In the city of Los Angeles stars roam the streets like no other, and when one of their own die, they put on one last major show in their honor. That was the case last week at the Staples Center, with a lavish memorial fit for the King Of Pop.
The body of pop icon, Michael Jackson, was carried in a gold casket that cost as much as a luxury car. Eleven thousand of Jackson’s fans lined up to say their last goodbyes to the King of Pop. Stars like Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers (whose home court is the Staples Center), Mariah Carey, Berry Gordy and so many others came to pay tribute and perform. It was a gala that would fit the President of the United States.
After the dust cleared, and the people went back to their normal lives, what was left was a 1.2 million dollar bill from this memorial that needs to be paid. It was decided by the Jackson family to allow a public memorial, which wasn’t necessary or demanded. They could have had a small public service for Michael Jackson, but instead, they went large. That bill is now in debate of who should pay- the city and people of Los Angeles, or the Jackson family.
Personally, I am disgusted because today Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles refused to let the Jackson family pay and now the tax payers of Los Angeles must pay.
Michael Jackson was a great performer, and seen by some as a real humanitarian. Jackson did, however, partake in some majorly controversial behavior which got him charged for child molestation, and some people believe he is still guilty despite the ruling of the courts. Those people may hate or dislike Jackson, but now have to pay for his memorial. I liked him as a performer but if I had to pay for his memorial, I would be very upset.
The Jackson family may have come from poor roots, but today they aren’t poor. They have multi-platinum, Grammy winner, Queen of Pop Janet Jackson in the family, and they are still collecting on the millions they receive in royalties from The Jackson Five era. They also have LaToya Jackson who made a lot of money as an actress. Michael Jackson’s newly released album and past albums are flying off the shelves; the King of Pop made more since his death then he did in the last three years. The family has enough to pay for the tribute with Michael Jackson’s earnings alone. They are not hurting for money and in my opinion should pay for the tribute that wasn’t a mandatory thing, nor did it have to be that large.
Right now California is bankrupt, and they are offering IOUs and such to schools and other government agencies to keep them going. They are somewhere in the five billion dollar range in debt. The city of Los Angeles is no better off, in fact, it’s one of the worst cities in debt in the state, but now they are going to pay for Jackson’s funeral when they can’t pay their living employees? Come on Mayor Antonio, if the Jacksons were piss poor broke I could see it as a good gesture, but they have the money and should pay, not the citizens of your city. It’s not fair to make people that hated or loathed the man to pay their hard earned money for his funeral; it just isn’t right. Just another example of why California is having so many problems.
Social Networks