Toronto is engaged in a debate that rages in many North American cities.
The issue is one of common sense, specifically, who runs the city.
Citizens in a democratic state vote for the candidate that they feel will best represent their viewpoint.
Unfortunately, once elected the representative is free to act as he or she sees fit, and is readily manipulated by small, but vocal, pressure groups.
Elected officials are free to do as they please, even if they know it runs contrary to what their constituents want.
This becomes a corruption of the democratic process, allowing politicians to be influenced by those with agendas that may differ from community values.
One of the most vocal pressure groups is the bicycle lobby.
They wage a fanatical campaign to force everyone out of their cars and onto bikes.
Their main line of attack, not surprisingly, is ecological.
Guilt is always a great motivator, and those who wish to influence our thinking have no qualms in using it as a weapon.
Logic, unfortunately, isn't a part of their debating strategy.
Toronto isn't San Diego.
San Diego has an average of 41 days of precipitation annually.
Some years, Torontonians could believe that they don't have 41 days free of precipitation.
The winters can feel like Moscow, and the summers like Manila.
Increasingly, those who work in the city core live in 'bedroom communities' and commute considerable distances.
Unless one lives within a few miles of the office, time constraints and physical ability become limiting factors.
Riding a bike for the daily commute will never be practical for more than a very small segment of the population.
Still, the hardcore bikers persist in stridently demanding that the city devote huge sums of money to keep them happy, while making the daily commute more miserable for everyone else.
How do they get away with this? The simple answer lies in the old cliche about the squeaky wheel getting the grease.
Pressure groups make sure they get heard, and they speak with one voice.
A few hundred people constantly hammering away at the same theme, make a greater impression on our politicians than millions of others with a variety of concerns.
As long as those elected to public office can stay in power for a fixed number of years, they will use their position as an opportunity to further their own goals, and those of groups or individuals with clout.
Nobody wants frequent trips to the polls, as it wastes financial resources that could be better employed.
Unfortunately, the only way to end the tyranny of pressure groups, such as the bicycle lobby, is to ensure that those acting contrary to the common good can be removed from their positions at any time.
It would seldom be necessary to act, as the knowledge that they need to respect their constituents wishes, would encourage politicians to act in the public interest.
The issue is one of common sense, specifically, who runs the city.
Citizens in a democratic state vote for the candidate that they feel will best represent their viewpoint.
Unfortunately, once elected the representative is free to act as he or she sees fit, and is readily manipulated by small, but vocal, pressure groups.
Elected officials are free to do as they please, even if they know it runs contrary to what their constituents want.
This becomes a corruption of the democratic process, allowing politicians to be influenced by those with agendas that may differ from community values.
One of the most vocal pressure groups is the bicycle lobby.
They wage a fanatical campaign to force everyone out of their cars and onto bikes.
Their main line of attack, not surprisingly, is ecological.
Guilt is always a great motivator, and those who wish to influence our thinking have no qualms in using it as a weapon.
Logic, unfortunately, isn't a part of their debating strategy.
Toronto isn't San Diego.
San Diego has an average of 41 days of precipitation annually.
Some years, Torontonians could believe that they don't have 41 days free of precipitation.
The winters can feel like Moscow, and the summers like Manila.
Increasingly, those who work in the city core live in 'bedroom communities' and commute considerable distances.
Unless one lives within a few miles of the office, time constraints and physical ability become limiting factors.
Riding a bike for the daily commute will never be practical for more than a very small segment of the population.
Still, the hardcore bikers persist in stridently demanding that the city devote huge sums of money to keep them happy, while making the daily commute more miserable for everyone else.
How do they get away with this? The simple answer lies in the old cliche about the squeaky wheel getting the grease.
Pressure groups make sure they get heard, and they speak with one voice.
A few hundred people constantly hammering away at the same theme, make a greater impression on our politicians than millions of others with a variety of concerns.
As long as those elected to public office can stay in power for a fixed number of years, they will use their position as an opportunity to further their own goals, and those of groups or individuals with clout.
Nobody wants frequent trips to the polls, as it wastes financial resources that could be better employed.
Unfortunately, the only way to end the tyranny of pressure groups, such as the bicycle lobby, is to ensure that those acting contrary to the common good can be removed from their positions at any time.
It would seldom be necessary to act, as the knowledge that they need to respect their constituents wishes, would encourage politicians to act in the public interest.
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