Dear Editor,

Do politicians grow into arrogance after getting into power [Politicians all grow into arrogance, Mar. 14 Letters, TIMES]? I think not. It is the unrealistic expectations of the voter that changes over time.

Before an election, many voters have unrealistic expectations of what a government should do or be able to accomplish. Voters expect that the government will be able to cut health care wait times to days, solve homelessness, or solve global warming. Voters expect the government to put their personal pet peeves or concerns as first priorities.

Politicians will promise to do what they can. When in power, a government has limited resources and many, many voter expectations. All need to be prioritized.

It is impossible for any government to meet all expectations. If they do not meet voter expectations, they are considered arrogant and indifferent.

Educational expectations are a good example of past changed loyalties. The NDP is supported by teachers and teacher unions, and once the NDP government is not able to deliver unrealistic goals, they are not supported for re-election.

We now have a lot of voters who are against the current government simply because they perceive them to be arrogant. Instead of voting on issues, voters will vote against a government because it has not reached their unrealistic expectations. They will unrealistically expect a new government to achieve miracles.

Voters need to be realistic. Anyone who votes against a government because they see them as arrogant, should look at their expectations with some realism. They should ask themselves if a change of government would actually meet their expectations. It is far better to vote for policy and direction.

Dan Banov, Whonnock