City Creek Totals are in: $5 Billion Dollars

[_Willy Law]

Does anyone have a history of the budgeted costs from the church?

If I recall correctly Hinckley originally stated in conference it would cost around $750 million. Then I remember a $1.5 billion figure, then a $3 billion figure. Now we are up to $5 billion. I'm guessing the church made a conscious decision to walk this number up slowly as to not hit the rank and file over the head with the $5billion number.

Any of you in the construction industry ever seen something go this far over budget?

In my business we have done several commercial/retail construction projects. I freak if I am even 10% over. My last project went over by 30% and I could have killed my contractor. Cannot imagine anyone involved keeping their job when they are over budget by 666% (if my early morning math is correct).

[_harmony]

Cannot imagine anyone involved keeping their job when they are over budget by 666% (if my early morning math is correct).

Lots of factors:

1. the contract process isn't really a process... they're rigged.
2. everyone is in on the rigging, mostly through family ties
3. the money pot is unlimited
4. genetically engineered trout aren't cheap

Over budget isn't a worry... there is no oversight, thus no budget to worry about.

[_consiglieri]

It's not gonna matter any more, Jason. Just because you designate "Fast Offering" or "Humanitarian Aid" on your tithing slip, the church can and will put your donation wherever they damn well please... and that includes GA salaries, business building projects, etc., none of which will ever be reported in a transparent annual report.

Speaking as a lawyer and cynic, the new wording on the tithing slips sounds more like covering themselves for activities that have been going on for some unspecified amount of time already.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[_Willy Law]

Something is not adding up. This if from wiki, the largest construction overruns in history do not even come close to city creek.

Many major construction projects have incurred cost overruns. The Suez Canal cost 20 times as much as the earliest estimates; even the cost estimate produced the year before construction began underestimated the project's actual costs by a factor of three.[1] The Sydney Opera House cost 15 times more than was originally projected, and the Concorde supersonic aeroplane cost 12 times more than predicted.[1] When Boston's "Big Dig" tunnel construction project was completed, the project was 275 percent ($11 billion) over budget.[3] The Channel Tunnel between the UK and France had a construction cost overrun of 80 percent, and a 140-percent financing cost overrun.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_overrun

[_zeezrom]

Does anyone have a history of the budgeted costs from the church?

If I recall correctly Hinckley originally stated in conference it would cost around $750 million. Then I remember a $1.5 billion figure, then a $3 billion figure. Now we are up to $5 billion. I'm guessing the church made a conscious decision to walk this number up slowly as to not hit the rank and file over the head with the $5billion number.

God told Hinckley a fake price as a way to test our faith. This behavior should not surprise us anymore. God works in mysterious ways.

[_NorthboundZax]

Back of the envelope calcs:
Total income = $11 billion

Annual charity contributions = $500 million

% of total = 4.5%

4.5% is pretty good... or so-so... can't-compainish

Zeez, $500M per annum is a mutant statistic. When President Hinckley gave the $500M number it was for a ten year period.

Is 0.45% in the complainsh area?

[_zeezrom]

Is 0.45% in the complainsh area?

Oh. Thanks for correcting me!

Yeah, that would push it a little to the "below-corporate-charity-givers" zone.

But again, I want to emphasize that donations made to the church are to build the kingdom of God on the earth. Giving to charity doesn't really help build the kingdom Joseph Smith had in mind.

[_NorthboundZax]

But again, I want to emphasize that donations made to the church are to build the kingdom of God on the earth. Giving to charity doesn't really help build the kingdom Joseph Smith had in mind.

True. It does make one wonder though at the recent addition of "to care for the poor and needy" to the several-fold mission of the church - both, because it is unnecessary to traditional building of the kingdom, like you point out, and because of the practicality of devoting so little to an explicit mission plank. Maybe the contradictory positions of traditional building of the kingdom and the now explicit mission of the church accounts for the paltry, but non-zero, execution of humanitarian efforts.

[_DarkHelmet]

Does anyone have a history of the budgeted costs from the church?

If I recall correctly Hinckley originally stated in conference it would cost around $750 million.

According to the church:

The Church is not bound by speculation or opinions given with limited understanding.

We can safely assume that refers to finances too.

[_Jason Bourne]

It's not gonna matter any more, Jason. Just because you designate "Fast Offering" or "Humanitarian Aid" on your tithing slip, the church can and will put your donation wherever they damn well please... and that includes GA salaries, business building projects, etc., none of which will ever be reported in a transparent annual report.

When did the tithe slip change to say that? I have not seen one yet. If this is the case I will have to reconsider my normally generous fast offering contributions as well as my monthly support of the LDS Humanitarian Aid Fund.