I said my Sunday blog would be my last Rob Ford one. It was. This blog is not about Rob Ford.
Sort of.
It is about you and me and our rights as citizens.
Rob Ford should resign. Because he isn't worthy of being Mayor. But, the reality is, that is his decision to make. The people elected him, as he has said, and unless he is charged and convicted with a crime and sent to jail, he has every right to stay being Mayor and have all the powers that go along with that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY1nExxVASY
In his interview last night with Peter Mansbridge of the CBC, the Ford brothers made a very valid point. If the people elected him, what right do a bunch of councilors have to remove him? What kind of precedent does that set?
I have big issues with the people not getting to decide who serves them and who doesn't. Sure, most of the Rob Ford supporters are blockheads, and that is how he got elected in the first place. But, our society gives every person one vote. It doesn't matter that they are idiots. My vote and your vote count equally the same. Do we want to change that system?
"The people elected me, the largest mandate in Canada's history and they (the councilors) just stripped my powers...this is not a democracy, this is a dictatorship."
-Rob Ford
However, last night Mr. Ford also did admit that he bought drugs while he has been Mayor. He admits and understands that that is a crime and as such, he should be charged, convicted and removed from his position as Mayor. That is perfectly legal to do, and that is how the system is supposed to work. As of now, he has not been charged or convicted of anything. Why is that? That is the question I have had all along.
He should never have been removed by others who don't have that power. That is very undemocratic. In doing so, we have let the good side sink to the level of Rob Ford's bad side.
Now, Ford claims that he is human and that we are all human. We all do things that don't directly harm others, like smoking weed, or drinking when we are slightly over the limit and not drunk or harming others. We even say stupid things that we come to regret.
Here is that difference that Rob Ford doesn't get. When you are The Mayor, you have to be better than that. What you and I can get away with and pay very few if any consequences for, the mayor cannot. He or she is held to a much higher standard. If you don't want to, or don't think you can live up to that higher standard, then don't seek public office.
Ultimately, the people will and should decide if Rob Ford should remain being the Mayor. That is how it should be. No matter how bad he is, or was, or will be, I want to make my own decisions. The worst thing about this is that a select group of others are trying to make that decision for me.
In that way, they are every bit as bad or worse than him.
Last night, he admitted to committing a crime. If you are the police, you can charge him and either force him to resign or have him convicted and remove him from office. Why is that not happening today? Seems very simple to me. The checks and balances in the system only work if people follow and respect the system. That doesn't seem to be the case here.
And as far as I'm concerned, that is a much bigger issue than anything Rob Ford has done.
Democracy and rules are much more important issue than a jackass Mayor in denial about his drug and alcohol problem.
At least that is what I thought it meant when I thought my vote meant something. Apparently, it doesn't.
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