The U.S. has “The Donald;” Chatham-Kent has “The Randy,” with a side order of “The Kathleen.”
Which one upsets your stomach the most? The least?
U.S. President Donald Trump recently “celebrated” his first 100 days in office. He blamed the chaos of the first 100 as due to his country’s constitution, according to an article in The Guardian.
Sure, the checks and balances structure of the various houses of the U.S. government can be a real challenge for someone like Trump, who probably has still failed to fully grasp how the system works, but really?
Trump’s facing low popularity ratings, has mishandled a variety of foreign issues, and faces questions and investigations on his connection with Russia.
Yet he’s pointing the finger at Congress; his own party no less.
But he has also released a commercial declaring the first 100 as a great success; and anyone who says differently is disseminating “fake news,” according to an article in the New York Times.
That’s right, disagree with The Donald and whatever you say is fake, even if you are a longstanding, reputable media outlet.
That’s a scary and very dangerous way to attempt to handle the media.
So, the U.S. has Trump now for 100 days. Ontario has had Kathleen Wynne for more than 1,540 days. She’s continued the “legacy” of her predecessor Dalton McGuinty, ramping up hydro prices, handing over ludicrous amounts in rebates to renewable energy firms that erect turbines across non-Liberal-voting parts of the province, and continued along questionable money and ethics routes paved by McGuinty.
In short, she changed nothing and we are stuck with her for another year at the very least.
And then there is Mayor Randy Hope, with more than 3,800 days in office. He’s preached economic development since first taking office in 2006. He proponents will say he’s still saying the same things because so little has been done while he has worn the chains of office.
Hope has repeatedly travelled to the Far East to chase economic development, but the return on that investment has been minimal at best. Last September, a Chinese recycling firm said it was thinking of setting up a Canadian presence here. Nary a word has been said since the pledge back in September.
Remember Brightenview’s project for Blenheim – a manufacturing centre for Chinese businesses? Yeah, that fell through.
We’d love more progress on the economic development front – and make no mistake, there has been a great deal of small business success – but when comparing our mayor to the two other elected officials, he is the least tarnished.
Yes, it’s a difficult comparison, the proverbial apples to oranges in many ways, but looking south and at the province in general is more apt to leave you reaching for the antacid than looking at Chatham-Kent these days.
