memorial. Problem solved. Why in the hell is this only obvious to me? Why would LA pay for someone's memorial anyway?
- LordVance, on 07/13/2009, -1/+7We saw your comment up a page...
- FOR3MAN, on 07/13/2009, -8/+14Because Jackson’s body was 95% plastic, he will be melted down and turned into park benches to recoup the costs.
- relaxeder, on 07/13/2009, -0/+6God dammit, stop making me laugh at these.
- JustinPM, on 07/13/2009, -0/+6It's a ***** funeral. Sure you made it a tourist attraction, but people grieving don't make good tourists. Smooth move. Next time, figure out where the money's coming from before you spend it.
- radu79, on 07/13/2009, -7/+13LOL??
You mean all those people going there never paid for anything? Like, food, hotels, and other *****?
And those things are not taxed?
If you have 20K people coming, and each spending 100 USD per day (although I would think they spent more), you have 2 million bucks going to your city every day. That's good for any city, and they should stop complaining. - franklymister, on 07/13/2009, -0/+6Even after his debts are paid, his estate is worth half a billion. I think his creditors will be just fine.
- sulthernao, on 07/13/2009, -0/+5I was under the impression that the DNC/RNC are paid for by the parties.
- KOttic, on 07/13/2009, -1/+6That was too much money to spend on that crap. Coulda avoided all of this with a simple funeral, the family always bitched about how the media made him a freak well heres why. Gimmie a break, lets spend all this money then put the bill on somebody else. Good work Jackson 4.
- darknecross, on 07/13/2009, -1/+6I'm almost positive Michael Jackson's label made at least 1.4 million from album/song sales since his death.
- BassMastr, on 07/13/2009, -0/+5Jackson will continue to be a cash cow for the rest of ....well as far as I can possibly imagine.
- PxCxG, on 07/13/2009, -3/+7As the la times noted today, you didn't hear any bitching about it when LA hosted the democratic national convention in 2000 (something no one cared about) or the laker parades in 2000-2002
- banski, on 07/13/2009, -0/+4This was broadcast live around the world on TV/news channels and they didn't pay for it? what about the revenue for the ads broadcast? they must have made millions world wide, they should have just been made to pay up front for rights
- Amnesia10, on 07/13/2009, -1/+5In the UK if a football team wants a game they have to have police there, and if they do not pay up then the match does not go ahead. The teams profit so should pay for this.
In the case of the MJ funeral the Jackson family should pay, they made money from the event so they should pay. Alternatively the police could dig up the corpse, and hold it until they pay up, Why should the tax payers of LA pick up the bill? - slearwig, on 07/13/2009, -4/+8You're wrong about welfare and food stamps. Illegals are not eligible. Need Snopes. Medical aid for illegals is, at least in California, discretionary on the part of local county governments.
Deportation costs money though, but these days there are more illegals in government than from Mexico, so if you mean to change the guard, then I agree. Send career politicians home. - seedsofwar, on 07/13/2009, -0/+4this whole memorial thing was a gigantic waste of... well, everything involved in it. it's also irritating that a bunch of groups/people made some quick money off of this, and are trying their damnedest not to pay off any of the bills they incurred.
- relaxeder, on 07/13/2009, -0/+4Either the concert promoters or the Jackson family should foot the bill. Why should the city pay for it if it was an invite-only gig for a handful of thousands? They want to put together an elaborate memorial ceremony for their deceased son/father/brother, fine, but don't run and leave everyone else with the tab. LA is in dire financial straits as it stands, and I'm sure AEG and Sony aren't hurting for the money.
Use the millions that have been made in downloads over the last two weeks to pay it off. - reed311, on 07/13/2009, -8/+11This is part of the cost associated with having an arena like the Staples Center in your city.
- HimThatSpeaks, on 07/13/2009, -2/+5Probably because the republican party wasn't complaining and all butt hurt because they lost an election.
- nargalzius, on 07/13/2009, -0/+3I think you're a horrible person be able to judge someone like that... but goddamnit, that was well played, so I'll digg you up :)
- r2builder, on 07/13/2009, -3/+6Exactly, they've made a ridiculous amount of money from exploiting Jackson's death, just as they did when he was alive. Why shouldn't they help out with this bill?
- HimThatSpeaks, on 07/13/2009, -1/+4I love how every city says they have no money and lay off all kinds of workers and something happens and they have a ton of money for some ***** event. Not saying MJ's funeral was a ***** event. Just saying the tax payers should not foot the bill for something they cannot afford to go to and would get charged for going to.
- jitterbits, on 07/13/2009, -0/+3I wanted to digg you up for your sentiment, but the typos were atrocious. Perhaps that is why you are being buried, even though you make perfect sense.
- suprememilo, on 07/13/2009, -5/+8I doubt most of the people at the event came to LA, and weren't already there or close.
- BassMastr, on 07/13/2009, -0/+3You're exactly right! I couldn't agree with you more. I'm just saying we have wasted money on worse things.
- Elliuotatar, on 07/13/2009, -0/+3You should really get your news from someplace other than Digg. The funeral already happened... a week ago.
- inactive, on 07/13/2009, -1/+4 "Holds the record for the amount of charity given as an individual" Just wow. Have you ever heard of Bill Gates or Warren Buffet? Come on man.
- jitterbits, on 07/13/2009, -0/+3They used taxpayer money to build it on the premise that the events there would bring in money, not use money that isn't there to begin with.
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