Get to work, jackass

Toronto city councillor, John Filion, has quit the committee he was appointed to back in December -- having never attended one of its meetings.

Let me remind you Mr. Filion --- you have a JOB as a city councillor. With all jobs, there are obligations to the employer. You do have an employer. US. You serve us by sitting on whichever committee you're assigned to because if you don't --- you aren't EARNING the paycheque you're getting - FROM US. You do your job and THEN you get paid. That's called working for a living.

Unlike many of us, John, you have a healthy salary, plenty of perqs and a sizeable pension to look forward to, so . . . if you don't get to pick and choose which group you get to belong to, SUCKS FOR YOU -- but remember who you work for.

If I don't show up to work, I don't get paid. If I *quit* a portion of my job, my boss would make sure I wasn't allowed to do any of the rest of it . . . because I'd be fired.

You'd think politicians would pay more attention to current events and realize that although it's a couple of years away, we can always find someone just as annoying as you to fill your role on council (which is apparently to NOT sit on a committee because you're a suck). You are expendable Mr. Filion, just ask any Liberal.

Funny you say:

“I’ve never been too good at being a sheep.”

You obviously don't mind being a jackass.

canadianna

Like something out of Mean Girls

... only a pair of Vice Principals are pulling the dirty trick.

*** Again, this is personal, not political*** This is an update for anyone who read about my daughter not being allowed to go to her class's prom.

Mia is normally complacent. She doesn't like confrontation and after my conversation with the female vice-principal, I thought she was ready to take *no* for an answer. Then she came to me on Tuesday night and said she was thinking about going to the school in the morning to talk with the VP who was in charge of the prom, the man who'd originally said no. She'd never actually had a conversation with him, she had been told by a secretary that he had said no. I thought it would be a good idea for her to have the conversation with the man in charge. So, yesterday she went.

Late in the day she called me at work, quietly excited. She told me, it wasn't for sure, but Mr. L had listened to everything she had to say and seemed to understand. He told her that because he didn't know her very well, he'd rather people who knew her better make the decision. He asked who her guidance councillor was and which VP she'd been assigned to. He told her to talk with them tomorrow (today) and if they said she could go, he would allow it.

Last night she was cautiously optimistic. We already knew that her guidance counsellor, Miss B. was okay with her going to prom, and her VP Ms D. had told me on the phone that her *no* was based on Mr. L's opinion. Given that Mr. L. seemed to have relented, it seemed fairly sure that Ms D. would have a similar change of heart.

Today Mia went to the school and waited in the guidance office for Miss B. who told her that Mr. L. wanted to see her. Miss B. told Mia she believed the answer must be yes.

Nope. Mr. L. had made an about face. His reason . . . prom is a celebration for the graduating class. You aren't graduating. It's an excuse. Anyone who knows anyone in high school over the past few years, knows that there are dozens of kids who take a fifth year and won't graduate with their year. They still go to prom.

You might say she shouldn't have bothered or that she's no worse off that she was Tuesday night when she was already *not allowed*. But it's worse now. Yesterday Mr. L. could have said: look, we've given you the reasons, no. Instead, he gave her hope and then pulled out the rug . . . that's cruel. That's what you might expect from immature people . . . like teenagers . . . not two, educated people who are supposed to understand how to deal effectively with teenagers and to help them to learn and grow into better people. Epic failure. Fortunately, my daughter is emotionally stable despite the depression she's been dealing with . . . they mightn't be so lucky the next time they pull a stunt like this on an emotionally fragile teen.

canadianna

Ugly TO

If you're in Toronto, or the GTA, where abouts?

Are you finding what I find, that the weeds everywhere are just obnoxiously horrible?

I know, I know . . . the environment. While I'm all for not killing ourselves with chemicals, I wonder if there isn't some way to rid ourselves of the weeds for both aesthetics and for the health benefits of those of us who suffer from allergies.

Seasonal allergies are always going to be a part of life, but since the ban on chemical controls, those of us who suffer, suffer much more. Imagine having a perpetual cold/flu. Dripping nose, itchy eyes, sore throat . . . and it just never goes away. Sure, you can take allergy medication --- EVERY DAY. More expensive than gas and the non-drowsy never works as well and if you take the other stuff, might just as well stay in bed. The whole point of letting the weeds run amok is to avoid putting chemicals into our bodies, I guess it's just some of us can't avoid it if we can afford it.

It's funny, fields of dandelions are lovely, but boulevards and lawns, cemeteries and plaza grass patches, highway dividers and seams of land that are vacant . . . they just look scruffy.

No, I'm not advocating a full-scale return to chemical weed elimination . . . but, hey, is your part of TO looking really shabby too?

Just wondering.