Casinos not to be decided by the public in Ontario?

Democracy in North Bay - and elsewhere in Ontario is not followed when it comes to allowing gambling casinos. The ten councillors and mayor in North bay pretend to be democratic. They knew that the province might permit a casino to be emplaced there. And so, they, pretending to be very proper and righteous called a public meeting  where the idea would be discussed. The vast majority of people present voiced strong objections. Many including the past mayor and current member of provincial parliament, asked them to hold a referendum upon the idea. But by a ten to one vote in mid September, 2012 the council decided that they would encourage such casino.  No need to ask their constituents. Isn't that shameful? Pretending to  be democratic, but upon a very significant question, about which none had used their opinions at the last election to indicate their position,  they simply ram-roaded home their viewpoint, or own conclusion. When will we, the public, wake up to the need to force our elected reps to heed our views on important issues via properly pursued referendums? Other states and municipalities effectively follow such democratic routes. In this modern age of advanced communication and knowledge we, in Ontario, are still in the middle ages when it comes to the running of our affairs, it seems.

Georgians vote against improving their roads!

The Economist magazine recently has criticized the voters in the state of Georgia who voted heavily against a referendum held there. The question put to the voters in a July statewide primary  was pretty simple; - to impose a temporary 1% sales tax in order to fund some much needed transportation projects. Money raised in the 12 regions of Georgia would be used to improve roads within each area. It would come up for renewal after ten years; if required revenue would be raised before then, the tax would go away. But, in nine of the 12 regions the voters said - no. "Tea-partiers" thought it was too much, and Sierra Club supporters considered it too little. But, what it did was to prove to the authorities that the people had minds of their own. To put a similar vote to the people must wait another 4 years - the approving of a ballot measure, creating a new list and voting again would take that long.  Let us hope that Georgia finds simpler solutions perhaps to their transport requirements.  

Federal spokesmen in USA opposing pot referendums

You have noticed the number of states where referendums are being pursued this November to deciminalize marijuana. Well, according to Reuters, it seems that nine former heads of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration are urging the Attorney General to take a serious stand against the possibility that some of the votes may be positive. "To continue to remain silent conveys to the American public and the global community a tacit acceptance of these dangerous initiatives," said the message. It seems that the message is similar to one used in a California initiative in 2010 that ultimately failed, with 53.5% of voters then, rejecting the idea. Public Referendums are powerful voices in a democracy. They must be listened to. They should be used more.