Way to go students!!! Now we need all of Canada's youth voting

I'm loving all the youtube videos of vote mobs taking place all across Canada on university campuses.  Yes the Conservatives tried to have the votes cast by University of Guelph students ruled invalid, but thankfully they failed.

I'm 44 years of age, darn close to 45 in fact and it kind of puts me in a weird nexus.  I'm too young to identify with the baby boom generation as they slip into retirement and Depends undergarments

But I'm also too old to really understand those whose birthdays are two decades after my own.  I sort of have a foot in both camps, but I'm not completely comfortable with either group.

Being in the Canadian Forces I'm surrounded by twenty somethings, kids just starting out their adult lives.  Just for proverbial s###s and giggles I'll sometimes affect a gangsta pose for a laugh, but I know how ridiculous a bald 40ish guy looks trying to act cool.  Heck, my 12 year old son thinks I fart dust. 

I wouldn't trade it though, its keeping me fit and keeping me young at heart which is what really counts in life.  I'm constantly learning, which is essential because when you stop learning you start dying in my opinion.

But one thing that really gets under my skin is the number of young adults I come across who think democracy is a waste of time, particularly among those serving in this nation's military.

Our soldiers are serving in Afghanistan and Libya right now with the stated aim of bringing democracy to those countries.  Across the Middle East people are literally risking their lives for democratic ideals. 

Imagine, having the right to cast a ballot that will help determine the direction your country will take in the coming years.  Nobody has to die for the right to vote in an election here, but that doesn't mean we should just say 'meh'. 

A central theme in this election is that of  tax cuts for profitable businesses.  We're talking billions of dollars that could either go into government programs and deficit reduction, or back onto the balance sheets of major corporations like banks and oil companies.

The Conservatives are telling people that reducing corporate taxes will mean more jobs for Canadians, while others like Jack Layton of the NDP cite cases where companies have closed operations after having their taxes lowered. 

What do young people think?

The Liberals want to invest money in education and child care, the Conservatives are opposed to these types of initiatives, calling them wasteful and inefficient. 

Do young people have an opinion?

One fact is certain, deficits today mean either higher taxes or reduced government services in the future...or a combination of the two. Residents of Ontario used to be able to visit the eye doctor and have it paid for out of the provincial health plan, but not any more. 

Ottawa cut the amount of money it transferred to the provinces back in the nineties.  Doing so meant Ottawa was finally able to start paying down a crippling federal debt. But it also meant a reduction in the number of government paid for services being offered.

Its your future boys and girls?  Do you value government provided services or would you prefer they be handled by the private sector?

If you're 18 years of age or older in this country you have a voice, a say, a ballot.  Nobody can force you to use it, although some may try to swipe the ballot box.  Don't let anyone take away your right to vote, and don't let anyone tell you democracy isn't important.

Here's a video from Memorial University in Newfoundland:

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Your vote does matter - Don't let Harper turn you into a cynic

"It doesn't matter who I vote for, they're all a bunch of liars anyway".

You've probably heard sentiments close to or exactly like this over the past few weeks.  I heard that comment just this morning from a young twenty something guy I shared a taxi with.

And who could blame him?  Harper said he'd never run a deficit, then handed Canadians the biggest shortfall in this country's history.  He said he wouldn't stack the senate, then set the record for most appointments in a single day.  Income trusts were to be left tax exempt, government would be more open and accountable with less waste.  Great promises, but I doubt anyone remembers a promise to build a $2 million fake lake right next to the very real Lake Ontario for the G8 Summit.

So why bother voting?  Whoever gets in is just going to do more of the same....Right?

Wrong.  Yes there will be broken promises no matter what party ends up winning, but the direction our country moves in will be dramatically different depending on the outcome.

Do we go ahead with billion dollar tax cuts to profitable businesses at a time when Ottawa is bleeding red ink?  Today's deficits equal cuts to services and increased taxes down the road.  It happened in the 90s after the runaway deficits of the Trudeau/Mulroney governments.  Health services once covered by provincial health plans were delisted, forcing taxpayers to dig into their wallets for things like a trip to the eye doctor.

Should we really be spending billions of dollars on American style 'Super Jails' when Canada's crime rate is in decline?

Is the F35 fighter jet really the best option for our military?  Is there another solution that would be more cost effective?  Why don't we put it to tender instead of signing a deal without allowing competitive bids?

Canadians deserve better than the government we've been getting in my opinion.  But if we can't be bothered to drop our gaming magazines and I-pods long enough to inform ourselves on the issues, then our elected officials have no incentive to deliver. 

We all hand over significant cash to Ottawa in the form of taxes.  Now is the time to have your say on how you want it spent.  You won't get everything you want, but it can mean the difference between a smoother or much bumpier road down the line. 

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Canada's coporate media in love with...Jack Layton???

Jack Layton seems to be Canada's newest political rock star, at least that's the impression I get watching the likes of CTV news and reading our mostly Conservative press.

Am I the only person who finds this strange?

Business and organized labour do not exactly have the cosiest of relationships, which is understandable.  Corporations want to keep costs down and maximize profits, while unions seek to maximize the wages earned by their members, which negatively impacts a business's bottom line.  Employee earnings and benefits after all are typically the single largest expense a company has. 

You'd think Jack and the NDP would be public enemy number one for mainstream media outlets that rely on corporate advertising, to say nothing of their own battles with organized labour. 

But such is not the case of late, Jack can do no wrong.

But maybe there's a method to their madness.  If Stephen Harper's Conservatives poll  just 35% of the popular vote, then a strong NDP showing could help Tory candidates in tight 3 way races, and possibly hand Harper his coveted majority.  If the Liberals garner 30% in close ridings, the NDP 22 and the Greens 3 or 4 points...then the road to unfettered rule for Harper becomes that much easier.  Even 34 or 35% for a Conservative candidate would leave a comfortable margin of victory. 

On a personal level I would like to see a strong contingent of NDP members in Canada's next parliament.  But not if it comes along with 155 Conservative seats. 

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Will seniors trust Harper on Health Care after he screwed them on Income Trusts?

You have to love little Stevie Harper.  So nice, well dressed and polite.  Oh, and his hair!  Isn't he just adorable? 

Just don't believe a word he says, especially during an election campaign.

Remember back in 2006 when he told seniors how he'd protect their savings by leaving income trusts alone, not like those horrible Liberals.  Those awful Grits were going to tax income trusts, but not our Stevie, oh no.  He was going to protect aging Canadians struggling to make ends meet with many on fixed incomes.

Of course that was when he wanted votes, after he got them...well, things changed.  Steve taxed them and with that news the Conservatives caused the value of Income Trusts to plummet, thus hammering the retirement savings of Canadian seniors.

And it wasn't the only time Stevie has lied.  Stuffing the senate, never running a deficit, making government more open and accountable.  I could go on and on and on.  

So what's Pinocchio saying now?  That he'll continue to provide sustainable funding to Health Care?  Do you believe him?  Especially after he said many times that we should scrap the Canada Health Act when he wasn't in politics and didn't need anyone's vote.  (READ HERE) 

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