It’s the day of the election in Ontario and there’s much at
stake. Those close to me know I’m passionate about citizenship and being
politically active. Voting is one of the many important ways we communicate our
desires and hopes a democracy.
This may have been said numerous times before, but this
election is critical for our province. It’s unfortunately because, largely,
there are no great options at first glance. Getting into the issues of this
election, however, should reveal to most Ontarians that there is a clear public
threat presented by the Progressive Conservatives.
Tim Hudak and his so-called “million jobs plan” has been
polarising to say the least. While it promises the return of manufacturing jobs
to Ontario, it has been attacked from all angles for its misrepresentation of
economic data. Whether or not any of it is true is, seemingly, irrelevant since
many Ontarians are clamouring to support the PCs regardless.
Therein lines a serious problem. Ontarians, like people in
all parts of the world, are worried about the economy. Finance seems to make up
a substantial part of nearly every discussion that takes place in our modern
world, and is often the deciding factor in decisions that have serious social
or environmental impacts.
I’m no stranger to this as my blog, Kaputall, is all about exploring the degree to which capital plays
a role in our lives.
Thinking about money isn’t a bad thing. It’s sensible. But
not to the exclusion of other serious considerations. What’s particularly
worrying is that in an attempt to focus on so-called “fiscal responsibility” we
tend to go after the public good. This is based on an ill-informed notion that
the reason why our economy is struggling is because we spend too much on social
services. Rather, public ledgers tend to have problems because of
mismanagement, public-private partnerships, military spending, corporate tax
breaks, and other expenditures that offer less direct benefit to average
citizens.
I’m deeply concerned about the PCs. That’s why I voted. And
I hope everyone I know who reads this will go out and vote today. Last week I
went to the advance poll because I knew I was going to be missing election day.
I was the only person in the polling station under sixty and I got a puzzled
look from the Elections Ontario staff. Not only did I vote, but I also
registered to vote having not been resident in Ontario recently.
I challenge all young people to stand up against the
stereotype that we do not vote. That we are not impassioned. That we are
apathetic. That we can be persuaded not to take an interest.
As the proverb goes – just because you don’t take an
interest in politics doesn’t mean politics doesn’t take an interest in you.
No comments:
Post a Comment