Here We Go Again

Once again, campaign signs are popping up on lawns and along highways. Between municipal, provincial, and federal elections it feels as though one barely ends when another begins.

As if we didn’t have enough elections of our own, Canadians also closely follow U.S. campaigns. No wonder it seems like we never get a break.

In Alberta, candidates are currently asking us to put our confidence in them. They smile and wave and knock on doors and try to convince us that they will represent us well.

I’m always conflicted as to whether I should vote for the party I favor even if I don’t like the local candidate, or vote for the candidate I feel a connection to if I don’t like the party they represent.

I wish we could do away with political parties altogether. Politicians could act as educators – explaining issues and options. Online referendums could be used to regularly poll citizens to find out what “the voice of the people” actually is, and a few elected representatives could work together to put those results into practice. I’m sure that would cost less than private jets and committees all the other nonsense we pay for.

Sometimes I wonder if it matters who I vote for since it seems like once elected, they just do their own thing or whatever their party tells them to do.

But my conscience won’t let me avoid the polls. As a citizen of a democracy it is my right and duty to both speak up and vote.  So here we go again – bring on the campaigns.

The Cost of Democracy

(I'm a few months late posting this one!)

It’s been almost a month since we watched the US presidential election with interest.  I thought Governor Romney would have made a fine president.  I believe he has unique business experience and education that could have helped America at this time.

But the majority chose to re-elect President Obama, who also has many great presidential qualities.  I hope his policies and promises will improve circumstances for our neighbours to the south (though I’ve been enjoying the exchange rate the past few years).

Our democratic system allows us to elect those who share our ideas on what government should be doing (or not doing) for the people.  We research, we campaign, we argue, we vote, we wait…  Then we mourn or rejoice.

What comes next is the part I don’t like:  the mud-slinging and criticism.  If they lost, why kick them while they’re down?  If they won, they are now elected officials deserving our support.

I’ve been disappointed at some of the phrases used to describe the election and Mitt Romney, like “crushing defeat” and “cloudy future”.  The swing state percentages were very close, and being only 3 million out of 120 million (roughly) away from winning the popular vote doesn’t sound like a “crushing defeat” to me.  And if someone of retirement age who is independently wealthy and surrounded by a large and loving family has a “cloudy future” then what does that say for the rest of us?

Governor Romney spent a lot of time, money, and energy to give Americans a choice on the ballot.  That alone is worthy of praise, not scorn.

Whether American or Canadian, we should thank all who run in municipal, provincial, and federal elections – including those who lose.  If we don’t, we may find the cost of democracy is that no decent candidates will want to run in the future.

Elections - An Exercise In Trust

I’m taking a break from my bullying articles this week to write about the upcoming election.

Normally, politics is not something I write about, since plenty of other people do.  All I will say about our local candidates is that I was impressed when _____ came to my door.  She seems to be approachable and down-to-earth and I believe that, if re-elected, she will “take honesty and common sense to the table”.  The others I have yet to look into.

Elections are a matter of trust.  Who do you trust enough to represent your voice?

Too many of us rely on opinions in the media or what our friends have to say instead of doing the work of study and research ourselves.  We need to ask questions of our candidates, scour their websites, read factual articles, and know their platforms.

If you wanted to know Canada Post rates, would you talk to the UPS guy?  If you wanted to learn about Catholicism, would you go online to read what an ex-priest had to say or perhaps watch The Exorcist?  Of course not.

But when our votes are swayed by attack campaign ads, someone else’s opinion, a catchy, meaningless slogan, or the sign on your neighbour’s lawn, that is, in effect, what we’re doing.

Discussing opinions and debating issues is fine, but not if that’s the extent of our research.  The smart thing to do is go to the source to find out what they have to say about themselves and their party.  If we mull that information over, make a decision, see how it feels in our gut, and then go to the polls, we can trust ourselves to make the right decision.