Election 2008: Just Say “NO!”
There”s not much room inside that little white circle next to the names of all the candidates that appear on the ballot you will be handed on election day. Just barely enough room for an “X”. But I plan to squeeze in an extra letter and to put it inside every one of those little circles. I plan to give each candidate, each party, and each leader just exactly what they deserve – my personal vote of non-confidence – I plan to vote “NO”.
My ballot will be classed as a “spoiled ballot” but I don”t think it will be spoiled at all. I think a spoiled ballot would be one cast for a candidate/party/leader who doesn”t deserve it and in this election, that includes them all.
Elizabeth May and the Greens
The fundamental evil of this group is that they place a higher priority on preserving every one of earth”s creatures before one – human beings. Every organism survive, not by getting along with its environment, not by adapting to it, but by changing it, using it, shaping it in such a way as to facilitate its survival. Deny it all you want – you”ll be denying reality. In the case of every other organism this is called “natural” but in the case of humanity it is called “artificial”. Why? Clearly the premise is that a colony of slime has more right to be here than we do. The fundamental premise behind the environmental movement is anti-human – a rejection of our right to life on earth. Thus the Green”s will not get my vote, money, support, etc. under any circumstances.
Of course the Greens (other than the more extreme elements who are at least honest about their premise) use rhetoric of harmony and sustainable development to confuse the simple-minded among us. But why “Green Party” if not because they are willing to sacrifice any and all to this one cause (including first scientific objectivity).They are truely a single issue party and the issue is not what is best for individual Canadians.
So voting Green would be spoiling my ballot.
Jack Layton and the NDP (Non Democratic Party)
Why the slur (“non”)? Because they would increase the size of government and the scope of the state”s interference with our lives. As long as everyone does and says what is politically correct everybody is happy but step out of line and look out – industries get nationalized and individuals get hauled before so-called “human rights” commissions.
Their fundamental error is hubris, the idea that “they” (those elected or appointed to positions of political power) know better than “we” (individuals left alone to decide for ourselves) what is in our best interests and how to achieve it. The error is exposed in this simple exercise. Think of all the information (knowledge, wisdom, whatever) stored in the minds of 30,000,000 Canadians. Think of how little of that we effectively communicate to others via language. Think of how much more of it we are each able to use if left to our own to make decisions for ourselves. Centrally planned economies that non-Democrats like Layton drool over run on decisions based on communicated knowledge while decisions made in free economies utilize all that incommunicable knowledge we all posses.
So voting NDP would be spoiling my ballot.
Stephane Dion and the Liberals
The problem with the fundamental principle behind the Liberal Party is that there is none. That is unless do-and-say-whatever-it-takes-to-get-elected-this-time constitutes a fundamental principle. This is the party of political opportunism, of moral bankruptcy packaged as pragmatism. It is only when your principles are so misguided, so out of touch with reality that they pose an obstacle to your progress, that an appeal to pragmatism over principle becomes attractive. Then one should re-evaluate one”s principles and consider alternatives.
There”s a saying that if you don”t stand for something, you”ll fall for anything. The Liberal Party stands for nothing other than itself and it cynically uses others for its own ends. A principled politician will use politicalpower to enact good policy. A Liberal politician will advocate popular policy to achieve political power. Doubtful? As yourself what fundamental principles or policies have have been consistently associated with the Liberals over time. Name an issue – a little research will show you that the Liberal Party has taken a stand on opposing sides of that issue within the past few of decades.
This election the Liberals are running on the Green Shift – a new tax on carbon. Its supposed to be a tax on consumption which is better than taxing incomes (productivity) but then low income earners will get rebates to offset the tax. Voila, it has been instantly converted to a tax on incomes.
The only tax we should have is a tax on stupidity – 50% of the assets of anyone so utterly insane as to consider supporting this idea. Fortunately and unfortunately that would probably raise enough money to retire the national debt (another Liberal invention).
So voting Liberal would be spoiling my ballot.
Stephan Harper and the Conservative Party
Much of what has been said of the Liberal Party can now be said of the Party which was once the legitimate repository of the Reform Party”s honourable legacy. If there is a fundamental principle behind the tenure of Harper”s government it certainly escapes my notice. The media bash the Party as the most conservative in Canada”s history. Think a minute – what is that saying? We have never had a Conservative government that was fundamentally different than the Liberals they replaced – never. Mulroney? He out spent and out taxed the avowedly socialist Pierre Trudeau and in so doing piled up a massive national debt. Has the Harper government been more conservative than that? Absolutely, but so were the Liberals under both Chretein and Turner. So, so what? As the NDPers used to say, and can say again: “Liberal, Tory, same old story.”
Since they have no principles to run on the Conservatives are running a campaign based on Harper”s “strong leadership”. This is a none-too-subtle way of making his Liberal opponent”s practically non-existent leadership skills the focus of the campaign.
But there are principles of leadership to keep in mind too. Strong leadership does not equal tyranny and it doesn”t equal lying. Being a strong leader does not bean bullying. It means having the confidence to hear and even encourage dissenting opinions. It does not imply a concentration of power but the wisdom to delegate. Harper agreed with the Gomery reports criticism of the Prime Minister”s Office under Chretein as having too much power but his own PMO has concentrated power even more.
Dion has accused Harper of lying and some of the media are aghast. Well we all know what lying means. Now consider that Harper promised to end the GST on gas prices over 86 cents per litre, never to tax income trusts, to hold a free vote on the definition of spouse, and to honour the letter and the spirit of the law fixing the next election date in October 2009. Well the emperor”s got no clothes and saying one thing and doing the opposite makes Harper a liar or I”ve been using a faulty dictionary.
So on both those measures Harper comes up short. He is not a strong leader but a petty tyrannt who needs and deserves to be thrown down.
So voting Tory would be spoiling my ballot.
Staying home on election day is not an option. I want my vote to count. If I stay home I am lumped in with those who simply don”t care. If I go to the poll and vote “NO” my vote will be counted. Will it influence the outcome? Not this time. But to the extent that one vote matters at all, mine will send a signal to anyone who wants my vote that they first must deserve it.
If there is a Libertarian on the ballot s/he will get my vote. Otherwise I”ll be voting “NO” across the board.