On Empty Campaign Promises

Democracy is brilliant.  Unfortunately, people are stupid.

Why else in the run up to the municipal elections would there even be a ‘debate’ concerning specific candidates?

I loathe the expressions that libertarian types use when running for election:

• I’ll stop the gravy train
• Zero budget increases for 4 years
• Run the town like a business

But people still flock to their sides, pledging support and damning those that suggest public office should be run by professionally trained public officials.

I don’t mind a professional approach to things.  In fact, maybe that’s the ‘between the lines’ suggestion from candidates that pledge to stop gravy trains – candidates that don’t take this approach are pathetic, communist slobs?

When you pledge to run a city like a business, do you know how many people you’re insulting?  Are PEOPLE from other types of organizations not invited to the table?  What about non-profits and charities?  Firemen and police services?  Planners and city workers?  Other organizations that don’t fit into your square hole?

Are they not professional?  Do they not focus on their jobs with care and pride?  Or are you simply trying to suggest that as a business, you’re ready to play favourites, enter the grey zone of regulations using public funds, cater to the highest bidder but not necessarily the best provider and sell off anything that doesn’t turn a profit?  Or even lose money, like some of the world’s largest corporations have in the past?

Or will you be corrupt and vile, like some of the greatest corporate disasters in our history like Enron, WorldCom, the dotcom boom/bust and bankers, all of whom have robbed the average citizens of trillions of dollars in personal savings and real estate?

And how will you be accountable to your stakeholders, the voters?  Will your first act be one to introduce recall, an important way for the public to remove someone from office once they prove to be inept?  How do we fire you if you’re incompetent?

We can’t.

And that’s why public office cannot be run like a business.  You have to be experienced, accountable, equitable and yes, bureaucratic.

The good news is that you’re only one vote of many.

C’mon people:  put your emotion and libertarian sentiments aside for a few minutes and use the brain you were born with.  When you vote next week, please consider experience, knowledge and look at the people that are endorsing the candidates.