It's sad. It's good news, but it's sad. We're going to elect someone to represent us in Parliament who is perhaps less deserving of our vote than we would hope. The sad part is that we're not actually voting for him. What we're actually doing is voting against his opponent. But that's not really true either. His opponent is very possibly the best qualified of all the candidates. It's not the candidate that we're voting against, it's the candidate's political party, hence the government of Canada, that we're all so disgusted with. Myself, I'm going to vote NDP, not so much because I'm a big fan of Johns, Mulcair, or the NDP, but because this is the best way I know to toss the Harper Government out of office. To me, there's no issue more important in this upcoming election than removing Stephen Harper and his political machine from power. So, instead of listening to the platforms of several potential candidates, and choosing who I feel would best represent me in Ottawa, I'm forced to use my vote as a weapon to eliminate a despot. Actually, I'd like to vote for the Green party, I like their platform better. I really like Elizabeth May, I think she'd make a great PM. But, due to the way our system is set up, with this "first past the post" method, I cannot vote the way I'd really like. My country cannot afford another four years of Stephen Harper, I must vote to remove him. I haven't heard much talk of electoral reform during this campaign, but it's something that I feel this country really needs. One hundered per cent of the power in Ottawa is wielded by a party that collects 38% of the vote, supported by a Senate that no one ever voted for, and supposedly overseen by a Governor General who no one ever voted for either. Only the courts and the media have kept us from slipping into the realm some third world dictatorship, where the role of government is to simply rubber stamp the wants of those really in control (in our case the big business-big banks elite). Our political system has been corrupted, we the people no longer govern ourselves. We've too often heard folks say "I don't bother to vote, it won't change anything." It's sad. They just might be correct.
"Third world Dictatorship"??? 11:49 you need to get out and see the world. Your rhetoric is oozing with hate. Such a miserable life it must be. Do you sit in your room thinking about how everthing sucks? People who were calling for the strategic vote, of holding their nose, and supporting Gord Johns just to get the NDP in, must now be swimming as it becomes more likely voting Gord Johns will not advance the larger cause, as the Ndp have less and lees chance of becoming government. Of course the negative sentiments of voting against someone/something rather than voting for someone/something will still be in play and be seen as Canada's shining democratic moment. Right!!!!!. Such vision, such hope. Who is best to Represent us???????? That my friend is an important part of our democracy. Who can deny we are fortunate to live in one of the best countries in the world, in the history of the world, and based on that pathetic, lousy, stinking tradition of democracy we have.
Iam not telling you who to vote for, just slowly put away the knives, and breathe out and in......
I would agree that it is sad that we have the choices we have here. Unlike 11:49 however I think it would be far worse to send Johns to Ottawa than to send the PC candidate John Duncan back to represent us.
Unfortunately we need the senate and we need the governor general to put a final stamp on legislation. Without them we'd have a far riskier political system in this country where it would be far easier to fall into some real dictatorship and not just have some party in power. One must be careful what you wish for.
The government system we have now is designed to deliver mediocracy. Perhaps it is better to be mediocre than to be extremist.
Remember Johns has a pretty questionable luster on his Tofino activities. Anybody else would be better than him.
The best chance of ensuring Johns does not get sent to Ottawa is to vote the PC candidate John Duncan, admitted by 11:49 to be the best qualified person for the job.
Harper has been demonized by the left wing press and CBC . Many people will follow their hearts and minds and vote Conservative. This silent majority doesn't always show in polls or election signs. I have confidence that Mr.Johns will not be going to Ottawa.
I think our community is better served with our local MLA vs who gets elected PM. I can't justify sending any ol Bozzo just to support my favourite for PM. Local representation is the most important factor here. My vote goes for Duncan... otherwise it's Bozzo goes to Ottawa and that's just plain wrong for our Island. The NDP should have done their homework.
Yes, 9:28.....The TSX and the dollar have, and will, rally with the TPP....... That's exactly the problem. More for the corporations and banks, less for the people of Canada. Before you jump up to defend this secretive trade deal, let's wait and see what's actually in it. Seems suspicious to me that Harper won't let us see the content of the deal, prior to the election. Something to hide?
To 12:01. The Stock Market is going up for a variety of reasons. Oil Has gone up a bit. Merger activity in the resource sector has buyers looking at some stocks as being good deal, after being too beat up. To the extent the trade deal announcement has affected the Market, its a sign there are more people looking optimistically at the economy and the future now than a few weeks ago....Somehow you make this a bad thing. Do you want the economy to do badly. Harper isn't hiding anything to do with the trade deal. We don't know the details because the scribes will take weeks drafting the text to give life to what the politicians have agreed to in principle. This is standard stuff. As well, it is the whole group of countries that required confidentiality on any announcements while negotiations were ongoing. Again this is standard stuff. The alternative is for countries to leak stuff while the process is ongoing for the purpose of manipulating the process. And another thing, the opposition is trying to make out that Harper engineered the whole process to make this announcement late in the election campaign. Give your head a shake. Like Canada has mind control over all these countries, This deal has been years in the making...I eagerly await the details myself. Canada will have more opportunity to excel.
12:01 I guess you don't have or don't need an RSP to retire on. Are you planning on some fat Gov't indexed pension. Market goes up, millions of Canadians benefit.
And the Ndp tip toes around pipelines and development. They are critical one day, till the Union brothers wisper in the right ear and then they are somewhat in favour. Then the eviros whisper in the left ear and they are somewhat opposed. Then they and the natives all launch court challenges and lawsuits and come before the media to criticise the gov't for a poor economy and for being unable to get anything done. Liberals are playing that game too
Mediocracy.....sounds like the middle coarse of action, neither strongly favouring one view or another, but steering a steady course. I like it. It sounds so Canadian, all most like a consensus. Not change for changes sake, or the status quo at all costs. One foot in the future and one in the past. " Master, why does the traveller wander all over the road? Does he not know the way forward". "Yes Grasshopper, he knows the way forward but has forgotten his past" "If you don't keep a foot in the past you will surely lose your way forward. Your direction is determined not just by where you are headed but by where you came from". Geometric metaphor here. It takes two points to define a straight line.
It's sad. It's good news, but it's sad. We're going to elect someone to represent us in Parliament who is perhaps less deserving of our vote than we would hope. The sad part is that we're not actually voting for him. What we're actually doing is voting against his opponent. But that's not really true either. His opponent is very possibly the best qualified of all the candidates. It's not the candidate that we're voting against, it's the candidate's political party, hence the government of Canada, that we're all so disgusted with. Myself, I'm going to vote NDP, not so much because I'm a big fan of Johns, Mulcair, or the NDP, but because this is the best way I know to toss the Harper Government out of office. To me, there's no issue more important in this upcoming election than removing Stephen Harper and his political machine from power. So, instead of listening to the platforms of several potential candidates, and choosing who I feel would best represent me in Ottawa, I'm forced to use my vote as a weapon to eliminate a despot. Actually, I'd like to vote for the Green party, I like their platform better. I really like Elizabeth May, I think she'd make a great PM. But, due to the way our system is set up, with this "first past the post" method, I cannot vote the way I'd really like. My country cannot afford another four years of Stephen Harper, I must vote to remove him. I haven't heard much talk of electoral reform during this campaign, but it's something that I feel this country really needs. One hundered per cent of the power in Ottawa is wielded by a party that collects 38% of the vote, supported by a Senate that no one ever voted for, and supposedly overseen by a Governor General who no one ever voted for either. Only the courts and the media have kept us from slipping into the realm some third world dictatorship, where the role of government is to simply rubber stamp the wants of those really in control (in our case the big business-big banks elite). Our political system has been corrupted, we the people no longer govern ourselves. We've too often heard folks say "I don't bother to vote, it won't change anything." It's sad. They just might be correct.
ReplyDelete"Third world Dictatorship"??? 11:49 you need to get out and see the world. Your rhetoric is oozing with hate. Such a miserable life it must be. Do you sit in your room thinking about how everthing sucks?
ReplyDeletePeople who were calling for the strategic vote, of holding their nose, and supporting Gord Johns just to get the NDP in, must now be swimming as it becomes more likely voting Gord Johns will not advance the larger cause, as the Ndp have less and lees chance of becoming government. Of course the negative sentiments of voting against someone/something rather than voting for someone/something will still be in play and be seen as Canada's shining democratic moment. Right!!!!!. Such vision, such hope. Who is best to Represent us???????? That my friend is an important part of our democracy. Who can deny we are fortunate to live in one of the best countries in the world, in the history of the world, and based on that pathetic, lousy, stinking tradition of democracy we have.
Iam not telling you who to vote for, just slowly put away the knives, and breathe out and in......
The Canadian dollar and TSX have rallied since the TPP announcement . Angry Tom and Gord Johns will scrap it.
ReplyDeleteSTOP NDP
I would agree that it is sad that we have the choices we have here.
ReplyDeleteUnlike 11:49 however I think it would be far worse to send Johns to Ottawa than to send the PC candidate John Duncan back to represent us.
Unfortunately we need the senate and we need the governor general to put a final stamp on legislation. Without them we'd have a far riskier political system in this country where it would be far easier to fall into some real dictatorship and not just have some party in power.
One must be careful what you wish for.
The government system we have now is designed to deliver mediocracy. Perhaps it is better to be mediocre than to be extremist.
Remember Johns has a pretty questionable luster on his Tofino activities. Anybody else would be better than him.
The best chance of ensuring Johns does not get sent to Ottawa is to vote the PC candidate John Duncan, admitted by 11:49 to be the best qualified person for the job.
Harper has been demonized by the left wing press and CBC . Many people will follow their hearts and minds and vote Conservative. This silent majority doesn't always show in polls or election signs. I have confidence that Mr.Johns will not be going to Ottawa.
ReplyDeleteIt is now very clear that the NDP will be struggling to retain official opposition status.
ReplyDeleteI think our community is better served with our local MLA vs who gets elected PM. I can't justify sending any ol Bozzo just to support my favourite for PM. Local representation is the most important factor here. My vote goes for Duncan... otherwise it's Bozzo goes to Ottawa and that's just plain wrong for our Island. The NDP should have done their homework.
ReplyDeleteYes, 9:28.....The TSX and the dollar have, and will, rally with the TPP....... That's exactly the problem. More for the corporations and banks, less for the people of Canada. Before you jump up to defend this secretive trade deal, let's wait and see what's actually in it. Seems suspicious to me that Harper won't let us see the content of the deal, prior to the election. Something to hide?
ReplyDeleteTo 12:01. The Stock Market is going up for a variety of reasons. Oil Has gone up a bit. Merger activity in the resource sector has buyers looking at some stocks as being good deal, after being too beat up. To the extent the trade deal announcement has affected the Market, its a sign there are more people looking optimistically at the economy and the future now than a few weeks ago....Somehow you make this a bad thing. Do you want the economy to do badly.
ReplyDeleteHarper isn't hiding anything to do with the trade deal. We don't know the details because the scribes will take weeks drafting the text to give life to what the politicians have agreed to in principle. This is standard stuff. As well, it is the whole group of countries that required confidentiality on any announcements while negotiations were ongoing. Again this is standard stuff. The alternative is for countries to leak stuff while the process is ongoing for the purpose of manipulating the process. And another thing, the opposition is trying to make out that Harper engineered the whole process to make this announcement late in the election campaign. Give your head a shake. Like Canada has mind control over all these countries, This deal has been years in the making...I eagerly await the details myself. Canada will have more opportunity to excel.
12:01 I guess you don't have or don't need an RSP to retire on. Are you planning on some fat Gov't indexed pension. Market goes up, millions of Canadians benefit.
ReplyDeleteLefties have condemned the TPP deal before it was even concluded.NDP are in the pocket of the outdated and unproductive unions.
ReplyDeleteThe NDP were against NAFTA and every free trade agreement since.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Ndp tip toes around pipelines and development. They are critical one day, till the Union brothers wisper in the right ear and then they are somewhat in favour. Then the eviros whisper in the left ear and they are somewhat opposed. Then they and the natives all launch court challenges and lawsuits and come before the media to criticise the gov't for a poor economy and for being unable to get anything done. Liberals are playing that game too
ReplyDeleteMediocracy.....sounds like the middle coarse of action, neither strongly favouring one view or another, but steering a steady course. I like it. It sounds so Canadian, all most like a consensus. Not change for changes sake, or the status quo at all costs. One foot in the future and one in the past.
ReplyDelete" Master, why does the traveller wander all over the road? Does he not know the way forward". "Yes Grasshopper, he knows the way forward but has forgotten his past"
"If you don't keep a foot in the past you will surely lose your way forward. Your direction is determined not just by where you are headed but by where you came from". Geometric metaphor here. It takes two points to define a straight line.