ClumsyMonkey.net

Well, what issues are important to you?

Are you debating between a couple of parties, Johny?

Chanandler Bong wrote:Yeah, I don't know who to vote for. :|

You could alwats write "Decline" over your ballat. If they recieve a large number of declines then the parties realise the country is not satisfied with anyone.

that's not true. no one knows that they're marked "decline" ...they are just noted as spoiled ballots. and that could mean anything really, so it's an ineffective method of protest.

We were informed that if you wrote "decline" it was noted as an official statment and recorded. Normally less than 1% of voters write "decline" though.

I've decided to vote in the morning before school.

I've decided to vote Liberal.

I'm afraid it will be futile.

Ah, well thank you Claire. At least I can find accurate information somewhere. I just wish I could actually you know go to school and recieve accurate information from the people paid to do so.

Axtech wrote:I've decided to vote in the morning before school.

I've decided to vote Liberal.

I'm afraid it will be futile.

Me too. But like during spare. The place to vote for my riding is at my school.

i'm going to vote after my poli sci class. and then i may spend some time volunteering for one of the local candidates going door to door to encourage people to get out and vote. maybe. i havent decided yet.

and russell, never take what you teachers say for granted. always double check. remember, they're human. they can get unreliable information even if they are conscientious. when in doubt, double check on the cm

i discussed the spoilt ballot issue with the liberal candidate from my riding over lunch a little while ago, because i know a group of students in calgary planning on just submitting blank ballots as a statement. this is why i knew decisively that the 'declined' ballot was a myth

Ah, well thanks again. I'm just so tired of adults and teachers.

closeyoureyes wrote:Well, what issues are important to you?

Well the thing is that I'm not really up to date on the issues.

Here you go Johnny.

http://www.greenpeace.ca/e/feature/elec ... php#partis

You can read where the parties stand on all sorts of different issues.

Thanks Rusticle

you know, don't hate me, and tell me if you think I'm completely wrong, but I think some of you guys are being a little melodramatic about the prospect of the conservatives winning a majority. First off, I should say, that you will never meet a more social democratic person in your life than I - I have always been an adamant supporter of the NDP (except for this election I'm voting green because they are the only party that is in very strong support of proportional representation, which is something that I feel very strongly about, and no one but the conservatives have a chance in my riding anyway). Yeah, so I think first, it's time for a change - the liberals have been proven to be corrupt so I don't think they deserve to win. So obviously I would hope that former liberal supporters would go for the NDP, but obviously that hasn't happened. Getting to my point - what's the worst that the conservatives can do? I mean, even if they make gay marriage and abortion illegal, etc, etc, and turn us into a carbon copy of the U.S., there's still going to be another election in four years - and if the conservatives go against the fundamental values of canadians, they're not going to stick around. What I think is more likely is that the conservatives will move more to the centre of the political spectrum and really listen to what the people want - that's what I'd do if I were a party that got elected just for not being the liberal party rather than on the issues. I guess all I mean to say is that there are no laws that can't be undone, so let's give the liberals a couple years to clean up their act and soon the good guys will be back in power.

Dabekk wrote:Yeah, so I think first, it's time for a change - the liberals have been proven to be corrupt so I don't think they deserve to win.

A corrupt political party?! Oh noes! End of the world! I'm not big on the Liberals, but this is hardly an astonishing development in the world of political activity.

Getting to my point - what's the worst that the conservatives can do? I mean, even if they make gay marriage and abortion illegal, etc, etc,

Gay marriage is, in my opinion, a fundamental human right. Period. It's about equality. Two men kissing isn't going to hurt anyone. Stopping those two men from having the rights of everyone else hurts us all. If they don't get equal rights, why should blacks? Why should people with red hair be able to wed? Why are we letting midgets get married? Imposing the beliefs of one group on another, especially when the latter group is doing no harm to anyone, is immoral and unjust. Besides which, this issue has already been decided as a nation. It's a closed fucking subject, and Harper needs to get over his homophobia, realize that gay people don't have cooties, and grow up.

and turn us into a carbon copy of the U.S.,

Maybe you don't care, but the things that make us different from the US make it worth while to live in this country. You wanna talk corrupt? Look south. Hell, if you wait a few days you may be able to find it in your own back yard.

there's still going to be another election in four years - and if the conservatives go against the fundamental values of canadians, they're not going to stick around.

That's faulty logic. If people vote for them today knowing what they stand for, what would make them change in four years?

Worked for the Democrats, didn't it? Bush fucked up big time in his first four years.

Oh, wait. He was re-elected, wasn't he?

What I think is more likely is that the conservatives will move more to the centre of the political spectrum and really listen to what the people want - that's what I'd do if I were a party that got elected just for not being the liberal party rather than on the issues.

The Conservatives don't care how the get elected (no party does). Once they are in, they will impose their will. Otherwise why would they run? Why would they call an election that cost the country as much as the scandal that they used as an excuse to start it unless they want to do something with that power?

I guess all I mean to say is that there are no laws that can't be undone, so let's give the liberals a couple years to clean up their act and soon the good guys will be back in power.

Punishing the "good guys" by putting the "bad guys" in power is such an incredibly stupid and reckless position to take. It doesn't take long to change a country. What Harper has promised to do will cause the nation a great deal of lasting harm. His foreign policy, for example, is abhorrent. This isn't an issue to be taken lightly. It looks like this man could be elected for all the wrong reasons.

Harper's view of human rights is not my view of human rights.
Harper's policy is not my policy.
Harper's Canada is not my Canada.

So sorry if I'm being melodramatic about seeing the country I've been proud to live in for 19 years take a big step backwards (even if a temporary one) by electing a man for all the wrong reasons.

while i agree that there is a degree of melodrama - that is the world of politics.

no, canada would not become a drastically different place to live for most of us, re-opening the marriage debate would throw a negative light on us in the international community. our whole image would fundamentally change - canada, once a forward, progressive nation has changed it's mind on equality. that kind of flip flop is something that would be quick to weaken us on the international stage in debates on certain social issues.

i do not want to live in a nation where my right to choose can be threatened. i do not want to live in a nation where human rights can be secured, only to be brought back into a vunerable place. a conservative minority would be marginally acceptable because they would not likely bring gay marriage back up faced with a short-term government; however in canada it is impossible to strategically vote for a minority government. therefore, i cannot accept endorsing the party that would put at least two of MY rights in danger. my right to choose a) abortion, and b) my spouse.

Axtech wrote:

Dabekk wrote:Yeah, so I think first, it's time for a change - the liberals have been proven to be corrupt so I don't think they deserve to win.

A corrupt political party?! Oh noes! End of the world! I'm not big on the Liberals, but this is hardly an astonishing development in the world of political activity.

Getting to my point - what's the worst that the conservatives can do? I mean, even if they make gay marriage and abortion illegal, etc, etc,

Gay marriage is, in my opinion, a fundamental human right. Period. It's about equality. Two men kissing isn't going to hurt anyone. Stopping those two men from having the rights of everyone else hurts us all. If they don't get equal rights, why should blacks? Why should people with red hair be able to wed? Why are we letting midgets get married? Imposing the beliefs of one group on another, especially when the latter group is doing no harm to anyone, is immoral and unjust. Besides which, this issue has already been decided as a nation. It's a closed fucking subject, and Harper needs to get over his homophobia, realize that gay people don't have cooties, and grow up.

and turn us into a carbon copy of the U.S.,

Maybe you don't care, but the things that make us different from the US make it worth while to live in this country. You wanna talk corrupt? Look south. Hell, if you wait a few days you may be able to find it in your own back yard.

there's still going to be another election in four years - and if the conservatives go against the fundamental values of canadians, they're not going to stick around.

That's faulty logic. If people vote for them today knowing what they stand for, what would make them change in four years?

Worked for the Democrats, didn't it? Bush fucked up big time in his first four years.

Oh, wait. He was re-elected, wasn't he?

What I think is more likely is that the conservatives will move more to the centre of the political spectrum and really listen to what the people want - that's what I'd do if I were a party that got elected just for not being the liberal party rather than on the issues.

The Conservatives don't care how the get elected (no party does). Once they are in, they will impose their will. Otherwise why would they run? Why would they call an election that cost the country as much as the scandal that they used as an excuse to start it unless they want to do something with that power?

I guess all I mean to say is that there are no laws that can't be undone, so let's give the liberals a couple years to clean up their act and soon the good guys will be back in power.

Punishing the "good guys" by putting the "bad guys" in power is such an incredibly stupid and reckless position to take. It doesn't take long to change a country. What Harper has promised to do will cause the nation a great deal of lasting harm. His foreign policy, for example, is abhorrent. This isn't an issue to be taken lightly. It looks like this man could be elected for all the wrong reasons.

Harper's view of human rights is not my view of human rights.
Harper's policy is not my policy.
Harper's Canada is not my Canada.

So sorry if I'm being melodramatic about seeing the country I've been proud to live in for 19 years take a big step backwards (even if a temporary one) by electing a man for all the wrong reasons.

= exactly the melodrama I was talking about.

whatever though, maybe it'll be the end of the world, let's watch and see.

I don't think Robbo's response was melodramatic at all... I agree with the majority of his points and liked that he used policy and fact-based arguments.

And to the idea that a 4 year term can't cause too much damage... that's just not true. Much of Ontario is still recovering from Harris' Conservative government. It will still take years to undo damage done to healthcare, education (at all levels), social services, etc. And what's the impact? One example... in the last few years, Ontario university performance compared to other provinces has declined as a direct result of a lack of adequate funding by the Harris gov't. That will not be undone overnight by a change in government.

http://www.electionprediction.org/2005_fed/index.html

This is a good website that has election predictions nationally, as well as riding-by-riding (the 2004 results are shown, as well as commentary that leads to the current prediction of which way the riding will go)