Negligent Behaviour
Prelude
The Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current English defines the word "priority" as something that is given special attention, and prioritized to put tasks in order of importance. The Oxford Canadian Thesaurus of Current English gives the following examples of synonyms for priority: a primary issue, most important consideration and a prime concern. Most people have priorities in their lives, working, food and paying the bills enter my brain...they're essential requirements. Government also requires significant demands. Numerous times though they are upside down and sideways with plenty of twists and turns and how many times we as tax payers have said in anger, "what the fuck are they doing?"
So, here I to again for yet another rant on the "Ambitious City" aka Hamilton, Ontario, I just can't help myself. This thoughtless gang at 71 Main Street West is really something else to be desired. The lack of common sense amongst City Council continues to shock and amaze me. The latest mess our "leaders" created was their pothole dilemma.
On Feb. 14/18 CH news reported H.S.R. (Hamilton Street Railway) buses were being rerouted in Ward 1, on Main Street West, in the eastbound lanes between Leland Street and Dalewood Avenue because of a great deal of potholes. I will return to that costly bureaucratic blunder shortly. I've always said public safety and infrastructure should always be number one and two on every municipalities hit parade.
So City Council OK'd a $75 tax hike for the average household in "The Hammer." However, each ward's rate will vary. On March 3/18 the Hamilton Spectator stated the 1.9% property tax increase included emergency road repairs and the hiring of ten paramedics and purchasing one ambulance. Tax payers might think City Hall is starting to spend our money sensibly and finally transforming into responsible people. In spite of that, don't become too thrilled by any ingenious endeavours by the City Hall crowd.
A price tag of $19.4 million was included for emergency road repairs to fix potholes. The problem is these illogical "people" leave things to the last minute until there isn't any other choice than to perform repairs. The recruitment of ten more paramedics is kind of a smoke and mirror thing. Since the paramedics work a two platoon, four squad system there will only be an additional two and "one-half" life savers working at any given time. Acquiring another ambulance will be added to the city's original fleet.
Nine police officers were also commissioned but because the police department works the same system as the paramedics, we will only see two more officers working at any given time. The article never mentioned if the new hires for both services was to replace retirements.
It doesn't take me much to become infuriated (that's one of the reasons I write these bitches, to blow off steam,) but a write-up in the Hamilton Spectator on March 2/18 titled, "Would you pay more for a pothole paving blitz?" The article went on to say City Council will debate on adding an extra seven dollars to tax bills in 2018 to help pay for a $20 million pothole paving blitz. This is ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING and all these councilors should hang their heads in utmost disgrace.
I don't care it it's seven or one hundred and seventy dollars. This is where our tax money should be going in the first place, not fucking bike lanes, pedestrian crossovers and two-way conversions as well as money towards all the artsy-fartsy groups. This irresponsible and wasteful city hall contingent is so out of touch with reality sometimes I want to puke. They just can't comprehend that potholes can have extremely serious consequences and are a section of infrastructure. Oh, by the way, new toboggan hills were also on our tax hike agenda...just what we fucking need.
A story in C.B.C. news on March 1/18 stated city hall received a record number of complaints because of the amount of potholes throughout the city damaging vehicles...they expect five hundred by the end of the season. Now, wouldn't you think the city hall gang would be more proactive? Sorry, silly question, why would they be? If they require money just raise taxes.
If you or I owned a business and we were constantly forking out money on a problem we knew could be fixed immediately, obviously and logically we would take appropriate action. But for some strange and warped reason the "rulers" continue to procrastinate and of course waste our money. The bureaucrats blame it on the weather...fair enough, but I've seen potholes that have existed for days, weeks and even months.
We must not forget these "scholars" came up with the "brilliant" idea to erect a fence around Albion Falls located on the east mountain. It's sole purpose was to deter people from climbing into the gorge. When I first heard of that proposal, I thought to myself, sounds like a good idea. But as usual the fence was erected and the so called logical idea once again developed into another laughable and ludicrous city hall project...the fence was six feet high. Maybe the "intellects" thought the process was to discourage most senior citizens from becoming too energetic.
Councilors also want more pedestrian crossovers, according to the Mountain News on Feb. 1/18. There is a list of ninety requests and crossovers are "estimated" to cost between $25,000 and $70,000 each. You dam well know all of them will be installed (without any debate) but our "leadership" have to discuss and then increase our taxes for road repairs. Once again their irrational thinking makes me want to heave.
Getting back to the Main Street West pothole crisis, on Feb. 15/18 the Hamilton Spectator reported that public works manager Dan McKinnon stated, "all hands on deck" to repair potholes throughout the entire city but isn't it funny? I saw many potholes weeks later...I wonder where all the hands were.
On March 5/18 C.B.C. news stated the city hired a contractor to perform a shave and pave on Main Street West but a week earlier our "top bananas" tried to figure out how to pay for the work.
Once again I have to laugh out loud on the downright foolishness and mismanagement of these people. In this case some tax payers just didn't pay out of their pockets but also with mental anguish...their thirty minute commute turned into a two hour drive of frustration and anger. Let's give another big cheer for city hall, as usual irritating and annoying vehicle owners. Some people may ask what was council suppose to do? The work had to be done. My take on that is the road should never have become that bad in the first place.
Then we are "blessed" with Ward 1 Councilor Aidan Johnson, the Main Street West pothole problem was located in his ward. On March 2/18 the Hamilton Spectator said "Councilor Aidan Johnson spends zero on roads." Each Hamilton councilor receives money for the wards...it's called participatory budgeting. Instead of spending on necessary things such as infrastructure, he paid out cash on street plans, bike lanes (of course), a water bottle refilling station, renovations to Westdale Theatre and hired a consultant to help figure out the best way to execute his participatory budgeting...Johnson, you really didn't do that did you? That is one of your job duties as a councilor...I'm fucking speechless. Johnson still had $800,000 in his fund. That kind of cash can fax a hell of a lot of potholes.
Like Johnston, his greenie predecessor, Brian McHattie, also thoroughly enjoyed putting money away for his "personal rainy days." It must be said both of these irresponsible individuals are crusaders against the automobile. Johnson is a perfect example of a politician who doesn't understand serious and crucial needs, specifically public safety and infrastructure...HE JUST DOESN'T CARE! It was reported he did spend some money on sidewalk repairs.
This careless and thoughtless "ward leader" (like McHattie) is more interested in bike lanes and creating chaos for vehicle owners. This guy also stated his Main Street West pothole problem was "ravages of climate change." OK, wait a minute, time out, enough of this rubbish. For starters I don't believe in man-made climate change, read my rant (if you haven't already) on April 29/17 titled "The Green Bubble Will Never Burst." Secondly, if there is such a monster (I think the monster is most of the bureaucrats) why did the creature only "attack" Johnson's ward. Maybe, just maybe, maintaining the road has been neglected in the past.
Epilogue
So the councilors added $19.4 million to this year's (2018) budget trying to keep up with the pothole problem. If this gang would manage our money wisely and with common sense, they would always have money for potholes but I guess that's too much to ask these money wasters. And as days turn into nights we can't forget our water rates, oh, I mean water tax. Once again they increased it by 4.5%. Politicians know as long as they have unlimited cash flow from tax payers, they will always misuse our money on needless and pointless things. The entire city hall administration once again fail to realize that public safety and infrastructure are an essential importance. Maybe I'm just a whiner and I just don't get it.
The End
The Harvenut Puritan Project
Puritan will return with "The First Kick Off."
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