By Diana French
My last column for 2023. At every year’s end, I say the same thing. Let’s hope next year will be a better this year than this one.
A few good things happened in 2023. The pandemic was supposedly over and people were allowed to have fun again, but the bad news outweighed the good and every day it seemed to get worse. It’s been scary. The number of people killed from individual stabbings to mass shootings kept growing. If it wasn’t another war horror story it was floods, fires, droughts or other natural disasters. We worried about everything from climate change to the climbing cost of living and lack of housing for the needy. People were often mad at each other.
So here we are, facing a brand new year. Can we make it a better one?
As individuals we can’t do much to stop Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu from waging wars. We can’t prevent natural disasters. We can do more than bellyache though. We can join groups that are trying to fix things, and we can connect with our MPs and MLAs. We can even protest.
I think working with politicians is worthwhile, they can Do Something.
Most politicians are good, decent people but some go haywire after they’re elected and get power. I’ve got some New Year’s resolutions for them.
1. Treat all parties and their members with respect.
2. Leave the politicking at the door. No matter whether your party is In or Out, work together with the others to make things better for Canada and your constituents.
3. Listen to your constituents to find out what they want.
A resolution for the rest of us — Do Something.
I wish you all a Happy New Year’s Holiday, including Wrestling Day. Don’t worry about 2024 until Wednesday.
