I’ve been talking a lot of politics lately. I don’t know why, but I’ve been drawn towards politics. Maybe it’s because we had such an interesting civic election, and the provincial election is just around the corner.

I have a lot of ideas about how things should be, and why things are they way they are. A platform so to speak. The thing is that I’m not right wing, and I’m not left wing. I’m also not center, defence, or goalie. While politics in some places has turned into a sport - us vs. them - it doesn’t matter what my party’s platform is, or how much sense the other guys might make, they’re “them” so we have to defeat them. Truth be told, my views would be considered pretty right wing on some topics, and very left wing on others. Still other issues, I’d be labled as a moderate, or a liberal (note the small l.)

Where does that leave me?

Well, basically when I vote for a party in the provincial election, a large part of their platform will be distasteful to me. Regardless of which party I vote for. I’m sure this is true of a lot of people, but it’s almost a revelation to me this time around. I can see why negative campaigning works so well, since it’s not who you want to vote for so much as who you don’t want to vote for. The lesser of two evils and all that. All I ask is that those who choose politics put the interests of their constituency ahead of their own interests in getting re-elected. Maybe I’m just getting old, and jaded, but I don’t think that any successful polititian can actually do that anymore, without getting trounced by the career polititians.

Look at what Ross Perot tried to do a few elections back down South - I’m not saying that I agreed with his policies or whatever, but truthfully, he was running because he wanted to take the country in a new direction. He didn’t seem to be running just to further his political career. He did it out of love for his country, not self interest.

I’m not sure what I’m saying, but I think most polititians as a group are in politics for the wrong reason. A lot of it looks like petty bickering and “my sport team is better than your sports team” type of crap. There’s a place for that, and I think that public office isn’t it.

Simpson’s quote of the day: “It makes no difference which one of us you vote for. Either way, your planet is doomed. DOOMED!” - Kang