Tom Brodbeck's dark secret

I really dislike Tom Brodbeck. This should come as no surprise, given the paper that he writes for. So naturally I was really pleased to see PolicyFrog dig this up:

Inspired by Tom Brodbeck’s latest screed against public arts funding in today’s Sun, I poked around the City’s records for examples of other questionable grants.

It turns out city hall is so flush with cash it can hand out thousands of dollars for carnivals, festivals, socials and parties, yet can’t restore our donkey-path roads to something we can drive on without tearing up the ball joints in our cars.

A few examples:

• The Bourkevale Community Centre collected $200 in taxpayers’ dollars to fund their “Pay Down the Tractor” Social. Public money for private drinking and dancing…outrageous!

• The Bourkevale Community Centre got $400 in taxpayer dough for its “Hoe Down Soccer Wind-Up.”

• The Bourkevale Community Centre also cashed in a cool $650 in grants for a Halloween Party, another fundraising social, and an annual festival.

Why am I picking on the Bourkevale Community Centre. Maybe because its Vice President is…wait for it…Tom Brodbeck!

Kind of looks like the pot calls the oregano green, doesn't it? Incidentally, I agree with PolicyFrog here as well:

Truth be told, I don’t care much about these piffling grants. While I think parents could probably pay for their own mix at fundraising socials, I recognize these grants (which are given to every community centre, school, block party or bake sale in town) facilitate positive community events.

Just as I think that public funding of the arts is actually a good thing, as it creates a more vibrant, dynamic city. That doesn’t mean I like every piece of art that’s produced through this funding, and I do wish the Arts Councils would spend more on public art and less on visual art and small performance pieces. However, I also don’t want politicians or newspaper columnists making decisions about what’s good art and what’s not.

I wonder how Brodbeck would reply to this? Probably something like "But... but... community centres are for sports! They help make a man out of a boy, not like that sissy girly arts stuff". And I suppose, if that's what he truly believes, then he isn't really being hypocritical -- merely an idiot.