Editorial: Earning Our Whinge Wings
By Rossland Telegraph
Have you ever wondered where we’d be without the right to complain? Here in Canada we’re fortunate enough to be able to take for granted our right to moan about food in a restaurant or roll our eyes at slow service at the grocery store. But let’s take a moment now and think of the unfortunate millions who live under the yoke of repressive regimes. If citizens of these countries head out to the local watering hole and start carping on about the personal shortcomings of Dictator X, the repercussions are swift, fierce, and often fatal.
Yes, we’re lucky here in Canada.
And being so fortunate, we need to show our appreciation by getting out and voting in our civic elections this Saturday. After all, there’s nothing like a fine whine to allow our thoughts to take whinge and soar. Would we like kvetch-up with our sour grapes?
Of course we would.
But we also need to do our share. Griping is a time-honoured tradition in Rossland as it is in hundreds of communities all across this great land. In a cold climate, the value of boiling blood can not be underestimated as a survival strategy: in mid-January, it’s not uncommon to see shivering clots of Rosslanders huddled together at the top of Granite or out on the lonely outer reaches of Gibbards trail warming themselves with heated words about the benighted state of council’s collective soul. It’s a tradition we can’t allow to wither away as a result of citizen apathy.
Think about it.
How can we, in all fairness, presume to draw sustenance from the foibles of our elected representatives if we don’t actually help elect them in the first place? We can’t. How can our elected representatives let us down if we don’t hold up our part of the bargain and give them our vote in the first place? They can’t.
They need our help.
So go to the Telegraph’ election section today and educate yourself on the candidates and where they stand on the issues. Make certain to choose only the best-qualified candidates. Then head out to the Miner’s Hall on Saturday and vote. And remember, our care in electing the new council will make their eventual fall all the harder and our subsequent dismay all the more satisfying.
Then on Sunday, we can start complaining again.
