So Canada now has a Liberal minority government. They took 135 seats. 155 is the magic number needed to form a majority government, but the thinking is that they will seek NDP support for moves they want to make, and thereby have the strength necessary. Martin, of course, is crowing his delight over the results and shooting his mouth off about the "voters having spoken". Yep, some of the voters have spoken, but that's just the problem.
We have the incredible luxury of casting a vote in safety, free from censure and fear. We have the right to make our wishes about the governing party known, here in Canada. Compare an election in this country to, say, one in Haiti, or so many other places you could name. Yet, only 60.3% of Canada's voters cast their ballot in this election, and that's the lowest turnout since 1898. You can bet, however, that there will be 101% turnout for complaining about how the government does things, for just as long as it lasts. No minority government in Canada's history has lasted more than two years, at the most. The lazy louts who couldn't be bothered to get off their asses yesterday and "speak their mind" may not have long to laze about in their comfortable routine of bitch and whine before they'll have to come up with another handy-dandy excuse for not going to cast their vote in the next federal election.
I have seen this whole routine played out so many times in the classroom, in miniature imitation of the adult world. So many of the kids are incredibly adept, at pretty early ages, at giving detailed explanations as to why the whole world (or, at least the kid seated beside them) is responsible for their miserable performance. They give any and every aspect of their school life the minimum of effort, and then the energy they could have spent in pursuit of excellence, they expend, instead, on blaming everybody but themselves for how things turn out. It's no different out there where the adults spend their days. "Oh God, this must be the worst government we've had since (fill in the blank). I can't believe the decision they've made about (fill in the blank). This is going to hit us so hard! And furthermore ... what? Me? Go to vote? No, I'm (pick any one of the following) *too busy that morning/afternoon/evening *not sure my vote will accomplish anything *purposely avoiding voting as a form of protest.
I love that last one especially. I know Paul Martin is likely consumed with chagrin about all those "non-vote protests". No, wait a minute, maybe it's Harper unable to look himself in the face, or, I guess it could be Layton. Just who the hell is it who you indolent idiots supposedly slapped in the face with your absence from the polls?
If you really want to know who you affected with your puerile laziness, why don't you non-voters go stand in front of the mirror and take a really good look at the person you treated like a fool?
We have the incredible luxury of casting a vote in safety, free from censure and fear. We have the right to make our wishes about the governing party known, here in Canada. Compare an election in this country to, say, one in Haiti, or so many other places you could name. Yet, only 60.3% of Canada's voters cast their ballot in this election, and that's the lowest turnout since 1898. You can bet, however, that there will be 101% turnout for complaining about how the government does things, for just as long as it lasts. No minority government in Canada's history has lasted more than two years, at the most. The lazy louts who couldn't be bothered to get off their asses yesterday and "speak their mind" may not have long to laze about in their comfortable routine of bitch and whine before they'll have to come up with another handy-dandy excuse for not going to cast their vote in the next federal election.
I have seen this whole routine played out so many times in the classroom, in miniature imitation of the adult world. So many of the kids are incredibly adept, at pretty early ages, at giving detailed explanations as to why the whole world (or, at least the kid seated beside them) is responsible for their miserable performance. They give any and every aspect of their school life the minimum of effort, and then the energy they could have spent in pursuit of excellence, they expend, instead, on blaming everybody but themselves for how things turn out. It's no different out there where the adults spend their days. "Oh God, this must be the worst government we've had since (fill in the blank). I can't believe the decision they've made about (fill in the blank). This is going to hit us so hard! And furthermore ... what? Me? Go to vote? No, I'm (pick any one of the following) *too busy that morning/afternoon/evening *not sure my vote will accomplish anything *purposely avoiding voting as a form of protest.
I love that last one especially. I know Paul Martin is likely consumed with chagrin about all those "non-vote protests". No, wait a minute, maybe it's Harper unable to look himself in the face, or, I guess it could be Layton. Just who the hell is it who you indolent idiots supposedly slapped in the face with your absence from the polls?
If you really want to know who you affected with your puerile laziness, why don't you non-voters go stand in front of the mirror and take a really good look at the person you treated like a fool?
1 Comments:
Well, you certainly didn't hold back the vinegar there! I agree, 100%. People seem to forget that a democracy is everyone's responsibility -- if we don't all pool our collective effort to tend it, it will waste away and die. 60.3% turnout -- yup, dying.
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