Editor:
Bullying does not confine itself to the school playgrounds, or indeed just to children. We, the taxpaying citizens of Langley, are constantly being bullied by politicians and bureaucrats.
We were bullied into accepting a poorly designed 200 Street overpass. We have been bullied into accepting an ill-conceived Mufford Crescent overpass. We are being bullied into accepting other railway overpasses that we do not want.
We have been bullied out of enjoying the Aldergrove Lake Park swimming hole. We have been bullied into accepting an inferior snow removal strategy. We have been bullied into not watering anything in our yards from June to October, while school grounds still have sprinklers on full blast during hot summer school holidays.
We are being bullied by a mayor who seems to think that he has the power to do as he pleases. We are bullied by council members who spend time attacking others, rather than getting on with the business of running this municipality.
We are being bullied by a school board that has too many personal agendas to efficiently run our school district.
We are being bullied by those politicians who refuse to consider other forms of public transportation, other than uncomfortable buses. We are bullied by GVRD governors who make us pay exorbitant fees to cross the Fraser River. We are being bullied into paying extra gas taxes to support transportation schemes that are of little benefit to us.
We are tired of being bullied. We are tired of our so-called elected representatives not listening to us. We are tired of being treated like second-class citizens just because we do not live in the big cities.
We are tired of the arrogance of the bureaucrats who are supposed to run this municipality efficiently and effectively for us. We are tired of all the infighting and bickering at council and school board meetings.
We are tired of being told what is good for us. We are tired of being treated like criminals just because we would like to water our flowers.
Stop pushing us around.
It is time to stop the bullying.
Gordon Wakelyn, Langley