Salutations Cyberspace.
I hope that you are well this morning. While I was thinking of what to write about today, I was perusing today's news stories and there was nothing that really jumped out at me. Then I started to notice a common theme - Canadian discontent with the Harper government and the moves it's been making since finally gaining the majority. I could sit and rag on some of these issues, such as the F-35 debacle or the defense cuts. But you know me, Cyberspace...I want to tango with the bigger issue at stake here - the misrepresentation of the Canadian people and how to beat it.
I'm sure that you know how the political system works in Canada...each riding elects an official to represent them and that individual is responsible for voting on the issues on behalf of the people he or she was elected by. With all the apparent unrest among the population, however, it seems as though there are more and more elected officials representing their own ideas as opposed to the ideas of the people. I have an extremely cheap way of circumventing this.
I propose that each bill put before the House of Commons be voted on by the actual people of the country. Yes - I'm suggesting that we have a referendum on every single issue. Sure, even ten years ago this may have sounded absolutely absurd...but now there isn't a single person I know that doesn't use the internet. So why not hire a company for a year to develop secure referendum software - this eliminates any problems with voter confusion, (such as the misinformation given to voters during the robocall scandal) allows each individual person's voice to be heard and eliminates political bribery. Not to mention the amount of elected officials that would no longer be needed, (you know...those ones who represent the people for five years and then get an $80,000/year pension for the rest of their lives that come directly from our tax dollars) which automatically gives our economy a boost.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not against elected officials. I am against corporations and banks being able to sway votes based on bribery, promises of financial security and other means that I'm sure I am unaware of. I believe that there are some honest politicians, and I believe that their jobs are unbelievably important to our country. But when there's so much wealth controlled by such a small group, that group has the power to sway votes - it's a fact. With great power comes great responsibility and I feel as though this responsibility should belong to the population of Canada - a true democracy.
Think about the recently passed Bill C-10 (if you don't know what this is, you can read a little bit about this ridiculousness here) which has some valid points, (such as minimum sentences for child sex offenders) but also has some MAJOR violations (such as giving the gov't the ability to deny any immigrant a work permit for no reason, mandatory jail sentences that put somebody caught with a single marijuana joint away longer than the aforementioned child sex offender, the right of any "victim of terror" to sue any accused "terrorist", so on and so forth) of Canadian rights and liberties. I would have loved to vote on that bill (it almost didn't make it through parliament) and had my views properly expressed.
I might be crazy. To me, this makes sense. It strips power from the government and gives it back to the people - after all in a true democracy the government abides by the wants of the people, not the other way around (people scared of the gov't and feeling completely powerless to change any of their policies) which is what we seem to have right now. I mean, it even seems completely ridiculous to me that we have the Conservative party on the right wing and both the NDP and Liberal party on the left. Doesn't this stack the odds incredibly in Conservative favour?
Anyway, I've ranted enough. My point - let's give the power back to the people.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestion are encouraged and appreciated!
PS - Big thanks to John Lennon for the title - you are sorely missed.
Just thought I'd reply by posting lyrics from a Blue Rodeo song written many years ago directed at the Mulroney government of the time. Funny how these words still ring through 20 years later.
ReplyDeleteSo good at doing, what you don't do
Just trying to protect yourself and other fools like you
So well practiced in your deceit
Behind the high walls of stupidity, your endless conceit
Behind the locked door, the sleeping dog you beat, I hope I see the day she satisfies her teeth
What you preach you preach for others
Why don't you practice that first hand
And will the profits of destruction
Forever make your eyes blind
Do you bow to the corporations
Cause they pay their bills on time?
An older critical stranger