June 29, 2010

All Hail the Queen... but why the hell am I paying her bills?

This week the Queen is coming to Canada. Not just any Queen, not a drag queen, not Queen Latifah... THE Q.U.E.E.N, the 84-year-old British Monarch, who also technically is the Canadian monarch. You know, the one played by Helen Mirren in that movie, The Queen.

I am skipping right over the really big question here, why the hell is the British monarchy still our monarch. And then I am gonna skim over the next question, why is she coming now. And then I am moving on to the next question. My big question...

WHY THE HELL AM I AS A CANADIAN TAXPAYER FOOTING THE BILL FOR THE BILLIONAIRE QUEEN'S ROYAL TRAVELS?

According to canoe.ca, this trip is gonna cost about 4 million bucks for the Queen to pack up her handbag, fly over, watch some shows, shake some hands, wave just a little, and go home.

And don't get me started on the Queen's representative in Canada, our Governor General, who costs us about 30 million bucks a year to do pretty much nothing. Good thing we don't have any schools or hospitals or public transit organizations that could use that money.

According to www.macleans.ca, Canadians pay about 50 million dollars a year for the Queen and all of her representatives in Canada. More per capita than the Brits pay for the monarchy. Yes, we pay more for the British monarchy than the Brits do. What is wrong with this picture?

Replacing or tossing the royals would require unanimous agreement of Parliament and all ten provinces. These bozos have never agreed on anything. So the bottom line is that we Canadians will have the monarchy for a long long long time... so my simple little question is: why can't they pay for own damn travel?

18 comments:

diego said...

yep, and if it is 30M a year for the GG versus 4M whenever the queen has to scoot on over, well, the math says that she can come over once a quarter to sign stuff (just like regional VPs in corporate-land), and there'll still be change to spare...

radical royalist said...

The Queen has not joined the billionaires' club. According to last year's richest list (published my Rupert Mordoch's "The Times" she ranks only 250th in the UK (which would not give her a place among the first thousand world wide).

You may pay a little bit to have the Queen of Canada in the country, but you save the bill for "presidential elections" (ask the US taxpayers how high that bill is ever four years).

Kevin said...

I am mixed about this debate. While I like the idea of having a monarchy, I do believe they should be able to pay for their lifestyle, including travels.

Michael Rivers said...

There's so much about the political world that I don't understand. The Royalty debate gets stronger all the time. Do you at least get to shake her hand? Tell her I said hello!

Laura said...

I am mixed on the debate too. The cost is outrageous and tough to justify - especially in this economy. The embarrassing thing is that I might go and wave at her when she is in Ottawa...depending on where, the weather and my mood...maybe.

Midwestern Mama Holly said...

I have always been enamored by the British royal family. Or should that be Royal Family? I got up early to watch Diana get married. Beauty. Ive watched her sons grown up and Prince Hot Ginge will one day be my lovah! If only in my dreams. Being that Im American, I guess its easy to look in and see all the "fairy tale" stuff, but I think I would be feeling much the way you are if I were Canadian.

TICKLEBEAR said...

as a quebecker, you know we'd do away with monarchy, the snate, the governors, and a whole lot of other things...
(ahem!!...)
:D~
but she amuses me. i like lilibeth. and i find her cost less obscene than what the G-8/G-20 has costed canadians, for an exercise in nullity. lilibeth knows she's only there for an exercise of frivolity, and she's not pretending otherwise. she's benevolent. politicians on the other hand are a nuisance, trying to make us believe they have our best interests at heart. don't get me started on this one!!!...
:(~
i guess we'll have to live with this remnant of our past as a colony. colon un jour, colon toujours!!!
:D~
HUGZ

TICKLEBEAR said...

i meant the "senate"!!...
:)~

Vodka Logic said...

Thats preposperous all that money and no power. Is she being hand fed and bathed.

Annie (Lady M) x said...

Blimey, I didn't know that the queen was still the Canadian Monarch. The travel costs is a tricky one.... she was actually invited by the Canadian GG to visit ..... which is probably why you are footing the bill.

Brahm (alfred lives here) said...

I have nothing specific against the Queen, I ask the question "why"... what purpose, why are we paying for it, why is she our Queen, why do we need her squadron of LGs and GGs here to kiss hands and shake babies...

TICKLEBEAR said...

why? because she does it so well?!!...
you can imagine she'll be my topic tomorrow, appropriately, as it will be "canada day"....
:D~
HUGZ

Jabacue said...

I think the Queen serves a real purpose which helps in identifying who we are as Canadians.
When you think of all the $$$$ that is wasted on the G20, just one example,the pittance that is spent on her is minimal in comparison.
I think she is an incredible human being. She didn't ask for this 'role' in which she finds herself. She has done a great job. Let's see if Charles can keep up.

TICKLEBEAR said...

oh please!!!
can we have his first born instead???
please???
i so don't see chuck and his tampon carrier!!!
please,
let's have the boy!!!!
:D~
HUGZ

Jabacue said...

Good point!

injaynesworld said...

I didn't know any of this. How the hell did Quebec get to be French? Yours is a strange and wondrous land, as opposed to just all fucked up like ours. I'll give you our Palin for your Elizabeth any day.

TICKLEBEAR said...

injaynesworld:
frenchs got here first before the anglos. but the french king dropped us after about 150 years in favor of some other colonies... we weren't exotic enough for him... but the french culture still thrive here, much to the annoyance of some, and the delight of others. tourists sure like us. strangely, we seem exotic enough for them!!
must be our french accent when we speak english...
:)~
HUGZ

DEZMOND said...

thumbs up for the tittle of the post :)

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