is Voting more a
responsibility than a right?
Introduction
I have grown up with the media telling me to “get out and vote”, “exercise your right to vote”, and “everybody needs to vote”. After a while I started realizing that sometimes I was “not entitled to an opinion” (to vote) because I knew so little about what was going on. Voting in ignorance is dangerous! Imagine where Canadian Banks would be if their leaders were elected in the same way we elect people to run our Country, Provinces, Cities and Towns! How about Cameco, Potash Corp or Shopify? Would these organizations be as strong as they are now or would they be falling apart and in massive debt like most Democratic Governments are today?
Note: I am not saying that our governments are directly comparable to corporations, but they have a lot in common, especially with Social Enterprises.
Consequences of Voting in Ignorance
The most common type of voter appears to choose who they would like to be friends with or are attracted to for other emotional or physical reasons. Qualities of the heart are very important, but without a well developed mind, “good intentions can pave a path to hell”. Let’s look at Justin Trudeau as an example.
The Leader of the Liberal Party choose a career as a Teacher of Math, French, Humanities, and Drama; Big Red Flag for he and the Liberal Party in general! I am not saying anything bad about these subjects or being a Teacher, but know your role! In general, leading a Political Party and being Prime Minister requires a vastly different skill set; unfortunately, getting elected favours acting abilities and having a knowledge of Psychology (a Humanity). This needs to change (Democratic/Electoral Reform)! His good looks, charm, and father's legacy - none of which are valuable credentials for leading a Political Party, let alone an entire Country - are things Marketing/Campaigning Experts know helps win votes from people who in general do not know what is going on. These acts are undermining of our Democracy, has become too accepted by the public, and needs to result in voter denying these Candidates and Parties their support/votes.
Core Credentials of Party Leaders
Justin Trudeau got a degree in Literature and Education, and was a teacher of Math, French, Humanities, and Drama. Very underwhelming.
Jagmeet Singh was a Criminal Defence Lawyer. This is something, but not directly applicable to Canada's Top Priorities.
Erin O'Toole was first active in the Canadian Air Force before getting a Law Degree and becoming a Business Lawyer. These are Good Prime Minster Credentials!
Annamie Paul has been active in Politics since the age of 12 and has a Law Degree with a Masters in Public Affairs. These are Great Prime Minster Credentials!
It would be nice to have the best of both O’Toole and Paul in one person. Maybe they should have a baby ;) ? This probably isn’t going to happen, so the best we can hope for is that they forge a good working relationship (article) and their Parties have near equal leading representation in Parliament.
Need more convincing to boycott the Liberal Paty? Let’s look at some of the stumbles of their Leadership, such as assigning multiple unqualified people to run our Ministries, sometimes resulting in large scale problems. The misuse and gross misuse of tax dollars (ex. giving lots to a criminal and not veterans, giving lots to profitable corporations and not struggling small businesses, etc); sometimes clearly for selfish reasons (ex. building a 2nd Prime Minister’s Manson, letting his wife spend a million dollars to renovate an office and hiring 15 or so of her friends to “help plan her day”, etc). Other authors have done a better job at summarizing the misfortune of how they capitalized on Justin Trudeau’s marketing features and the terrible performance Liberal Leadership. This type of governing and campaign manipulation under-minds and weakens our Democracy. It cannot be accepted!
I actually feel sorry for Justin because I believe he is a compassionate person who wants to do good in an arena where compassion is underrepresented. I would like to see him remain in the House of Commons, but not as a Party Leader, and defiantly not as Prime Minister.
I can appreciate the Liberals desire for the Snap Election of 2021 because if they take more seats, faster decisions can be made and this is valuable. I hope this backfires on them because as summarized above, they are clearly not doing a good job. Considering everything above, as well as the fact this rushed election was called as the COVID-19 Delta Variant was just starting to establish itself - we knew the extreme risks because the UK had already gone through a very similar situation – the Liberals do not deserve one vote. No more Liberals for awhile Canada. Not one vote! Boycott them and any other Party that tries to manipulate us or performs so poorly.
Platform Independence
It has become common, and wrongfully accepted by the public for Candidates to be nothing more than Political Puppets. Many Parties suppress independent opinion, requiring Candidates represent the Platform and nothing else. It has gone so far that some Candidates do not even answer the questions media sends to them and have others write their articles and speeches. This is fraud!!!! The voter wants to know about who they are voting for, not the people pulling their strings. Note: I write 100% of my own content and answer all in the moment as we should be - authentic!).
If we start to shun these acts - as we should be - and start encouraging perspectives independent of the platform when they exist, the voters may focus more on the Candidates in their riding and less on Party Leaders. The Leaders need to be recognized, but even more so the Candidates because there is no point sending a puppet to the House of Commons. We need creative and intelligent individuals to contribute to the decisions making process.
How come Candidates do not post their resumes? Isn’t this crucial information? Remember, Elections are how we as a collective HIRE people to run our Country, Provinces, Cities and Towns. Let’s start evaluating them with the same rigor an employer would or not vote at all.
Here are some questions to expose Political Puppets. Call them out when they do not provide real answers to their questions. Follow up with "why do you think this way", "how will you achieve your goals", or "is this an authentic response or are you have been advised to answer in this way?" - the Media defiantly needs to step up in this way!
Democratic Reform
The Green Party wants Democratic Reform and I agree. (Note: The Global Debate Website will greatly help make complex decisions that involve large groups of people and in general). I will add that in order to vote, Voters should be required to pass a test to show they know at least a small amount of the Candidates Platform, such as by matching platform statements to Candidates. This may trigger emotions in you. Please, let them pass and be wise. Ignorant voting is dangerous for everyone - intelligent/educated voting is much safer. (Where would large companies be if their leaders were elected by people who did not know what was going on?)
Final Comments
If this article has made you uncomfortable towards me, I do apologize for any unintended harm. “The Truth Hurts Sometimes”. When it does, it often results in an enlightenment of vast significance and joy. Good Leaders speak their truth even when it is not what their audience wants to hear. Candor is vital for making good decisions and creating lasting unification between people.
Sincerely,
Brett Rogers
Federal Green Party (Independent) Candidate for the Foothills Riding