Friday, October 24, 2008

Your Platform, Please


The Vancouver Sun has been polling candidates for municipal office.

Several findings were encouraging.

Under the heading "Religion," 28.3% refused to answer.

As they all should. I don't want to know about your religion. IN fact, I really, really don't want to know.

I want to know about your stand on matters of public policy.

Under the heading of "Ethnicity," 12.2% refused to answer.

As everyone should.

I don't want to know about your "ethnicity."

I want to know about your stand on matters of public policy.

And under the heading "Immigrant," with a choice of No or Yes (in that peculiar order), 5.6% refused to answer.

As everyone should.

I don't want to know if you are someone called "an immigrant."

I want to know your stand on matters of public policy.

The photograph, by the way, is of Jeff Kuah, one of the 13 other candidates for Mayor of the City of Vancouver.

3 comments:

Robert W. said...

One critically important question that should get asked but never will is this:

If elected, do you feel that you will be more focused on saving the taxpayers as much money as possibly -OR- will you be more focused on thinking up new social re-engineering projects that will increase the tax bills of voters?

Anonymous said...

It is indeed their right to refuse to answer.

But anyone who wants to be a PUBLIC SERVANT should tell others their Philosophical views - and religion gives a very good idea of what that philosophy is.

And Pelalusa - social re-engineering projects are not the ONLY way to increase our tax bill. Your posting is not an honest either/or proposition.

Anonymous said...

Here is what I propose:

I would like to improve the public safety and security of Vancouver by:

1. Instituting a zero-tolerance policy for criminals.

2. A better equipped, trained, and funded law enforcement apparatus and a way of ensuring judges not be overly lenient with repeat offenders.

3. Open-air drug selling would be curtailed by working with the federal government to improve certain sections of the Canadian Criminal code.

4. Insure that judges are fully aware and educated on the victimization of normal families in Vancouver because of their leniency with criminal sanctioning.

5. Ensure that every rightful Vancouver resident, no matter if you are rich or poor is being treated with respect and their rights protected because Vancouver residents have lost their sanctuary and sense of security due to the increased sophistication of crime creeping into their (our) neighborhoods.

6. Implement placement programs that will ensure that every Vancouver resident works in a profession that they have chosen for themselves based on their own interest and for the love of the job and not forced to take any job because they have to pay for room rent, and enjoy the job based on the fringe benefits that are included with the chosen job. I would implement “special job placement” programs to match levels of expertise and experience under the responsibility of the mayor of Vancouver.

7. Personally coordinate with all the “job placement agencies,” head a Task Force of Inter-government affairs and demand that the provincial and federal governments come clean with their promises in stepping up their efforts in human resources management.


8. Initiate and implement a Monday to Friday "Seamless-Transfer Transit Pass/ICBC Registration" (STP-ICBC SmartCard) for all eligible drivers who parked their ICBC insured vehicles at the "Park & Ride" or at home. The STP-ICBC SmartCard holders will commute to work in a public transit system and this will reduce the volume of vehicles entering Vancouver.

9. Insure that the city councillors work for Vancouverites so that you are treated with respect and your rights are “protected” as the residents of this great city.

Thanks and best regards,

Jeff Kuah
"The only serious alternative"
For Mayor of Vancouver