Money wasted on sending clowns to space

When people think of Guy Laliberte, what comes to mind is Cirque du Soliel, the Montreal-based circus he founded. As of Sept. 30, he also became the first "clown in space" after his 10-day stint on the International Space Station to promote his foundation, One Drop, which works to provide clean drinking water for everyone. Granted, the message is beautiful. With testimony from the astronauts, images of the planet, and the phrase "all for water, water for all," Laliberte's broadcast certainly touches viewers and brings awareness to a pertinent issue.

He also spent $35 million out-of-pocket to fund this trip, plus however much was donated to produce a two-hour show across 14 international cities.

This is a lot of money. Include the amount of energy required to stage these shows and all of the logistical costs such as security, as well as the actual water used in one of the Cirque acts, and one has to wonder where the common sense was in this event. Yes, it was beautifully executed and drew attention to a cause, but surely the resources - especially the money - could have been used more effectively.

In a time where we are all reeling from the recession and the government is hard-pressed to provide funding for citizens, schools and public services, should those with plenty of money have the responsibility to spend appropriately? Public funds are growing scarce, yet daily we hear what new toy someone on Forbes' Top 100 is able to afford. The kicker is that Forbes recently published a statement that as of Sept. 30, 2009, the 400 richest people in the U.S. are hurting because their combined wealth is now a measly $1.27 trillion. Alongside this article was a clip outlining Britney Spears' monthly spending habits. One must wonder what the effect would be if Ms. Spears' reported $102,000 per month for "entertainment, gifts and vacations," as outlined by her legal documents during her divorce, went to a local school or charity for a few months?

Many wealthy people do support charities, but many millionaires and billionaires in this country, even after taking a hit on the stock market, could afford to give back a little bit more and ease the financial strain consistently placed on middle-class America. It does not need to be from space to be a message the public can hear or respond to; a college scholarship or new computers for a struggling school system can be a good start. And if enough of the people who can, do step up to the plate, suddenly we will start seeing small changes that will effect larger benefits for all of us. Aid needs to be not only filled with good intentions, but common sense.