The federal election has so far formulated a strong offensive toward the Conservative Party of Canada, specifically Harper's Conservatives, as we have come to understand our current government as.
Stephen Harper has made it very easy for his opponents and the majority of Canadians to exercise their right to target him and show disdain for his words as much as they do his policies. Again, much of this can easily be explained as a result of a series of Constitutional and Rights no nos. I wont get into to much detail about that though, since I feel I am contributing to the beating of the same old dead horse, since almost everyone by now should understand and feel anger for these past gaffs on the Prime Minister's behalf.
The real reason I wanted to write this post is because I am beginning to feel some sympathy (Albeit minor) for the guy! It is more evident in latest news segments than ever before that the negativity directed to Stephen Harper has become almost something of a political stigma. You can clearly see it in his eyes, the man is not sleeping at night and for good reason. Between his fears of ISIS attacking to the outright protest his party is receiving from average Canadians, I am sure he has come to the realization that this election will most likely not end well in his favor.
Granted, we are currently in a historic election as this is one of the longest running campaigns in Canadian history, but I believe that this will simply become a foot note in the history books as it leads to the birth of an NDP majority government in Ottawa. As seen through political trending the world over, the majority of western countries are turning to parties further on the left in a bid to combat measures that have resulted in severe austerity and major uncertainty among the working class. It isn't surprising that Canadians, much like their European, Asian and American counterparts in turn are looking to the left/socialist parties to support them, since these parties seem to be the only ones actually working toward helping the average Joe, as opposed to focusing on the rich, whom are often considered the job creators and as such deserve it.
No, Stephen Harper's mirror at home is one that is shattered, since every time he looks into it he has to witness not only the reality of the situation, but also what he has become and will essentially leave behind. That is a country that no longer mirrors its past traditions and as such is at a stand still among the world stage. A country that at one time was a resource based powerhouse and a force for peace and understanding internationally. No, unfortunately, Stephen Harper has changed Canada, much like he has changed himself into something else. Something that resembles more a creation born of American style politics and Neoliberalism.
One thing that no one can deny Harper though...he has maintained a strong control over his party and both the information and questions related to it. Unfortunately for him though, this will most likely lead to the historic rise of the NDP to power, accompanied by a Liberal opposition led by Justin Trudeau.
We may be offering Harper hugs soon enough once this election is over and maybe then, he will come to the realization that even after spending as much time and money as he did to deny reality, it came around anyways and gave him a crude awakening.
Until Next Time!
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Politics and Technology
I wonder if in the future politicians will just post their credentials
on social media during an election, much like we currently do on sites
like Tinder. Then the electorate will just swipe left or right based on
who they like for the job.
Party platforms, emotional contributions and expressions of care limited not by the audience, but by a character limit of 189.
What happens when we further allow the events of close to home to be broadcast for the world to see online?
A social engineering continued to allow not only Canadians, but the world to partake in the affairs of an election.
After all...we all have to eat, we all have to sleep, almost all of us pay taxes and as such we all care for our families. I would hope everyone wishes to avoid corruption and accepts the promotion of a free and fair system, but who knows really.
Yes...a day when our technology becomes so secure, so advanced that even our elections, as fragile as they are, become the next client of some social media giant. Would probably cost a lot less to implement, when you ignore the fees imposed contractually by whomever hosts the software.
Maybe this is our (un)natural progression required to become the people of science fiction, like a stepping stone closer to Star Trek and a world united.
What do you think?
Party platforms, emotional contributions and expressions of care limited not by the audience, but by a character limit of 189.
What happens when we further allow the events of close to home to be broadcast for the world to see online?
A social engineering continued to allow not only Canadians, but the world to partake in the affairs of an election.
After all...we all have to eat, we all have to sleep, almost all of us pay taxes and as such we all care for our families. I would hope everyone wishes to avoid corruption and accepts the promotion of a free and fair system, but who knows really.
Yes...a day when our technology becomes so secure, so advanced that even our elections, as fragile as they are, become the next client of some social media giant. Would probably cost a lot less to implement, when you ignore the fees imposed contractually by whomever hosts the software.
Maybe this is our (un)natural progression required to become the people of science fiction, like a stepping stone closer to Star Trek and a world united.
What do you think?
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Federal Election/Star Wars
I thought I would take the Star Wars/Federal Election 2015 crossover and have some fun with it.
Please spread around with your friends and enjoy! :P
And of course...
Please spread around with your friends and enjoy! :P
And of course...
 |
| "If elected, I will increase the number of reserves to 30,000." |
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
3 Topics that (Probably) Wont Be Discussed This Election
One thing I want to straighten out with everyone is why I am not a fan of Stephen Harper. People wonder why Harper gets so much flak and what basis this attack has in general. What most people do not realize and what I have come to understand as my major beef with the Prime Minister is how he utilizes fear and the uncertainty it creates in Canadians in order to side step major issues that frankly aren't being dealt with. So much so, that every time you see a new attack ad or a new speech from the Prime Minister, you are witnessing time wasted that could be used to discuss important topics that are currently affecting Canadians and impacting our economy.
So...I wanted to make mention of some of these important topics and give them some attention as their importance does not disappear as a result of Harper's constant fear mongering.
Poverty:
Time and again we have heard and will once again hear Stephen Harper argue that a vote for him is a vote for economic stability and prosperity. Yet, we as a collective in Canada have seen little to nothing done in order to combat the major issue of poverty affecting people living in this country aside from small initiatives that continue to waste money discussing options that seem like they might work.
No real platform has been established by any party really that aims to actually defeat poverty. Justin Trudeau makes mention of growing the middle class and protecting them, yet I doubt we will see exactly how he plans to do this aside from cutting taxes and improving services made available to working Canadians.
What we definitely will not see in the coming months is any talk about growing our middle class by...you know shrinking our low income class and working poor in Canada. This would require all three parties to commit to the promotion of a living wage and employment that actually allows people to raise a family and have enough money to buy things...in other words stimulate the economy.
No, most likely we will witness talk about how the NDP will bankrupt the country with its social programs and how Justin will ruin the economy with his inexperience since this type of work requires experience and not an entry level bum or socialists, which is sad.
Meanwhile, many forget that Harper was once an entry level Prime Minister who had no problem taking a surplus economy and running it straight into the ground by making the very economic bets that led to the recession of 2008. No one saw the recession coming he says, but everyone knows you don't put all your eggs in one oil barrel.
Stephen Harper will for sure run on the premise that his government has created a slew of jobs, when in reality these jobs have been nothing more than the replacement of good work with low paying service positions.
Green Technology:
While you will hear more about carbon taxation in the coming months and a lot of buzz attacking it from the Conservatives, you will most likely not hear anything about actual efforts to combat the destruction of our environment.
No, most of this chatter will continue to rely on the broken system we are currently living in, where we strictly talk about oil as if it is the chosen child and do everything we can to avoid making mention of improving the technology of renewable energy sources and you know tying the economy into it as well.
Unfortunately, the economy and the environment will remain two separate issues, when in reality many people understand that they are nothing close to that.
While we should be hearing our parties discussing how to create a good paying "Made in Canada" solution to the problem, we will instead hear about the horrible consequences of carbon taxation. Which really is sad, because the world over is currently investigating ways to make solar panel technology and turbine technology much more efficient and cost effective and instead of supporting some excellent home grown initiatives here, our government has instead cut funding to many of these research projects. So, we for sure will not be hearing about the possibility of socializing climate change in an effort to really push the technology and ideas needed to affect real change.
Mental Illness:
Canada still lacks a proper mental health initiative that spans system wide. I could spend a multitude of days discussing the importance of said initiative and type until my laptop is dust, but what it comes down to is the fact that there are Canadians suffering and in need of proper help and because they lack this assistance and the proper research behind it, our country is entering a stage where our jails and prisons are becoming increasingly utilized as a next resort. Crime rates are decreasing, but those suffering from mental illness are still doing so without the necessary assistance.
And still...noone will mention this during a debate or even have the balls to run on a platform that does anything to combat it.
The first party to mention all three of these items should win the election by default?
What do you think?
So...I wanted to make mention of some of these important topics and give them some attention as their importance does not disappear as a result of Harper's constant fear mongering.
Poverty:
Time and again we have heard and will once again hear Stephen Harper argue that a vote for him is a vote for economic stability and prosperity. Yet, we as a collective in Canada have seen little to nothing done in order to combat the major issue of poverty affecting people living in this country aside from small initiatives that continue to waste money discussing options that seem like they might work.
No real platform has been established by any party really that aims to actually defeat poverty. Justin Trudeau makes mention of growing the middle class and protecting them, yet I doubt we will see exactly how he plans to do this aside from cutting taxes and improving services made available to working Canadians.
What we definitely will not see in the coming months is any talk about growing our middle class by...you know shrinking our low income class and working poor in Canada. This would require all three parties to commit to the promotion of a living wage and employment that actually allows people to raise a family and have enough money to buy things...in other words stimulate the economy.
No, most likely we will witness talk about how the NDP will bankrupt the country with its social programs and how Justin will ruin the economy with his inexperience since this type of work requires experience and not an entry level bum or socialists, which is sad.
Meanwhile, many forget that Harper was once an entry level Prime Minister who had no problem taking a surplus economy and running it straight into the ground by making the very economic bets that led to the recession of 2008. No one saw the recession coming he says, but everyone knows you don't put all your eggs in one oil barrel.
Stephen Harper will for sure run on the premise that his government has created a slew of jobs, when in reality these jobs have been nothing more than the replacement of good work with low paying service positions.
Green Technology:
While you will hear more about carbon taxation in the coming months and a lot of buzz attacking it from the Conservatives, you will most likely not hear anything about actual efforts to combat the destruction of our environment.
No, most of this chatter will continue to rely on the broken system we are currently living in, where we strictly talk about oil as if it is the chosen child and do everything we can to avoid making mention of improving the technology of renewable energy sources and you know tying the economy into it as well.
Unfortunately, the economy and the environment will remain two separate issues, when in reality many people understand that they are nothing close to that.
While we should be hearing our parties discussing how to create a good paying "Made in Canada" solution to the problem, we will instead hear about the horrible consequences of carbon taxation. Which really is sad, because the world over is currently investigating ways to make solar panel technology and turbine technology much more efficient and cost effective and instead of supporting some excellent home grown initiatives here, our government has instead cut funding to many of these research projects. So, we for sure will not be hearing about the possibility of socializing climate change in an effort to really push the technology and ideas needed to affect real change.
Mental Illness:
Canada still lacks a proper mental health initiative that spans system wide. I could spend a multitude of days discussing the importance of said initiative and type until my laptop is dust, but what it comes down to is the fact that there are Canadians suffering and in need of proper help and because they lack this assistance and the proper research behind it, our country is entering a stage where our jails and prisons are becoming increasingly utilized as a next resort. Crime rates are decreasing, but those suffering from mental illness are still doing so without the necessary assistance.
And still...noone will mention this during a debate or even have the balls to run on a platform that does anything to combat it.
The first party to mention all three of these items should win the election by default?
What do you think?
Stop Harperection 2015: Who to Vote For!
So...unsurprisingly Stephen Harper has officially dropped the writ over the long weekend and is now in fighting mode to remain top dog, er...cat in Canada.
The latest poll shows the NDP with a rather large margin ahead of the Conservatives, while the Liberals are still trying to pick up all the pieces after the barrage of bombings from the Justin Trudeau Ads continues. These polls, while very early in the game, will most likely not change much throughout the entire election. That is, unless Trudeau and his team can pull off enough hail Mary's and win major riding's. These riding's will most likely be in urban left leaning cities or as the media calls them...Toronto.
Predicting an election, much like calling out who you think is the best to vote for is difficult in even the best circumstances. Each party has pros and cons attached to them that make them attractive to certain voters and distasteful to others.
This election will bring with it deja vu from the most recent Ontario election, where Kathleen Wynne rallied enough support to look past her errors and defeat the boogeyman Tim Hudak. The question that remains now is what happens when the boogeyman also has a strong list of errors associated with his performance and is utilizing the same tactic? Harper is already preaching to the masses that a vote for him is a vote for stability during uncertain times. Times where other countries are on the rebound and our economy has decided to take a roller coaster drop.
The most important objective for any of the three main parties would be to rally the support for the undecided/non-voters from last election and trust me there were many. That group alone could give any of the parties a huge majority if they were mobilized in their favor.
As for me, I would personally advise that the removal of Stephen Harper from office is the ultimate goal of this election. This will ultimately require a change in voting styles dependent on where you live.
If you happen to live in a riding where a Liberal incumbent holds power, vote Liberal, if you live in an NDP zone, vote NDP. If you live in a riding where its a close race between either the Liberals and NDP with the Conservatives, then you have some research to do on political trends in the past and current numbers to decide who will reign victorious over Harper.
The most important thing Canadians need to remember during this election is that Harper is going to do everything he can to ensure his team scares the crap out of you considering a Liberal or NDP vote and if possible will stop you from voting, either by making you sick to your stomach over his stupid ads or by making you so apathetic that you decide to stay in and watch TV on election night and not vote at all.
I will most likely be voting NDP in the Hamilton East-Stoney Creek riding as our NDP incumbent is not only a solid politician, but one who cares about those he serves and about the legacy he leaves behind for future Canadians.
Until Next Time for more election discussion!
The latest poll shows the NDP with a rather large margin ahead of the Conservatives, while the Liberals are still trying to pick up all the pieces after the barrage of bombings from the Justin Trudeau Ads continues. These polls, while very early in the game, will most likely not change much throughout the entire election. That is, unless Trudeau and his team can pull off enough hail Mary's and win major riding's. These riding's will most likely be in urban left leaning cities or as the media calls them...Toronto.
Predicting an election, much like calling out who you think is the best to vote for is difficult in even the best circumstances. Each party has pros and cons attached to them that make them attractive to certain voters and distasteful to others.
This election will bring with it deja vu from the most recent Ontario election, where Kathleen Wynne rallied enough support to look past her errors and defeat the boogeyman Tim Hudak. The question that remains now is what happens when the boogeyman also has a strong list of errors associated with his performance and is utilizing the same tactic? Harper is already preaching to the masses that a vote for him is a vote for stability during uncertain times. Times where other countries are on the rebound and our economy has decided to take a roller coaster drop.
The most important objective for any of the three main parties would be to rally the support for the undecided/non-voters from last election and trust me there were many. That group alone could give any of the parties a huge majority if they were mobilized in their favor.
As for me, I would personally advise that the removal of Stephen Harper from office is the ultimate goal of this election. This will ultimately require a change in voting styles dependent on where you live.
If you happen to live in a riding where a Liberal incumbent holds power, vote Liberal, if you live in an NDP zone, vote NDP. If you live in a riding where its a close race between either the Liberals and NDP with the Conservatives, then you have some research to do on political trends in the past and current numbers to decide who will reign victorious over Harper.
The most important thing Canadians need to remember during this election is that Harper is going to do everything he can to ensure his team scares the crap out of you considering a Liberal or NDP vote and if possible will stop you from voting, either by making you sick to your stomach over his stupid ads or by making you so apathetic that you decide to stay in and watch TV on election night and not vote at all.
I will most likely be voting NDP in the Hamilton East-Stoney Creek riding as our NDP incumbent is not only a solid politician, but one who cares about those he serves and about the legacy he leaves behind for future Canadians.
Until Next Time for more election discussion!
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Something Scary Happened 3 Days Ago...
A few days ago I posted this link on www.Indeed.ca to correspond with my blog entry and make a point about the state of affairs in the Canadian job market, but also in our leadership.
What still makes me feel uneasy is the direct feelings that went through me when I was about to click confirm and actually make the link go live. A sense of fear and uneasiness took over as I began thinking of the strong possibility that I would either get into a lot of trouble or be arrested for posting this job advertisement for my blog.
Looking back on those feelings of 3 days ago, I have reinforced the reality that is Canada in 2015. The very fact that I had to second guess my actions and fear physical persecution in a country that believes in freedom of speech and transparency among its elected officials is ridiculous.
Not to mention...who am I that my words are strong enough to gain the attention of the Prime Minister or his campaign party?
This intense feeling and insecurity is what I believe has paralyzed not only the Canadian political system in general, but the ability of average Canadians to have their voices heard and thus partake in the political system.
We get this feeling that our elected officials and those running to be elected are somehow superstars or people above us that often times leads us to show a great amount of respect, but why? Why should I as a free Canadian feel afraid to speak my voice and use the written word to make a point? (Bill C-51).
Furthermore, why should we as Canadians not take part in the political system more often and discuss it in more detail? (Money, lack of employment stability, fear, Bill-C51 & Stephen Harper).
I wish I had the opportunity to speak with Stephen Harper personally over a coffee, because while he may be the nicest guy in the world on a personal level, I really just want to break down the reasoning for so much of his actions, which are most likely symptoms of utter fear.
I don't know...what do you all think? Do you feel comfortable voicing your political opinions online or in public with your face and your name? Have you felt this insecurity regarding your freedom of opinion and voice?
Until Next Time...
What still makes me feel uneasy is the direct feelings that went through me when I was about to click confirm and actually make the link go live. A sense of fear and uneasiness took over as I began thinking of the strong possibility that I would either get into a lot of trouble or be arrested for posting this job advertisement for my blog.
Looking back on those feelings of 3 days ago, I have reinforced the reality that is Canada in 2015. The very fact that I had to second guess my actions and fear physical persecution in a country that believes in freedom of speech and transparency among its elected officials is ridiculous.
Not to mention...who am I that my words are strong enough to gain the attention of the Prime Minister or his campaign party?
This intense feeling and insecurity is what I believe has paralyzed not only the Canadian political system in general, but the ability of average Canadians to have their voices heard and thus partake in the political system.
We get this feeling that our elected officials and those running to be elected are somehow superstars or people above us that often times leads us to show a great amount of respect, but why? Why should I as a free Canadian feel afraid to speak my voice and use the written word to make a point? (Bill C-51).
Furthermore, why should we as Canadians not take part in the political system more often and discuss it in more detail? (Money, lack of employment stability, fear, Bill-C51 & Stephen Harper).
I wish I had the opportunity to speak with Stephen Harper personally over a coffee, because while he may be the nicest guy in the world on a personal level, I really just want to break down the reasoning for so much of his actions, which are most likely symptoms of utter fear.
I don't know...what do you all think? Do you feel comfortable voicing your political opinions online or in public with your face and your name? Have you felt this insecurity regarding your freedom of opinion and voice?
Until Next Time...
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