Marril said:
Well, it would be all fine and dandy if democracy worked even a tenth as well in practice as it does in theory. The problem is people are stupid. They only saw the Liberal sponsorship scandal and, despite that they were cleared on innumerable issues about it, the Conservatives just kept up their defamation of the Liberal party and it worked. People believed them and didn't even think about their votes.
It also doesn't help that the Conservatives are hypocritical to the extremes. They committed numerous instances of what can only be called libel to the Liberal party, and when the Liberals distributed a few ads that showed the Conservatives in a negative light, they lashed at them like it was the end of the world. Now, I'm not saying the Liberals are saints (personally I prefer the NDP, but to continue...), but the Conservatives seek only to do the American capitalist dream: to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Rest assured, Canada will only "flourish" in the eyes of the Americans if you're a Republican.
There really needs to be an intelligence test required to vote. The masses cannot be trusted to make an intelligent decision when it's been proven time and again throughout history that leaders can sway the public opinion to whatever belief they want for purely selfish ends.
Conservatives brought us such horrible things as GST and NAFTA. I'm just waiting to see what happens this time.
now on to canada's political system, as it is currently.
GST and Nafta was done under clinton, which i would like to point out, WAS NOT A CONSERVATIVE!
how is it a bad thing when your system works?(the guy won, quit griping and move on, god, no one likes a crybaby! its really the reason why gore couldn't win in america now, is beause he fussed about it)
"people are idiots", yet govenments base their whole economy off of its people who are idiots, so there fore you claim to be an idiot if you beleive people are idiots, as indeed, you yourself are a person(plural being people) so then if you truly think that, you are simply a tool being used by the governments for their own self interest and doing nothing about it.
you later go on and say people need tests in order to vote, trust me, conservitives want that just as much as you(especially since we feel most liberals would fail because their emotions(yes i say emotions and not logic, because i debate enough libs on this mattter to know they "feel" rather than use the brain on their shoulders that God/Evolution gave them)) so, it works both ways on this "test"
ryanvergel said:
Since when does an elected official have to represent the majority? If few people vote, then it's very easy for an individual to get elected who DOESN'T represent the majority. Look at Bush, he certainly didn't have the "will of the people" behind him when he got elected.
Don't assume an elected official is the will of the people.
Also, myn, look into elite theory, you might be shocked.
Elite theory shows that the elite rule, not the people.
really? you mean the common man no longer rules*rolls eyes* im so glad you pointed that out, i mean how could i have missed that the campaigns of the past decade have been the msot expensive in history and no common man could afford to run agaisnt either the DNC or GOP? very few presidents have ver had the full backing of the people and the electorial votes. however, the president still wins by popular vote!(before you all say WTF!!!!! OMG!!!!! eleventyone111!!1!1111!11 FORDFORCUS!!!!!) think of it like this
who wins the presidency in America? the one with the most electorial Votes, the people vote, each state is worth so much in electorial votes. the state goes one way or another(if i remeber correctly, 1 sate splits its electrial votes, weakening itself imo)so it still done by the popular vote of the states.
and didnt bush win by the popular vote this last time by 6,000,000+ votes? correct me if i am wrong, but wasnt that the last tallied number or so for Bush's victory above and beyond the electorial votes required to win.
on an ending note, may God Bless Canada and let her gain glory in whatever it does
(go Jesus land north!)