To Liberal or not to Liberal

An interesting thing happened to me on the way back from a BNI meeting this morning, I changed the radio station from the sports station, TEAM990 to this new news station, 940NEWS, that I saw advertised in the Montreal Gazette. This is fascinating for two reasons: one, I always listen to sports radio; and two, I have been completely disinterested in the political process during this election cycle.
I mean look at the choices:
MARTIN, The Right Hon. Paul Edgar Philippe, P.C., Hon. B.A., LL.B. (most of us refer to him as Prime Minister Paul Martin)- Liberal Party, which means scandals, corruption, and more damn scandals. The liberals want to maintain the high tax pressures on Canadians; living up to the creed of Liberals worldwide, which is to tax and spend, bigger government, scandals, more scandals, and more damn scandals.
HARPER, The Hon. Stephen Joseph, P.C., B.A., M.A. Stephen Harper- Conservative Party, which means that though the message seems to make sense- smaller government, and less taxes- we need only to look a little south of us to see where those promises actually lead- higher deficits and more poverty.
DUCEPPE, Gilles Gilles Duceppe- Bloc Quebecois. An interesting party, the Bloc, hand in hand with the Parti Quebecois, the message is let us use the federal government to try to break up this beautiful country called Canada. Gilles Duceppe is the only politician I know campaigning not to be a federal politician anymore; unless of course the Bloc has finally abandoned the notion of separation and is now working to make Canada an even better place to live.
LAYTON, The Hon. Jack, P.C., B.A., M.A., Ph.D. Jack Layton- NDP. If you thought the Liberals like to tax and spend, you ain't seen nothing yet if an NDP government becomes elected. Matter of fact, the NDP would probably bypass the whole taxing part and simply spend, spend, spend.
As previously mentioned, I was completely disinterested in the process this time around, since I find the whole process disingenuous- politicians lie to us, we believe it, and then we complain that they lie to us- it can become quite discouraging. I figured I would just simply vote Conservative again as I did in the last election. Some of you may be shocked by that, but in the last election, I felt that the Liberals were getting a little too comfy and too arrogant with the power that we Canadians had given them for so long- some may say too long.
I like the Liberal Party, actually had a card in my pocket when I went and voted for the Conservatives; it felt a little traitorous, but it had to be done. I reasoned that the only thing my vote would do is force them into a minority government where they would have to pay closer heed to the wishes of Canadians, over and above the needs and wishes of the Liberal Party. That reasoning seemed to work out well, kind of- we did get that minority government, but did they really hear the message?
This time around, I thought to myself- self, vote Conservative again. If they win, it will be a minority government: Harper would have a window of opportunity to prove that he is not "that kind" of Conservative, and the Liberals would need to fight to win back my vote. Then, I changed that radio station, as previously mentioned to 940NEWS.
It was an engaging conversation between the Hon. Marlene Jennings and the Hon. John Reynolds moderated by Aphrodite Salas. The discussion was about attack ads and there were a few striking exchanges, with one being the key. John Reynolds had mentioned to Marlene Jennings, in his defense of Stephen Harper, that the words and positions attributed to Stephen Harper were taken out of context. She gleefully responded that if that is the case, here is the opportunity for him to tell us, the listener, how those words and positions were taken out of context and to place them in what he felt were the correct context. His response to that made me question my semi-made up mind to vote Conservative. It was in fact a non-answer, and also forced me to listen a little closer to the Harper message.
Part of that message soon came out in an exchange a short time later, when Reynolds tried to attack Jennings as an America-hater; asserting that the Conservative party loved America, loved Americans, and would pretty much embrace/cozy up to the US administration. Now my mind is semi-made up to vote Liberal.
The Conservative party is using a few of the same divide and conquer tactics that made George Bush, the Republican Party, and conservatism a success in the USA- the politics of division. Cast the other side as evil, immoral, and depraved, while casting your side as the exact opposite- the saviour of the people. Who would want to be on the side of the bad guys? The time has come to expose this tactic for what it is- brutally dishonest, unethical, and fiendish.
What Reynolds and Harper fail to realize, is that disagreement, does not equate to hate. Mistrust does not equate to evil. Caution does not equate to abandonment. What Reynolds and Harper fail to realize is that Canadians want a government that will look out for the interests, morals, and well-being of Canadians first and foremost. Canadians do not need a government that will cast aside our moral clarity in pursuit of appeasement of our powerful neighbour. Above all else, is that they fail to realize that not having faith in a US administration does not translate into a rabid hatred of all things American.
The last few years have proved that we do not always agree with our friends to the south, but it has also proved that our neighbours to the south have no problems abrogating treaties, reneging on contracts, and ignoring world courts if the political motivation is to extort our support for something we, as Canadians, feel is unacceptable. This continuing tactic of a powerful oppressive force, attempting to use that power to coerce a smaller less powerful neighbour is nothing short of shameful. It is a tactic more suited to despots and dictators than for a country which used to be known as holding the moral high-ground over the aforementioned despots and dictators.
The US does not unjustifiably attack people, the US has historically defended the attacked. The US does not wage war for the sake of waging war, the US has historically protected the world from others who would commit such grievous sins. The US does not lie, cheat and steal its way into conflict, the US historically has stood up to those that do. So much for the world's policeman, say hello to the world's- you are with us or against us, war causing, war waging, bully machine.
Don't get me wrong, I do not dislike President Bush- I don't really know him on a personal level- but I have witnessed what his administration has wrought since 2001, and the results are unacceptable to Canadians. I will admit, that I may be the first casualty of the attack ads in this dirty political war but really, when it comes to the US, do Reynolds and Harper really want to cozy up to what is arguably the most corrupt, the most distrusted, the most lying regime in US history? If yes, why; if no, why not?