1) It's not you, it's me. And if it makes you feel any better, it kinda happened with everybody. Depression will do that to me, sometimes.
2) Oh cod, this is hard. There are books that I really like and would recommend to anyone and everyone (The Birth House, Ami MacKay, which I only bought a few months ago and have already read twice), and books that I think you'd like... and looking at my bookshelf, now, I'm having a tough time going with one. I'll go with The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood. It's a retelling of Homer's The Odyssey, but from the POV of his wife, Penelope. Also, in the tradition of Greek plays, Atwood has a "chorus" (consisting of Penelope's twelve maids, whom Odysseus has executed) between each chapter. I quite liked it.
3) Same reason I fell out of touch with people.
4) I love it, but there are some things I wish it covered that it doesn't (currently) cover. The big one, here, is prescription medication coverage; currently, people pay for these things out of pocket, though some provinces will assist low-income people with the costs. That assistance isn't available across the country, though, and it ought to be. (Well, I'd prefer that medication was covered for everyone, but if I have to settle, low-income people at the very least should have this covered.) It'd be nice if dental were also covered, as well as the cost of seeing an optometrist and, if needed, a pair of glasses.
Single-payer is absolutely the way to go, though, as it is much cheaper for everyone to be on one, government-funded health insurance plan, than to subsidize the costs of multiple, private plans.
5) One in which I am the supreme leader. :D
Whether a presidential or parliamentary system will work best depends on the country you're talking about, and what sort of established conventions and traditions are in place. I'm also in favour of mixed member proportional representation, as it allows people to still have a regional candidate to represent them, but also allows for balance among party seats allocated to each party, relative to the overall popular vote. The additional seats that are given to a party can also be a great way to increase the number of minorities groups and women who are represented in government.
Obviously, I favour a system with more than two major political parties. More parties mean more diversity in ideas in government, and a greater need to cooperate. Also, I favour party solidarity in voting; if you're going to be a member of a political party, then vote along with the fucking party. None of that "Blue Dog" bullshit for me. Considering that this will be a PR system, party solidarity is important, as people will be given seats based on their party.
Also important is a judicial branch that is an effective check on the power of the other branches of government. In other words, a Supreme Court with teeth! If a law is passed that violates a person's rights, or the constitution, it should be struck down, and the courts have an obligation to do that. Of course, there should be a check on that power, allowing the government to overrule a court decision (either with a supermajority, or a "Fuck you, courts, the law stands" clause in the constitution), but that should also have a check, in the form of needing to revisit that law every few years or so.
So, basically, Canada's government with PR and an elected senate.
2) Oh cod, this is hard. There are books that I really like and would recommend to anyone and everyone (The Birth House, Ami MacKay, which I only bought a few months ago and have already read twice), and books that I think you'd like... and looking at my bookshelf, now, I'm having a tough time going with one. I'll go with The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood. It's a retelling of Homer's The Odyssey, but from the POV of his wife, Penelope. Also, in the tradition of Greek plays, Atwood has a "chorus" (consisting of Penelope's twelve maids, whom Odysseus has executed) between each chapter. I quite liked it.
3) Same reason I fell out of touch with people.
4) I love it, but there are some things I wish it covered that it doesn't (currently) cover. The big one, here, is prescription medication coverage; currently, people pay for these things out of pocket, though some provinces will assist low-income people with the costs. That assistance isn't available across the country, though, and it ought to be. (Well, I'd prefer that medication was covered for everyone, but if I have to settle, low-income people at the very least should have this covered.) It'd be nice if dental were also covered, as well as the cost of seeing an optometrist and, if needed, a pair of glasses.
Single-payer is absolutely the way to go, though, as it is much cheaper for everyone to be on one, government-funded health insurance plan, than to subsidize the costs of multiple, private plans.
5) One in which I am the supreme leader. :D
Whether a presidential or parliamentary system will work best depends on the country you're talking about, and what sort of established conventions and traditions are in place. I'm also in favour of mixed member proportional representation, as it allows people to still have a regional candidate to represent them, but also allows for balance among party seats allocated to each party, relative to the overall popular vote. The additional seats that are given to a party can also be a great way to increase the number of minorities groups and women who are represented in government.
Obviously, I favour a system with more than two major political parties. More parties mean more diversity in ideas in government, and a greater need to cooperate. Also, I favour party solidarity in voting; if you're going to be a member of a political party, then vote along with the fucking party. None of that "Blue Dog" bullshit for me. Considering that this will be a PR system, party solidarity is important, as people will be given seats based on their party.
Also important is a judicial branch that is an effective check on the power of the other branches of government. In other words, a Supreme Court with teeth! If a law is passed that violates a person's rights, or the constitution, it should be struck down, and the courts have an obligation to do that. Of course, there should be a check on that power, allowing the government to overrule a court decision (either with a supermajority, or a "Fuck you, courts, the law stands" clause in the constitution), but that should also have a check, in the form of needing to revisit that law every few years or so.
So, basically, Canada's government with PR and an elected senate.
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