The Lilith eZine Sunday Edition
Letter from the Editor
While we are saddened that Stephen Harper is still prime minister of Canada, we are overjoyed that he only won a minority government. Just barely. We came very close to seeing the Conservative Party win enough seats to turn back the clock on gay rights, the environment, arts funding, women's issues and a host of other things Harper's conservatives don't consider important enough to spend tax dollars on.
Technically, and this is an important point, gay married couples now pay more taxes than if they were simply single and living together. Thats more money in government coffers. Why would you want to reverse that?
Here's the thing however, and this is a mathematically oddity: Only 61% of Canadian adults over the age of 18 actually voted in the election this past Tuesday.
Of those who did vote the Conservatives got a mere 38%. For those of you who are good at math that means only 23.18% of potential voters actually voted for Stephen Harper's party. Certainly not a vote of confidence.
Part of the problem is young people who don't vote. Indeed quite a few adults don't vote either and its mindbogglingly difficult to comprehend why they don't bother. They either:
A. Don't care about politics.
B. Don't think it will do any good because some politicians are corrupt.
C. Don't think their 1 measly little vote will make much difference. Some MPs win their riding on just a few votes.
D. The politicians are talking about issues (ie. education, university spending & college loans) that don't speak to young people.
E. Think they're too busy, forget, figure the party they hate or like will win anyway, think its all rigged, etc.
F. Some or all of the above.
Years ago when I lived in Prince Edward Island I got into a huge argument with my mother about why I wasn't voting in a local township election. My reasons were: Its a township! I didn't know the candidates, I didn't know what they stood for and I didn't know any of the issues facing the municipality. Even now, living in Toronto, I have yet to vote during a mayor's election or for a member of city council. Same reasons. I simply didn't know enough to care about voting in it.
So could it be young people today think the same way about provincial and national politics? They simply don't know enough to want to vote in it? Ignorance creates apathy.
My answer is ignorance and apathy? Start watching the news and reading newspapers. Politics is like karma. If you don't learn about the issues and vote you get the leaders you deserve.
On November 4th the United States will make a choice between John McCain and Barack Obama. One would hope that people will actually vote in such a historic election in large numbers. If they don't then Americans will get the leader they deserve, not necessarily the one they like.
To paraphrase Mr. T: I pity the fool that doesn't vote.
Sincerely,
Suzanne MacNevin
Editor of the Lilith eZine
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October 6th 2008
The Lilith eZine Sunday Edition
Letter from the Editor
This is a belated Sunday Edition, not only because its Monday, but because its been 2 months since our last Sunday Edition.
For me personally its a busy time of the year teaching. There's also stress, not just from work, but from society and politics.
I have yet to decide whom I shall vote for the August 14th Canadian election for example. Its bothering me because usually I know a month or two in advance whom I intend to vote for. Its also bothering me because Stephen Harper actually has a serious chance of winning a majority government.
And as a teacher working in Canada... that scares me.
Stephen Harper has worked hard to change his public image over the past several years, trying not to appear like the penny-pinching, don't care about the common person, privatize health care, sell out Canada to the USA, censor movies and television, sell the CBC, cut funding to the arts, cut funding to literacy, cut funding to women's shelters and women's programs, puppet for the American Republicans, oil industry pawn, bribery monger, fraud artist, lying, cheating and overall general scumbag that he is.
Instead his minority government has pushed the idea of Stephen Harper as the family man, the hockey lover, the guy who believes in laissez-faire economics... To me laissez-faire doesn't mean hands off. It means lazy. Harper doesn't like to mess around in economics and as a result does nothing about the economy. If the economy goes bad he blames problems in the USA.
Remember the glory days of Jean Chretien? An endless stream of trade missions to Asia, Europe, Africa and South America? He promoted Canadian products and exports overseas so that Canada didn't become so dependent on the American economy. Harper has been too busy trying to get rid of gay marriages and keep Kyoto and environmental change off the table that he has totally ignored promoting Canada overseas.
So in deciding whom to vote for I will be weighing multiple issues: Who will promote Canada overseas? Who will make environmental change for the better? Who will protect the integrity of Canada's health care, education and social programs?
I will tell you it won't be the Green Party. I'm sorry, but the Greens are just contributing to vote splitting and could hand Harper a majority. Canadians afraid of a Harper majority should seriously consider voting strategically this election. I'd rather see a Liberal and NDP coalition than see Harper get a majority.
One last scary thing: Harper still hasn't announced his party's platform for this election. Its a huge secret what his party intends to do... but I can guarantee it will include doing nothing about the environment and further eroding Canada's social programs.
Sincerely,
Suzanne MacNevin
The Art History Archive
Henderson Cisz
The Canada eZine
Uniting the Canadian Left
The Entertainment eZine
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The Fashion eZine
Open-Cup Bras
Nursing Bras
The Health eZine
Smoking in Canada
The Politics eZine
The United States of America - History, Politics and the Decline of as Superpower
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The Five Languages of Love
History's Greatest Lovers
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Letter from the Editor
This is a belated Sunday Edition, not only because its Monday, but because its been 2 months since our last Sunday Edition.
For me personally its a busy time of the year teaching. There's also stress, not just from work, but from society and politics.
I have yet to decide whom I shall vote for the August 14th Canadian election for example. Its bothering me because usually I know a month or two in advance whom I intend to vote for. Its also bothering me because Stephen Harper actually has a serious chance of winning a majority government.
And as a teacher working in Canada... that scares me.
Stephen Harper has worked hard to change his public image over the past several years, trying not to appear like the penny-pinching, don't care about the common person, privatize health care, sell out Canada to the USA, censor movies and television, sell the CBC, cut funding to the arts, cut funding to literacy, cut funding to women's shelters and women's programs, puppet for the American Republicans, oil industry pawn, bribery monger, fraud artist, lying, cheating and overall general scumbag that he is.
Instead his minority government has pushed the idea of Stephen Harper as the family man, the hockey lover, the guy who believes in laissez-faire economics... To me laissez-faire doesn't mean hands off. It means lazy. Harper doesn't like to mess around in economics and as a result does nothing about the economy. If the economy goes bad he blames problems in the USA.
Remember the glory days of Jean Chretien? An endless stream of trade missions to Asia, Europe, Africa and South America? He promoted Canadian products and exports overseas so that Canada didn't become so dependent on the American economy. Harper has been too busy trying to get rid of gay marriages and keep Kyoto and environmental change off the table that he has totally ignored promoting Canada overseas.
So in deciding whom to vote for I will be weighing multiple issues: Who will promote Canada overseas? Who will make environmental change for the better? Who will protect the integrity of Canada's health care, education and social programs?
I will tell you it won't be the Green Party. I'm sorry, but the Greens are just contributing to vote splitting and could hand Harper a majority. Canadians afraid of a Harper majority should seriously consider voting strategically this election. I'd rather see a Liberal and NDP coalition than see Harper get a majority.
One last scary thing: Harper still hasn't announced his party's platform for this election. Its a huge secret what his party intends to do... but I can guarantee it will include doing nothing about the environment and further eroding Canada's social programs.
Sincerely,
Suzanne MacNevin
The Art History Archive
Henderson Cisz
The Canada eZine
Uniting the Canadian Left
The Entertainment eZine
The Napster Revolution
The Fashion eZine
Open-Cup Bras
Nursing Bras
The Health eZine
Smoking in Canada
The Politics eZine
The United States of America - History, Politics and the Decline of as Superpower
The Sex eZine
The Five Languages of Love
History's Greatest Lovers
TO SUBSCRIBE
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