Who Pays For Red, White & BOOM!?

by Marshall McPeek

Many people have written to NBC 4 and nbc4i.com to ask why, in a difficult economy, the city is spending tax dollars to put on such a lavish fireworks display and celebration.

The good news for taxpayers is: There are no tax dollars being spent on Red, White & BOOM!

The entire cost is picked up by corporate sponsors, fees charged for concession spaces, beverage sales and private-party site rentals.

"I think Red, White & Boom is a shameful waste of money," wrote NBC 4 viewer Vickie Martin. "I'm sure it costs $100s of thousands of dollars to put on this show."

Red, White & BOOM! has a budget of nearly $500,000. That covers the cost of the huge fireworks display plus all the extra police, firefighters and cleanup.

"We pay for those police that are special duty as overtime -- and it's a significant number within the budget," says BOOM! Executive Director Mike Collins. "The police that are normally on duty anyway, or assigned to be on duty, that is picked up by the city because it's part of their direct assignment. It's everything over that that the event pays for."

Collins says the event actually generates tax dollars for the city because it is a huge draw for visitors and tourists. It's the largest one-day event in Ohio.

"It brings in between $8 million to $9 million in economic impact in a one-day proposition," Collins points out. "So, if you just take taxes and bed taxes and put other things on top of this, this is an extremely valuable commodity to the operations of the community."

I see some communities have cancelled, or changed their festivities for this year due to the economy. It appears that the display in Columbus, Ohio is subsidized by sponsors. I would rather see them take that half-million and put on a BIG picnic and day long celebration of our Independence, and invite the homeless and the hungry in Central Ohio. I have always wondered how many homeless and hungry are looking up at the fireworks display, and what is going through thier minds.?

I can imagine nothing worse than some poor child, living in a park or under a bridge, hungry, looking up and watching, as the brilliant fireworks explode in the sky. What thoughts must run through such a child's mind?

Santa is White

I got to thinking this afternoon .... well, let me digress. I am 78 years old, born in 1932, so I remember some of the 30's and 40's and of course the 50's, I have lived through a lot of change. I delivered newspapers for a while to Wilbur Wright at his home in Dayton, Ohio. I have seen Charles Kettering on a number of occasions. I saw FDR, Kettering and Orville in a parade in Dayton. I went to school in South Carolina in the early 50's, I worked in the casinos in Reno in the mid 50's, so I really have seen a lot of change.

This afternoon, I had "Easy Listening Music" playing on the TV, sitting here staring at the wall, a plaque that says DOOLEY   1961, Which was given to my Mom and Dad when they moved in to their new place here, a present from one Rebecca Rhue Dooley, my brothers wife, an it hangs next to a dresser mirror which was on a bureau I had all my life, salvaged the mirror, and have it hanging on our wall. So thoughts were of today, and memories of yesteryear.

Anyway, I wondered if years ago, say the early 40's, some little colored boy asked his mother, "Why is Santa Claus White?" Why are all the basketball players and baseball players white? Why are all the dolls white? Jesus and all the angels are white, is God white too? Why do we have to ride in the back of the bus?

So many questions that a little black boy, or colored, as they were called in those days.

I wonder how Mothers answered them, or maybe they didn't ask questions, they just accepted things as they were and never asked why. well, later on, a few did. Like Rosa Parks and Dr. King, and I'm sure others did.

Blacks were not allowed in the clubs in Reno when I worked out there in the 50's. Everyone else was allowed, but no blacks. I never questioned why. And, in all the time I was out  there, I don't recall one black person trying to enter. It would have been easy, all air doors, just one small step and you were in.

I would like to know how that Mother answered her child, "Why is Santa White?" Actually, come to think of it, Santa is still white in most cases, Jesus is still white, the angels I see depicted, are still white.

Why is Santa white?

The Fairy Tale ..... how it ends

The parties over, so to speak. I thought this was cute, and the more I thought about it, the more reality it had to it.

And all she got, as I recall, was a kiss from the prince. Well, one thing led to another.

Now, 4 kids, a dog, a Prince of a husband, sitting around in his tights watching TV, not even a flat screen. My guess is he is out of work, I don't know who would hire him in those tights, and he probably is not qualified to do anything but be a Prince.

His country went belly-up, all of their manufacturing went to China, the oil slick ruined their fishing, a mad-cow epidemic ruined their ranching, they invested all their money with Bernie Madoff and they didn't get the "shot in the arm" they had hoped for, from the USA. In their original request for aid, they used the term "fairy tale," and Obama considered that to be "politically incorrect" and he would not approve their loan. That, and when the term "Snow White" was mentioned they said Obama went "ballistic." He actually tore the loan request up into small pieces.

Now, the good news. Since the Prince is out of work, they have moved to the USA. Financially, they are better off than when they lived in the Principality. They get FREE health care, rent subsidy, disability, food stamps, unemployment, and the Prince is getting a FREE education, all tuition is being paid, and he is getting a nice monthly stipend for living expenses.

Nike saw the picture and is sending them all free Air Jordans, and Puma, not to be outdone is doing the same thing, as are a number of other shoe companies.

So, Snow White is now living the American Dream, all because of a "kiss" ..... from the Prince. She would not have been better off if he had turned into a frog.