Elections 2006
I hope no one in Toronto voted for Jane Pitbull Pitfield tonight. (For those who do not live here, she is a monster who, for example, wants to fine homeless people $500 who ask for spare change. What, how are homeless people going to pay the fine? Exactly.) If you voted for Scott Yee, take me off your friends list. Kidding... but there are currently 1193 people who are that dumb!
Miller is going to win by a long shot. Thankfully. There are some things he has not gotten around to yet, but he has done a lot of good for this city so far, so I have faith he will continue to make changes. One of the main things I have noticed is that Toronto looks a lot cleaner these days, and I know he has played a role in that. He did no real damage either--always a plus. He also makes a lot of effort to hear our opinions too, by holding dinners to discuss the city's needs. I really, really, really hope he puts more effort into improving the transit system this term. He is a good guy. He knows what changes need to be made. That is extremely important in a candidate rather than just spurting off a list of common-sense things that need to be done.
I have realized how important voting has become to me since I have been of age. I honestly had no interest in politics when I was younger (who does?), and now I find myself getting really upset when I talk to people who live here who openly admit they do not vote or do not care about politics. You do not have to love politics to take an interest. I know it is not everyone's bag. It certainly is not mine. But I do read up on the candidates and I do not go in there blindly and just vote for any old person. (Or, like my father, vote by 'choosing the most Anglo-Saxon-sounding name.') For municipal elections, the voting turn out is always very low. I think the Mayor of Toronto is a fairly important thing to be voting for, so I have no idea why this is. I was talking to someone today who has never voted in an election and he has been legally able to for four years. It just upsets me that people are willing to complain but not willing to do anything about it. I suppose it all comes down to most people not believing their vote will make a difference. There has been so much evidence to support the opposite, so I have no idea why people still feel that way.
All I can say is... thank you to those people out there who are able to vote and who do vote. You are making a difference. Just look at the recent US election. A difference was finally made. A good difference. Voting can change the way the world is run, or at least start to.