Where is the champion of the poor now?
The city is in a huge financial mess due to the incompetence and outright neglect of so many politicians and government employees that spans decades. And over whose head does the axe hang? TTC riders. The poorest of the poor. People who need public transit as a means to go grocery shopping, to the doctor's office, to visit friends and family and, of course, go to work.
These are the people Mayor Miller has decided must pay for the never-ending failures and financially disastrous decisions made by so many who are paid from our tax dollars. I thought the mayor was a defender of the poor? A champion of the downtrodden? A beacon of light for those who look to the government for help, not because they want to, but because they need to.
The threat of TTC fair increases and reduced service levels exposes Miller for what he truly is: a shadow void of any real leadership, substance or vision. Instead of increasing fares by 25 cents, why not reduce the pay of everyone under the TTC banner by 25 cents? Why are we always asked to pay more, when politicians and government employees award themselves raises and threaten to cut services?
When are the mayor and budget chief going to look for savings that surely exist within the black hole of "non-essential" services? How much can be saved by trimming the wages, benefits and perks of the throng of unionized government employees who digest so much of our hard-earned money? Why are they exempt from the pain the rest of us face? And if you're looking for some real solutions, I'm sure our Ombudsman Andre Marin (the honest Ontario taxpayers' best friend) can assist. I am tired of paying more and getting less. I am tired of bad politics trumping good policy. And I am tired of what all of our governments have become.
Glenn Williams
