The election is over, but the venom persists
By Letter to the Editor on May 23, 2019.
So many people commented on how the recent provincial election was marred by personal attacks and wild accusations. Yet here we are with the legislature about to convene and the attacks keep coming. Regardless of your political affiliation, isn’t it time to set aside insults and provocations, and instead foster reasonable, rational debate about the various sides of an issue? Proponents of the most reasonable, rational and beneficial positions on an issue can so easily and rapidly lose credibility when they engage in vicious attacks on their opponents, that the idea itself can often get lost in the noise. If you have strong, well thought out, and articulate opinions on an issue, then that should be all that is required to advance your argument. If it is not, then you need to do more work, not engage in insults and ridicule. What happens when those less engaged in the issues, and politics in general, observe this negative behaviour? Either they tune it out and disengage from the whole process, which is a loss for all sides, or they throw their support behind one position without having a full understanding of what is at play. Neither of these outcomes is desirable. You may notice that I have not directed this letter to any one point on the political spectrum, because it applies across the board, regardless of your affiliations. Our province will be much better off if we can keep debate civil, informed, and on point, instead of falling back into the trap of personal attacks. Marco Jansen Medicine Hat (The writer is the Cypress-Medicine Hat Constituency Association president for the United Conservative Party) 8-7
I had to check the date on this “letter” because I thought it may have come from May of 2015. But no, I was both mistaken and reminded on the four years we kept hearing about “accidental government” and “ideology.”
Every time and I do mean every time I heard “accidental government” I thought about how insulting that was to all people that exercised their right to vote. It also reminded me of two more issues one being the total disrespect on the democracy our society is built on. And, more importantly, the way the conservative right was saying this while not acknowledging the fact it was because of their culture of entitlement that created the environment they seem to want to deflect for four years.
Yes, the election is over, just as it was over in 2015, 2012 and all the elections before it. And as with all elections, there is an opposition and the role of the opposition is to hold the government accountable to the people. And just because someone may not agree with the path the government may go down, does not make them “negative” and much as it may make them concerned and engaged in the process. What makes the political environment venomous is when we make our Premier a golfing target only to be run over. What makes the political environment venomous is when a Minister of the Crown refers to people whomever they may be as “sewer rats” and refuse to apologize for it. What makes the political environment venomous is when the Leader of the Opposition makes a childish comment about beating the Premier. I can go on what makes the political environment venomous, but I will not.
The point is, sadly, this province is now polarized into two extreme political views and I am concerned that this may not good for all Albertans because it is not just one party that functions on its ideology. All parties have their own ideology.
And while the 2019 election is over, that only means the 2023 election has just started.
I agree with Les Landry on their points regarding venomous political environments, but would also like to add that it’s entirely possible to have a reasonable debate with rational individuals seeking to debate. When that rationality is gone or subsumed by a lack of meeting an individual’s basic needs, however, so is any opportunity for a reasonable debate.
What disturbs the intelligent Albertans that weren’t dumb enough to fall for Kenney’s lies is the fact that he is a Reformer and has never been a true Conservative , just like Ralph Klein, and like Klein he was a well known Liberal and doesn’t give a damn about who get’s hurt by what he is promising to do to this province, again just like Klein. As a man pointed out in the Edmonton Journal, he has already begun looking after his rich friends by promising to eliminate the Carbon Tax. Who does it help, the rich of course and hurts the low income Albertans who were making some money off the Carbon Tax Rebates. But then what University Professors have pointed out over the years is certainly correct. Easily lead, easily fooled, people make up the majority of any population anywhere in the world. These are the followers and aren’t capable of leading. They out number the intelligent ones two to one. They believe every lie their leaders feed them and that’s why dictators become so powerful and why it usually takes a bloody confrontations to get rid of them. What Kenney has promised is only going to make the rich richer and the poor poorer, just like Klein did. It’s no secret that Alberta has the highest percentage of seniors using the food banks in Canada and it’s only going to get worse.
I just came back from B.C. and drove on roads like the ones Alberta use to have, that were properly maintained, before the Klein government began using the taxes we pay at the pumps, to help run this province, instead of fixing our roads properly, and i’m betting they are only going to get worse under Kenney, and as a mechanic recently said Albertans apparently don’t care what driving on these roads filled with potholes is doing to their vehicles.
Klein gave Albertans the highest power bills in Canada, we are still the second highest, the highest property taxes, the highest vehicle registration fees, the second highest auto insurance, the highest long-term health care fees, the highest school fees, highest day care fees, highest after school care fees, and even the highest liquor prices , along with huge fees added to power and gas bills while he gave away billions in royalties and tax breaks to his rich friends, and apparently that’s what Albertans want. Being treated like morons, and being forced to do without proper services , while they watch Alaska and Norway enjoy their oil wealth is what they have voted for. Kenney will never be able to run this province properly without forcing Albertans into paying a lot more out of their own pockets and that’s what he is promising to do, and these Albertans fell for it. Congratulations. .