"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

Sunday 20 February 2011

Wishful Thinking

I wish the police would hand out a few tickets to those who park illegally on Conover outside Hartwell P.S. I have written many times about how parents park on both sides of Conover and their little ones run out from between cars to cross the road. In my opinion sooner or later there will be an unnecessary tragedy. The no parking signs are quite clear but they are ignored. York Regional police, where are you when you are needed?

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There's an illusion about police productivity. There seems to be a whole generation that assumes the police have all the powers of spider man. They know where trouble spots are and they get there by magical means.

They do not. They depend on citizen co-operation.

We do not live in a law-abiding society because of all the police we have to enforce the law. We live in a relatively safe society because by -and- large citizens have respect for the law.

Although,those of us who have been around for a while see disturbing changes in respect for our law and criminal activity completely unfamiliar to our society.

How often do we hear the question..... where are the police when we need them ?

The answer is, they don't know we need them unless we tell them. Being on patrol means they can be anywhere except where we are. Same goes for parking control officers.They can't be everywhere at the same time and we could never have enough officers for that to happen.

Same as we could never have enough snow plows to plow everybody's streets at the same time or enough water reservoirs to supply expensively treated water to flood onto expensive landscaping or straight down the gutter from hosing down the most precious possession... the family car...during a damned heat wave for God's Sake

Of course, if police and firefighters were paid along the lines of other public servants, we could have twice as many as we have now. Or our taxes would be a hell of a lot less.

Police and firefighters are an essential service. It means their contracts are subject to arbitration. It means they get what they demand. Couple their organised political power with the eagerness of politicians in general to win their favour.

Couple that with the power of money and you might get a glimmer of understanding of why York Region Police swallow up 24% of the region's budget. Firefighters in Aurora/Newmarket absorb $23%.

Contrast the rise in wages and benefits for the two services with reduction in social services to people in need and you might get an idea of where the just society went awry.We no longer build social housing and we have food banks.

I have wondered aloud on a number of occasions when the province is going to come to terms with the problem of arbitrated contracts. Apparently there have been talks that go nowhere.

It's not surprising. Consider the organisation's  wealth and status in the culture,and the numbers, it is obvious the problem is huge and destined to keep on growing.

It started with Regional government. We created a monster.

I couldn't believe it when Rob Ford's new council requested the Province  legislate garbage collection as an essential service. The union contract would be subject to arbitration.

Of course, chances of garbage collectors winning the same awards as police and firefighters... that would have to be seen, though one could argue comparisons in the jobs.

I had no idea I was going to say all that when I started this post. But it's not as if I haven't been thinking it for a long,long time.

Actually, ever since I've been in politics.

It was bound to come out.

Sooner or later.

It's later.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Evelyn:

This isn't the right place since it doesn't relate to your topic.

Nevertheless:

Did Mr. Rust D'Eye indicate to Council how long it would take him to conduct his inquiry? And second, is he working on a fixed sum basis or according to the time it takes and thus an hourly rate?

Anonymous said...

I thought he wanted to make TTC essential, not garbage.

Garbage he just wants to privatize.