Taj Mahals for civil servants

The American Thinker ^ | Feb. 19, 2005 | Thomas Lifson

[Kitten Festival]

The Taxpayers League of Minnesota has started a great feature, which highlights extravagent government structures in that state, The "Taj Mahal of the Week."

Nearly every day, I drive past a stunningly beautiful and extravagent public school campus in berkeley. Perched on a prime hillside lot, with incredible views of the Bay, bridges, and mountains, the building itself features a large glassed-in atrium, the finest materials, and beautiful lanscaping on its oversized grounds. It must have cost at least 50 million dollars. To the causal eye, it looks more like an elegant corporate headquarters building than a school.

Of course, every year we berkeley taxpayers are told that our schools are underfunded and are "cutting back." This brand new school is a physical rebuttal more powerful than any words could be. And it is far from the only major luxury construction project of the Berkeley schools.

Taj Mahals indeed.

[Kitten Festival]

Unbelievable. Take a look around your own neighborhood and check out how lavish government buildings are really getting these days. But government always whines for more!

[elbucko]

Take a look around your own neighborhood and check out how lavish government buildings are really getting these days.

I have for some time. I even spoke before my city council regarding this subject as it applied to a superfluous "Cultural Center". Part of the solution, I believe is to prohibit the naming of any public works after a politician or civil servant while they are alive. Dead works for me.

[Kitten Festival]

"Culture centers" are the very worst!

[elbucko]

"Culture centers" are the very worst!

Aren't they though. Ours was to be built for $14 million, it cost $28 million and needed charity. It was named in honor of the outgoing mayor. It is euphemistically referred to as "Katy's Castle". There are four other cultural centers in cities close to ours that are larger, more professional and in use constantly ( I'm a "Piper" and play at times in "Brigadoon" productions.) They pay their way because they are run privately. Our center is run by volunteers and needs a subsidy. Five years after the cultural center was built, the city school district floated a $48 million bond to; "repair the schools roofs". The city should have sold the cultural center to repair the schools. It just goes on and on. With our recent rains the roof leaks on the cultural center, requests for donations for repairs are now being received in the mail.