CanadaRocks

I've reiterated in this last post that Persons can restrict this new system to merely two choices. I was distracted and did this in error as its already been said, please forgive me? I disagree. It's true that politicians whose only concern were perhaps to stay in power might do this, but then if their only concern is to stay in power do we really want them there? If you believe strongly in an idea or plan, you will defend it against all odds. Further, Canadians are not necessarily a bunch of ignorant short sighted People incapable of seeing long term advantages as your message suggests. Many Canadians do care very deeply about long term results such as those brought about by social programs and environmental protections. It is instead the interests of big business that opt for short term results. For instance? Does lowering environmental standards offer long term gains or does it offer short term rewards? We're told its "good for business" but ultimately its not sustainable is it? How about increasing foriegn investment of Canadian business? The more outsiders own of Canada, the more economical leverage they have to influence our values. It's very good for us in the short term, but in the long term its really going to suck when the day comes that Canadians take a hard road policy decision and foriegn investors decide to close down their 60+% of business's in Canada.. can you imagine the economical havoc that will wreak? How about if a Canadian version of the Vietnam war occurs where the People of Canada overwhelmingly disagree but those "who know better" say to hell with what those they are supposed to represent think, this is whats going to be and thats all there is too it. No, I believe that in the "long run" it is extremely important that the People have a means of controlling those whose duty it is to serve them. I also feel that we Canadians are a responsible People who care enough to make intelligent decisions when it comes to what we believe in, or don't. It is very disheartening to see your lack of faith in our People, asking us instead to blindly trust elitist individuals whose self concern is demonstrated again and again with no end in sight save the very destruction of the Canada we hold dear. Canadians are overall, intelligent responsible People. Canadians are not ignorant to the world around them. We are capable of making mistakes, surviving, adapting, and overcoming. After all? We are Canadian!

Considering one generally walks before they run, what if we simplified the concept without sacrificing its integrity? How? A monthly online poll with binding results asking only two questions; a) Should an election be called and my Member of Parliament replaced immediately? Should an election be called and our Prime Minister be replaced immediately? This would take very little decision making time on anyones part. This would be an effective means of keeping our politicians on the strait and narrow. AND.. the basic design of the traditional democratic process would be maintained.

By the way? Considering that one must learn to walk before they can run? What if the monthly online referendum were not to include any or all of the myriad decisions made currently by our representatives. What if INSTEAD it asked only two questions.... "Should your Member of Parliament be terminated immediately and a new election be held to find a replacement?" and.. "Should the Prime Minister of Canada be terminated immediately and a new election be held to find a replacement?" It may well be that these two simple questions with a majority vote binding the appropriate action to occur, would be all it takes to endow us with a more alert, responsible government. It might be a rather interesting addition to traditional democracy?

You guys should start a fertilizer business because I'm seeing an abundance of it here. Planning around exceptions is no way to look out for the many. You want educated Canadians? Then you produce them by designing the system to create them, not by making the system so difficult that only the few survive. If you want a "ruling class" then by all means, make tuitions super high, ensure that only the elite or exceptions make it through, and that the many fall by the wayside. The only thing that I find more rediculous? Is that after 14 years of education ( 2 preschool, 8 elementary, and 4 highschool) the only thing our kids are qualified to do, is work in a Mikes Mart at minimum wage, or continue on to college or university. DUH!! After they have dedicated 14 years of their lives to schooling they should AT LEAST HAVE ONE TRADE THAT WILL SUSTAIN THEM IN OUR WORK WORLD!! Good grief our kids were better off a hundred years ago when the parents passed their trades on to their children. At least then the child had a way to make its way in the world. Now? In our "better world", a world where nearly all non career jobs are minimum wage, our kids may know all about where the various parts of the world are located, they may well speak 2 languages, they may have an appreciation of art, but unless they find a way to get through university or college which THEY must pay for with these minimum wages jobs, they have the life chances of doodly squat. I don't know what planet you're from, but BEAM ME UP SCOTTY because its sure as heck not the planet earth. Ensure that all kids have a trade by the time they leave highschool. Lower tuition costs so that more of our kids can achieve their full potential. If an educated culture is going to deploy itself into the global economy, let it be ours.

Personally, I have always felt a great joy in the things that we Canadians share in common, among them an ability to communicate. I don't think that it really mattered if that language were English, French, or any other known language, so long as we all shared it in common. There is a definite need for Countrymen (and women) to understand each other. Of course now we have opened the door to paying for a 2nd offical language, and so since we can afford this luxury, why not more? We are multicultural and have many more languages we could incorporate as Canada's 3rd, 4th language and so on. Personally, my vote for our 3rd language would be an Aboriginal one. When it comes to historical significance, what would be more truly appropriate than that we all learn Ojibwa, or any language that our Canadian Natives reach concensus on to represent their heritage? In fact, if we are going that route, perhaps as time goes by we could incorporate more of the languages used by our many other cultures? The expense perhaps? Yet if we cannot afford financially to adopt all languages, how many Canadians feel left out when their cultures language and contribution is ignored? Let me then ask you this, is it the things which make us different we should concentrate on, or is it the things we share in common that make us uniquely Canadian. It was truly said "united we stand, divided we fall." Migwich!

Next time the government is seeking cutbacks to provide tax relief, why not terminate the office of Governor General? We could save some major bucks there. And while we're at it? Why don't we also terminate the Senate? Save some major bucks there too. Perhaps some of those bucks saved, could be used to bolster the Canadian economy, or enhance our social programs. Oh, and just for the heaven of it, next time we do tax breaks? Lets give the lower and middle class a HUGE tax break and give the wealthy a hefty tax increase. It would be very good to see how it feels to have the shoe on the other foot for a change. Far more likely that we will assign a 2nd Govenor General, create more senate postions, raise taxes on the lower n middle classes, lower them for the rich, close a few more hospitals, and move entirely to private health insurance. But then, thats ok with us right?

Before we begin, my thanks to KrustyKid for educating me with regard to quotes, feels good to improve. 'preciate it, and now.. Taking a vote for every possible decision is not necessary, any more than a business owner must tell his or her manager every choices answer. While the owner may from time to time take the reins, they most often set out policies which the manager(s) deploy. This, history shows all too often, is simply not the case is it? What is more likely the case is adage *absolute power corrupts absolutely*. Those we elect to represent us, for one reason or other all too often wind up representing themselves. If Canada is to survive, then this must stop. Great! But then again, thats what democracy's all about isn't it? Having our voices counted, and the majority acted on. Gentlemen (and Ladies), Are any of you very handy with webpages and databases? Together we could build and test one. Having a working model would easily show its pro's & cons wouldn't it? Is anyone game?

Before I begin dealing with the items brought up most recently, I have a wee request. Could one of you generous souls enlighten me as to how to make those cool quote rectangles used so often? And please, forgive my ignorance, I'm a newb here *S* All that being said? Lets begin shall we? "It would be enough if technology were able to make people feel involved and empowered. If this were to happen we'd have more involvement, more education, more thought and more good ideas." I would tend to agree with this statement if the world "feel" were left out. "Furthermore, this idea contradicts the point of representative democracy. " Yes, I imagine that having your vote counted and acted on, would not be quite the same as our current system of having representatives votes counted and acted on, quite likely your own vote would better represent your interests. Of course, I'd said a truer democracy was my goal, and not representative democracy. Besides, our spokespersons would be a form of representative, but representing what our vote told them too, and not their own idea's. "We have to recognise that we are not experts in all or even many of the fields in which we are obliged to do business. We can, however, hire experts like plumbers, car mechanics, doctors etc." Superb idea! Therefore we fill government positions according to who can do that particular job the best, just as a business would tend to do. We as individual Canadians, do not need to be experts at anything beyond knowing our own mind. Those we hire to do the hiring, will ensure we have the right experts, in the right positions to do the job as well as it can possibly be done. "A country run along the lines you have suggested would be a total mess. There would be absolutely no coherent foreign policy, for instance, people would vote on the issue of the day without a second thought to the standing of the nation and the world in 10, 20 or 50 years time." Standing policies would dictate how situations were handled until such time as the Canadian People voted to change them. With regard to the standing of the nation and the world in decades to come? Many of the decisions made on our behalf by the businessmen we've hired to safeguard our interests, are not good for Canada in the long term and well we know it. But the average Canadian is powerless to do much more than look after our own interests and hope for some miracle. Really think we Canadians don't value health care? Really think we appreciated having our representatives give themselves raises while telling us to tighten our belts? I think if Canadians were truly able to have a government reflect our values, you'd see a very different very cohesive Canada, rather than one that is on the verge of collapse. "What if some hacker or, worse, a foreign intelligence service or a terrorist group decides to crash your whole system on voting day? " True, very true. Its possible and even expected that something of that nature would happen. However forewarned is forearmed. Nothing that could be done, could not be detected and undone. Have banks thrown up their hands in defeat and closed their online doors due to online being fiscally irresponsible? No. Has Microsoft cried uncle and gone offline? No. There are dangers online or offline. It is not the way of the Canadian People to flee in the face of adversity. It is our way to survive, adapt, and overcome, and that is EXACTLY what we will do. "what about those who don't have internet access? " Good question! While an ever increasing number of Canadians do have computers and internet access, still a healthy portion of our society does not. However, recently a government sponsored program placed computers in the classrooms of all our schools. Hence? An online computer is as close as the school nearest you, and also the library, government office, internet cafe, or freinds. If you do not have personal online access it is entirely likely that unless you choose not to, you will within the decade.

Well now you've got me grinning. I'd hoped for some serious drawbacks to the system I'd proposed to come to light, and instead I'm drawing merely sceptisism. Allow me to deal with the points you've brought up.. "Can't wait until someone hits that system with a denial-of-service attack or hacks it and indulges in some good old-fashioned ballot-stuffing" Hacking the system will be detected and dealt with severely. If this were not so, online banking would never exist. Currently online banking uses 128bit encryption. Technology exists for encryption 100's of times stronger. Laws too can act as effective deterrents, just what will be strong enough to keep hackers from being tempted? I suspect we shall find out as examples are made. Ballot stuffing? This will be much harder when its an online enterprise as watchdog systems are far more complex and accountable than offline. "That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard. Everybody would have to log on everyday, read a bunch of boring memos, figure out alot of stats and then make a decision" Folks would not need to log on more than once per month in all likelyhood, unless a special vote were brought and they deemed it in their best interests to participate. The monthly votes would likely take the form of a survey, and until changed current policies would already cope with most of the political decision worklog. The proposed system would be far more accurate, efficient, and easier to manage than most can imagine. As a result? More voting numbers would increase, not decrease as suggested by yourself. The more likely that your actions have a desired affect, the more likely you will repeat that action. Thats human behavioral science. "What if you feel very strongly about something (stopping the slaughter of baby harp seals) and I think it's OK (those Maritimers need a break) but I can live without the hunt? Should we both have equal votes?" Yes, we should. Any decision that affects us all, for good or bad, if we are to enjoy the rewards, or suffer the consequences, we should have a say in the vote that decides our fate if we care enough to cast it. "Let's be harshly honest. Your single vote in the next federal election will change absolutely nothing" Exactly my point. Now I don't know about you, but if I drove my car to work and it broke down failing me 9 out of 10 times, I'd either repair it, or get a more reliable form of transportation. So if our government system is failing us despite changes in the representatives, that tells us its not the Persons, its the system. Hence? If the system is not working, its time we considered an alternate form that will accomplish the aims we expect of it. "Do you want tax cuts ? YES Do you want more services ? YES" Not necessarily. I think that what we want, is effective services that embody Canadian values at a price that is reasonable. What good is a tax cut that leaves your check $5 higher, but removes public health insurance? The wealthy go to private insurance, yet those that can't afford it, a growing amount of Canadians, then have none, or must make further cuts to their constantly diminishing personal budget. Consider the state of Canada prior to the work of Persons like the Suffragettes and Tommy Douglas? Personal taxes were lower, but there was no ohip, no workers comp, no employment insurance, no social welfare ..the list goes on. The wealthy loved it, but the bulk of Canadians suffered greatly. In today's age there is a growing gap between upper and middle class with a growing number of middle class moving towards poverty class. There is a valid reason for social programs, and a valid reason for taxes. Its redistribution for the benefit of all Canadians. Hence the issue is not that we are taxed, but that those taxes are spent wisely and with the benefit of all in mind, not just a powerful chosen few. "Anyway, you have more say than you realize as the parties in power use modern polling techniques to guage the popularity of legislation before they table it." I disagree, the first example that comes to mind is the GST. Our leader at that time came to power on the strenght of VOWING to abolish it. Once in power our leader said something to the affect of ummm changed my mind we need it. The majority of Canadians wanted it gone, a powerful elite few disagreed. The GST stayed. The only time I believe that politicians are truly concerned with how the majority of Canadians feel, is when an elections in the offing. "Another really, really dumb comparison. If you think the CEO is incompetent, you sell your shares. You're not stuck with the guy for four years." Well sir, I seriously thank you for proving my point. Further? I think we should 'sell our shares' in this system of government that does not reflect the majority will of the People it purports to represent, and look into a system of governing that will. Democracy is a suberb way to represent People's group interests and its entirely possible that online voting on the issues will give the Canadian People the reins to control our government in a truly democratic manner. Lastly? I respectfully suggest that rather than endlessly debate (far better left to our senate as that seems their role) we put our heads together, and find a way to create a controlled model of the system I've suggested. If it shows unrepairable flaws? We'll find something that will work, and if it does work? Then we may need to consider it further. Recommendations? a) Find the resources to build a working model. Use the working model to mirror a municipal level of government with full access available to the People of that constituency via home computer/and computers in schools. c) Eliminate as many flaws technical or otherwise that can be found. d) Compare the results obtained from the working model with the decisions made by local government. e) Once the working model works, phase it into the local government gradually in a binding way. Comments?

It's been suggested that many Persons do not vote as they do not feel their vote has much power. Whatever is done in one government, is undone in the next, and so the pendulum swings back and forth with little change actually occurring. Indeed, even if you do successfully vote in a particular party there is no guarentee that they will carry out the election promises they made to garner your vote in the first place, and there's little or nothing anyone can do about it for another four years when the cycle renews itself. Have you ever felt there has to be a better way? Imagine how inefficient business would be, if having hired an ineffective or possibly corrupt CEO you were stuck with him/her for four years and even then could only replace the Person and "hope for the best" for the next four years? Most business People would be aghast at this prospect, and so should we. There is however an alternative. The internet is secure enough to allow us to manage our money online ie online banking. The general public is no longer largely ignorant due to the widespread availability of information. Computers are either in the home or at the nearest school or public office. Quite simply put, we could quite easily rule ourselves by online referendums. Political representatives will become public servants acting as spokespersons for the policies and decisions determined by the majority votes cast by us, the Canadian People. If a spokesperson decides to ingnore the majority vote of the Canadian People, those they are elected to represent, they would be terminated with or without notice, just like we are in our jobs, and replaced with an employee who would do the job as they were hired too. Bit by bit, we are seeing the values Canada has held dear whittled away. Indeed even our very right to govern ourselves, our sovereignty. Recently changes were made that seek to increase the ability of foreigers to invest in Canada up to 60%. While Canadians might not immediately see the threat this impies, just remember, the man who holds the gold makes the rules, really want outsiders telling Canadians what will be, and what will not? If Canadians are willing to cast an online vote once per month on issues that pertain to our governing, perhaps then government truly would represent the will of our People, rather than the will of a "wealthy chosen few" and voting would once again, be worth doing.