"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Thursday 24 May 2007

A Non-Issue

ORIGINALLY POSTED Tuesday, February 13, 2007

I was not asked. I did not say I would. So I didn't.

I have neither responsibility nor authority over the organization, I had none over the one that preceded it and even less now. We do not own Power Stream. We have no authority over Power Stream.

I have no more interest in their capital plan or their 2007 budget than I have over Bell Canada, Enbridge Gas or Aurora Cable.

I am a customer...nothing more .. nothing less. The only thing that concerns me is how much they will be charging in 2007. I don't have control of that either, but I do have an interest.

If I discovered the C.E.O. whoever he/she is has a take-home pay in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, that would annoy me. There is nothing in the bullet presentation to indicate they will touch on that subject, and I do not have a right to ask. There are some things I am better off not knowing.

Tonight is council night. It starts at 7:00 pm. It is supposed to end at 10:30 pm. It frequently goes beyond the hour of adjournment with no particular advantage. If there is going to be bad temper or irritation, it is more likely to happen in the last hour...and that shouldn't surprise anyone.

Councillors have been at work all day. Some of them no doubt commute. Hardly had time to have a meal with the family and then off to the meeting. At ten-thirty, after listening or talking for three and a half hours, the chances of anything sensible happening are considerably reduced.

It was about 10:25 pm when I swatted my old friend and colleague, Ron Wallace with a limp, thin,folded, copy of his own newspaper several years ago. It was a swat heard around the world. It didn't start a third world conflagration but it did earn a Google Alert.

It was mentioned again, at the tribute to Tim Jones. Sometimes, I wonder, if I had not done it, what would people find to laugh about.

But I digress.

I am not going tonight to listen to a powerpoint presentation from Power Stream, the company that services our municipality with power. There is a promise of pizza and pop for those who don't have time to go home for supper. I am not tempted.

Due to rate harmonization, my hydro will cost less this year.

They must be doing something right.

No comments: