There are lots of reasons I decided to run in this provincial election. Education, healthcare, policing/justice, and the proposed changes to tax collection and CPP. The bigger push was the knowledge that, whatever's been going on for the last 8 years, it's not democracy.
Since when are we okay with two parties being our only choices? How did we get to a place where our options are limited to two polarizing parties and their equally polarizing leaders? Now that's what I call a rut!
Democracy is supposed to be about options. Real options. Not holding your nose in the voting booth as you mark your "X" to keep the other guys out of power. We shouldn't be okay with that! We should be mad as hell!
Alberta's provincial political parties have changed so much over the last 10 or 12 years. They're not the same as they once were; they're unrecognizable. So many people say they'll voting one way because that's how they've always voted. I'll admit, I don't understand the logic in that. Should a candidate not have to earn your vote, regardless of party? I've always thought so.
In the past, my vote has gone to the candidate who's committed to the constituents. My vote will go to the candidate who lives by their principles; the candidate whose integrity is uncompromised; the candidate who owns their mistakes and shares their successes. Sadly, that seems to be in short supply; options are limited.
Our democratic choice has been hijacked by divisive rhetoric, right fighting and an unimaginably polarized political climate. Elected leaders spend more time smack-talking each other than they do getting things done for our province and its people.
Not one of today's political parties has all the answers but they've each got some. What happened to taking those good ideas, regardless of whose they are, and collaborating to make them better? It shouldn't be a zero sum game. To count as a win, the other guy must lose? I refuse to believe we've been reduced to that!
I'm a cock-eyed optimist, usually the most cock-eyed one in the room. Me and my rose-colored glasses see a better way with the Alberta Party. It's a group of people whose reasons for getting involved all boil down to the same thing: doing what's best for the people in our constituencies and for all Albertans. They're collaborators and community builders who will serve constituents well.
Ultimately, we're all Albertans. We all have skin in the game. We're families trying to succeed; to ensure the future is bright for our kids and grandkids.
It's time to stop the right fighting and smack talking. Let's get back to civil political discourse that enables elected leaders to collaborate on solutions aimed at moving Alberta forward in prosperity.
End rant.
What's on the Ballot? Part 3 - Affordability