That's a shame

One of Guergis' home riding newspapers, the Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin, editorializes about the obscene amount of mailings Guergis is foisting upon her constituents, all at taxpayer expense, of course. It's bad.

It likely would not have caught anyone's attention had it been not so frequent -- but just as Collingwood has seen what seems like a record amount of rain, we seem to be deluged by a record amount of mail from Simcoe-Grey Member of Parliament Helena Guergis.

Last week, residents reported receiving upwards of five so-called '10 percenters' within a short span of time; in a few cases, residents received three pieces on Tuesday alone.

...

Members already have the opportunity to send four 12-page newsletters a year to constituents. These are always informational in tone, and are used to update residents on the activities of the member, along with info on federal government programs. For instance, Guergis has used these newsletters to update her constituents on passport clinics, a vital service that the MP should be lauded for bringing to communities throughout the riding. However, there can be nothing considered informational with these latest missives.

Much of the language used is emotionally-and politically-charged, highlighting Conservative 'achievements' while targetting Liberal 'failures' during that party's 13 years at the helm. The mailings also include a 'survey', asking of the four relevant party leaders, who is on "the right track" with whatever issue that particular 10 percenter is tackling. The survey has a return address--not to Guergis' office, but to the Conservative Research Group, essentially the Conservative Party's propaganda arm.

A reasonable person would only conclude, based on the language, that these mailings are little more than veiled election materials; however, the printing and distribution of 10 percenters are paid for by tax dollars, not the political machines that send them out.

...

Not only should the frequency be geared down -- especially, it appears, in Simcoe-Grey -- but the language that goes into the content of these mailings need to be toned down. We realize that an election this fall could be imminent, but when it comes to spending our tax dollars on what is essentially government literature, we want clear information, not political rhetoric.

My, oh my, how the Conservative vitriol is ticking off the citizens of the nation.

Who is the candidate running against Guergis? If ever there was a candidate that begs to be given the boot, it's Guergis. Go door to door and go to town on this issue, bring a handful of these "ten percenters." What an absolutely abusive waste of taxpayer money for Conservative electoral purposes to run on, and talk about concrete. Oh yes, and let's not forget Guergis' many other issues.

Update: CC rocks.