20.9.08

I just voted

I just cast my vote for the federal election.

No, not *that* federal election. The Canadian one, which I bet a lot of you didn't even know is happening. In Canada, things happen quickly. The feds call an election and then about 7.67 minutes later, there's a new Prime Minister. Or at least, I hope there will be a new Prime Minister, because the current one is  a total douche is really not my cup of tea. 
If you're a Canadian, read McGrath or Dixon or Golick for more about the Canadian candidates and how they will affect your life as an artist.

If you're American, I think you know who's running already. Just get out there and vote, and get others to vote, and drive your neighbor to the polling stations, and... the future of the world is in your hands. Don't drop it.


4 comments:

Anon said...

A friend of mine has started threatening to move to Europe if both Harper and McCain get through. I might join him. I hear Switzerland is nice this time of year :P

Tim W. said...

I think Harper will get in again (and again with a minority), only because the left has three parties and the right has 1. Which, of course, means another election in a couple of years. While this is a depressing thought, it's not nearly as depressing as the thought of Harper winning a majority and destroying Canada piece by piece.

Now I'm not one to tell people to go out and vote. I believe that if you don't know the issues, and haven't followed, you're wrong to vote. Voting in ignorance is worse than not voting, in my opinion. I'm guessing that's how Bush was elected for a second term despite having possibly the worst first term of any President in history (well, besides Kennedy, who didn't even survive his).

Jane said...

Normally I'd agree with you on not voting before you know the issues. But in the US, it's impossible not to know the basic issues, even if you live in a cave... ie. One guy is for equality for all people and the other guy is for equality for all rich white American people. What else do you need to know?

Tim W. said...

Yes, I agree to a point, although, despite what each side would like you to believe, it's not quite as clear cut as that. I, personally, don't know if I'd wish becoming president on Obama right now, however. As I stated on another blog, it's kind of like voting for a new captain AFTER the Titanic has hit the iceberg. I don't think there's much that can be done in the short term to stop the disaster. And when the country continues to go in a tailspin, whoever gets elected right now is probably going to share the brunt of the blame (deservedly or not) and only last one term. I think there are things that can be done long-term, but anyone who gets elected is going to probably end up with such a low approval rating (no matter what they do) that they're not going to be able to get anything done. In two years, whoever is President will probably see the other party dominate the house and senate.

On a related note, while it is initially encouraging to see Bush only having a 28% approval rating, it is incredibly frustrating to see that more than a quarter of all Americans still approve of the job he is doing. That's 84 million potential voters who are either so dumb or ignorant that they blindly follow one of the worst Presidents in history. Not an optimistic sign for the future.