Fredericton — According to the many people who comment every single day on every local CBC story, absolutely everything is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Even if it’s not paid for by taxpayers.
“Reallll nice photo of a sunset, CBC — not at alllll a huge waste of my hard-earned tax dollars,” spewed local man Garth Ryerson, on CBC NB’s latest Facebook cover photo.
The photo in question was submitted, free of charge, by a pedestrian who’d glimpsed the sunset from the famous Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge. Ryerson was undeterred when presented with that information.
“Maybe stick to writing real news and people would take you seriously? #dismantletheCBC!!!” he typed.
Local blow-hard Sarah Smith makes a point of commenting on every last story, be it about immigration, marijuana legislation, or even just the weather. She is opposed to the government doing anything that costs any money, and is also opposed to the news covering it.
“You guys writing about this heat wave is a huge friggin’ waste of taxpayer dollars,” she commented on a story informing residents of the temperature warning in effect. “Yeah, we know it’s hot — we can feel it. Please, for the love of god, do your jobs and cover the REAL NEWS!”
Smith is also harshly critical of CBC having even the barest essentials for a news team, such as a van to travel to breaking events, or computers for editing, or video cameras.
“Those fancypants reporters probably buy the nicest of the nice equipment with MY TAXPAYER DOLLARS,” she wrote on one story about a church being torn down in rural New Brunswick. “Can’t you take public transit like the rest of us peasants??! Use your own phone to record video — you’re publicly funded so technically I’m your boss, and I say STOP WITH THE WASTE!!!”
Smith then replied to her own comment, saying the only justifiable expenditure of money in this province is on hospitals and health care, because she herself is in poor health.
Reporter Frank Howlett said he frequently gets emails and comments from people accusing him of wasting their tax money, directly or indirectly.
“If I write something about the premier, people say Gallant is ‘no better than Tru-dumb’ at managing their money and he should be thrown into the St. John River. I’ll reply that I’m just reporting on what’s happening, and they say I’m ‘perpetuating the Liberal agenda’ for covering it at all. Seriously, what do these idiots want?!”
Howlett added that, when he and his colleagues put out hard news stories featuring statistics and facts surrounding politics or economics, people accuse CBC in the comments of “just being negative.”
“On the other hand, if we cover something softer — say, a rap about samosas, or a fun charity event — people say it’s ‘not real news’ or ‘just a fluff piece.’
“And of course,” he concluded with an exasperated sigh, “all of it is a huge waste of taxpayer dollars.”
Reallll nice article about news, Manatee — not at alllll a huge waste of my hard-earned tax dollars.
Maybe stick to writing actually amusing stories and people would take you less seriously? #dismanatee!!
The only justifiable expenditure of money in this province is to improve the Lotto odds, because I need to win it. Thank you.