Toronto City Council
So, I've been watching the second all-night council meeting all day.
I feel disgusted by some of my city councillors.
And others I've gained so much respect for.
Truthfully, I never follow politics. As a result, this is a true rarity. I feel connected with my general community in my new found disgust. How devastatingly tragic. I should feel connected with my community through my positive outlook or my shared enthusiasm to improve my city. Even the shared sense of grief felt with the death of Jack Layton was such a unifying and beautiful moment.
This makes everything that I'm experiencing at this moment just that much worse.
Rob Ford has shown himself to be a poor time-keeper and, of course, an even poorer listener. He appears to be paying little attention to anything that is said, except how long it takes for them to say it. He cut off a visually impaired man who was speaking on behalf of HIV charity funding. The man was unable to see the timer and Ford just cut him off.
Another man was speaking and asked a question - he was supposed to have a total of 1 minute to respond to questions. I'm still unsure if it is meant to be 1 minute per question or if it is 1 minute including the asking of the question. However, one of the councillors (Del Grande) asked a question (making more of a point than actually asking) and allowed that the deputant would have no time with which to respond.
Then there was the issue regarding Mammoliti.
He has (in the past) commented that those who deputed at the last all-night meeting were communists. We all know that this has often also been attributed to members of Unions. Well, he decided to ask (snidely) to which union a particular deputant belonged. He did not belong to any! His response was that he didn't belong to any - aside from the union called Residents of Toronto. He then proclaimed loudly that he was not a communist either. This resulted in a round of applause and cheers from the room. Mammoliti quasi-apologized and asked if the deputant would be willing to pay 35% tax increase - this was met with cries of "LIES! You're lying!!" from the crowd. This cut off what he was going to continue to say. Ford interrupted saying that as long as Mammoliti was being interrupted by the crowd he would be allowed to talk for as long as he wanted. Please note the absence of a time limit now.
I love when rules only apply to those who are not best buddies with the mayor.
As I was writing this, Mayor Ford was presented with an award from a deputant for uniting the city - against this threat of cutting. Apparently, I was not the only one feeling this way.
I am very concerned. I knew that there were threats to the library system - both in terms of closures and cut hours. I was not, however, aware of the potential cuts / closures to Museums. Seeing as this is what I have just started school for as my SECOND Master's degree. I was hoping to work in my general area once I graduated. I'm now fearing that this will not be possible. The whole thing is quite disheartening. Insert my insecurities about my future here.
As a secondary comment - deputant is not actually a word. I have been unable to find it in any sort of dictionary or even reference material. Still, it has been thrown around so liberally throughout these proceedings this summer that it has become a word in its own right, I suppose.
I feel disgusted by some of my city councillors.
And others I've gained so much respect for.
Truthfully, I never follow politics. As a result, this is a true rarity. I feel connected with my general community in my new found disgust. How devastatingly tragic. I should feel connected with my community through my positive outlook or my shared enthusiasm to improve my city. Even the shared sense of grief felt with the death of Jack Layton was such a unifying and beautiful moment.
This makes everything that I'm experiencing at this moment just that much worse.
Rob Ford has shown himself to be a poor time-keeper and, of course, an even poorer listener. He appears to be paying little attention to anything that is said, except how long it takes for them to say it. He cut off a visually impaired man who was speaking on behalf of HIV charity funding. The man was unable to see the timer and Ford just cut him off.
Another man was speaking and asked a question - he was supposed to have a total of 1 minute to respond to questions. I'm still unsure if it is meant to be 1 minute per question or if it is 1 minute including the asking of the question. However, one of the councillors (Del Grande) asked a question (making more of a point than actually asking) and allowed that the deputant would have no time with which to respond.
Then there was the issue regarding Mammoliti.
He has (in the past) commented that those who deputed at the last all-night meeting were communists. We all know that this has often also been attributed to members of Unions. Well, he decided to ask (snidely) to which union a particular deputant belonged. He did not belong to any! His response was that he didn't belong to any - aside from the union called Residents of Toronto. He then proclaimed loudly that he was not a communist either. This resulted in a round of applause and cheers from the room. Mammoliti quasi-apologized and asked if the deputant would be willing to pay 35% tax increase - this was met with cries of "LIES! You're lying!!" from the crowd. This cut off what he was going to continue to say. Ford interrupted saying that as long as Mammoliti was being interrupted by the crowd he would be allowed to talk for as long as he wanted. Please note the absence of a time limit now.
I love when rules only apply to those who are not best buddies with the mayor.
As I was writing this, Mayor Ford was presented with an award from a deputant for uniting the city - against this threat of cutting. Apparently, I was not the only one feeling this way.
I am very concerned. I knew that there were threats to the library system - both in terms of closures and cut hours. I was not, however, aware of the potential cuts / closures to Museums. Seeing as this is what I have just started school for as my SECOND Master's degree. I was hoping to work in my general area once I graduated. I'm now fearing that this will not be possible. The whole thing is quite disheartening. Insert my insecurities about my future here.
As a secondary comment - deputant is not actually a word. I have been unable to find it in any sort of dictionary or even reference material. Still, it has been thrown around so liberally throughout these proceedings this summer that it has become a word in its own right, I suppose.