Government Doesn’t Work For You: WAFFLE WATCH

“We do have a budget, we do have a cost that we’re working towards. It’s not like we’re doing this blindly. It’s just that I’m not sure if we can share that publicly at this point, at this time.”

Paul Lebrun, Public service engineer on the cost of replacing the Alexandra Bridge

Great danger must lurk in unknown ways in making a statement for the federal government.

People stormed the beaches of Normandy, surrendering their lives in some cases, to preserve free, democratic, caring, inclusive and open government. Two words worth repeating … open government.

Because when people died trying to preserve a fundamental part of democracy, it is disturbing seeing it being taken away because someone might, or might not, have permission to release the information. People were ordered to die to preserve open, caring and inclusive government. Now public servants need permission to honour that sacrifice.

Open government like lint brushed off a Sunday suit.

Beyond that obvious misstep, there is the matter of it our tax money being used and that the public service should serve the public. But it is becoming increasingly obvious that modern governments serve themselves, not the public.

Government is becoming our enemy rather than our agent.

Just to support this view, we have the municipal government which has millions (hundreds of millions?) in Ottawa civic taxpayer money tied up in claims concerning the LRT debacle. We can’t see those claims because they are “confidential.” Strangely, no explanation of why they are confidential, just confidential. Don’t worry your pretty little heads about this wee small insignificant resident of Ottawa. We know what we are doing just as we have through the entire light-real fiasco. Topnotch management, fiscal restraint and quality control.

Actually that’s not true. The real reason the city won’t release the information concerning those claims is that pols and staff are concerned about looking like horses’ asses.

Well, it’s a bit late for that.

We’ve already established that the people responsible for the care and feeding of Ottawa’s light rail are fools. Any court would rule in our favour.

What we trying to decide in the civic example is just how big of fools you folks really are.

Ken Gray

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