Our province is teetering on the brink of an election call. It has to happen this spring, and all parties are 'revving their engines' in preparation. The Progressive Conservatives (oxymoron, anyone?) have put out an attack ad on the Wildrose Alliance Paryy (even further to the right than the PC's) about the new liquor laws. So the campaign appears to have started even before we know the date of an election.
Commentators all over the country are reflecting on the nasty turn that politics have taken in the past few years. Personal attacks, dirty tricks, outright lies - nothing seems to be off the table. Rarely are issues discussed. Slurs are exchanged, slogans bandied about, and the poor electorate is left to make decisions with their inflamed emotions. Perhaps i'm just reflecting old age, but it seemed a bit less nasty in 'the old days,' meaning 30 years ago. Even if it wasn't much different, it feels different to me. Perhaps it's just that I would like to see party policy explained, and compared, so that a vote can be cast on a more rational basis…. I read this over and think, "Yeah, you sound like an old fart.Most people have desided how they will vote long before issues get spelled out. Grow up!"
The whole thing troubles me because it casts such a pall over the whole political realm. We need young peole to be interested in politics, to get into the game on the basis of convictions and beliefs, rather than on the possibility of making a lot of money from the process. This past week, a small time scam was uncovered in ur provincial government. Twenty one MLA's are on a committee that hasn't met since 2008, but they are each paid $1000 per month just for being on that particular committee. That would be a minimum cost of $756,000 since they met last. I imagine this happens in other places as well, but this kind of waste makes hundreds - perhaps thousands of voters cynical about the whole process.
This whole thing is particularly galling to me, because in this "Bible belt" region, many candidates are not shy about trotting out their church connections, and their religious beliefs in their campaign material. "I'm a good Christian, see what I believe…" as opposed to "See what I do, how I behave in government."
I would much rather have a politician who is an honest atheist of some integrity, than a "good Christian" who lacks even fundamental ethics. I recall that when I was a boy in Manitoba, there was a city councillor in Winnpeg who held a north end seat for many years, even though he was an open member of the Communist party. Joe Zuken was a good councillor, and an honest man. Everyone knew that and trusted him. Oh, for more Joe Zukens today!
Commentators all over the country are reflecting on the nasty turn that politics have taken in the past few years. Personal attacks, dirty tricks, outright lies - nothing seems to be off the table. Rarely are issues discussed. Slurs are exchanged, slogans bandied about, and the poor electorate is left to make decisions with their inflamed emotions. Perhaps i'm just reflecting old age, but it seemed a bit less nasty in 'the old days,' meaning 30 years ago. Even if it wasn't much different, it feels different to me. Perhaps it's just that I would like to see party policy explained, and compared, so that a vote can be cast on a more rational basis…. I read this over and think, "Yeah, you sound like an old fart.Most people have desided how they will vote long before issues get spelled out. Grow up!"
The whole thing troubles me because it casts such a pall over the whole political realm. We need young peole to be interested in politics, to get into the game on the basis of convictions and beliefs, rather than on the possibility of making a lot of money from the process. This past week, a small time scam was uncovered in ur provincial government. Twenty one MLA's are on a committee that hasn't met since 2008, but they are each paid $1000 per month just for being on that particular committee. That would be a minimum cost of $756,000 since they met last. I imagine this happens in other places as well, but this kind of waste makes hundreds - perhaps thousands of voters cynical about the whole process.
This whole thing is particularly galling to me, because in this "Bible belt" region, many candidates are not shy about trotting out their church connections, and their religious beliefs in their campaign material. "I'm a good Christian, see what I believe…" as opposed to "See what I do, how I behave in government."
I would much rather have a politician who is an honest atheist of some integrity, than a "good Christian" who lacks even fundamental ethics. I recall that when I was a boy in Manitoba, there was a city councillor in Winnpeg who held a north end seat for many years, even though he was an open member of the Communist party. Joe Zuken was a good councillor, and an honest man. Everyone knew that and trusted him. Oh, for more Joe Zukens today!
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