Having been elected on one and only one campaign promise - no tax increases, supported by a campaign slogan of 'Zero means Zero", one of the first things Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien did after the election was vote for a tax enriched Ottawa Budget.
Now just freshly back from his court trials, O'Brien announces today that his promise of 'Zero means Zero" is dead.
In miniature, this is the problem voters / taxpayers have with today's politicians. They say one thing to get elected, and once in place, turn their backs on their promises. Voters are treated as dupes.
No wonder they are becoming more and more turned off by politicians.
And, no wonder governments continue to grow unchecked.
O'Brien was elected solely to bring the mushrooming bureaucracy at City Hall into balance. Some 17,000 and counting employees now work there with an average salary and benefits approaching $80 K per annum. A figure that private sector employees can only dream about. You know the private sector employee - it is he or she who pays their inflated salaries.
O'Brien was also elected to jettison the nonsensical spending of the city and return it to basics: roads, sewers, garbage collection, police and fire.
Nothing was done in regard to either.
As a Libertarian, the greatest fear I have in regard to to a vibrant democracy, is that government is growing far too large. As such, it is impacting almost every aspect of our daily life. And I do not see much good arising from it.
O'Brien's betrayal is but a minor, but no less clear example of this.
For what it is worth and I am sad to say probably not much - I will not vote for the Mayor next time round should he decide to face the electorate one last time.
As I see it.
"Galagher"
