Municipal

City attempting to sell another Illusion to taxpayers….

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….. that they are worth what they are paid and more!!!

I see that our local Abbotsford politicians are planning to further plunder taxpayer’s pockets, in this instance to stuff their own pockets with taxpayer’s hard earned dollars.

Let us be clear on one matter. This was not an “independent body” unless the definition of independent is different within the walls of City Hall from the real world were independent means having no connection to.

The group recommending these astronomical 44% raises was the Remuneration Select Committee. Obviously the selection of members was correct since they managed to find a line of reasoning to give councillors raises. They were also a very select group in that they are not representative of the makeup of the citizenry of Abbotsford.

Half the residents of this city do not make the $34,700 ($16.68 hourly salary for a 40 hour work week) proposed new salary levels, many residents do not even earn in a year the $24,167 ($11.62 per hour) current level of councillor remuneration – and these citizens are working full time. Why we are paying full time wage levels for part time work?

Citizens earning these wage levels are the majority in this city, why were they not represented on the “Select Committee”? These are the citizens most affected by council’s large fee and tax increases, should they not have input on councils remuneration? Of course this group may have felt that if councillors need more money they should do what so many working families in the city do – get a third job.

The glaring omission from this “select committee” is an evaluation of what the remuneration level of council should be, based on council’s performance in leadership, problem solving, service provision and management. Of course the committee was looking for reasons to raise not lower councillor’s salaries or bill them for their mishandling of the City’s affairs.

Instead, in an insult to our intelligence, the “select committee” used a comparison to other lower mainland cities to justify this massive raise. Such a comparison is exactly the argument the city rejected when city employees used it in their negotiations. Ironically city management, which managed to provoke that strike, also bases its claims to higher salaries on comparison to other lower mainland cities.

Considering a strike resulted because the city rejected the validity of setting wages for Abbotsford based on comparisons to other lower mainland cities, does not accepting this comparison to other lower mainland municipalities when it is their salary being decided make City Hall’ hypocrites?

Once again it turns out only certain select citizens have input and are to be heard by the city, as they tell Abbotsford City Hall what it wants to hear. Once again the common citizen is not there to be listened to, but is only there to pay and pay and pay for City Hall’s reckless spending.

I suggest council and senior city management strike for higher wages as other city workers do. I look forward to a long, long strike … and a much better running city.

Homeless

How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is To have a thankless child!

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Shakespeare’s words came to mind while reading the story about the arrival of the big blue bus in Abbotsford, coming to feed the homeless, poor and hungry in the late afternoon on Sundays. Once again I was left to marvel at the many volunteers who give their time to help and feed many a “thankless child” in Abbotsford.

From Mr. Sheldon Francis’s words you would never know he had eaten many Sunday lunches courtesy of the dedicated volunteers of The Open Door Church of Seventh Day Adventists. Being a small church and having taken responsibility for serving lunch 40 Sundays a year they do not serve chilli but a nice bagged lunch. Much more important is that in the years I have known them they have never failed to serve their lunches. To those I have seen turn their nose up at a bag lunch: stop bitching – you’re obviously not hungry.

Chilli is the treat reserved for the first Sunday of the month and the church group that serves lunch that Sunday. It is a very tasty treat with plenty of food and often with home-baked treats. You have the Valley Christian Centre and the churches who supply the food for their Friday suppers; Street Hope is once again (thanks to Global Harvest providing a location) serving food on Wednesday; and Monday to Saturday the Salvation Army serves lunch.

I personally want to say a special thanks to the many dedicated people who volunteer their time to come in prepare, serve and clean up the lunches at the Centre of Hope. As I watch all to many clients bitch, moan and complain I can only wonder at the spirit that moves these volunteers to continue to come in and endure such behaviour, feeding not only those who appreciate their hard work but every “thankless child”.

I welcomed the arrival of Mr. David Poulette and his big blue bus because the need in Abbotsford is large and as the Food Bank statistics show, growing. Speaking with Mr. Poulette he made clear that he would be glad to share his blue bus with any group interested in providing an evening meal lifeline@uniserve.com.

I once asked of Love Abbotsford why not spread its Love (and food) throughout the year, for the hungry are there 365 days a year not only when it is convenient. Now I ask the churches of Abbotsford, and their members what about your Love? Is it such that you are willing to make the commitment and small sacrifices to share it with those in need?

It takes a community to address and heal community issues. It is time to build a community of those with the Love to share caring for those in need, even the “thankless child”. If the spirit moves you but you do not have direction: ask homelessinabbotsford@hotmail.com – for this new “community” has need of those generous of heart.

Addiction

Stupid is as Stupid does

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Forrest Gump was certainly correct with “Stupid is as Stupid does”. This point was thoroughly demonstrated by a Seattle radio host whom I had the misfortune of listening to on a CNN news report I had caught about a thoughtful approach to homelessness underway in Seattle.

I do not watch a lot of TV or CNN but as I was channel surfing for a way to kill some time inside out of the baking heat I caught the words homeless and Seattle as I flipped by CNN and having a strong interest in homeless issues felt compelled to stop and see what was going on.

It turned out that Seattle had developed a 59 (?) unit building to house the city’s worst homeless alcoholics. They defined worst as those who made the most hospital visits and had the most police interactions. In other words they defined worst as those homeless alcoholics who cost the most dollars to deal with.

For $13,000 a year Seattle had reduced the hospital visits by each individual from 3 – 4 a week to one a month and interactions with the police to near zero. Being Canadian I have to leave estimating whether this represents savings in the $$$100,000’s of dollars or $1,000,000+ to Seattle citizens and those more familiar with American medical costs. In any case this approach is saving Seattle taxpayers umpteen thousands and thousands of dollars per year.

In the middle of this report was a Seattle radio host criticizing this approach and calling for an end to the program. I am not sure whether this radio host was demonstrating his desperation for ratings or a complete lack of common sense, good judgment and financial wisdom. At any rate it was a pitiful sight and left me wanting to pass along this suggestion to the desperate or dumb host:

If you truly feel that strongly about this approach and want to end the program then step up and take responsibility. The solution is for the citizens of Seattle to pay for the first $13,000 of expenses, the current amount taxpayers are paying, for each and every person who would be in this housing tax- savings plan. You, and any other Seattle taxpayers foolish enough to agree this innovative housing approach should be shut down, will be responsible for paying the hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars incurred because they are once again homeless.

That is to say put YOUR money where YOUR mouth is; or put another way: put up or shut up!