We have met the enemy, and they are us!

The following article explains how one of the best known architects in the US just happened to receive a CDBG grant that was not originally allocated in the CDBG plans for Los Angeles after receiving the architectural award for the design of a new billion dollar city stadium.

Huge Subsidy for Stadium Architect

Villaraigosa quietly plans to hand Gensler $1 million meant for the poor

http://www.laweekly.com/2011-04-21/news/huge-subsidy-for-stadium-architect/

Is the Gensler office to be chided for politically fanigaling this subsidy at the taxpayer's expense, or is the "bureaucratic political system" to be chided for setting up this system, or are the citizen's representatives to be chided for allowing this process to exist?

And someone asks if tax reform is needed.  Indeed.
This story is but a drop in the ocean.
The examples are many and the need for reforms great.
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Alan Hewitt AIA
Chase Fetters Hewitt Architects
Tulsa OK
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Of course, all the associate AIA members are cheering this story because they think the aid to Gensler, targeted at the poor, will mean salary increases for them... :-)

Seriously, this just highlights what's gone wrong with our political and taxation systems.  TARP that didn't buy TA.  Stimulus spending that went for public employee wages and pensions.  Tax code written so sharply that behemoth corporations like GE can make billion$ in profit but pay no taxes, while social security and unemployment benefits are both taxed.

I guess I'm just tired of having the common citizen seen as a taxpaying unit, to quote former Treas Sec Paulson, or a consumer to be exploited by big business.  I'm angry that efforts in Washington to cut spending is a sham, a mockery of the words  used, all the while our dollar is fading in value, inflation is heating up, and no one in government seems to be able to cut a program to save their life.  The deficit is in trillions, but we have the money to spend getting monkeys high on cocaine.

Why is it that half the wage earners in this country pay NO fed taxes, or get "refunds" on top of paying no tax?

It's time for real reform, and time to give the average joe an even break.

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Klaus Steinke AIA
Las Vegas NV
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