Stimulate the Economy -- Forgive Student Loans!
My friend asked me to post this for the Americans on my flist:
Stimulate the Economy -- Forgive Student Loans!
It's a cause I completely agree with and support. If there were a similar petition in Canada, I would sign it in a heartbeat.
A comment on politics: It is disheartening and strange as a Canadian to see progress being made to the south, to see great policies and projects being implemented in the United States (ex. protection for transgendered workers in the federal government), while at the same time seeing the politicos in my own country backtracking, causing a lot of harm that will have to be undone, and resisting global change. (For example, the economic downturn can have some positive results if governments and people turn to more environmemtally/economically friendly solutions, if governments put money into stimuluses packages similar to those enacted in the Depression). But, for the most part, that's not happening here.
Canada under the Conservative Party is akin to the U.S. under Bush, except we're supposed to be the more progressive of the two countries. It's disheartening to celebrate the fantastic changes being made in our neighbour to the south while at the same time seeing nothing to celebrate here.
There likely will be an election here in the fall. Hopefully the Liberals won't screw it up again (hopefully Ignatief - the current leader - is halfway decent and would at least make a better Prime Minister than Harper); hopefully the NDP (the left-leaning party here) does even better this time and if we have another Minority Government, they can team up with the other Anything-But-Conservative parties to form a coalition government; hopefully the Greens can at least squeak a seat for their fantastic leader, Elizabeth May, and maybe a handful of others. I don't agree with all of their policies (they are not a "left" party as some people say), but they deserve to have a voice in government. They have a great environmental critique, and great energy and vision.
I hope my country experiences some "change" soon. Yes we can!
Stimulate the Economy -- Forgive Student Loans!
It's a cause I completely agree with and support. If there were a similar petition in Canada, I would sign it in a heartbeat.
A comment on politics: It is disheartening and strange as a Canadian to see progress being made to the south, to see great policies and projects being implemented in the United States (ex. protection for transgendered workers in the federal government), while at the same time seeing the politicos in my own country backtracking, causing a lot of harm that will have to be undone, and resisting global change. (For example, the economic downturn can have some positive results if governments and people turn to more environmemtally/economically friendly solutions, if governments put money into stimuluses packages similar to those enacted in the Depression). But, for the most part, that's not happening here.
Canada under the Conservative Party is akin to the U.S. under Bush, except we're supposed to be the more progressive of the two countries. It's disheartening to celebrate the fantastic changes being made in our neighbour to the south while at the same time seeing nothing to celebrate here.
There likely will be an election here in the fall. Hopefully the Liberals won't screw it up again (hopefully Ignatief - the current leader - is halfway decent and would at least make a better Prime Minister than Harper); hopefully the NDP (the left-leaning party here) does even better this time and if we have another Minority Government, they can team up with the other Anything-But-Conservative parties to form a coalition government; hopefully the Greens can at least squeak a seat for their fantastic leader, Elizabeth May, and maybe a handful of others. I don't agree with all of their policies (they are not a "left" party as some people say), but they deserve to have a voice in government. They have a great environmental critique, and great energy and vision.
I hope my country experiences some "change" soon. Yes we can!