No doubt, by now, you have had numerous people haranguing you to get out and make your vote count in the municipal elections.
We have printed profiles of mayor and council candidates in both Surrey (last week) and White Rock (this week) in the hopes of giving you a clear picture of who is running for office and why, and what they hope to accomplish during the next four-year term.
Now – in the continuing interests of presenting both sides of an issue – we’re going to argue the case for apathy and a low turn-out at the polls.
Don’t vote. Ignore the election entirely.
Don’t bother reading any of the campaign literature, or the reports in Peace Arch News.
It’s a time-consuming task and, really, how important is it to know who proposes to make the decisions that will affect us over the next four years – and maybe even decades afterwards?
Who really cares how much civic tax bills rise, or what new fees are levied? What does it matter whether roads and other key infrastructure are maintained? Why should we be bothered about what new development is on the horizon – or threatening to block our view of the horizon?
They say that ignorance is bliss. What bliss can equal the joy of complaining about things that we have placed well beyond our control, by failing to exercise our right to vote?
Imagine the sublime outrage we can work ourselves into by being completely in the dark about those who put themselves forward for office – whether incumbents with a record of voting a certain way, newcomers promising a brand new approach, or past politicians still shouldering the luggage of former agendas or beliefs.
Isn’t it better to keep the element of surprise in municipal politics?
And isn’t it much more fun to be able be blame everyone else for what we ultimately perceive to be a set of bad decisions?
It isn’t as though we’ll have had anything to do with it, is it?