I’ve Said It Before
Posted on | July 1, 2009
There have been blogs, scattered about the hemisphere of Internet users, in regards to the abuse of Politicians and their lack of tact with spending. I saw this on CTV news tonight…
Canada’s 308 MPs received about $127 million in expenses last year but there are no public details into exactly how that money was spent. Some $700,000 of that money is simply classified under “other.” (CTV)
Ummm, I’m sorry. What?
$700,000.o0 classified as “other”?
It’s virtually no secret that I have about as much respect for Politicians, regardless of Party, as I do for the things I flush down my toilet.
Shakespeare said, “Kill all the lawyers.” I’m thinking if he were writing today he’d change that to Politicians.
Yes, of course there are some with the integrity and depth who deserve our trust and accolades for reasons to put that X beside their names.
But it seems that they are few and far between.
It seems they start out with that desire to actually make change but end up wheedling deals in the back that screw the general population.
So what’s the answer? Maybe it’s both. Perhaps it’s that desire to fix our problems with honesty and sincerity but you can’t play the game unless you follow the rules set up by ‘dem politicians‘.
In order to facilitate change you have to rape others.
It just breaks my heart. I’ve written about this before but it begs repeating.
My Mother used to say1 “Politicians get into politics for the right reasons but stay in them for the wrong ones.”
Truer words…
Find out WHICH of your leaders are transparent. Which ones have no problem spreading out EXACTLY what they spend and on what they spend it on.
Politicians like Liberal Marlene Jennings is one of a handful of MPs who has allowed her expenses to go public. “I have no problem whatsoever with those audits being made public so people actually see how the money is spent.” (CTV)
To me that’s honourable.
Even local Toronto jokers2 like revolutionary Councilman Kyle Rae.
He was the first openly gay councellor, beating out his closest rival in Ward 273 by only 1003 votes.
There is no doubt in my mind that he started out with the right intentions but, like a piece of dry toast that sticks in my throat; he was sued for defamation by members of the Toronto Police Force after he criticized a raid in 2000 on “Pussy Palace”, a lesbian bathhouse event.
He called the police “rogue cops” and “goons” and the operation a “panty raid”4
The officers claim that the raid was born from a liquour inspection and the comments hurt their careers and reputations.
A jury eventually decided that the seven officers were defamed and ordered Rae to pay $170,000. The settlement money was paid by the city from a fund that protects councillors from having to pay lawsuits from personal funds. ((also courtesy of Wikipedia.com))
I’m sorry. Mr. Rae gets to say what he likes and the public has to pay his legal fees?
If he was REALLY worth his salt he would have turned down the money from the taxpayers and paid it out of his own pocket.
Yes it’s a years salary but it would have, considerably, changed my mind of Politicans. This is the kind of stuff I’m talking about.
How frustrating is that?
The Liberal Government made an allegation about illegal dealings with former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and they had to pay him an obscene amount of money5
Now, the very thing the Liberals accused him of is being played out on television in a trial that said he did EXACTLY what they accused him of.
I’m not saying that he’s guilty or innocent, that’s not for me to decide but what bugs the crap out of me is that we, as taxpayers, are constantly asked to foot the bill.
Not just for slander and not just for accusations but for everything.
On top of their $157,738 salary, MPs have a $25,500 annual expense allowance, which can be partially assigned to home costs if they have a secondary residence in Ottawa. (CTV)
Now I know that part of that goes to paying people’s salaries and I’m certainly not one to deny someone a standard of living but COME ON!
That’s almost what I make a YEAR!
Enough is enough. Find out who is representing your riding.
Look at them scrupulously. Find out how they feel about transparency and what their record on voting is.
I hope beyond hope that Obama lives up to all of the hype because he’s made me believe, again, in Politicians.
Weed out the slime and honour the honest.
It really is WHY we vote.
- God rest her soul [↩]
- Politicians [↩]
- encompassing the gay village. [↩]
- courtesy of Wikipedia.com [↩]
- 2 Million dollars is what’s sticking in my mind but I can’t confirm that. [↩]
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