So it seems Canada is joining the world and becoming a culture of riots and rioters.
This is nothing new to the rest of the world, but why us and why now?
One reason is probably that we are a younger country and we are due.
Go back in time, people rioted when Julius Caesar was killed, they rioted in Boston in the harbor.
The big discussion nowadays is how to handle a riot. What can the police do? It must be frustrating to be a police person etc. etc. etc.
I think a better discussion might be ” What causes riots and what can we learn from history to help us prevent future violent out breaks?
It seems after a quick review of the history of rioting, a common denominator could be politics.
Specifically politicians not listening and taxing without representation.
That was the cause of riots like the Boston Tea Party through to rioting in Canada today.
Anything else? Yes Through high taxes the theme that middle class and lower class are being phased out leaving them nowhere to go and nothing to belong to, except maybe a riot or two !
Ask yourself this: What does a person or class of people think when a government decides to invest their money in flowers for a road meridian or bike lanes?
This might be a partial explanation for the hockey riots and is certainly an explanation for why over half of eligible voters don’t vote.
Has there ever been a riot or revolt without all this violence in any country including Canada?
I think yes and it would be our recent revolt against the HST. In fact there is no telling how that particular issue could have gotten out of hand if it wasn’t so well-organized.
Have our politicians got the message?
No they haven’t. An example of this would be in British Columbia right now and the big hurry to rush a whole lot of bills through the house without debate. ( Just wait for liquor prices to rise after the fast pedaling of the liquor distribution bill)
But it’s not just governments that don’t get it.
The recent labor mayhem with the teachers is a good example too! If extra curricular activities are taken away from students and from adults who enjoy putting them on. it will be one less place for those people to belong.
This is the fault of both, government and the union because neither are listening.
So am I condoning violent riots to strike out at the government?
Heavens no, the people who incite the violence need to be dealt with quickly and harshly.
What I am saying , the politicians who don’t listen also need to be dealt with quickly and severely in the same fashion as the HST.
They need to be voted out of office and replaced with a government who listens to all of their constituents.
British Columbians are lucky. They will get the chance to rise up and revolt and send the current BC Liberal Government packing in 2013.
In 2013 vote carefully, vote for the party that will represent your concerns ( links to parties websites can be found at the bottom of the highlighted blog post)
What do you think?
Is there a lesson in history?
Why would people riot over the installation of bike lanes? I don’t think that allowing people to cycle safely is really that much of an outrage.
It’s not that black and white.people are incensed at all the tax grabs and if you listen to the call ins on the radio stations drivers are feeling like they are paying the way for those who want to ride unlicensed bikes.
With the potential new lanes in Vancouver it’s just one more thing in a ” we are not going to take it any more ” list of things governments throw at people.
Thank you for commenting and of course reading.
That perspective is based on a flawed view of road financing. Gas taxes, licensing fees, traffic tickets and the like don’t come close to paying the enormous costs of road maintenance. Most of the money to fund roads comes out of general government revenues. Drivers therefore don’t have an exclusive right to use the roads. Of course, call-ins to radio shows will show a biased and mainly incorrect view of the issue because the vast majority of people who listen to the radio are doing so in their cars. Pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users are not represented very well in that forum.
Cyclists pay for roads through their taxes, and therefore have a right to use them safely. Bike lanes are a way to accomplish this. They are also good for drivers, because it makes it easier to pass cyclists.
There were a large number of businesses on Robson street that would disagree with you because they are not there any more.Bike lanes are one of the reasons people don’t come downtown anymore. I agree drivers don’t have an exclusive right to use roads but through licensing and insurance they pay for the privilege.Bikers should do the same,it is partly because of those lanes that those businesses are shutting down costing the economy jobs. Probably higher prices as well. I am sure restaurants as an example will have to raise prices to account for diminishing clientele.
Shortly the combination of bike lanes and new tolling costs over the Port Mann bridge will choke out downtown even more.
Add to that, Trans Link shut down the proposed buses from Langley etc.so you wont have those people to draw from.
I suspect that with expansion going on the way it is in Surrey and Langley a fair number of business will relocate taking advantage of tax incentives and no bile lanes. They will also be able to maintain staff because with the increased cost of getting to work,nobody will be able to afford working in Vancouver for $50-60,000.
I would say that Bike lanes add to traffic congestion ( anybody who has tried to cross the Burrard Street bridge after 3 pm will tell you) which leads to idling which leads to pollution etc. etc. etc.
I’m not sure why you think bike lanes would cause businesses to close. Drivers can find parking elsewhere, and cyclists are also perfectly likely to stop at a store/restaurant/pub on their way home.
Cyclists, furthermore, do pay for the privilege to use the roads, through their sales, income, and property taxes. Drivers should pay much more because their vehicles take up much more space and cause much more wear and tear.
Getting rid of bike lanes does not make cyclists go away. Most cyclists ride because it is their only way to get around. Without bike lanes, they just ride in the normal traffic lane. When I ride in traffic, I often ride in the middle of the lane so that nobody can pass me, as it is the only way to ensure my own safety when passing space is small and ill-defined. Getting rid of bike lanes, therefore, is bad for both drivers and cyclists: it makes it harder for drivers to pass cyclists, and it puts cyclists in greater danger.
The bottom line is that bike lanes save lives. That is more important than traffic flow or business success.
Bike lanes a but one fact that business close down. The average person that lives outside of the downtown core will not come there to shop because parking is a pain in the butt. Another factor are the increases in parking costs. Congestion caused by bike lanes deter people from driving downtown to shop.
What needs to be down, rather than the mayor saying bike lanes are great is to produce current factual no bs statistics that show they are worth the aggravation.
But with the advent of bike lanes and the discussions about adding more, there is a cost. Some of that cost should be carried by the bike riders in the form of licensing, enforced helmet laws etc.
Most cyclists like most drivers are not scofflaws but licensing would help curtail the idiots and generate some tax revenue that we are not currently getting.
I think if the Occupy Wall Street Montreal version had not been allowed to camp out for months illegally the students might have taken law and order more seriously.
How right you are!
How are they going to fix it now?
Thank you for reading and commenting!
The one point with which I must disagree is that British Columbians are lucky by having a provincial election around the corner. Sorry but as bad as the BC Liberals are the NDP is even worse. Had we a viable alternative such as the Wild Rose Party to these two parties, I would agree.
Thanks for your comment. Their is an alternative.It’s called the BC Conservative Party.
I see a couple of problems with the BC Conservative Pary. They seem unable or unwilling to get their act together and I am not sure they will even have candidates in all ridings. I know there was not one in my riding the last time. The choice was BC Liberal, NDP or Green.
I think the BC Conservatives are well on their way to getting their act together. Their website contains policy and I know they are working on platform for the 2013 election. They will not only have candidates in the election but good ones too! They have grown a lot since 2009.
Harper promising $110,000 to Afstan cutting back at home doesn’t help, and I say that as a Tory.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment.