The_Doctor10
04-28-2011, 02:39 AM
Just a curiousity of mine; Canada's holding an election next week, and we've got five major parties running (one is a separatist wingnut party in Quebec and the other doesn't actually hold any seats, but did get 900,000 votes last election, but that's neither here nor there).
Now, throughout the entire process up here, I've noticed that the Liberals and Conservatives are cut from essentially the same cloth. While the Conservative government's banking regulations went a long way to keeping Canada above water during the recession, they've also been absurdly secretive considering they ran on a platform of transparency. The Liberals spend the same as the Conservatives, but they tax more. It's gotten to the point where I'm going to vote New Democrat (which is a fairly socialist party, it must be said, but whatever) just so there's a new voice leading the opposition. The Conservatives are all but guaranteed a majority in this next election, but the last thing I want is the Liberals heading the opposition.
So all this is to say, do you think America would benefit from another political party? The difference between a Democrat and a Republican seems to be, at this point, that one believes in evolution and the other doesn't. Granted, that's just my outsider's understanding of it, but wouldn't it be good if America had a third option that actually stood for something? Because from the outside looking in, I don't know what Democrats do to make themselves appealing options to the public besides 'not being Republican'. I thought the Republicans were the party of fiscal responsibility and business, but it appears that they just pay lip service to these ideals and spend just as recklessly (California, for example) as Democrats. And while I understand their loyalties to businesses and corporations, I don't understand their loyalty to religion; money doesn't have a god. Nor do I understand why profits allow for the forgiveness of unethical conduct.
But then, it's unfair to paint only Republicans on this issue; Democrats see to have been equally spineless/ineffective at standing up for the people that put them in power.
Or am I way off?
Now, throughout the entire process up here, I've noticed that the Liberals and Conservatives are cut from essentially the same cloth. While the Conservative government's banking regulations went a long way to keeping Canada above water during the recession, they've also been absurdly secretive considering they ran on a platform of transparency. The Liberals spend the same as the Conservatives, but they tax more. It's gotten to the point where I'm going to vote New Democrat (which is a fairly socialist party, it must be said, but whatever) just so there's a new voice leading the opposition. The Conservatives are all but guaranteed a majority in this next election, but the last thing I want is the Liberals heading the opposition.
So all this is to say, do you think America would benefit from another political party? The difference between a Democrat and a Republican seems to be, at this point, that one believes in evolution and the other doesn't. Granted, that's just my outsider's understanding of it, but wouldn't it be good if America had a third option that actually stood for something? Because from the outside looking in, I don't know what Democrats do to make themselves appealing options to the public besides 'not being Republican'. I thought the Republicans were the party of fiscal responsibility and business, but it appears that they just pay lip service to these ideals and spend just as recklessly (California, for example) as Democrats. And while I understand their loyalties to businesses and corporations, I don't understand their loyalty to religion; money doesn't have a god. Nor do I understand why profits allow for the forgiveness of unethical conduct.
But then, it's unfair to paint only Republicans on this issue; Democrats see to have been equally spineless/ineffective at standing up for the people that put them in power.
Or am I way off?