"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

Monday 26 March 2012

Sleight Of Hand

I don't gamble. I 'm afraid if I won anything substantial, I might get hooked.

I don't judge people who gamble. I listen to them tell  how much they won and note they don't tell how much it cost .. Or how long it took, sitting anxiously at a table.

It seems logical to me,  if people  win as much as they claim,  casinos would not be lucrative  and the government wouldn't be pulling in millions of dollars  they don't have to account for.

The high deficit the government has itself created, is the reason  given by the Minister of Finance for a new casino in Toronto.

Setting  aside a percentage to help people who become addicted and gamble away the family food budget is not  really comforting. Who takes care of the misery in a family whose parent  has a gambling addiction.  What about the kids.

This government boasted about labour peace in the last election.

We subsequently read  doctors' salaries had doubled during that time. Teachers seemed pretty content at the same time.

Today we see a headline that social assistance will be frozen for the next year.

We  also see the cost of living has increased more than 2%

It  means the value of social assistance is that much less.

People on the public payroll, earning in excess of $100,000, with 3% increases,  will see more than enough increases to cover the cost of living. 

It's a good thing this government doesn't claim to be for social justice.

They would be liars.

Opening a new casino to earn money from gambling to pay for this government excessive spending, strikes me as  contributing very little to a society's morals.

Is that the business of government?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Evelyn:

To change the focus a little bit, but still on public monies, an article that appeared in last week's Auroran said that the group meetings between representatives of the Town (Dawe, Garbe and Downey) and the ACC would total five in number.

On the Agenda for tomorrow's Council meeting, Item 11 - CAO12-006 - it is recommended that the subject report be received, etc. etc. and that the Mayor bring forward names for Council's consideration at the April 10, 2012 Council meeting for the appointment of members to the Ad Hoc Committee to negotiate a new Cultural Services.....

If it took five meetings to accomplish this miniscule achievement how long will it take to negotiate the Agreement itself. Are there provisions in the existing Agreement that permit it to be extended one year at a time beyond its expiry if a new agreement has not been satisfactorily negotiated?

Anonymous said...

We Aurorans are funding a similarly lucrative rip-off right in town with the ACC paying no heed to the bottom line. And I note our CAO has an increase of 4% since 2010 - correct me if that number is wrong. It is difficult to look at the larger picture when we can't manage our own affairs prudently. There is no evidence to suggest that the majority of the Council have family members feeling the economic pinch. I can't recall the last time I heard a firm ' No ' from their table. Weird.

Anonymous said...

Tuesday's Council Meeting may seem like greeting an entirely new Council. The interaction should be a wonder to watch now that the deck has been completely re-shuffled. I will settle for the TV as I have not the slightest interest in hearing the explanation for the ACC fiasco and watching the mutual back-patting and reassurances without easy access to a washroom if nausea ensues.
There truly is too much time between elections. People can take all the pot-shots they want at politicians but it would take more determination than I possess to just keep on trucking and doing the town's business.
My best to the three outstanding councillors for the second part of this term. You did your very best for us.

LivingInAurora.ca said...

This is desperate measure on the account of others. Excellent post Evelyn.

Anna :)

Anonymous said...

Just great! Aurora now consists of 2 Angry Solitudes! Well done, our elected councillors!