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Subscribe to RSSThe Los Angeles city attorney's office is investigating how the city can legally press third parties to pick up at least some of the costs for Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center.
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Absolutely the MJ fan club, family, entourage, etc should pick up the tab for LA's costs for this "event." How about all of the TV stations nationwide who broadcast the "major event on the scale of the 1984 Olympics" and thn replayed and replayed and replayed segments! I must have seen the footage of Paris 20 or 30 times. Enough already! It's being reported that his record sales are jumping off the charts -- do you think some of that dough should go to the City of Los Angeles??
When my friends father passed away we had to hire the highway patrol to escort his father to the gravesite.
My point is bill the person responsible for the funeral service. I have no idea why this is such a big problem.
Surely the KING has the money....sigh
Whether you liked MJ or not, I think we all can support this. I am not sure why they made the tickets free. They should have capitalized on his death the way his entire life was capitalized on.
It sounds horrible I know, but I am not a very sentimental, ceremonious, religious person. So it is easy for me to say. :shrug:
Shouldn't LA county have thought about this beforehand? As the Rev G noted, when a loved one passes, it is the family that is responsible for securing - and paying for - the services of police, sheriffs, Hwy Patrol etc. for security purposes. The city does not give such services carte blanche.
Maybe all MJ's mourning celebrity friends who came out to be seen at the spectacular event would like to contribute some money in his memory. They were all so fond of Michael and loved him so much. All had such nice things to say about him and how his memory will never die. They can help it live on by making a cotribution to the cause!
Totally agree Wordsmith... if the city of LA didn't want to incur the costs... hmmm... here's an idea... then don't have such an event! It's pretty simple...
Yes, they should pay- no one will pay for my funeral service except my family - Perhaps if the family cannot pay the millions of fans dropping thousands of dollars on T-Shirts and memorial posters etc could maybe pay for it? perhaps a charge of an extra $1Tax per item sold by the blood sucking sharks cashing in on his death could be levied? The city did ask for help but (suprisingly for the Rev. Al who appears to be the mouthpiece for the family on any and every subject) not to my knowledge did anyone say anything- Imagine if the city had said no pay no play what would have occured? The city had little choice but to go ahead with it!
If it would have been anyone else they would have sent a bill to the family. When my husbands Aunt passed and they had to block traffic the family had to pay for 4 motorcycle cops used going to the church and than to cemetery. I do not understand why L.A. just does not do what they would normally do and charge the family. As always just my opinion.
Sussan513770
Very well put. I couldn't have said it better....
Ditto, Wordsmith. My thoughts EXACTLY.
You wait until AFTERWARDS to ask for money????? In a twisted way, I hope they don't get it. But they need it so badly....
Pretty much everything is above normal operations. They had to pay overtime for tons of police officers - the officers and the city don't have extra manpower or money to pay for unexpected multi-million dollar memorials. Plus, they still have to staff offices, patrol, etc.
AEG was originally going to sell tickets for $25, then decided to offer them to the public for free. Which was the right thing to do, but since THEY decided to have this event at the Staples Center, they should pay for the whole thing. The same thing happened with the Lakers Parade. The Lakers paid a million dollars for it, private donors paid the other million to the city to cover the cost of police officers, etc.
I agree Susan, all of his enterouge, family, fan club, the mayor can dig into HIS salary, and of course let's NOT forget the Jackson family. They are the ONES that need to foot all these bills. I didn't ask for a public memorial. Did you?
So bill staples center like you would any other event. !7,000 freak fans doesn't sound like that many, maybe the PD is trying to sook LA, 4 mil needs a looking into none the less the puplic is safer now without him.
The guy is dead. Don't you get it? The pope doesn't have this many fans, and you fostered this cult of personality, so now you get to live with it. Besides, this is what taxes already paid for. Had you not blown it all on BS schemes and scams to control the public, you wouldn't be in this mess.
I think the financial problems are funny. Everyone is running around pointing fingers and sending each other outrageous bills. I have been expecting it for a long time, nobody would listen, so this is my "I told you so" moment. Ha. Twist and burn MF, twist and burn.
Give the bill to the family.
They are the ones that wanted the circus, now they can pay for it.
I don’t question whether or not the Jackson family, fan club News Outlets and anyone else who profiting from set sales landslide to pay a bit to the city if not cover all of it.
I do however the question the lack of. I mean utter complete lack of judgment from the part of the Las Angeles City Officials for such extravagant use of resources with no guarantee of any repayment of assistance what so even. I also question the price tag.
The event is estimated to cost up to $4 million in overtime for hundreds of police officers and other services.
I quest the total end sum of which they are claiming. I known darn well Civil Servants are not paid that much. I for one as not a total MJ fan as I like a few of his songs think the City of Los Angeles is pulling a quick one and trying to profit of MJ’s demise and get more than their fair share of the pie.
To the Los Angeles City Officials you are a bunch of incompetent Idiots which make of the Government who are trying to tighten there belt a little during these hard times.
I agree mostly with Wordsmith-335562 and Susan-513770 as there post as there should have been far better organization and of course competent foresight of the cost of the whole arrangement. Was there not anyone actually thinking during this whole time.
Michelle-740719, I agree on the thought of thinking of asking after the fact as they used far to many police and other Services. Sort two faced of the morbid side of the scale as also a bet questionable on how loosely they used other Services to justify the gross amount of the cost estimate. I know it was not from the Police man power. lmao
Auzziegirl your post #5 was right on the money. Money from the idiots who decided before they knew where the money was coming from to arrange this whole thing. Add them on the list of people to get bill’s sent to in the mail. All these should be consider before you even think of sending any sort of request from the children left behind by MJ’s passing.
enough already! The City should have known that this would happen. Only in California would there be a celibration of death for a pediphile ( I guess if you raise enough stink and have enough money you can get away with anything in LA.... City you lost... Ireally don't think they (his family) will pay you back for your stupid blunder!!!!
The mayor was out of town when all this happened, and "things got ahead of themselves."
That's why the money is being sought after the fact.
What a WASTE of time and resources ! Bill the family and the estate of the dead nut job !!!
...Sorry if I am accidentally replying to someone's post but I just want to get my opinion out on this issue.
Personally I am a Michael Jackson fan, but I am not a freak and neither is Queen Latifah, Kobe Bryant, or even alot of the "average" people who were touched by his music. So the people on this discussion who are making immature and hurtful comments about his fans please check your anger and your bigotism.
The real issue here is who is going to pay the hard working policeman and the other workers who made this event safe, and even possible to be "viewable" by the general public? C'mon people, Michael Jackson allowed himself to become 500 million in debt, and many of his siblings (like some celebrities and other people who are reckless in their finances) have gone through the same thing. They are morally and physically not going to be able to come up with most of the money needed to pay the state of California for their services. What everyone needs to do is chill out until the figures come out on how much the tourists spent on hotels, food, and public transportation and deduct that from this supposed funeral expense. Then after that, who knows. Just talking about this makes me realize I should study or involve myself more in politics and financial matters. I'm only eighteen and thinking about all of this makes my head hurt.
Make no mistake, I greatly admire Michael Jackson's talent and contribution to music. However, it is wrong to expect the police to cover the cost of all escorts for every celebrity that passes away, regardless of how influential. Putting it in a different context, every officer used in this funeral extravaganza, was one less officer keeping the community safe. These officers still have to be paid; it is only right to ask the Jackson estate for partial reimbursement, at the very least!
the city of LA screwed up joe jackson wanted it on pay per view, so he, jesse jackson, and al,( the reverand joke), could all make money on it
Ask gm to help out...They've got some government $ to spend...
The City should recover what monies it will and did spend on the service. The company that actually owns the Staples center, are they too going to seek a "user's fee or a rental fee" for the time and people used in& on that facility ? If i was the LA City attorney...I'd ask the jackson family who apprached them to do the service...and then go after any and all ...and if that means MJ's family has to cough up some bucks towards the total bill...then so be it...i don't feel sorry for any of them, but his children...and trust me if the Poperazzie ever gets a clean shot at them, the tabloids will make more money with their faces on the covers of those rags..than the royalties from Thriller ever did...But seeing i don't live in LA or California...i could give a flying fig...
What the heck was the city thinking? Lesson learned, they should have thought about this BEFORE they held the memorial.
It was ludicrous to have this memorial in the first place. No one NEEDED this TYPE of memorial, fans, family, friends.
It's disgusting the way money is wasted. MJ's in debt $500 million, why not add another $4 million to it?
This is absolutely insane. I am from Los Angeles and worked with Michael for a number of years. I feel sad for his family but that is it. All these nuts crying as if Michael were Jesus need to get a life. He was a good musician and a good dancer but that was it. He was human and believe me he had flaws and demons to fight just like the rest of us. So if the city of Los Angeles was STUPID enough to do all this hype, then shame on them...let whoever was the dumb ass that made that call sign up for payroll deductions to pay for the morbid event. It would have been better had the family been allowed to mourn in peace and quiet.
To all the nuts that are taking this as if it were the end of the world, please take that energy and do something positive with it. Moonwalk to a homeless shelter and help out someone in need.
Bet the police chief attended as a guest but is probably billing for his time as a dignitary.
I'm with you Susan, 100%. I hope L.A. doesn't hold their breath until I donate. The city could put a lean on his estate.
Why don't the business owners' that had to close and lose a day's worth of revenue, sue the City of LA [for allowing it] & the Jackson Estate for doing it?
Any family that puts someone in a $35,000.00 gold trimmed casket should have to foot the bill for all the police etc. Any other family would have had to pay the costs. The family was asked many times on their plans but they would not speak to anyone about anything. It wasn't even known if the casket was to be at the center for the memorial service. It is their expense and they should handle it. The estate is making money hand over fist with sales since MJ's passing so they need to pay.
They should have made the memorial organizers give the city a plan ahead of time to be approved. IN turn, LA's costs could have been provided and the organizers told that this will not take place unless the bill is paid. Perhaps then the thoughtless/careless organizers could have charged people for admission to the memorial. They could have put MJ in a glass case (like the pope) and had all the fans file through to give condolences...and in order to get in, they could have charges $5. This would surely have been reasonable and would of helped cover the city's costs.
The city should not have to pay for any of that. People have to pay for their funerals all the time. The escorts to the church and grave site are not free. If the Jackson's planned this event then they need to cough up the money. If Al Sharpton wanted this farce then he should cough up the money. Same with Jesse Jackson. Let MJ's fan club help pay. But the city shouldn't. The city shouldn't have put up the officers for traffic control in the first place, nor should the Staples Center cover the funeral with out money down.
only 1000 fans show up on the street? well that speaks volumns.
Amen!!! I think the planners of this "national" event and the estate of Jackson should pay for this over the top memorial/funeral. We are just digging out of a recession and the city should NOT have to pick up the tab.
Did the pay for Farrah's or Ed McMann's Bob Voyage? NO the news coverage was ad nauseum . Can we now get back to life as normal?
As far as his body------ Creamate him and spread his ashes over Neverland.
The Jackson family or all of their wealthy celebrity friends can certainly afford to foot the bill. The so-called leaders of this City (not to mention the state) must be smoking their medical marijuana again to think the taxpayers should pay! Are they crazy?
It really is time to try to find another place to live...hopefully a town or city that is run by professionals. Too bad, L.A. used to be a great place to live.
I agree; the man is dead, and doesn't care what happens to his body now. Last I heard it was the family's responsibility to pay for funeral expenses. Funerals should be a private affair, not a public spectacle. They could do what everyone else has done through the ages; if there is not enough cash to pay for the funeral, either go into debt to pay for it, or sell belongings. I know this was a memorial, not a funeral, but the theory applies. Why should the city have to pay for the spectacle? I'm sure with all the expensive things Jackson accumulate throughout his life could easily pay for the expenses (his ranch, for starters...if a buyer could be found).
By the way....way to go, Ken from Illinois....the man was definitely an oddball, no matter what was proven or disproved.
I just had to come back and add this. Everyone is so opinionated that the family be billed this amount without question. Did any of you do the math? How much is a ticket to any other event that size? A ball game? A concert maybe? Say it is forty dollars. Even one hundred. You would imagine some of this goes to profit, costs, cleanup, etc. But $235.29 per person just for security? That is what it comes to. Do you think the government needs to spend that much on security, just to police you, at some event?
$4 million is a scam. These greedy pigs need money and they will stop at nothing to get it. I am ambivalent about Jackson. I would say leave the family alone, but they want the spectacle too? I guess whoever arranged and profited from the event should pick up the tab --a real, honest, tabulated bill, that bears the name of the one that ordered that much security.
Does anyone with money pay for anything? When most of us die, our families will foot the entire bill. MJ ran up quite a tab during his life and death, and no matter how much we might enjoy his singing and dancing, that's all it was. Kind of a poor return on the investment.
That rumble you feel is California sinking into the Pacific, weighed down by wasteful gov't spending, and the parasites who idolize any and everyone.
Slap a lien on Never(Never) Land.
Jesse Jackon,who could not keep his face out of the camera should donate lots for all that free publicity he got.Does he think he's a family member?
How much do we owe for Farrah's funeral? Nothing and that's how much Micheal's deserves.
Did you se Al Sharpton at the Memorial he kept looking up at the camera and then he would start doing what everyone else was doing. He tried to make the whole thing somthing racial which pissed me off, same thing he always tries to do but he's a man of god and unity right?
OK, so MJ was a big star, he got a big funeral. So what does the city of LA have to do with it? As other's have stated, they have to pay the costs of their loved ones funeral expenses. So MJ's family and/or estate should be held responsible along with the Staples Center that promoted the event.
Don't get me wrong, but I believe the whole thing was blown WAY out of proportion. The big funeral I can see, but the TV coverage, OMG. They are percieving MJ's death as if we'd lost a world leader. I could understand the coverage such as the Regan and Nixon memorials, but a media star? C'mon!!! If someone was not from this world and just happened to be scanning the TV stations that day, they would be left with the impression that MJ was one of the most important people on earth. The memorial was covered by at least 9 channels when I was surfing just to see who was covering it. All the major networks, all of the news channels and of course the entertainment channels.
He was an entertainer for goodness sake. OK, he had a lot of fans, but this just goes to show how jaded our society has become over celebrities. A proportion of our society has become star struck, living vicariously through the lives of the famous. By way of comparison, when going through the supermarket checkout lines, how many newspapers and magazines are on the shelves that deal with the lives of the famous versus the amount that deal with the ordinary or everyday life?
Lastly, fifty grand for lunches brought in from 80 miles away for the cops? Aren't there any Mickey D's or BK's around LA? And since when was an employer responsible for feeding its employees? Isn't that what a lunch break is for? For the employee to go out and get their own lunch. Seems they had enough manpower to relieve each other in 30 minute shifts for someone to go eat and come back. My employer doesn't provide me with lunch. I have to buy or bring my own. And on the occasion when they have catered us lunch, it sure wasn't from a business 80 miles away.
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!!!!!
I am sending my contribution today because I just got paid.
I also believe that the record companies, who are making major bucks these past weeks with Michael Jackson sales TOPPING THE CHARTS, should help too.
I wanted to pay my respects to Michael Jackson as did MILLIONS OF HIS FANS.
All of us were able to participate because of all the live feeds.
By the way people - the FAMILY DID PAY for a funeral. It was at Forest Lawn Cemetary before the Memorial at Staples Center.
Whomever authorized the services of the City's manpower to be involved is the one who should also be responsible for ensuring payment for those services. Just who was that person?
Was it Villaraigosa? Was it Bev Perry?
Who was it?
We all know it was a "government" official at some level. We don't nor did do this for anyone else that I am aware of. So why now? The Jackson Family is rich enough, make them cover ALL costs. We have to when one of our family members pass away.
Musta been Maxine Waters bill her.
Agreed. Bill the one that ordered the services. Especially the gross amount of city services that were requested --by someone.
Hempfest is held in Seattle every year and has 250,000 attendees. They hire off duty cops (who love the detail because they don't have to do anything but walk around --there is no violence that I recall) for far less than even one million, let alone four, and that is a two day event outdoors that runs on donations.
Sounds like a scam. Can't let a good scam go to waste, can we? This guy had a half-billion dollars, you don't think people are going to sit around and just let his kids and family TAKE this money, now are you?
You hit the nail on the head Auzzie girl!! Why should fans who are enduring, lay offs and financial crises be asked to foot a bill for which the "powers that be" agreed to take on? Another thought...Why can't the BIG BUCKS celebrities who adored him, and who can afford to do so, reach in their hurting for nothing pockets and pay for this? The next time Los Angeles agrees to take on such a big undertaking, they better stop to think whether or not they can afford to do so.
Who was it? Why, George Bush, of course,
They could have had a semi-private funeral covered by the press. Instead they opt for a media spectacle. It was their choice and now they want everyone else to pay for their stupidity. How absurd.
If this was any other "john q. public" from anywhere, usa, and the family wanted to have a memorial at a public venue, the family or the deceased person's estate would have to pay for it....why the difference in this case? Enough said on that subject!
Now, as for the world glorifying and memorializing someone who's personal life was seriously flawed, to say the least....
It's true Michael Jackson, the performer, was one-of-a-kind and that aspect of his life should be memorialized and celebrated, but that should be tempered somewhat by his odd private life. Look, the guy obviously hated the fact that he was black...otherwise, why would he go out of his way, to the very farthest extremes, to straighten his hair, bleach his skin and whittle his nose down to a razor-thin piece of cartilage. Some people blame his dad for some reason for instilling in him the self-loathing he felt for the better part of his adult life. I don't know for sure why he hated himself so much...I know that the "old" Michael Jackson could sing and dance his a** off like no other performer before him, and he wasn't an ugly young man by any means. I just don't know, but neither do the people who blame other's for his low self-esteem.
As for Jackson's delight, for lack of a better word, in letting adolescent boys sleep in the same bed with him....I think he honestly believed he was doing nothing wrong. I believe he thought of himself as a child like these boys, not an adult with adult urges and adult body parts that may or may not "react" when "innocently" touched by these boys. But, that doesn't absolve him from the act of an adult male sleeping with semi-naked underage boys in the same bed. I also believe he did this, whether or not he believed it was wrong. Heck, Michael has come out and admitted himself that he's slept in the same bed with them. Dude, I don't care what his intent was....that's a crime!! But, I believe his actions were misguided by his childlike brain, so instead of him being punished by serving time in prison for child abuse, he should have been tried and found guilty so that he could get the psychiatric help he needed to bring him back into reality. I seriously think he thought of himself as Peter Pan, and that his "kids" were just his posse, and that they were just "boys being boys". Now, by my definition of mentally ill, Michael Jackson definitely fits the bill!
I think the parents of these boys who came forward with their accounts of Michael touching them inappropriately should be brought up on charges of child endangerment. They are the cold-blooded criminals here, not Michael Jackson! And any of these people who are just blinded by their love of Michael and his bigger-than-life personna, who say he is innocent and wrongly accused, I ask you....would YOU let YOUR 12 y/o son have a sleepover with Michael Jackson???? In your heart of hearts....think before you answer....I think you'd answer "NO". And, that's because you really aren't sure yourself as to whether he would touch your son inappropriately or not. After all, he came right out and admitted that it was all just innocent child's play.
A sad ending to a troubled, yet amazing, life! I hope you find peace in heaven, Michael!!
Oooooo rider.....why all the anger? And the name-calling is pretty juvenile, too. You must've been sexually abused as a child to harbor such rage. You must be one of those people who don't believe that mental illness is a real illness. I bet you think that gay men aren't born with too much estrogen or too little testosterone, but that homosexuality is a learned behavior, and that they can "change" back to being heterosexual if they want to be.
That's the same as saying people with epilepsy are just flailing around on the floor just for the attention!!
Am I right?
rider-83
You are rude. Who taught you how to communicate? Rev Wright?
Your parents must be a a piece of work!
rider, you've got some real issues of your own that you need to address before you start damning anyone else (and with exceeding illiteracy, to boot!)
Yes, Michael Jackson was a troubled man. His personal issues reach back into his childhood. And, yes, he was accused, tried, and found not guilty on child molestation charges. But, since you did not live in his skin, nor were you a fly on the wall in his bedroom, you cannot begin to know the truth of the accusations. Perhaps you need to put down the stones and examine your own life.
Wordsmith how right you are! NO ONE on this site condones peodophilia - NO ONE has said what he did or did not do is right. NO ONE really knows the truth about anything that was accused except those involved and they are not talking. All we can say with any degree of certainty was that he was a talented , seriously psychiatrically disturbed individual and that has NOTHING to do with who should pay for the damn funeral! Charge the family if they don't pay sue them, move on- the world has much much much bigger issues to deal with! As for Rider, well I am sure you are just a misunderstood bigot with little knowledge of the true nature of pedophilia and its victims but much knowledge of hate!
Devil's Advocate, you are mistaken about Michael Jackson's reasons for bleaching his skin. MJ suffered from a condition known as vitiligo which caused patches of his skin to lose pigment. He did cover up any visible patches with make-up for a while before choosing to go through complete depigmentation. He discussed his condition on Oprah several years ago.
as1301
MJ suffered from a condition known as vitiligo which caused patches of his skin to lose pigment
Allegedly suffered- no doctor ever confirmed it publicly. Its kind of immaterial really- it makes no difference to his talent, his psychiatric condition or change the fact he is dead
as1301
MJ suffered from a condition known as vitiligo which caused patches of his skin to lose pigment
Allegedly suffered- no doctor ever confirmed it publicly. Its kind of immaterial really- it makes no difference to his talent, his psychiatric condition or change the fact he is dead
Wow. You shut rider up. I like the epilepsy analogy. You know, at first they treated it as an exorcism. Then they did say it was done for attention (by the devil, of course). And depression actually used to be a crime.
Ignorance knows no boundaries (literally).
"...before choosing to go through complete depigmentation..."
Why not re-pigmentation?
Look at the facts:
1. He bleached his skin to erase his black heritage.
2. He underwent many surgeries to erase any semblence of being a black man.
3. He "married" a white woman and had her artifically inseminated by a white man, in order to have white children.
4. He paid a white woman to become a surrogate mother by another artificial insemination by a white man, to "adopt" another white child.
MJ hated being black, and did every thing he could to distance himself from his heritage. No, I am not a shrink--but I can make reasonable deductions. If it looks, quacks, and walks like a duck.................................
Darn it! I wish I had Photo-Shop skills---I would develop pictures of the Revs Jesse and Al after they had a bleaching and plastic surgery.
rider - do you realize you just wished that some innocent children become victims?
If I were a resident of California, I would be furious that the Jacksons would stick this type of bill on the taxpayers. I must say it does not surprise me though.
I AM a citizen of California, and I am outraged.
I am from Texas and MY Congresswomen, Sheila Jackson Lee, Spoke at the Memorial Service. If the Tax Payers paid for her to attend (which I expect we did) then I am more then outraged. Celebrity Worship in this country is a disease. I'll bet most of those so affected by the death of MJ do not know who there Senator or Congressman is. As for Resolution 600 that will be debated in the House of representatives http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.RES.600: what a waste of time!
I to was disgusted when I saw her making that speech on behalf of Congress! Vote her out!
I AM OUTRAGED AS WELL. This is the exact reason why the State of California is in the mess they're in. I'd say if the Jackson's don't cover the cost, have a lien put against his estate. That is one way to get their money back.
Where were all these people that care for and love him so much when he was alive? It wasn't a media event, so I guess they didn't. Or maybe it is because the sheeple in this country just do what they are told, and now they are being told "mourn Michael Jackson". @!$%# that gets old.
A rubbermaid trash can would have been cheaper.
Niki--a Glad trash bag would've been more apropriate.
Hello...taxpayers of Los Angeles, do you see what your city/county government is trying to do? Why aren't the Jacksons paying for this? What about some of his friends? God knows there was millions of dollars inside for the memorial, get them to pay for it!
Why not it is the nanny state.
You would think they would have considered that problem before the big spectacle took place, did they just figure out the piggy bank was empty?
I agree with you, worried...why get testy over something they ALLOWED to happen, without first checking on expenditures, and the lack of money to pay for them...don't raise heck now, wondering how you are going to pay for something you couldn't pay for in the first place....can you say..."compulsive spending"?
At the end, it really was up to the family and they must have wanted the big glitzy send off and agreed to it. Why is my question? Did the City offer to pay? And if they did Why? Whom ever was involved should be made public. If it was at the request of the family then they should be held accountable for the expenditure.
Heck, I am still paying for the headstone for my mother-in-law. Talk about expensive. someone want to pitch in. please?
Are you kidding me? This is even something that has to be taken to court? You would think that Michael Jackson's family would pick up the tab; after all, they could have insisted on a private service. This whole thing has gone from ridiculous to INSANE. The man was a singer for pete sake not a head of state, not royalty, not anything but a singer. I have said it before and I will say it again........he at one time was a great singer........but what contribution or changes did he make to the world. This whole thing has been a huge eye opener as to where we as a society place our importance. There is a war going on, unemployment, many other things that need the attention that this entire MJ thing has gotten.......not to mention the money. I can only shake my head in complete disbelief. Unbelievable!!!!
Gee where are the MJ fans, must be hiding out. All that low life coverage sure screwed up tv yesterday.
You mean to tell me the city of LA foot the bill for that fiasco? How stupid are they? Too bad, you should have CYA'd. You deserve to have to pay for it for being stupid. Oh I forgot, there is no cure for that!!! If the Jackson's wanted a big show then they should have up fronted the money to pay for it. If he showed the world anything it's how to get off being charged as a pedophile and stay out of jail. Money talked all the way...his life was a joke.
I don't get it, make his family pay, or all the idiot celebrities that draped themselves all over the place and cameras for this circus. I now know why california is broke, they have celebrities who think they should get everything for free.
Not only do they want free stuff, they figure they are above the law.
Just send the bill to Reverand Al, he probably spends that much each weekend furthering HIS people's agenda!!!
Your Kidding!!!! No
are you kidding me??????? what has this country come to????
don't worry....taxpayers will pay the costs.....again.
Why is this even a question or an issue? The family (or life inusrance policy) pays for the funeral and the arrangements. End of story. If even one tax dollar is spent on his or any other private citizen's funeral, someone should be fired. "King" of Pop was a self-given title.
Well put, Steve. Hopefully someone in the family had the presence of mind to set up one (life insurance).
Whoever planned that excessive extravaganza should pay. The family planned the affair so the family should pay for it. The taxpayers should NOT have to pay one penny to pay for that montrous service that gave way too much honor to a man with no morals. Yes, he was a very talented singer, but his personal life was undeniably rotten to the core. He made a lot of money, obviously the family can afford it. The idea that the City of LA even has to ask who will pay for it is outrageous in light of CA's horrendous economic woes.
Did anyone asked the City to render those services?
Do you think they just happen all by themselves?
And the inevitable fights, auto wrecks, etc. that would have ensued had our public services not been in place to bring the order to chaos?
This is no reflection on Michael, but this is exactly why people go into debt, spending money they don't have.
The family needed to expect to pay for this function/memorial...like real people, but they don't think they are real people, they are used to getting things for free because of "who" they are.
Send the bill to the family, this is not being heartless or unsympathetic, all families must pay for furneral expenses.
True, true. In my own family life, my husband allowed our daughter to go into debt with money she or we didn't have - against my vote!! Now we are in a terrible bind. Too many people are making this mistake, and so is our state and federal government!!!
Just send the bill to reverand al, he probably spends more than that each week furthering HIS people's agenda!!!
Perhaps all the celebrities should donate to the cause. Most of them live in California and all of them have a bank roll. They should be happy to give financially like they doled out the nice words. Kobe and Mariah certainly could pay for this without even noticing it missing from their account. I would send an entourage to all the celebs to help out. Where I come from the family pays for all funeral arrangements. IF the police werent there to help with crowd control, the Jacksons entourage would not have been able to drive on the roads of LA without incident. They should be appreciative of that.
Perhaps they should - they all made it clear that they were practically "family" or "part of the Jackson family" by their close associations and affections. So did most of the fans. All the fans and celebs who believe they are now "part of the Jackson family" should assume "family" responsibility and contribute to the costs. But not the rest of the taxpayers.
Yeah . . right . . who should pay for that mess????? Wasn't there, couldn't care, but it sure shouldn't be Mom and Pop Taxpayer, that's for sure! He wasn't elected by anyone except his loony fans -- get them to cough up the money . . . and to that I say good luck!
Bill the Family or the estate. His mother has so much to say about things that are done let her or Janet pay for it. Better yet Joe can pay for it. He is such a jerk it is the one thing he could do for all the things that he had because of his son.
TV Stations can pay $500,000 each for being able to broadcast the thing. What about his famous friends? Why can't they donate money? Staples Center I am sure did not charge them to use the place. Give me a break. What about Sharpton, Jackson and all the others that want to be associated with him, why can't they open their wallets? Why did they not charge for the tickets? I know people would have paid for it.
Any other Joe Smith's family would have to pay so why the heck should they be any different. He was a talented man but it does not exempt the family from paying. All his family is about now is who is going to get his money. Give me a break, let the man die and rest in peace.
The White House should offer California some economic assistance from the stimulus funds for MJ's burial. This could be used to employ people in the L.A. area - After all, Michael was a shovel-ready project...
It was Jackson's funeral/memorial, so the Jackson estate should pay the costs. They can afford a gold-plated casket, so surely they can pay the cost for the rest of the three-ring circus. Whoever the idiots were who authorized the whole thing without making payment arrangements first should be fired, impeached and/or tarred and feathered, then run out of town on a rail...I'll pay for the tar and the feathers.
California still on a pothead high thinking all in life is free and everybody else should pay what is not except the people who should........................ way too much dope out there.........starting ta take a toll on the gray matter
Villariagosa is an idiot (and his sister is a hoochie). Why this was authorized without knowing how it would be paid is indicative of the @$$ backward way he does things. This is a funeral expense; It should come out of the estate. AEG should not be responsible!
David has a very good point. The city should have let the planners know up front that someone would have to pay for the cities extra expenses.
Right, and this V guy wants to run for CA GOVERNER. What a joke!!
Didn't California lay off all the city planners?
Every body should have to pay. All the networks who broadcasted the dog and pony show. The family that is now fighting over his estate, Sony records who will make a fortune from rereleases, etc. In fact everone but the US taxpayer or is this going to be another bail out?