Dear Christopher Hume

You write today of the hypocrisy of those asking the Toronto City Councillors to rescind their 2.42% cost of living increase. You miss the point that by refusing to do so adamantly and in a very public way, council loses any moral authority and shows a complete lack of integrity and leadership in dealing with the current strike and the imposition of a freeze on the non-unionized city workers.

Another questionable point is that the councillors are overworked - I have serious doubts about that.

Public office should be a calling not a job (as Kyle Rae believes) and everyone who runs for office knows what the income will be so there should not be any whining after elections about being underpaid.

You mention by name two right wing councillors but you could easily have mentioned a useless clown like Giorgio Mammoliti or a buffoon like Howard Moscoe who tried to sneak through a raise like some American porkbarrel congressman.

You are quite correct when you say governance can be improved and really must be improved but it won't happen until term limits are imposed.

By the way, the height of hypocrisy was the Mayor sending out Pennichetti to public meetings on the proposed land transfer and license plate taxes because the city was broke while at the same time investigating two councillors for not spending enough.