Not That You Asked
Jun. 21st, 2004 03:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jamesqSo Allan sent me an email. It was the typical Conservative the-liberals-are-evil-so-your-only-choice-is-to-vote-for-us rant. It was a little annoying because I hadn't really asked for his opinion. On the other hand, he didn't ask for me to send him a bunch of crap back so that makes us even. This post is mostly a reorganization of what I sent him (and others).
In the past I've voted for the Liberals. I thought at the time that they were the only truly national party and I'm a nationalist. That was 1993 and 1997. Prior to that I voted for the Rhinoceros party in 1986 (my first federal election as an adult) and in 1997 I voted PC, not because I liked the PC party per se, but because I got to be part of the great anybody-but-alliance movement that swept through Calgary Center (a riding that sadly no longer exists, having been split into Calgary North Center and Calgary South Center). We elected Joe Clark that year, and every time he shouted down some Alliance bonehead, I cheered.
I had every intention of voting for the Liberals this year, but I've changed my mind over the last several months. It wasn't the sponsorship scandal - Gagliano was clearly behind that and he's not working for us anymore. Frankly the whole episode is irritating and the next I want to hear about it is from the RCMP saying they've charged someone.
It wasn't the general tone of arrogance and disrespect that came from the Chretien government. It was obvious to anyone who pays attention that he and Paul Martin were not friends and would do things differently, so I had no desire to punish one man for another man's sins. Besides, that never works. When the PCs went from a majority government to two seats in the House of Commons way back then (mostly to punish Mulroney, who had already retired), it was Kim Campbell who took it. To add insult to injury, Mulroney claimed that if he was still leader of the PCs they would have won. I haven't quite decided if that was ignorance or hubris of the highest order - maybe it was both.
You just know that if Martin loses, Chretien will be on CBC the next day saying that if he were leader, the Liberals would have won. things like that make me shout at the TV.
Allan's letter pointed out a lot of this stuff. It also had a laundry list of things that were worse now than they were when the Liberals first came to power. The list is noteworthy for having a bunch of statements being flat out incorrect (the value of the dollar, relative to the US dollar decreasing for example). It also didn't point out a lot of bad things about the Conservatives, but it does assume that they're your only other option.
None of that is why I'm not voting Liberal. I'm not voting Liberal because for years, Paul Martin has been talking about how great it's going to be when he's PM and how much stuff he's going to get done when he's PM. Well, he's been PM for six months now, what has he done? Nothing! He had an opportunity to push through legislation legalizing same-sex marriages (and it's going to happen sooner or later). He could have made good on his promise to rebate a portion of the Federal gasoline tax to the cities, like he promised. He did neither.
Instead, he became PM and went into immediate Liberal Election mode - shut up, say nothing, call an election and don't offend anyone.
You can be respected, or you can be liked - you can't be both. Look at Trudeau - he got things done. Pissed a lot of people off doing it though.
Paul Martin want's to be liked - that's why he was so careful for six months not pissing anyone off. The only time I respected him was when he fired those Crown Corporation presidents for mouthing off about the single-mom Olympic athlete. He took a side, and then he took immediate action.
For once he walked the walk. Mostly he just talks the talk and that's not good enough.
So why aren't I voting Conservative (AKA Canadian Alliance AKA Reform)? Mostly I just disagree with them on almost every issue. I'm Pro-choice, I'm for basic human rights for everyone, not just white, straight, males (even though I am a white straight male). I think a Gun registry is a good thing. I think the Wheat Board is a good thing that ultimately helps Western Canadian farmers far more than it hurts them. I think the Kyoto Accord is a good start.
Who are some noteworthy Conservatives in the local area. Well there's Myron Thompson - his necks so red you can cook eggs on it. Art Hanger, the guy who thinks public floggings are something a civilized country should do. Rob Anders the sole MP in the entire country who stood in the way of a unanimous resolution to grant honorary citizenship to Nelson Mandela.
Mostly I disagree with the Conservatives assertion that it's better in the United States and we should do everything in our power to become more like them.
Now don't get me wrong, I think America is a great country - it's a beacon of democracy to the rest of the world in a way Canada will never be, but it's not without it's faults: Too many people without health care. Gun violence is endemic. Confusing Jingoism with Patriotism.
I think Canada has found a better way (also not without it's faults) and we should go forward not backward. The Conservatives seem to think that the lowest common denominator is best. I disagree, I think we should be lighting the way for the rest of the world, not waiting for a grass-roots vote to see if those icky homosexuals should be allowed to have the same rights as the rest of us.
For me it came down to either the New Democrats (who I more-or-less agree with, even though I think Jack Layton needs to be swatted on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper) and the Greens. A vote for the Greens would probably push the country toward being more environmentally friendly - especially if they win a few seats (and they might win a couple).
Problem is, I actually know a guy who's running for the Greens in one of the Calgary ridings, and he's a flake. I don't know if he was attracted to the Greens because he was a flake, or if the Greens accepted him as a candidate because he was a flake, but either scenario does not speak well for them.
That pretty much leaves me voting New Democrat. They're not going to gut health care. They're not anti-union. They're for the environment without being anti-humanity. They're for equal rights for everyone, regardless of gender, orientation, race or religion.
Yeah, they're going to raise taxes - so what? Canada has one of the lowest rates of taxation of any of the western nations (the USA is lower and that's pretty much it). I don't mind paying higher taxes if it means I get something for it, like say a hospital or two.
In the past I've voted for the Liberals. I thought at the time that they were the only truly national party and I'm a nationalist. That was 1993 and 1997. Prior to that I voted for the Rhinoceros party in 1986 (my first federal election as an adult) and in 1997 I voted PC, not because I liked the PC party per se, but because I got to be part of the great anybody-but-alliance movement that swept through Calgary Center (a riding that sadly no longer exists, having been split into Calgary North Center and Calgary South Center). We elected Joe Clark that year, and every time he shouted down some Alliance bonehead, I cheered.
I had every intention of voting for the Liberals this year, but I've changed my mind over the last several months. It wasn't the sponsorship scandal - Gagliano was clearly behind that and he's not working for us anymore. Frankly the whole episode is irritating and the next I want to hear about it is from the RCMP saying they've charged someone.
It wasn't the general tone of arrogance and disrespect that came from the Chretien government. It was obvious to anyone who pays attention that he and Paul Martin were not friends and would do things differently, so I had no desire to punish one man for another man's sins. Besides, that never works. When the PCs went from a majority government to two seats in the House of Commons way back then (mostly to punish Mulroney, who had already retired), it was Kim Campbell who took it. To add insult to injury, Mulroney claimed that if he was still leader of the PCs they would have won. I haven't quite decided if that was ignorance or hubris of the highest order - maybe it was both.
You just know that if Martin loses, Chretien will be on CBC the next day saying that if he were leader, the Liberals would have won. things like that make me shout at the TV.
Allan's letter pointed out a lot of this stuff. It also had a laundry list of things that were worse now than they were when the Liberals first came to power. The list is noteworthy for having a bunch of statements being flat out incorrect (the value of the dollar, relative to the US dollar decreasing for example). It also didn't point out a lot of bad things about the Conservatives, but it does assume that they're your only other option.
None of that is why I'm not voting Liberal. I'm not voting Liberal because for years, Paul Martin has been talking about how great it's going to be when he's PM and how much stuff he's going to get done when he's PM. Well, he's been PM for six months now, what has he done? Nothing! He had an opportunity to push through legislation legalizing same-sex marriages (and it's going to happen sooner or later). He could have made good on his promise to rebate a portion of the Federal gasoline tax to the cities, like he promised. He did neither.
Instead, he became PM and went into immediate Liberal Election mode - shut up, say nothing, call an election and don't offend anyone.
You can be respected, or you can be liked - you can't be both. Look at Trudeau - he got things done. Pissed a lot of people off doing it though.
Paul Martin want's to be liked - that's why he was so careful for six months not pissing anyone off. The only time I respected him was when he fired those Crown Corporation presidents for mouthing off about the single-mom Olympic athlete. He took a side, and then he took immediate action.
For once he walked the walk. Mostly he just talks the talk and that's not good enough.
So why aren't I voting Conservative (AKA Canadian Alliance AKA Reform)? Mostly I just disagree with them on almost every issue. I'm Pro-choice, I'm for basic human rights for everyone, not just white, straight, males (even though I am a white straight male). I think a Gun registry is a good thing. I think the Wheat Board is a good thing that ultimately helps Western Canadian farmers far more than it hurts them. I think the Kyoto Accord is a good start.
Who are some noteworthy Conservatives in the local area. Well there's Myron Thompson - his necks so red you can cook eggs on it. Art Hanger, the guy who thinks public floggings are something a civilized country should do. Rob Anders the sole MP in the entire country who stood in the way of a unanimous resolution to grant honorary citizenship to Nelson Mandela.
Mostly I disagree with the Conservatives assertion that it's better in the United States and we should do everything in our power to become more like them.
Now don't get me wrong, I think America is a great country - it's a beacon of democracy to the rest of the world in a way Canada will never be, but it's not without it's faults: Too many people without health care. Gun violence is endemic. Confusing Jingoism with Patriotism.
I think Canada has found a better way (also not without it's faults) and we should go forward not backward. The Conservatives seem to think that the lowest common denominator is best. I disagree, I think we should be lighting the way for the rest of the world, not waiting for a grass-roots vote to see if those icky homosexuals should be allowed to have the same rights as the rest of us.
For me it came down to either the New Democrats (who I more-or-less agree with, even though I think Jack Layton needs to be swatted on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper) and the Greens. A vote for the Greens would probably push the country toward being more environmentally friendly - especially if they win a few seats (and they might win a couple).
Problem is, I actually know a guy who's running for the Greens in one of the Calgary ridings, and he's a flake. I don't know if he was attracted to the Greens because he was a flake, or if the Greens accepted him as a candidate because he was a flake, but either scenario does not speak well for them.
That pretty much leaves me voting New Democrat. They're not going to gut health care. They're not anti-union. They're for the environment without being anti-humanity. They're for equal rights for everyone, regardless of gender, orientation, race or religion.
Yeah, they're going to raise taxes - so what? Canada has one of the lowest rates of taxation of any of the western nations (the USA is lower and that's pretty much it). I don't mind paying higher taxes if it means I get something for it, like say a hospital or two.
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no subject
Date: 2004-06-21 05:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-22 10:03 am (UTC)Harper on the otherhand reminds me of some kind of reptile. It's his cold, unblinking eyes I think. I just keep expecting his tongue to shoot out of his mouth to snatch a fly.