Oh, Canada

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Originally uploaded by ms_czyph

Today is election day in Canada. Or, as I am calling it, the biggest farce and waste of money this country has ever seen. The Conservatives stand to be re-elected with a very narrow margin, forming yet another minority government (and this time with a smaller minority!) which will cause another election to be called, likely next fall. Farce.

It sickens and saddens me that they are entering this election polling at about 34%, and they stand to win. 34%! The majority of Canadians do not want the Conservative Government to retain power, however they are so bloody well torn on who to vote for on the left that we will continue to suffer until next fall when an election is sure to be called again. Wasteful. Shameful. Irritating!

We need serious electoral reform in this country. This "first past the post" stuff doesn't work for us anymore. A more proportionate representation is what we should be fighting for. "Should" being the operative word. Canadians, sadly, are so complacent and "la-di-da" about the Government and policies that affect them that it will never happen. Nobody cares enough. That troubles me. It also troubles me that more Canadians tuned into the US Vice Presidential debates than for the Canadian leadership debates.

Come on, people!

I'd love to see penalties for those who don't vote included in our electoral reform. Fines, jail time - I'm not picky. It is your civic duty to vote, and I see no excuse for NOT voting, other than your own apathy, ignorance and laziness.

I cast my vote this morning. I waffled, I debated myself, I questioned what was the "right" way to vote. In the end, I just marked my X where I thought it would be best served. I know I can't really affect the outcome of the election that much with my one little vote, but dammit - I'm willing to try.

If you haven't voted yet, please do. If not, don't complain later when things happen and changes are made that you aren't too pleased with. You give up that right when you ignore your duty.