Can you spare some change?

I have a big problem with catchphrases that are overused.  "Think outside the box" is one of them.  The expression "We need a change" is another and it has been popping up all over this election campaign.  People say this so often, do they even really know what it means anymore?  I understand the average voters simplistic hope that a new face will somehow mean a new direction or vision.  Candidates themselves feed into the obessive demand for CHANGE.  Heck, Barack Obama promised massive change and he led one of the most hyped and dazzling movements in recent memory.  If anyone could deliver the change that voters so desperately were seeking, it had to be Obama.  While he's certainly no George W. Bush, all the hype and frenzy proved to be too much, for even this mighty man, to live up to.  And we expect lesser folks to do better?

Many people seem to want to throw rationality out the window and want change merely for the sake of change.  This would be like saying: "I'm tired of the Federal Conservatives.  Let's try the Liberals for a change."  We all know that while Stephen Harper is no saint, Michael Ignatieff has shown that he would not be the best choice at this stage of the game.  Hell, why not hand the reins over to Elizabeth May?  You want a change, don't you?

While this rhetoric may seem extreme, it illustrates my point.  Some people are so preoccupied with the notion of change, they throw reason out the door and forget to pick it back up again when they vote.  There is change and then there is smart change.  Look at it this way.  Earle Freeborn, who I greatly respect, is stepping down.  If you didn't like him, someone else will take his place.  That's a change.  Only two of the original four council members are running in this election.  Besides them, there are four other choices.  Hey, that's a change too!  Change is inevitable.  Everyone has their own way of doing things.  Just make sure the most worthy and competent person is at the helm.  Too much change can be disastrous.  Remember Mike Harris and his "Common Sense Revolution"?  He promised change.  He did it so fast, our heads are still spinning.  We have no recall legislation in Chapleau.  We will be stuck with these people for four long years.  Change.  Be careful what you wish for.  Because in this case, you can't send it back.