The 2011 Election Discussion/Rant/Rave Thread

[Aemma]

Yes somebody had to start one. It may as well be me.

Yes, I could have blogged this but then, who in hell reads those things anyway? Besides maybe just maybe we can get some good sensible chat generated about this election in our little Apricity World, eh?

Anyway....

Well given last night's bout of insomnia I had quite a bit of time to digest (and get heartburn from) the first of the election campaign promises made thus far. Yesterday, I learned, we were offered the possibility of some tax reform aimed at helping out middle class Canadians in the form of family income splitting. Brilliant, I first thought! Now this could really help families in a very tangible way by helping them keep a bit more of that hard-earned cash they make during the year. But it comes (if it ever will) at a price: a long-term engagement in the form of a balanced budget and an existing majority political mandate.

Despite wanting to scream "Mr Harper, give me something I can use!"--Number One Son will be 18 years old by the time such a scheme could possibly be put into place thus my own family's reaping of such benefits will be ever-so short--I can see where a balanced budget would be beneficial prior to implementing such a scheme. But to ask the Canadian middle class family to help deliver a majority government mandate is short of asking for a miracle. Most of them are tired, just from working and raising kids, not to mention tired of having to go through another election. The way I see it, the timeline is way too long for an election promise and renders the engagement, and campaign promise, meaningless.

I don't know about you but I've never really been fond of long-term engagements. Is it any wonder I feel like a woman who's just been asked for her hand in marriage but given a cheap promise ring instead of a true engagement ring?

[Tolleson]

Is the election over yet?

Can we grow potatoes now?

[anonymaus]

But to ask the Canadian middle class family to help deliver a majority government mandate is short of asking for a miracle. Most of them are tired, just from working and raising kids

This is completely true, and it's an ongoing problem with Western civics: people are simply too busy trying to live their lives to pay much attention to policy and elections.

I would no more suffer a CPC majority than I would any government led by Ignatieff. Red team needs a real leader--it's a shame about Paul Martin.

[Aemma]

This is completely true, and it's an ongoing problem with Western civics: people are simply too busy trying to live their lives to pay much attention to policy and elections.

I would no more suffer a CPC majority than I would any government led by Ignatieff. Red team needs a real leader--it's a shame about Paul Martin.

Yup and you bring up something interesting there too Anon, about the Liberal's leadership. Aside from some of the Conservative campaign which seeks to make us ask the question: "Why did Mr Ignatieff come back to Canada?" I think most thinking people would have asked themselves this question already.

Is Ignatieff here for the right reasons? I'm not sure I can answer this in a positive way. Sadly.

And yes it is too bad about Paul Martin. He was one of the few (if one and onlyin recent times at any rate) fiscally-responsible Liberals this country ever had.

[anonymaus]

Is Ignatieff here for the right reasons? I'm not sure I can answer this in a positive way. Sadly.

And yes it is too bad about Paul Martin. He was one of the few (if one and onlyin recent times at any rate) fiscally-responsible Liberals this country ever had.

It is, unfortunately, fair to simply assume a politician is in the game for the wrong reasons; however, that anybody can be damaged by such accusations bespeaks a rather lower level of cynicism in the populace than most would imagine. Personally I couldn't care less what their reasons are. Any politician who campaigns on a platform and can be trusted--within reason--to see that platform made manifest in law is my ground floor.

That our political scene has lost the likes of Paul Martin, Lucien Bouchard and Preston Manning to circumstances, illness and scheming, is tragic. I just don't see many serious people in the mix today, save Jack Layton, Jim Flaherty and John Manley.

[Aemma]

It is, unfortunately, fair to simply assume a politician is in the game for the wrong reasons; however, that anybody can be damaged by such accusations bespeaks a rather lower level of cynicism in the populace than most would imagine. Personally I couldn't care less what their reasons are. Any politician who campaigns on a platform and can be trusted--within reason--to see that platform made manifest in law is my ground floor.

I think that's the hitch though, the trust factor. I remember Jean Chrétien and his Little Red Book! Yep gonna kill off that GST, it was. And here we are...sloooowly whittling away at it.

That our political scene has lost the likes of Paul Martin, Lucien Bouchard and Preston Manning to circumstances, illness and scheming, is tragic. I just don't see many serious people in the mix today, save Jack Layton, Jim Flaherty and John Manley.

I think I would add Debobrah Grey to that list of good and serious politicians of (the more recent) days gone by.

And to be sure, these aforementioned men are good politicians and represent their respective parties well.

[Grumpy Cat]

I was listening to Jack Layton make a speech this morning in French.

English is his first language and he made an very hilarious mistake. I don't like making fun of people who make a mistake in a language that's not their mother tongue but I couldn't help but laugh.

He said:

"If I am prime minister I will put in special health insurance plans for veterans who have been decapitated."

I think he meant veterans who have lost other limbs (what's that word in English???).

He speaks French very well, otherwise, actually.

I laughed more when he started going on about how effective the NDP government in Nova Scotia was. I thought to myself "Man, they must have given him some good drugs after his hip surgery!"

[SwordoftheVistula]

II think he meant veterans who have lost other limbs (what's that word in English???).

Amputees. Sounds like a French-derived word, so probably the same or close to it in French?

[Grumpy Cat]

I made this LOL at the last election. I rediscovered it when I logged into my Cheezburger account today for the first time since the last one.