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Politically Incorrect

Politics of Garbage

by Arthur Weinreb
July 15, 2002
During the strike by City of Toronto outside workers, we learned a lot about the politics of garbage (not to be confused with the garbage of politics). Most councillors were quiet about the issue, undoubtedly because their grade school mentality told them that it was the summer. There were of course exceptions like councillors Mike Walker and Kyle Rae who, perhaps not quite understanding that they were management, marched on the picket line with the striking workers, probably shouting "councillors of the world unite". Councillors were not too interested in the strike because garbage collection, like fixing potholes, is a core service of a municipality and no one runs for council to have to deal with core services. The real thrill of Toronto politics comes from dividing up taxpayers’ hard earned money between an aboriginal lesbian’s synchronized swimming team and an ensemble of mentally challenged Latin American flute players.

The inconvenience of not having garbage taken away every week is just that — inconvenience. It is far from the crisis of major proportions that was portrayed in the media. To watch the lead stories on television news programs you would think that the world was about to end. The tube was bursting with anchorettes decrying the piles of garbage and pontificating (excuse the pun) on how the uncollected trash would affect the Pope’s visit. Just because the Pope doesn’t have a wife who makes him take out the garbage, doesn’t mean he’s never seen any.

It is not a rare occurrence for the garbage not to be collected some weeks because of holidays. No one ever spoke of that being a crisis. Yet, within hours of the strike, green garbage bags started to appear on streets and in parks. Although some people are undoubtedly pigs, that really doesn’t explain the huge piles of garbage immediately after the strike was called.

We live in a society where the nanny state is firmly entrenched and too many people like it that way because they always have governments to will tell them what to do and when to do it. There is no responsibility that way. And when the nanny goes on strike, all hell breaks loose. Urged on by the hysterical media, those same people panicked when the garbage collectors walked. Even though the city mothers provided instructions to double bag the garbage and keep it or take it to one of the many temporary sites, that was too onerous for much of the pampered populace. One young woman being interviewed at a temporary site, presumably there to drop off her garbage, whined to the cameras about her parents being senior citizens and not being able to dispose of their garbage. Helping her parents by taking their garbage to the "dump in the park" probably never occurred to her. We are a nation of whiners and wimps.

And then there are the politicians. Mayor Mel was screaming about kids not being able to use swimming pools in the sweltering heat. Yes, Mel it’s only a matter of time before these pool deprived kids start blowing themselves up and all the Cherie Blairites will be saying, "can you blame them?" Next there are the NDPers on council. They "care". They care about the homeless, the unemployed, the underemployed, the poor. Those are the people in society that have the most trouble disposing of their garbage. They are the ones who live above stores on main streets, and having no air conditioning, have to open their windows and smell the stench of garbage. They are the people who are sleeping on sidewalks next to ever increasing mounds of rotting garbage. You would think that these lefties, who claim to have a monopoly on compassion would hop right on their bicycles, go down to Queen’s Park and beg Ernie to introduce back to work legislation. Nope; can’t upset the poor $40,000 + workers.

The limo lefties are always the first to complain about health hazards; air, water, food, leaf blowers, second hand smoke, third hand smoke, etc. But what health concerns did they raise about the potential of maggot infested garbage? None. They don’t care about health — they just don’t like business, capitalism and free choice. But when health hazards are caused by unions, no possible danger can detract from solidarity forever.

Garbage on every street corner and in every park is not very pleasant — but it can be educational.

Arthur Weinreb can be reached at: aweinreb@interlog.com



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