LETTER: No, they’re not lazy

Jennifer Thuncher, a reporter at The Chief, is saying all this info is available online and if we don’t access it the problem is we are too lazy to access it. 

I strongly disagree. George Carlin (a political comedian) once observed we have a choice of 50 cereals, but for the things that matter our choices are very limited.

There is so much irrelevant info out; not everyone has the time or desire to go through it all. They are not lazy, it is just not number one on their list.

You are saying that since the District is making all the info available it is our fault that we don’t access it. The District puts forward a bunch of irrelevant info but good info is more difficult. 

I had a boss one time and when I had to put a package together for the bank he would say “baffle with B.S.” That’s what the District is doing – baffling with B.S. 

As the Hitler Propaganda Mister said in his book, give people the impression of free choice but give them no choice in important things. 

The District has put forward three or four Alternate Financing Proposals with this council. In order to oppose, a citizen would have to take a day off work and ignore the responsibilities of parenthood. If you don’t do that it is assumed you are in favour of the plan. 

This appears to me very similar to the negative billing concept, which isn’t allowed in private industry. A referendum is averted by this process because the outcome is guaranteed and it is cheaper. I wonder cheaper for who?

If the municipality was serious about making this a more participatory system then why make that a process with regulations that appear out the ’50s and opposition to these could easily occur online. A spending limit would exist and anything over the limit would need approval like a corporation and not an AAP. 

People take offense at being called lazy and uninterested. Disenfranchised maybe, lazy no. 

Does Jennifer really think people who have jobs and family responsibilities have the time or energy to watch council meetings? Council and the bureaucrats are on the clock, taxpayers are not.

A well-working democracy requires more participation and less escapism and that I can agree with.

Any good democracy is stronger with participation, but our municipality seems to be moving towards being less open to the things that matter, and more open to things that don’t.

Dave Colledge
Brackendale