So, long time no blog. Busy with other things, like getting married. (See the other blog for that.)
The provincial election is coming. Consensus seems to be that New Brunswickers are trying to pick the candidates that offend them the least. The two major parties are making tons of unrealistic promises, sniping at each other, hiking their own salaries and pensions, and generally demoralizing the population. A couple of thoughts on this situation:
First, everyone loves to complain about politicians but few good people actually take the plunge to get involved in politics. There is something about politics that attracts narcissists, and we seem to have become captivated by personalities (ie. David Alward's lack of public speaking finesse) than by policies. Sometimes I wonder if all the complaining just keeps the good people afraid of trying to change things.
Secondly, party leaders have a lot of power, especially when their MLA's are mostly 'yes men.' Or 'yes women.' The NB Power sale was a great example of how the Premier made a decision and then told his MLA's that they'd better shut up or toe the line.
I would propose that the best way to vote is to choose the candidate who is the most knowledgeable, an independent thinker, and a person who has integrity. I don't think it matters one iota which party that person belongs to. Because at the end of the day, you need somebody in the legislature who understands that power is a double-edged sword.
We need MLA's who will stand up to a poor leader and tell him or her, 'this is a bad decision, I won't support it, kick me out if you have to,' are the people who will put the common good ahead of personal gain. Debating about policies and ideas forces people to sharpen their arguments and sharpen their thinking. We are experiencing a painful lack of practical ideas and sharp thinking from the red-and-blue teams.
Nerd Alert: I am an info junkie, and yesterday when the Elections NB flyer arrived, I looked it over a few times. It was really interesting because every single candidate in the province had to list their occupation. Some were career politicians, and listed their occupation as "MLA." Personally, I find this a bit scary, but okay.
Did you know Shawn Graham identifies himself as a 'businessman?' And that the People's Alliance of NB has a lot of 'trucker' candidates? Many NDP candidates are retired, and that many Liberal candidates are businesspeople or consultants? The Green Party candidates were by far the most unconventional: early childhood educator, recording engineer, media monitor, fisherman, air traffic controller, mother.
So these are the people who want to represent us. They're also the people who will or won't take orders from 'the boss,' who ever may end up with that title.
