[kwlug-disc] Parliament adjourned ... bills dead (again!)?

[unsolicited]

Darcy Casselman wrote, On 04/03/2011 12:45 PM:
> On Sun, Apr 3, 2011 at 12:34 PM, Bob Jonkman <bjonkman at sobac.com> wrote:
>> On 2011-04-03 at 11:38:23  Darcy Casselman wrote:
>>> I would probably vote for Cathy MacLelland
>>> except the result of my doing so means I get Peter Braid as my
>>> representative in Parliament.
>> But Peter Braid is the representative in Parliament anyway.  So not only do
>> you not get the candidate you voted for, you don't get the candidate who
>> represents your interests.
>>
>> If everyone who "would probably vote for Cathy MacLellan" actually voted for
>> Cathy MacLellan then the political landscape might look different...
>>
>> For this upcoming Federal Election why not try voting for the candidate who
>> truly represents your interests, instead of vote swapping or voting
>> "strategically"?  In a region that has only a single party representing all
>> four ridings, it certainly can't get any worse.
> 
> I won't harp on about this, I promise, but I feel I need to clarify my point.
> 
> Peter Braid doesn't represent my views at all.  Cathy MacLellan does,
> but does not have the support needed in the community (I haven't done
> polling, but I think I can be reasonably sure of this) to win the
> seat.  Andrew Telegdi may not represent my views as well (actually,
> except for the technology stuff, he does, but his party slightly less
> so) and does have popular support.  So I'm voting for him.  This
> stands the greatest chance in resulting in an outcome I can live with.
> 
> For the record, I support changes to our electoral system so that I
> don't have to do this sort of calculus.

Ditto.

Reality vs. theory. Practical vs. desired.

All aside from 'representative government' and "they won't vote to 
change the system that let them get where they are for fear they won't 
get back in".

We are where we are. I'd sure like to be elsewhere. I don't see an 
effective way to get from here to there - any time soon. Yet we are 
voting, substantially, for 'representation' on issues over the next 1 
- 5 years. Sadly - this is also a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If life were sensible and quick, we'd all be running Linux - and we 
aren't. Perhaps it's the same or similar story and reasoning.