SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Impress upon children the truth that the exercise of the elective franchise is a social duty of as solemn a nature as man can be called to perform; that a man may not innocently trifle with his vote; that every elector is a trustee as well for others as himself and that every measure he supports has an important bearing on the interests of others as well as on his own.

- Daniel Webster
From The Works of Daniel Webster (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1853), Vol. II, p. 108


Exactly one month from today, on October 25th, there will be municipal elections in the province of Ontario. Here in the City of Toronto, we are going to elect a mayor to lead the 2.5 million people who live in Canada’s most populous city. Voter turnout for municipal elections is notoriously low. Yet these elections affect our daily lives significantly. Our municipal leaders make decisions on such matters as property taxes, public transportation and garbage pick-up. So, why the apathy? I suppose these issues aren’t too exiting to some people. Nevertheless, they are bread and butter issues and they are important.

I have to admit that I am not particularly impressed by any of the major candidates for mayor of our fair metropolis. In fact, I am extremely disappointed with the choices.  However, I do not consider that a valid excuse for not voting. Neither do I consider other excuses valid, particularly the ones about not having the time to read up about the candidates or to become informed about the issues. For something that affects our lives so strongly, we should be able to find the time to educate ourselves about the candidates in our area. It is our civic duty.

I urge every eligible voter to exercise your franchise. If you don’t bother to vote, don’t bother to complain about poor government. Our municipal elections used to be held every two years. Now they are held every four years. That means we can’t vote a disastrous mayor out of office until he or she has done four years worth of damage to this city. Please keep that in mind if you have not yet decided whether you are going to vote on October 25th.

NOTE:  If this blog entry persuades even one person to inform themselves and vote, I will be absolutely delighted.  If iit's someone between the ages of 18 and 30, I will be even more delighted.


SPORTS

Congratulations to home run king Jose Bautista. He hit his 50th home run of the season on Wednesday. He is only the 26th player in major league baseball to achieve that feat. His home run made the difference as the Blue Jays edged the Seattle Mariners 1-0. There was another milestone in that game. Ichiro of the Mariners reached the 200-hit mark for the 10th consecutive season. Last night, the Jayss defeated the Baltimore Orioles by a score of 6-4 and Jose belted two more homers to bring his total to 52. Wow!

I also have to congratulate former Blue Jay Roy Halladay for earning his 20th win of the season.  Is there is a more intense competor than Doc Halladay?  I don't think so.  The man is dedicated to his craft.  He will probably win the National League Cy Young Award for this season.


They are quite excited about the Argos in Moncton, New Brunswick. Yes, Atlantic football fans are going wild for the Toronto Argonauts who will be the home team in a CFL game there on Sunday against the Edmonton Eskimos. The city hopes to have a football team in the league someday. Wouldn’t a team in Martiimes be great? It would be fantastic see the Canadian Football League go coast to coast.

- Joanne