I am a firm believer that despite everyone’s claims, very few are in fact informed voters. We settle for half truths and in many cases have no concept of what our rights are as voters. It is up to us to make decisions we feel good about and our current political system does not allow for that. Most tend to vote for the best of the worst as opposed to someone they have confidence in whose platforms actually address the realities facing society. Someone who will make good on what they promise us. Someone who will stand up to corporate pressures, and do what’s right, not what the highest bidder wants them to do. Someone you can look in the eye, ask a question, and get a real legitimate answer. Most of all, what we need is someone who is not afraid to make tough, yet necessary decisions. Someone who will be accountable for those decisions. Someone who has some actual experience dealing with the problems they are charged to solve. I mean, seriously, how can someone who grew up with a silver spoon in their mouth actually have a viable solution for poverty and homelessness? They can’t. And this disconnect is what ails society the most. This part of society has no political voice as in order to get a politician’s ear, your checkbook needs to be in your hand. Yet, ironically it is these people that need a strong government and leadership the most.
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I recently had the opportunity to visit a Waldorf school. I was intrigued by the earth friendly curriculum and surroundings: natural beeswax crayons, other supplies made with natural fibre, the chemical free garden, and the holistic and artistic approach to learning. However, although I am not one who likes to challenge other people’s personal beliefs, I found the mythical and spiritual thinking a little disconcerting. I don’t believe that there are little gnomes living in the forest. I have always been a bit of a party pooper. Even as a child, I did not believe in things like Santa, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy, although my skepticism did not prevent me from accepting gifts from these mealy-mouthed fraudsters.

We all have knowledge that others consider fantasies, whether we are adults or children. As a child, I did not believe in Santa or fairies, but I knew that there were giants who strode across the countryside. I saw them occasionally on television, in newspapers and magazines, in school auditoriums, and in the streets. They were our political leaders who seemed like supreme parents who commanded even our parents. In effect, they were guardians of our country. I still see them that way.
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My political action, or my theory (insomuch as I can be said to have one) can be expressed very simply: create counterweights.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

Tens of thousands of airplanes successfully land and take off without incident at major Canadian airports every year. There were significantly fewer traffic accidents in North America during the past five years. The Prime Minister shoved a protester today. A celebrity actor was arrested at the airport for illicit drug possession.

Which news story is likely to be reported heavily in the newspapers and blogs? Which ones will attract the most attention from readers? It is a good time to be alive, but one unfortunate aspect of today’s times is that we live in an age of instant entertainment and political correctness, in which bad news is reported more frequently than good news and in which people are quick to judge and criticize others. We give our political leaders a hard time, demanding instant solutions to difficult and complex problems, criticizing them often and rarely praising them. If you were to examine snapshots taken of a senior career politician from his/her first election to the present, you would probably see an individual who has aged significantly more than most people in their demographic cohort, not unlike the photo timelines of petty criminals that the police sometimes show at anti-drug workshops.
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