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Alberta Votes

Eos of the Eons

Mad Scientist
Eos of the Eons
Joined
Jul 23, 2003
Messages
13,749
Sigh. I already know the outcome. Is anybody else voting in this province? I did. I think of it as a protest vote, since we know the Tories are going to be running things as usual.

Did anybody vote for the Tories. I'm curious as to why anybody would. :p

No, I won't judge anybody. I think I know why people vote for them, but wanting to hear actually why first.
 
SorryI can't help you there Eos, I just couldn't bring myself to vote for the SOB.;)
 
Provincial elections? There's only one province where those matter, and it ain't Alberta. ;)
 
Will the woo-woos will be monitoring the exit polls looking for evidence of fraud? Or are we in the US the only ones "lucky" enough to have them?
 
Sigh. Okay, no help. But thanks for the comments. I just really don't get it.

My feeling is that the "tories" are the "moral" choice just like Bush is seen as to many. The Tories fought the Feds on the gay marriage issue. I can see people in churches all across the province, especially Central Alberta, being told to vote for the god-faring (sp?) Tories. They are the rightists here. Education be damned. Our classroom sizes are still way too large, etc. etc. Secondary education is out of reach for more that 50% of the middle class, and don't even get me started how far out of reach it is for those who are even less 'priveledged".

The Torrid Torries did lose seats though, especially the further North you go. The further you get out of the bible belt, unsurprisingly. Edmontonians are sick of the hypocrite that is running things. I really applaud them. The media is saying the capital city is mostly "red" now...being that more Liberals got seats there than last time.

That's my little theory. Take it or leave it, or offer a better explanation because I'm all ears.

And yes, this does show us all how different our elections are from the USA. Especially our Federal election. There are some rcounts here and there, but nothing that could win or lose the election for any party. And yes, what are exit polls exactly??

I'm just glad the East has common sense. It is they who keep choosing the party that won't turn us into the mess that Bush has made of the US. :p The West is who got the stinking Alliance all their seats dammit. I'm soo embarrassed.
 
Jorghnassen said:
Provincial elections? There's only one province where those matter, and it ain't Alberta. ;)
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Well, I do have to live with the consequences, so to me it does matter. :p

And what province are you referring to?? I really cannot understand whatever it is that you mean. :p :D
 
Eos of the Eons said:
Well, I do have to live with the consequences, so to me it does matter. :p

And what province are you referring to?? I really cannot understand whatever it is that you mean. :p :D
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I meant consequences beyond the province's borders, and that one province is PEI of course! ;) I'm just kidding of course, but you must realize few people care about the elections in other provinces. The usually post election reaction is usually just 'eh', unless a certain party is elected in a certain province, then it can also be "oh &%/$*!" or "sigh".
 
Jorghnassen said:
you must realize few people care about the elections in other provinces. The usually post election reaction is usually just 'eh', unless a certain party is elected in a certain province, then it can also be "oh &%/$*!" or "sigh".
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I'd have to agree, I don't know enough about the man or his policies to know whether his election is a good or bad thing. I do realize that Alberta is generally considered the most right-wing of the provinces so his election does not come as any surprise to me.

I have a brother who lives in Calgary. I must remember to ask him about Klein when I go to visit him after TAM3. Then I'll be up-to-speed on Klein.

(Sorry, forgot to mention that I'm Canadian, despite my location)
 
Yep. I was hoping there were more Albertans hanging about.

I don't really care about other province's elections either. I don't know about the people running.

Ralphie is getting famous with his actions in Ontario (gay rights), and his actions in the article kalen pointed to.

The Tories have been running things here for decades, and they are right wing. The population is notoriously right wing, which makes me a square peg in a round hole around here.


This is where Stockwell Day originated. Like Ralph he discriminates and is a huge hypocrite. His followers were always whining about what parasites the people on Assistance were. Not only that, but whenever people whined about how little Assistance people got, the followers would say they should shut up since the "harder working" Albertans had to pay for this Assistance. This got me right mad since when I was on Assistance I worked 3 jobs. Never had a day off. The minimum wage here is still the lowest in Canada. Not only that, but I tried to get a higher education in order to get a better paying job. Well, unless you have rich parents you pretty much starve while trying to go to school...which really irritated me when Stockwell Day said people only use the Food Bank because it is free, not because they need food. Aughghgh!! I knew many fellow students who relied on this food source for their families while trying to better themselves. Mature students really have a rough time getting out of a poverty cycle. You also can't get Assistance if you are enrolled in school, so free things like the Food Bank are your only lifeline.

So, when people started whining about things like this-what did Tories say? They won't raise the Assistance people get because they feel the single moms will just have their "boyfriends spending it on beer". If you read the article, then you'll find out how ironic that is!!

The latest on Ralphie? Yep, they not only hate the working poor here who struggle with the minimum wage, but the handicapped are also just a bunch of scammers to him.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/10/28/690156-cp.html

People that are handicapped get a whole $800.00 a month to live on. That's about what a single mom with one child gets too. And if you work, and yes the handicapped and people on Assisted Living do work, they dock your pay from this "allowance". With rent for a one bedroom being about $500.00/month...well...

I hear things aren't better financially other places, but do others have to hear all the crap that this province's government spews about the less priveledged? Not only that, but the barrage of letters and flyers about how horrible homosexuals are and how they want to erode "traditional families" has me ripping my hair out. I mean..."a war against the homosexuals"?


...homosexual machine mercilessly gaining ground, defend the precious sanctity of our innocent children and youth, failure to stand against horrendous atrocities, every professing heterosexual is having their future aggressively chopped at the roots, our children are being victimized, recruiting our young into their camps, your children are being warped, reverse the wickedness, where homosexuality flourishes, all manners of wickedness abounds, they (the activists) are perverse, self-centred and morally deprived individuals who are spreading their psychological disease ... (they) are just as immoral as the pedophiles, drug dealers and pimps, start taking back what the enemy has taken from you. The safety and future of our children is at stake.
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Though, I was heartened when I saw this letter in response to Boisson's call to war:
http://www.emergence.qc.ca/mariage_articles/20030913_12.htm

It seems clear that Alberta will be the focal point of what may be Canada's final battle over the traditional legal definition of family.
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http://www.axionet.com/bcreport/web/990531f.html
You see, Ralphie doesn't listen to voters about education, but he will apparently "go against his policy" to fight against gay marriage. Priorities afterall!
Oh really? Granting rights is eroding social values? Speak for yourself. I happen to agree with the Feds
The Alliance really hates homosexual marriage, so you'll see these articles about the "bullies" in the Federal government.

That's my take on Alberta politics. I hope that helps.

:p
 
This is where Stockwell Day originated.
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Now there's a fine example of a kind, caring human being. How did you feel as an Albertan helping to pay his court costs in the defamation suit brought by Lorne Goddard?
He has a habit of shooting off his mouth without thinking which would be funnier if it weren't so sad/scary. Canadian comedians and satirists love him:
One of his policies was famously satirized during the 2000 federal election campaign by Rick Mercer when he was on the political satire troupe This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He had proposed to require the federal government to hold a referendum on any subject if 4% of the electorate signed a petition requesting this. The comedy show riposted by putting an unofficial petition on their website to hold a referendum to require Mr. Day to change his first name to Doris. Although such a petition would not have been recognized by Elections Canada, the troupe considered their point made when in the end, the website's counter claimed more than a million signatures - substantially more than the 4% that Day had proposed.
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Source
It was never even a close thing but imagine if he had remained the leader of the Canadian Reform Alliance Party and actually become PM? Can you imagine living under an ultra-right, conservative government that's led by a dim-witted, bible-bashing fundie?
:p

Edit: insert source for quote.
 
I remember Mr. Day, he was the MP for the constituancy in BC where I grew up. That "jet-ski" public-relations disaster was at a beach near my home. I forgot that he used to be a high-up in Alberta's government.

Remember when some Alliance MPs were so fed up with him that they left the party to form their own group and the media unwittingly started calling them the Rebel Alliance? I figured those MP needed to seriously get some official merchandise out, they could've made millions, both inside and outside of Canada, selling "Rebel Alliance" membership cards and signs. :D
 
Oh, yeah. I forgot about the "Rebel Alliance".

No wonder so many great comedians come from Canada. How can you help having a great sense of humour when you grew up in a country where it's often hard to tell the evening news from a comedy revue?
 
Hey, this is no laughing matter!!!

*rolls around busting a gut*

Okay, so there is some humor to all this. I'm just glad we have something to laugh at, especially at their expense. They are idiots. Problem is, they are the "official opposition" and running the "richest province in Canada".
 
Eos of the Eons said:
<snip> and running the "richest province in Canada".
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... and there you have another contributing factor in why they keep getting voted back in power, at least IMO anyway.

I'm afraid that I might be guilty of being a bit naive, but it just seems like the majority of people in our province can't be voting for the party because they agree with it's ideology on most subjects. It just seems too out of whack with the rest of the country.

I really think that people are so content with the economic situation that they don't want to rock the boat. It's too bad it's that way though. Every election I keep hoping that the people have finally gotten fed up with him and his party acting as they do, and realize that it's not the party that's created the economic boon, but the availability of natural resources and the world prices for those resources skyrocketing.
 
Eos of the Eons said:
They are idiots. Problem is, they are the "official opposition" and running the "richest province in Canada".
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Having the Conservatives as the official opposition I prefer the current minority government arrangement - it keeps the Liberals on their toes while at the same time the Bloc will make sure the balance of power stays the way it is (I hope). I don't think even the Bloc want the Conservatives in power.

I'd have to look at financials for the various provinces to see about which one is the "richest" though Alberta is one of two "have" provinces so it definately has a stronger financial position than the "have-nots".
 
Alberta spends $4010 per capita on health care, as opposed to the canadian average of $3839 from here: (requires registration)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...539895&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true

From here:

http://www.fraserinstitute.ca/shared/readmore.asp?sNav=nr&id=518

Alberta spends $2422 per person on education, which apparently is the highest of any province.

So, Eos and Triangleman, while you advocate spending more, I go along with the Alliance platform which is to inject that money closer to the front lines, rather than at the top of the respective administrative pyramids. (www.albertaalliance.com)
 
So, Eos and Triangleman, while you advocate spending more, I go along with the Alliance platform which is to inject that money closer to the front lines, rather than at the top of the respective administrative pyramids.
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Badger, please quote where I have "advocated spending more".
 
Sorry, Triangleman. I was mistaken. You didn't advocate it. I apologize.
 
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