[19Yzerman19]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Says who? YOU? You are deciding this? OK then...carry on.

Yes. Okay, sure, me. I'm deciding this. Unilaterally. I say that talking about people's word choice, rather than their policies, their record, their intended actions, their philosophy about what the best thing to do for (in this case) the City of Calgary might be, is a massive waste of time. It is a distraction from issues that really matter. There, it has been declared. If you disagree, good for you, but I say you're wrong and part of the problem.

The only reason it's done is to drum up controversy, because things like good government, transparency, effective policymaking, urban planning goals, these things are boring and the average dolt doesn't have the attention span to bother with them, much less learn enough about them to participate in an actual conversation.

Instead, just find something that everyone can understand and hopefully work themselves into a lather about in twenty seconds and then yell and scream about it as loud as possible. That'll sell a few papers. Doesn't particularly matter what relationship your yelling and screaming has with reality. In fact, the more illusory the better; if you're distorting the facts you're probably only doing so to make them more SENSATIONAL! and thus shinier and more eye-catching to the above-mentioned short-attention-span dolts.

This is quintessentially the problem with American politics and why it's more or less intolerable to follow at this point. The existence of people like Levant and the acquiescense and participation of people like, presumably, you, are making the Canadian political realm - not that it was particularly enlightened sphere in any event - much more like the USA's. This isn't a good thing, unless you follow politics for much the same reason people watch Big Brother.

On a note unrelated to ridiculous made up quotations or rhetorical devices: what was the deal with the contract for Pembina?

Is there a summary anywhere of what they're actually getting hired to do and how much we're paying them. I would generally be opposed to giving an anti-oil lobbying group municipal contracts for anything, but they don't seem especially qualified to give PR advice if that's what they were hired for. Why not hire a regular PR firm?

I've only seen second hand innuendo and vitriol though, so if I'm missing something I'd love to be corrected.

SO WOULD I! That's precisely the problem with all of this! I have no idea if this Pembina thing is actually a real issue - previously if you said "Pembina" I'd assume "pipeline company". I still have no idea if this Pembina has any relationship to the pipeline concern. I have no clear sense of what's being implied in terms of what the Mayor did to or for whom. I have no concept of what the alleged impropriety is if there IS one being alleged as I assume. Obviously, knowing none of the foregoing, I have no idea to what extent the Mayor would be responsible or even aware of the issue if there IS an issue, or how big a problem it would be.

There's a total dearth of useful, meaningful information. Yet, again, we've been talking about this for five pages.