|
If voting is a Matter of Trust, I ask "WHAT TRUST?????"
(Watch Election Coverage on Oct. 6, starting at 9 p.m on Rogers TV. I'll be a guest on Goldhawk Live)
By LINDA LEATHERDALE
It's a sad state of affairs. Unless a miracle happens, expect voter turn-out to remain at record lows on Thursday as Ontarians stage a silent protest to all the lies, deceit and broken promises, and stay at home to watch Dancing with the Stars instead of casting a ballot.
Fuelling voter frustration is the reality there is no trust among our leaders, as witnessed during the recent Leaders' Debate, which could be renamed Dancing with the Losers. Bottom line is while all three parties clamour for our vote with idle promises we know will be broken, most families are struggling to stay ahead of the bills, as record household debt has become Enemy Number One is this country. And high taxes, like the 13% HST (harmonized sales tax) on all our bills - hydro, insurance, heating, gas at the pumps, etc. - only add to the misery.
Meanwhile, if I am an example of the average consumer out there, outrage grows as we with try to fight skyrocketing costs from cable bills, cell phone suppliers, insurance firm, banks and worst of all - hydro utilities, thanks to broken promises re deregulation and now Premier Dalton McGuinty's time-of-use meters, which he coins smart meters. I have a message for Dalton. There's nothing smart about these suckers that were forced on every household in Ontario. They're only smart for cash-hungry politicians, as they fleece our pockets one more time.
After years of fighting for fairness for the little guy, all of which has fallen on deaf ears, here's the stupidity I have been dealing with since Monday. And I write this one day later on Tuesday, two days before Ontario's election. Yes, some of these issues are caused by federal government letdown, too. But allow me vent:
My cell phone bill: I get a call on my personal cell while attending a funeral in Orillia. "You're late on your bill, so can I get a credit card number to take care of it," states the caller. I explain I am at a funeral, and I pay by cheque as soon as I get my bill. He says he'll make a note of it. Upon my return, I look frantically for the bill. Can't find it. Make a call to my cell phone supplier. "You were switched to online billing two months ago," I am told. What???? I never requested that, was my reply. "Well, we are trying to switch everyone over," was the response. I am then told if I want a copy of my bill sent to my home the cost is $2 a month. Meanwhile, I am hit with a late payment fee, plus interest. So I threaten to move to another company: "Sorry, you can't. You're on contract with us until 2014." I scream!!!
My hydro bill: It is now getting close to the mortgage I pay on a condo I invested in. Plus the HST. What can I do to lessen the blow? I am told use the dishwasher, washer and dryer, etc. in off-peak hours. But I do that, I reply - remarking I hate getting up in the wee hours to move clothes into the dryer. As for my fridge and freezer, both which are energy-efficient, I cannot unplug them during peak hours, I complain. Well sorry, m'am, is the reply. If you can't afford to pay, we'll disconnect. Then comes the stinger. And can you afford the reconnection fee? I scream!!!
Bills I have never heard of before: My daughter, unfortunately, was in a car accident. I get a bill from the City of Mississauga for $445.75 for fire and emergency services and a bill from Halton Heathcare Servlce for $45. Silly me, I thought my high taxes paid for these services. A call to my insurance firm confirms they may cover it. But wait: I just hiked my deductibles for auto and home insurance, so I could afford to pay. I scream!!!
Hands in our pockets: A few years ago, after shopping around, my daughter moves her bank account to where I bank to get a better deal. Lo and behold, what arrives in the mail? A bill from her former bank, stating she owes $12.75, plus interest and late payment fees. I was there when we cancelled this account, and we were told the balance was zero. (I was still seething over how when she had a child's account where birthday gift money from her late great aunt was deposited, the savings were wiped out by bank service fees.) I call the VP of banking, who sent the letter, to complain. "You'll have to call the bank ombudsman," I am told. I do. "You cannot complain until you go through all the channels" was the response. But then I am told because my daughter is now of age, I cannot complain at all. She has to. I scream!!!
Meanwhile, while I spend all my time calling around to try to get some fairness, my phone keeps ringing off the hook from political parties seeking my support. "Linda, there are only two days to the election. We need your vote. And can we count on you for a $200 donation?" I scream!!!
True democracy, which means power to the people, can only exist if we exercise our right to vote. Yet, sadly we are not. During the last election in 2007, when former Tory leader John Tory blew it with his ill-advised faith-based education scheme to hand McGuinty a second term with a majority government, voter turnout hit record lows.
Only 52.6% of eligible voters cast a ballot, which beats out a record low set in 1923 when 54.7% of voters turned out at the polls. That's despite new measures aimed to encouraging us to vote, like fixed election dates, more polling stations and extended hours.
McGuinty gloated as he headed back to Queen's Park, and a distant memory was his first major broken promise back in 2004, when on the election trail he signed the Canadian Taxpayers Federation Taxpayer Protection Pledge vowing not to hike taxes. In his words, "I won't lower your taxes, but I won't raise them either." Then, once in power, he hit us with his health tax. Then came the hated HST, eco taxes, and on and on.
Your choices on Thursday are McGuinty, Tory leader Tim Hudak and NDP leader Andrea Horwarth.
But when it comes to trust, voters are cynical. In their minds, Bob Rae blew it for the NDP. Mike Harris, Ernie Eves and John Tory blew it for the Tories. And McGuinty is blowing it for the Liberals.
My advice is vote for the local candidate who you believe will best represent you, and get involved by being vocal. Also, tune into Dale Goldhawk's show on Rogers TV at 9 p.m., where I'll be a guest.
|