Comstock: Greens turned me red

By Michael Comstock –

I had hoped to vote Green this election. It seemed like such a nice, political party. They have such a wonderful future-looking, save-the-planet bunch of platforms. I mean, what’s not to like?

Well after making a modest donation to them, I was shocked to learn they support “safe injection sites.” Now that is an oxymoron considering they shoot up with their own illegal street drugs. I can support Greens’ call for legalizing marijuana, since almost 17% to 20% of Canadians smoke it occasionally. Many youth experimenting with the stuff are mixing with the whole illicit drug trade because it is not legalized. It could be a big source of revenue, seems benign and has some medical indications.

But, there is a big difference between soft and hard drugs. If the Greens can’t see that difference, they don’t get my vote.

So now for whom do I vote? Voting is so important because we really don’t get that many opportunities to vote. Only once every four years we re-elect 90% of our city councillors. Name recognition plays a bigger part in getting elected, than their record or there predilections. We don’t have many decisions like budgets and project funding on the ballot. The candidate, the person and party platform becomes hugely important in making an informed voting decision. Please go to your local all-candidates meeting.

What we read in the daily papers and see on the TV news, forms the opinion of the “disinterested majority.” I don’t think you would be reading this local Downtown monthly if you were the “disinterested majority.” Those who are influenced by the mainstream media alone are in a state of shock. “If it bleeds, it leads” is that media mentality. So the subtleties of reasoning are blown away with sound bites and bullshit rule.

Recently in the Toronto Star, erstwhile Champion of the Underdog, we see a picture of a woman sleeping on a sidewalk heating grate. She is described as “a homeless woman.” The article asks, “Which parties are putting poverty on their agenda?”

Poverty? Maybe it’s a bit more medical/psychological and immediate than housing.

My God she is on the damn street and we can’t help her; it isn’t politically correct to intervene. Calling her just an example of poverty, is a miscarriage of social concern. Living on the sidewalk heating grate is a different problem from homelessness. I’m going to see if any party addresses people sleeping on the streets. Certainly not a party supporting “Safe (for whom?) injection sites.”