Counter-Comment: The Calgary Mayoral Election

So the vote for the mayor is today in our city. This is that magical time of year when we like to spend a couple weeks pretending that we're actually going to do something about stuff like the condition of our schools. This is always awesome because it's not like the administration of any municipality... EVER... really changed all that much about anything. Ever.

But people go crazy over it. It's hilarious. It's a fun time, people in the city get real uppity about the candidates, and like to equate who would make the best mayor by using criteria like who they'd like to have a beer with and who seems the most like "a regular person." They pretend that any one of them, like any politician... ACTUALLY gives a shit about the city that they'd govern. Obviously everyone knows that this is a ridiculous concept. I don't really know if other cities are like this, because I've only been in Calgary since I was old enough to really notice elections.

Anyway, Calgary elections have always been a pretty funny concept to me. It's like everyone gets the mentality of "yeah, the current administration is stupid, and so was everyone else who ever did the job before this, and so are all the other candidates, but THIS person is the ONLY one that can dig us out of this and CHANGE THINGS."

But nothing ever changes. Ever. It's fun to screw with these people. But every once in a while, you get someone who really tries to push something on you. That it ceases to be fun and starts to be FUCKING HILARIOUS.

THIS is an ACTUAL e-mail sent to someone I know, via an e-mail group for CYCLERS. You read that right. Someone sent an e-mail to their CYCLING GROUP about who they should vote for. I didn't even have to READ it before I started laughing. Anywhoot, here it is. Look at the unmitigated gall of the person who sent this.


Dear Fellow Riders,

The vote for Mayor is just round the corner and I hope you will vote. I have been keeping tab on Nenshi's speeches in his campaign. It is time for a young and new blood in the City Hall.

If you're going to take the whole "young blood" approach (pigdin English of your diatribe aside) with a candidate, you better be real fucking sure that you've been doing more than keeping tabs on his SPEECHES. That means you're basically limiting your research to WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO HEAR.



My daughter once said to me that the City of Calgary is so ugly in almost every way from planning of housing to road n street wise. She is now taking urban planning. . I told her we need young people like her in this city, who are creative and motivated with bright ideas to make our city a more attractive place to live.

Wow. So Nenshi can CHANGE ALL THE HOUSING AND ROADS IN CALGARY WITHIN HIS MAYORAL TERM?

He's fucking clever.



Nenshi is bright young man. He has attended several Council meetings at the City Hall and is very much aware that the old groonies has not been productive as they should be and spending too much of tax payers money they think they deserve the perks being Aldermen. I agree with Nenshi that a wider tunnel to the airport is essential now for future accomodation to develope a LRT in the very near future. It is an efficient transportation from the airport to downtown Calgary for Canadians and for tourists. I found this is so, when I flewn into Vancouver airport their rail system took me directly into down town Vancouver, not far from the location of my hotel. Nenshi is planning years ahead of time to save the high cost in the years to come.

You're giving this guy the credit for an idea that he didn't come up with. He wants to WIDEN A TUNNEL to accomodate a FUTURE idea that's not his. That's his contribution. To widen a tunnel... AHEAD OF TIME... to accomodate an idea that he has nothing to do with.

Nice.

The best part about this is that she says he's qualified because he's ATTENDED MEETINGS?



I hope you will vote for Nenshi. Barb Higgins was an announcer, she may have the influence from the old groonies in City Hall and a pretty face to many citizens of Calgary on T.V. but she has not attended any Council meetings and is inexperience in politics and finance compared to Nenshi. I may miss a few areas which I am sure you would like to fill in. Nenshi is dynamic and innovative. I believed strongly Nenshi is our Mayor on October 18th and I hope he will.

Barb Higgens hasn't attended any meetings. So OBVIOUSLY she can't be mayor. Seriously? Really? Really. Seriously.

Like, I don't want people to think I'm Nenshi-bashing. I'm not - I like Nenshi. This is more about people in this city being so retarded about elections. Nenshi has plenty of qualifications beyond attending meetings. WHY AREN'T YOU BRINGING ANY OF THOSE ACTUAL QUAILFICATIONS UP?! In advocating for him, you're basically making it look like his entire life is bullshit.

The fact that Barb Higgins is an incompetant has nothing to do with Nenshi, and that kind of statement is exactly why 90% of politics and elections in North America especially, but most of the world, are ALSO complete and utter bullshit.

Fucking moron.


http://www.nenshi.ca/new/2010/135
Thank you
Mee Wan

Go fuck yourself.


So yeah. I want ALL OF YOU to get out there and vote today. And not because it's important. Because it's not. And not because it's cool. Because it's not. You know what IS cool? Smoking. Smoke while you vote.

B.@.D