Quote:
Originally Posted by calculoso
At the same time, the whole "if you don't go to a meeting you have no right to complain" bs is just that. BS. If you're hearing the complaining, there is a point behind it. If you really want to know what people are saying, listen to this stuff no matter where it comes from. Not listening is the biggest problem as they already know they aren't going to like what they hear.
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Council Priorities were founded on the concerns and wishes of the citizens of Calgary. The 2009-2011 budget and business plans are based on these priorities.
Here is a perfect example of what happens when people speak up: The West LRT line going through Sunalta, and the massive stink it caused.
See how easy it is for people to influence the city's spending and growth?
Not speaking up is the bigger tragedy. The City has numerous channels for citizens to voice their concerns and get in the loop on civic issues. And it's sad to see people complain when 70% of eligible Calgarian's aren't even
voting let alone speaking up.
Calculoso, the issue is the number of complaints (or lack thereof) that is the real issue. Try convincing your fellow man to get involved in municipal politics; I guarantee you that it will be like pulling teeth, so the city just goes with what it has.
And for the record, 62% of Calgarians are in favour of
increasing taxes to maintain and expand services, while only 21% want to cut taxes to maintain the current level, and 10% want to cut services to reduce taxes altogether. (
http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/...ion_survey.pdf)