[The Mississauga Muse]

Hi there Urban Shocker,

You wrote:

Her Bambi-meets-Savonarola routine was always more of a general holy-roller moral crusade than a focussed political initiative.

I agree with you. I'm still just finding my footing. My experience is in marine sciences, not municipal politics. Worse, I'd bought the Mississauga "Trust Quality Excellence" "We welcome public input" and "How can we get the public more involved?" line. Swallowed that hook, line, sinker and chomped 3/4 of they way down the fishing pole to boot.

Urban Shocker, you wrote:

On this forum, she seemed to live - and thrive - in a state of perpetual high dudgeon.

Nice going. I had to look up the word "dudgeon".

You wrote:

Coming up with actual solutions to the vast government conspiracies she apparently unearthed was probably the last thing on her mind.

I unearthed "vast government conspiracies"?! DO TELL! Please. "vast government conspiracies"... I'd love to read about them.

As for the actual solutions, I've focussed just on one area really. And before you can come up with the solution, you need to collect the data to determine the extent of the problem.

Results from Freedom of Information take such a long time, Urban Shocker. Especially when they limit people as they do.

Urban, you wrote:

Finding that press release that said 87% of Mississaugans were "very or somewhat satisfied with their municipal government" is probably what finally pushed her over the edge.

*yawn* I'm not at all surprised that 87% of Mississaugans were "very or somewhat satisfied with their municipal government".

What was telling (and not reported) is who within that Environics survey weren't. Students and retirees made up a big portion of those satisifed. Not so with working mothers (If I recall correctly).

Oh. Pulling something from a different thread... yes, graffiti can be art. So is the painting, drawing, sketch, plasticene sculpture of any Kindergartener. Toddler even.

I'm surprised you didn't know that.

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

MissyNews Editorial & Opinion "Right to ask"

Editorial & Opinion

Right to ask

By:

April 24, 2008 11:12 PM - Information is power, and it looks like City Hall wants to keep a little too much of it under wraps.

Ursula Keuper-Bennett, a very vocal and often pesky critic of the powers-that-be at City Hall, was stopped cold by Mayor Hazel McCallion Wednesday when she started to ask yet another of her frequent questions of City Council.

McCallion, it seems, is getting tired of hearing from Keuper-Bennett, who openly admits she frequently sends emails to City officials asking for access to information from in-camera meetings.

No doubt Keuper-Bennett's constant quest to uncover hidden truths is a source of annoyance for the powers-that-be at City Hall and, according to McCallion, an unnecessary waste of taxpayers' dollars.

Still, as a Mississauga resident and taxpayer herself, doesn't she, and other Mississauga residents, have a right to know what business the City is conducting on her, and our, behalf?

A pest she might be, but without watchdogs like Keuper-Bennett scrutinizing the actions of politicians and civil servants — at all levels of government — what would happen to public access to information?

Like a dog with a meaty bone, Keuper-Bennett is unlikely to give it up just because she's been verbally slapped by the mayor.

Nor should she.

The mayor is right: Keuper-Bennett is costing taxpayers a bit of money every time she submits an FOI (freedom of information) request.

But it's money well-spent.

At what cost, information?

Whatever the price tag, it's worth it.

FOR THE RECORD: The Missy News has it a tad wrong on this when they wrote, "The mayor is right: Keuper-Bennett is costing taxpayers a bit of money every time she submits an FOI (freedom of information) request."

First I pay $5.00 for each FOI request.

Next, and this is what McCallion failed to mention (and that "fail to mention" disease is just part of Mississauga-itis) when a request requires more staff time than what the FOI people believe reasonable, I am charged staff search time!

And what McCallion failed to mention is that I PAY that Staff search time and it DOESN'T come from taxpayers' pockets!

Search time for those interested comes in at $7.50/15 minutes or $30.00 an hour.

I have to pay for all photocopying of pages I request. So far that's cost the most money.

I'm lucky --I can afford it. Forget people working for minimum wage and living in Mississauga's "pockets of poverty".

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Also really important to point out:

From the editorial:

"McCallion, it seems, is getting tired of hearing from Keuper-Bennett, who openly admits she frequently sends emails to City officials asking for access to information from in-camera meetings."

I have no idea where they got that. My emails have nothing to do with accessing info from in-camera meetings. I know that's not even possible.

Fact is, I don't even care about Mississauga in-camera meetings. Totally trivial stuff and not even on my radar. Who cares about in-camera meeting when the Mississauga public "open" council meetings are the way they are.

I think maybe they were thinking about my interest in Bill 130 and all that closed meeting stuff that I've been covering in other municipalities as well.

 

[urbandreamer]

Hey Misses Muse, nothing personal know what I'm saying? Ignorance 'tis bliss. I have witnessed first hand what being part of a political family is like...but, really, nothing surprises me anymore! Everyone, at heart, is a selfish ass so whether it's private sector greed or public sector incompetence it truly doesn't interest really matter. So many more important battles to win, imho.

But obviously, Miss is your passion. Cool.

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Hey there, urbandreamer

You wrote:

Hey Misses Muse, nothing personal know what I'm saying? Ignorance 'tis bliss.

I know. I wish to God I didn't. And it isn't just Mississauga. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not sure about this, understand, but I think it's because of the "Zones of Immunity" that have been legislated by the Province to protect the MUSH sector from accountability.

I don't know enough but I heard that Ontario has the highest property tax assessments of not just Canada but the G8 countries. (I'd have to go back and listen to my videotape to be sure)

You wrote:

I have witnessed first hand what being part of a political family is like...but, really, nothing surprises me anymore!

You're lucky. Just when I think nothing will surprise me anymore, I descend to a new bottom of the same bucket. I'm lucky that I can draw cartoons to keep myself almost-sane.

You have no idea just how many brain cells go *ping* at every Council meeting I attend.

Everyone, at heart, is a selfish ass so whether it's private sector greed or public sector incompetence it truly doesn't interest really matter. So many more important battles to win, imho.

I agree with you on that one. Believe it or not what I'm doing with this Mississauga/Municipal thing is really for selfish reasons. I can't live with myself otherwise if I just walk away --and you have no idea how many times a week I want to do just that.

But obviously, Miss is your passion. Cool.

Not really, urbandreamer. My passion is sea turtle research. But I can't concentrate on sea turtles when I know what I now know.

No one can escape who they are --like their roots. Me, I'm of German ancestry. My parents brought me to Canada (then Cooksville) when I was 4. September 1953.

I grew up with war stories, urbandreamer. Shameful inhumane ghastly crimes. It just makes me hyper-vigilant is all. When Government is Bully you got to stand up then and there.

I figured that out by the time I was twelve.

So yeah, correct, "Everyone, at heart, is a selfish ass". I know I can't win but if I stand up and fight Bully-Government, the stories don't come back to me.

 

[urbandreamer]

Is the gov't really the bully though? People like bashing big ideas--like "corporations" or "gov't"--when the reality is it is the individual rank and file that work the machine. I'm a rebel, a Libertarian at heart, so the further I am from government the happier I am. That is why even reading about politics or gov't seems so pointless from mpov.

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Is the gov't really the bully though? People like bashing big ideas--like "corporations" or "gov't"--when the reality is it is the individual rank and file that work the machine. I'm a rebel, a Libertarian at heart, so the further I am from government the happier I am. That is why even reading about politics or gov't seems so pointless from mpov.

Gee, I don't really know for sure. I fear it's that our society works only if a certain percent (can't be too high or too low) are on minimum wage.

I hear you about the further you are from government. I used to believe in Government. That there was Good and Evil in people and it was the role of government to ensure that the Good prevailed.

Believed that for decades.

I was *such* an oblivious IDIOT! (La-dee-dah happy, mind you...)

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Hi SeanTrans, me again

You wrote:

Only Muse is going after the eternal mayor with the media cult of personality.

I now know what "media cult of personality" means. I GOOGLEd it.

I agree with you -- there are media untouchables. Like that quote from Hansard that said you don't challenge Cherry or Lastman or McCallion.

I'll toss what I shared with you earlier --although back then I didn't realize it was "media cult of personality".

"Mr. John R. Baird (Nepean-Carleton) "I've got to tell you that I was elected to this place, and the best political advice I have ever received from a member of this Legislature came from Gerry Phillips, the Chair of Management Board. He said there are three people you don't mess with. You don't mess with Don Cherry, you don't mess with Mel Lastman and you don't mess with Hazel McCallion."

media cult of personality. I REALLY get that now.

Untouchables? Is that what we want to be teaching our kids? Or citizens? I'm ok with Don Cherry as an Untouchable. But a politician?!

"media cult of personality" Jeez I like that phrase. Thank you, SeanTrans!

 

[Hydrogen]

"The mayor is right: Keuper-Bennett is costing taxpayers a bit of money every time she submits an FOI (freedom of information) request."

Funny thing is that the mayor is costing taxpayers money as well. I presume Mississauga Muse is a taxpayer; so what goes around comes around.

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Funny thing is that the mayor is costing taxpayers money as well. I presume Mississauga Muse is a taxpayer; so what goes around comes around.

Hey there, Hydrogen. I just worked up a video last night --like to show why Freedom of Information is so important. The first part is a comment by Mississauga Councillor George Carlson at a March 5, 2008 Budget Committee meeting.

Imagine. A CITIES NOW! campaign where Billions from the Province and the Feds goes into municipalities who don't really know . Yes, I purposely cut that sentence off with "know".

Think of the message here. I mean what it REALLY SAYS not just about "taxpayers' money" --but about how Mississauga can legimitately claim "efficiency".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJVof_A9AUI

And remember too, that Mississauga holds itself Above All Others. So what can a citizen conclude about all the other Canadian municipalities and "CITIES NOW!"?

Signed,
The Mississauga Muse

 

[ShonTron]

Good you know what I was talking about with the media cult of personality. The local media, the Toronto papers included, fawn over her, and people here often get the strange feeling that we need her to run Toronto. With the exception of the Peel separation thing, the Star, particularly Royson James and Jim Coyle, fawn all over her.

 

[syn]

Finding that press release that said 87% of Mississaugans were "very or somewhat satisfied with their municipal government" is probably what finally pushed her over the edge.

That's because they really have no clue what's going on.

Many in Mississauga simply believe McCallion is the best and will do what's right...and for them, that's good enough.

 

[Dan416]

Trying to beat Hazel now is virtually impossible. She doesn't even campaign anymore. Mississauga doesn't want anyone else. Do you think the votes are tampered with Muse?

 

[Mustapha]

Trying to beat Hazel now is virtually impossible. She doesn't even campaign anymore. Mississauga doesn't want anyone else. Do you think the votes are tampered with Muse?

McCallion is a 'brand name'. The way 'Copps' was in Hamilton decades ago. Hard to believe when Mel Lastman was riding a wave of popularity for awhile there, they sounded out the possibility of tapping his son Dale to run.

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

That's because they really have no clue what's going on.

Many in Mississauga simply believe McCallion is the best and will do what's right...and for them, that's good enough.

Hey there syn.

The thing that I find most offensive about the Mississauga Cabal is how they SHIT all over Toronto at every opportunity.

Or manufacture any opportunity to SHIT on Toronto.

I HATE IT WHEN THEY SHIT ON TORONTO!

Their stupifying morally-beyond-redemption arrogance --spouting noises about being Theee Canadian city to emulate.

Insufferable twerps the lot of them save two --Martin Powell, Commissioner of Transportation and Works and Edward R. Sajecki, Commissioner of Planning and Building. These seem two straight-up people and not only respect them but like them too.

Signed,
The (I love Toronto) Mississauga Muse