With civic elections now over, the floodgates of whining have opened for the haters of the process, the elected officials, and even other voters.
Admittedly, I had little to no interest in politics at any level until my eldest hit school. Understanding political rhetoric and policies proved to be overwhelming. I talked at length with people whom I felt were informed enough to explain the issues at all levels of government in plain English.
As I believe that one can’t complain about politics without casting your own vote, I voted for the first time in 2008, my two children in tow. Did the people I voted for win? No. Did I whine about it? No. I just braced myself for what may come.
The one thing that struck me is how unfair the public can be regarding the elected person’s ability to follow through on what was a ‘campaign promise’. When elected into office, the new official is given stacks of paperwork of legislature or bylaws that are just being passed on from the previous administration. There are miles of red tape to undo before the people can even get to a place where they can get their platforms into play.
Put yourselves in their shoes. Pretend you’ve just been hired to run the city, province, nation — there’s got to be a bit of a learning curve allowed, and no one person passes any law of any kind alone. That’s the nature of democracy. Stop complaining about how this person didn’t do this, or you’re so sure they won’t follow through on that (clairvoyant?) and hate the game, not the players.
Karen Mulligan
Penticton