It goes without saying people handle problems differently. What amounts to a catastrophe for some at any given moment is often little more than an inconvenience to others.
We have noted many of those instances over the years. Whether it is a problem socially, at school or work, the way people react can be all over the map. Our typical experience is that those who are busiest seem the most capable of taking the drama out of situations.
It’s a lesson we’ve tried to instill in our kids as well as associates – look at the bigger picture. Skip the drama and your life will be a lot easier.
It is through that lens that we shake our head a little at what goes on at Queen’s Park.
True to form, voters have latched onto the new sex curriculum and beer in grocery stores as the issues du jour. And there will be more issues, designed to disguise scandals such as e-Health, Ornge, Mars and a pending investigation by the OPP into actions of the premier’s office during the last by-election in Sudbury.
If readers scratch their heads and find it difficult to recall those aforementioned scandals, that, too, is no surprise. Politicians count on people having short-term memories and keeping issues just complex enough that citizens’ eyes glaze over.
Announcements continue with promises of more funding, for more items that arguably are worthwhile, but are not core services. Rarely, if at any time, have we seen a sniff of concern about the mounting deficit in Ontario, let alone the spectacularly staggering principal debt, now closing in on $289 billion.
It is the notion of keeping voters busy with the latest drama to draw attention away from larger picture issues that troubles us the most.
A king’s ransom has been frittered away, one scandal after another – and wasting precious funds that could have been used for some good.
Thanks – sort-of
It’s no great secret that we admire the police and military service-people generally. They keep us safe and great respect is owed to those who serve others in such a capacity.
This past weekend, protestors attended the offices of MP Michael Chong. There was no ruckus and we were happy to see Chong engage with the crowd. That is how democracy should work, where people can talk with their elected officials. While people may not always agree with a government’s course or actions, the chance to talk and for protestors to assemble is an important aspect of our system of government.
This whole issue of security and the potential for “government,” whether it is its constables, secret service, or military apparatus, to side-step current privacy rules is no small matter.
Sure, one can argue that giving up a few personal freedoms as the price to pay for security is no big deal, but it is. Maybe we have seen too many science fiction or action movies, or maybe we have seen the potential for abuse by overzealous officials, or maybe we realize the foibles of humans that inevitably expose themselves when absolute power is granted to a minor few. We are wary of such things.
Thanks are owed to protestors who champion personal freedoms and rights and invest time in trying to ensure legislation honours citizens more than the government itself.
