Aaaaand it's election time....AGAIN!
OK, so our government has officially fallen so that means only one thing people....and election....fun times for all lol.
I wanted to make a post on the election before all the fun mudslinging gets underway and I warn you right now that my own opinions and political leanings will be mentioned here. Not everybody will agree with me, but please don't turn this into a political partisan debate. I am not interested in defending the party I plan to vote for - that isn't really what this post is about anyway. If you want to post about who you plan to vote for and why, feel free just do so in your own journal.
OK, so that being said, the main thing I wanted to talk about was how important it is for people to vote.
Now there are three main ways that people normally vote in an election.
1. You vote for the party you support
2. You vote for your local candidate regardless of the party they belong to
3. You vote 'strategically' so that the other guy doesn't get in.
Now the first two ways, are personal and I fully believe that it's valid to go either way.
Me, personally, I look at the bigger picture when I vote so I look at the parties, consider their platforms and vote for that party...in my case the NDP.
Now a lot of people will go for their local candidate rather than looking overall at the party and that is fine too. Sometimes local candidates can do more immediate things for people, so it's all in where your priorities are.
I would get into a rant about how our system is inherantly flawed with it's first past the post way of choosing a leader compared to Mixed Member proportional which would make SO much more sense, but we already that that referendum and apparently people were too apathetic or ignorant to bother learning about it or voting, so nothing changed there unfortunately.
Either way like I said makes sense to me, but the important part of both ways of voting is that you INFORM yourself of the issues that matter to you and vote accordingly. Make sure you visit the websites of each and every party running and learn about their platforms. Don't pay attention to the attack adds on tv, because they are designed to make you afraid.
Look at the website for the party you plan to vote for, but spend JUST as much time looking at the platforms for the opposition parties. Sometimes people align themselves blindly to a party which changes in leadership, not to mention values on a fairly regular basis. Platforms change and party values change. What once might have been important to a party may take a backseat in an election, depending on current social and economic trends, not to mention the target demographic of voters, etc.
So stay informed. You might find yourself looking at the different parties and realizing that the party you may have voted for in the past no longer offers anything to you that matters.
And even if you find yourself still wanting to vote for the same party, at least you will be able to state why the other parties' platforms do not appeal to you should anybody ask. It allows you to argue and debate with others in an informed way.
With that in mind, I would like to post a link to the federal parties' websites th at may be of interest, and that everybody should look at before making a decision.
http://www.liberal.ca/ - the liberal party of Canada
http://www.conservative.ca/ - The Conservative party of Canada
http://www.ndp.ca/ - The New Democratic Party of Canada
http://greenparty.ca/ - The Green Party of Canada
http://www.blocquebecois.org/accueil.aspx - The Bloc Quebequois
Read through these and learn not only of their platforms, but also of the person in charge because it does matter. If you can't get behind the leader of the party it's doubtful you will be satisfied if they win the election.
OK, so now I want to talk about the third way that people sometimes vote...'strategically'. This is when people vote for a candidate that they don't necessarily want to win, just so the other guy doesn't get in.
A good example of that for this election would be people who vote liberal to avoid Harper gaining a majority, or vice versa.
The problem with this way of voting is that it doesn't reflect what people actually WANT from those chosen to lead our country. It only tells us what we don't want and often times the alternative is just as bad.
In a perfect world (and I am aware that this world isn't perfect), we would vote for the party or candidate that we believe in and that we want to lead us. This is what I do and while I know that voting NDP when the liberals and conservatives are neck and neck will likely only split the vote, or give one of them a leg up, I refuse to do anything but vote for the party or candidate that I believe in. Even if it results in Harper getting a majority government (and believe me I would rather chew off my own foot than see that happen), I WILL NOT sacrifice my values and my belief in the NDP party just so that Harper doesn't win.
To me, the alternative is that Ignatieff wins, and I don't want him to be my Prime Minister either. I want Jack Layton to be my Prime Minister. So I will vote for him and if he doesn't win, then at least I have voted according to what I believe is right with the information available to me.
Nothing bothers me more than hearing people say "well I WOULD vote for such and such a party, but I don't want so and so to win, so I am voting for the other guy."
If you want to see a certain candidate win (be it local or federal) than VOTE for that person! Use what little power you have to voice your opinion. If everybody did that then who knows what might happen? We would see a more balanced viewpoint on what Canadians REALLY want and while it might now be what I want, at least I would know it was genuine instead of a knee jerk reaction against the opposition.
And PLEASE vote. And not only that, but MAKE SURE the candidates know that you are looking at the issues.
I read in the paper today that all the federal parties will be lobbying the hardest for the senior's votes, so much of their platforms will be geared towards seniors and the reason for that? They vote....they are probably the only section of Canadians who do so in any real numbers.
And that is not good.
Don't get me wrong, I think seniors are important and they should be taken care of by our government. They should be involved in the platform....but the bulk of the platforms should be targeted to US....the 18-35 year old demographic that scholars are calling the 'lost generation'.
It's not a secret that we are suffering more than our parents did, not only in finding jobs that relfect our education, but also in purchasing property, and getting on an even keel financially. We are further behind than our parents were and it is not looking like it will turn around any time soon.
Tuition is getting more expensive and the jobs aren't there for people when they get out of university. Some of us may never own their own home, or have medical benefits, or any kind of retirement plan. It's all well and good to take care of our elderly, but if we don't take care of our youth as well, we are going to face even more problems when we become the elderly.
And the only way to do that is to vote. To make the government realize that WE are the demographic that they need to target. We are the ones whose votes matter and we are the ones who need to voice our dissatisfaction at the way our lives are going.
I have heard too many people my age say that they don't vote because they either aren't interested in politics, or it doesn't affect them, or even that all the candidates are the same liars anyway, so what's the point?
To that I say - if you aren't interested? Tough. It's important and it matters, so GET interested.
If you don't think it affects you? You are at the very least, VERY naive. It MATTERS to you. Everything the government does will and does affect you, so get informed.
Finally, yes, some parties have lied and some candidates are liars. No question. It doesn't mean your vote won't make a difference, and even if it doesn't, casting NO vote at all will definitely not make a difference. Our apathy has gotten to a point where we are slowly killing ourselves. We bitch about the government and everything they do that we don't agree with, but we don't do anything to STOP them.
Vote for the party you believe in, or the candidate you believe in...but don't vote for the guy you don't want to see win, or who your parents tell you to vote for or anything else like that.
But for heaven's sake VOTE!!! Because it matters.
And finally for those who are wondering, here is why I will be voting for the NDP this time around.
Now, I am not a hypocrite. I have voted liberal in the past (for the Chretien government) but in the past few elections I have found the NDP platform to be more in line with my values and beliefs. Here is why:
They make financial sense. People may not agree with this, but their past history is one of surplus budgets. Check out their management of Saskatchewan for example.
They support gay rights and gay marriage. I may not be gay, but human rights are of fundamental importance to me, and I think this is something worth voting for.
They have a good healthcare platform and have promised to change the current system so that people like myself can afford their medicaiton that they can't currently afford. I can't pay for the migraine medication that I need...this is an important issue for me. This is also the party that CREATED our system of socialised medicine and they are dedicated to protecting it and keeping us from becoming increasingly privatised.
They opposed the HST
They have an incredibly in depth Environmental platform that is WORKABLE in our society
They want to reduce tuition fees for students as well as maintain low interest rates for those of us who are stuck paying or owing OSAP
Expanding access to EI
They opposed the corporate tax breaks and believe in allowing more of the lower income earners to keep our money
And many other platform initiatives that support our social programs.
I think our social programs are the most important part of our society as Canadians. Without them we are unable to afford the way of life we have become accustomed to, and our middle class will disappear forever. We will become more like the States with a deep deep poverty gap that is hard to get out of.
And finally? Because I believe in Jack Layton as a leader.
I know this might sound naive, or silly or whatever, but I met the man a few years back and heard him speak and I honestly believe he was genuine when he made these promises. I think he is the only candidate who speaks honestly and I truly believe that HE believes in what he promises. I think he would be a GOOD Prime Minister.
Aaaaand, that's it. Feel free to comment on this.
-Sara
---
"Out where the river broke
The blood wood and the desert oak
Holden wrecks and boiling diesels
Steam in forty five degrees
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent, now
To pay our share
Four wheels scare the cockatoos
From Kintore East to Yuendemu
The western desert lives and breathes
In forty five degrees
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent, now
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
We're gonna give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning"
'Beds Are Burning'
-Midnight Oil
---
I wanted to make a post on the election before all the fun mudslinging gets underway and I warn you right now that my own opinions and political leanings will be mentioned here. Not everybody will agree with me, but please don't turn this into a political partisan debate. I am not interested in defending the party I plan to vote for - that isn't really what this post is about anyway. If you want to post about who you plan to vote for and why, feel free just do so in your own journal.
OK, so that being said, the main thing I wanted to talk about was how important it is for people to vote.
Now there are three main ways that people normally vote in an election.
1. You vote for the party you support
2. You vote for your local candidate regardless of the party they belong to
3. You vote 'strategically' so that the other guy doesn't get in.
Now the first two ways, are personal and I fully believe that it's valid to go either way.
Me, personally, I look at the bigger picture when I vote so I look at the parties, consider their platforms and vote for that party...in my case the NDP.
Now a lot of people will go for their local candidate rather than looking overall at the party and that is fine too. Sometimes local candidates can do more immediate things for people, so it's all in where your priorities are.
I would get into a rant about how our system is inherantly flawed with it's first past the post way of choosing a leader compared to Mixed Member proportional which would make SO much more sense, but we already that that referendum and apparently people were too apathetic or ignorant to bother learning about it or voting, so nothing changed there unfortunately.
Either way like I said makes sense to me, but the important part of both ways of voting is that you INFORM yourself of the issues that matter to you and vote accordingly. Make sure you visit the websites of each and every party running and learn about their platforms. Don't pay attention to the attack adds on tv, because they are designed to make you afraid.
Look at the website for the party you plan to vote for, but spend JUST as much time looking at the platforms for the opposition parties. Sometimes people align themselves blindly to a party which changes in leadership, not to mention values on a fairly regular basis. Platforms change and party values change. What once might have been important to a party may take a backseat in an election, depending on current social and economic trends, not to mention the target demographic of voters, etc.
So stay informed. You might find yourself looking at the different parties and realizing that the party you may have voted for in the past no longer offers anything to you that matters.
And even if you find yourself still wanting to vote for the same party, at least you will be able to state why the other parties' platforms do not appeal to you should anybody ask. It allows you to argue and debate with others in an informed way.
With that in mind, I would like to post a link to the federal parties' websites th at may be of interest, and that everybody should look at before making a decision.
http://www.liberal.ca/ - the liberal party of Canada
http://www.conservative.ca/ - The Conservative party of Canada
http://www.ndp.ca/ - The New Democratic Party of Canada
http://greenparty.ca/ - The Green Party of Canada
http://www.blocquebecois.org/accueil.aspx - The Bloc Quebequois
Read through these and learn not only of their platforms, but also of the person in charge because it does matter. If you can't get behind the leader of the party it's doubtful you will be satisfied if they win the election.
OK, so now I want to talk about the third way that people sometimes vote...'strategically'. This is when people vote for a candidate that they don't necessarily want to win, just so the other guy doesn't get in.
A good example of that for this election would be people who vote liberal to avoid Harper gaining a majority, or vice versa.
The problem with this way of voting is that it doesn't reflect what people actually WANT from those chosen to lead our country. It only tells us what we don't want and often times the alternative is just as bad.
In a perfect world (and I am aware that this world isn't perfect), we would vote for the party or candidate that we believe in and that we want to lead us. This is what I do and while I know that voting NDP when the liberals and conservatives are neck and neck will likely only split the vote, or give one of them a leg up, I refuse to do anything but vote for the party or candidate that I believe in. Even if it results in Harper getting a majority government (and believe me I would rather chew off my own foot than see that happen), I WILL NOT sacrifice my values and my belief in the NDP party just so that Harper doesn't win.
To me, the alternative is that Ignatieff wins, and I don't want him to be my Prime Minister either. I want Jack Layton to be my Prime Minister. So I will vote for him and if he doesn't win, then at least I have voted according to what I believe is right with the information available to me.
Nothing bothers me more than hearing people say "well I WOULD vote for such and such a party, but I don't want so and so to win, so I am voting for the other guy."
If you want to see a certain candidate win (be it local or federal) than VOTE for that person! Use what little power you have to voice your opinion. If everybody did that then who knows what might happen? We would see a more balanced viewpoint on what Canadians REALLY want and while it might now be what I want, at least I would know it was genuine instead of a knee jerk reaction against the opposition.
And PLEASE vote. And not only that, but MAKE SURE the candidates know that you are looking at the issues.
I read in the paper today that all the federal parties will be lobbying the hardest for the senior's votes, so much of their platforms will be geared towards seniors and the reason for that? They vote....they are probably the only section of Canadians who do so in any real numbers.
And that is not good.
Don't get me wrong, I think seniors are important and they should be taken care of by our government. They should be involved in the platform....but the bulk of the platforms should be targeted to US....the 18-35 year old demographic that scholars are calling the 'lost generation'.
It's not a secret that we are suffering more than our parents did, not only in finding jobs that relfect our education, but also in purchasing property, and getting on an even keel financially. We are further behind than our parents were and it is not looking like it will turn around any time soon.
Tuition is getting more expensive and the jobs aren't there for people when they get out of university. Some of us may never own their own home, or have medical benefits, or any kind of retirement plan. It's all well and good to take care of our elderly, but if we don't take care of our youth as well, we are going to face even more problems when we become the elderly.
And the only way to do that is to vote. To make the government realize that WE are the demographic that they need to target. We are the ones whose votes matter and we are the ones who need to voice our dissatisfaction at the way our lives are going.
I have heard too many people my age say that they don't vote because they either aren't interested in politics, or it doesn't affect them, or even that all the candidates are the same liars anyway, so what's the point?
To that I say - if you aren't interested? Tough. It's important and it matters, so GET interested.
If you don't think it affects you? You are at the very least, VERY naive. It MATTERS to you. Everything the government does will and does affect you, so get informed.
Finally, yes, some parties have lied and some candidates are liars. No question. It doesn't mean your vote won't make a difference, and even if it doesn't, casting NO vote at all will definitely not make a difference. Our apathy has gotten to a point where we are slowly killing ourselves. We bitch about the government and everything they do that we don't agree with, but we don't do anything to STOP them.
Vote for the party you believe in, or the candidate you believe in...but don't vote for the guy you don't want to see win, or who your parents tell you to vote for or anything else like that.
But for heaven's sake VOTE!!! Because it matters.
And finally for those who are wondering, here is why I will be voting for the NDP this time around.
Now, I am not a hypocrite. I have voted liberal in the past (for the Chretien government) but in the past few elections I have found the NDP platform to be more in line with my values and beliefs. Here is why:
They make financial sense. People may not agree with this, but their past history is one of surplus budgets. Check out their management of Saskatchewan for example.
They support gay rights and gay marriage. I may not be gay, but human rights are of fundamental importance to me, and I think this is something worth voting for.
They have a good healthcare platform and have promised to change the current system so that people like myself can afford their medicaiton that they can't currently afford. I can't pay for the migraine medication that I need...this is an important issue for me. This is also the party that CREATED our system of socialised medicine and they are dedicated to protecting it and keeping us from becoming increasingly privatised.
They opposed the HST
They have an incredibly in depth Environmental platform that is WORKABLE in our society
They want to reduce tuition fees for students as well as maintain low interest rates for those of us who are stuck paying or owing OSAP
Expanding access to EI
They opposed the corporate tax breaks and believe in allowing more of the lower income earners to keep our money
And many other platform initiatives that support our social programs.
I think our social programs are the most important part of our society as Canadians. Without them we are unable to afford the way of life we have become accustomed to, and our middle class will disappear forever. We will become more like the States with a deep deep poverty gap that is hard to get out of.
And finally? Because I believe in Jack Layton as a leader.
I know this might sound naive, or silly or whatever, but I met the man a few years back and heard him speak and I honestly believe he was genuine when he made these promises. I think he is the only candidate who speaks honestly and I truly believe that HE believes in what he promises. I think he would be a GOOD Prime Minister.
Aaaaand, that's it. Feel free to comment on this.
-Sara
---
"Out where the river broke
The blood wood and the desert oak
Holden wrecks and boiling diesels
Steam in forty five degrees
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent, now
To pay our share
Four wheels scare the cockatoos
From Kintore East to Yuendemu
The western desert lives and breathes
In forty five degrees
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent, now
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
We're gonna give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning"
'Beds Are Burning'
-Midnight Oil
---