It is a sad state of affairs when the citizens of Abbotsford find themselves depending on the provincial government to say \u201cNO\u201d in order to save citizens from Abbotsford city government\u2019s out of control and fiscally irresponsible behaviour. Find themselves dependant on the provincial government to force Abbotsford\u2019s municipal government to exercise self control and discipline, to prepare proper operating budgets and to plan rather than scrambling from cash grab to cash grab, from problem to problem never doing anything to solve the problem, but merely haphazardly plastering over problems.<\/p>\n
Lamentably that is the position the citizens of Abbotsford are in, dependent on the provincial government to reject city council\u2019s latest attempt to pillage citizen\u2019s already impoverished pocketbooks in order to satisfy city council\u2019s every growing need for cash to pay for their spending addiction.<\/p>\n
Like the panhandlers in parking lots around Abbotsford who approach the unwary with their tale of having run out of gasoline with their car \u201cjust a few blocks over there\u201d and in need of gas money to get home, but who are in reality seeking money for their addiction, Abbotsford Council is telling their tale for the unwary of having run out of money and needing gas money (a gas tax) so they too can have money to feed their addiction – to spending taxpayer\u2019s dollars.<\/p>\n
Like any addict, Abbotsford city council\u2019s addiction has grown worse year by year until they find themselves teetering on the brink of financial disaster.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, unlike the panhandlers in the parking lots whose addiction has left themselves homeless, it is the citizens of Abbotsford who will bear the financial consequences for city council\u2019s addict mentality and behaviour.<\/p>\n
Even, as George Peary was quoted in the local paper, \u201cto the point where people lose their homes because they can\u2019t pay [their] taxes.\u201d A position some citizens have already reached and that current economic conditions have more citizens fast approaching.<\/p>\n
Enabling an addict, or in the case of city council a group of addicts, by giving them the money needed to continue in their addiction, does nothing more than enable them to continue in their addiction.<\/p>\n
We have to stop enabling city council and allowing it to stay in its addiction; stop permitting city council to continue to act with fiscal irresponsibility, to mismanage city operations and to spend taxpayer dollars as if taxpayers have bottomless pockets that city council can reach into to meet their endlessly increasing need for more (and more and more and \u2026) money.<\/p>\n
There is no need to wait to the fall and \u201cpublic meetings\u201d to begin to act. This is a provincial decision.<\/p>\n
Citizens can, and should, begin now and often to contact our MLAs (John van Dongen, Michael de Jong) and the Premier (Gordon Campbell) telling them to \u201cJust say NO\u201d and not to further enable Abbotsford\u2019s municipal government\u2019s addict behaviour.<\/p>\n
Indeed citizens who know just how worthless an addicts promises and assurances are, may well want to request the provincial government send in the provincial Auditor General to determine the true state of Abbotsford\u2019s financial affairs and operational status.<\/p>\n
We must say NO to enabling Abbotsford city council\u2019s bad behaviours and urge the provincial government to say No as well or accept the consequences of our enabling behaviour and pay the ever escalating costs of enabling city council\u2019s spending addiction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It is a sad state of affairs when the citizens of Abbotsford find themselves depending on the provincial government to say \u201cNO\u201d in order to save citizens from Abbotsford city government\u2019s out of control and fiscally irresponsible behaviour. Find themselves dependant on the provincial government to force Abbotsford\u2019s municipal government to exercise self control and discipline, to prepare proper operating budgets and to plan rather than scrambling from cash grab to cash grab, from problem to problem never doing anything to solve the problem, but merely haphazardly plastering over problems. Lamentably that is the position the citizens of Abbotsford are in, dependent on the provincial government to reject city council\u2019s latest attempt to pillage citizen\u2019s already impoverished pocketbooks in order to satisfy city council\u2019s every growing need for cash to pay for their spending addiction. Like the panhandlers in parking lots around Abbotsford who approach the unwary with their tale of having run out of gasoline with their car \u201cjust a few blocks over there\u201d and in need of gas money to get home, but who are in reality seeking money for their addiction, Abbotsford Council is telling their tale for the unwary of having run out of money and needing gas money (a gas tax) so they too can have money to feed their addiction – to spending taxpayer\u2019s dollars. Like any addict, Abbotsford city council\u2019s addiction has grown worse year by year until they find themselves teetering on the brink of financial disaster. Unfortunately, unlike the panhandlers in the parking lots whose addiction has left themselves homeless, it is the citizens of Abbotsford who will bear the financial consequences for city council\u2019s addict mentality and behaviour. Even, as George Peary was quoted in the local paper, \u201cto the point where people lose their homes because they can\u2019t pay [their] taxes.\u201d A position some citizens have already reached and that current economic conditions have more citizens fast approaching. Enabling an addict, or in the case of city council a group of addicts, by giving them the money needed to continue in their addiction, does nothing more than enable them to continue in their addiction. We have to stop enabling city council and allowing it to stay in its addiction; stop permitting city council to continue to act with fiscal irresponsibility, to mismanage city operations and to spend taxpayer dollars as if taxpayers have bottomless pockets that city council can reach into to meet their endlessly increasing need for more (and more and more and \u2026) money. There is no need to wait to the fall and \u201cpublic meetings\u201d to begin to act. This is a provincial decision. Citizens can, and should, begin now and often to contact our MLAs (John van Dongen, Michael de Jong) and the Premier (Gordon Campbell) telling them to \u201cJust say NO\u201d and not to further enable Abbotsford\u2019s municipal government\u2019s addict behaviour. Indeed citizens who know just how worthless an addicts promises and assurances are, may well want to request the provincial government send in the provincial Auditor General to determine the true state of Abbotsford\u2019s financial affairs and operational status. We must say NO to enabling Abbotsford city council\u2019s bad behaviours and urge the provincial government to say No as well or accept the consequences of our enabling behaviour and pay the ever escalating costs of enabling city council\u2019s spending addiction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,20,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-point-of-view","category-municipal","category-snafu"],"yoast_head":"\n