WILL LRT BITE OUR REGIONAL POLITICIANS IN THE BACKSIDE?

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story: "Transit becoming election issue". Contrary to what most of our regional politicians are saying, the Light Rapid/Rail Transit can still be cancelled, albeit for a price. Councillor Jim Wideman is particularily obnoxious with his comment that by the time that a new council would have the opportunity to cancel the project, the costs would be close to what the region has budgeted to build the system. This is no more than an attempt to muddle the public's thinking. As bad as the allegedly already committed sum of $191 million is, it still pales in comparison to the total $818 million price tag being paid by three levels of government. Regional Chair Ken Seiling also is playing the wasted taxpayers money card. It almost gives you the feeling that these councillors feel entitled to spending/wasting our money as they see fit. This LRT might be a bargain at half the price. Or maybe not even then. The City of Waterloo had their financial scandal and swindle over a decade ago. This time instead of an outside financing company hoodwinking councillors perhaps it's our own councillors hoodwinking us. Most have jumped on the environmental, urban intensification bandwagon. Many would like a legacy project to attach their names to. I guess deep down most politicians know that they truly don't respect citizens and certainly not our messy system of government called democracy. I think these same politicians also clearly understand that very few politicians go to their graves being respected by even the people who voted for them, much less all the rest.