No Way, It Can't Be Wednesday....

I've had a busy week and it feels like it should be Friday and its only Wednesday. Has anybody else felt the same way on a Wednesday? This past weekend I've had a room mate move in and I just have not had the time to just stop for a minute or two. At work the new contract between the union and my company was voted on and we decided not to strike (although there were a few that wanted to). Working for an American company just has its ups and downs. The United States seems to be falling into a recession and Canada's economy is not.

I found out this week like many other Canadians that we will be going to vote in another federal election. I'm pretty sure every body already knew about that with the number of commercials running supporting Harper to be re-elected. I have not heard anything from the Liberal party yet but if your plan to get elected into a majority government by introducing a carbon tax at a time when a lot of people are screaming for lower prices; I would not want to be in that party. I no vote for you!

I'm waiting to see what the other parties are saying before I decide in October. The political machines are only warming up; there are bound to be some more commercials on their way. At least the battle for PM in Ottawa will help keep our minds off of the American election the following month. At least our elections will be over before the American election. If you are old enough to vote go out and make your voice heard when it counts.

That has been my opinion, what is yours?

Another Update: A Visit to My Brother In Another City

I just wanted to leave a short note that I will be away for a day. I am going to visit my brother in a city that is about a three hour drive from my house. But before I go, I took part in a discussion on Blog Catalog about a 4th of July post. My post really was not all that American, Of course its not going to be American, I am Canadian but I did not bash any Americans, just curious about what they do while enjoying national holidays.

I was asked about a couple commercials that were running during our last election here in Canada and I wanted to share them with you here because the message is important. I found both commercials on YouTube and if they don't work I will leave a a direct link to the videos for you. The first one is a clip of a young man not speaking while he has the chance. In the up coming Presidential elections for the US it is important to keep some of these in mind while you decide if you are going to vote or not.

Elections Canada: Vote

The second video is was aired before movies at the Cineplex. Both are important because of the message: "You have a chance to make your voice heard on the national stage by casting a vote. Don't miss your chance to speak." I hope you all enjoy both videos and seriously consider who you want to be your next president on November 4th, 2008.

Apathy is Boring Go Vote PSA

Yawn ... So Tired ... Wait, I'm Awake, Really I AM!

Today I was watching some reactions to campaign speeches from the two front runners in the Democratic Primaries. I know that some people are thinking the same thing I was; "You mean they still are campaigning for a nomination?" Well maybe not everybody; politics is really big in the US and I am OK with that. Although north of the border with an outsiders point of view I really am surprised that the American people are bringing this race for the nomination right down to the wire. I am sure that voter turn out rates are increasing but I do remember one of the anchors on CNN mention that some democrats are flip flopping to the republican side because of the lengthy campaigns.

I am certainly glad that people are going out and making their opinion count when it matters. This up and coming election will be interesting to watch from the outside; I think I'm going to need to get some more popcorn. I can vaguely remember the last federal election in the US; I do not remember much from the primaries considering there was only the democrats because W. was running for his second term. But what I do remember is that there was some really good mud slinging going on. We have had a few good mud slinging contests up here between our politicians, I just think it is more entertaining when you can watch from the outside. Hmm... I wonder; do you need a degree in Dramatic Arts to get into politics?

All jokes aside I am glad to see that the American people are very picky about who they want to run for President. My view on voting is that it is the most patriotic part of a democracy. Think about it for a second, you get to choose who leads your country. Now this can or cannot be the easiest decision you have to make; you do have to weigh the pros and the cons of the promises the candidates are making. One thing that kind of struck me as a blatant plea for your vote was a gas tax relief program that is really only good in the short run. Granted there are a lot of people who live pay check to pay check; but the oil companies have been preying on our fears for many years which probably will not change. I know that this is only one of the issues but I can't know all of the issues facing Americans; after all, I am Canadian.

Yawns. I am a little tired right now so I will have to end this little observation of mine. I apologize for being so tired but after long day at work and watching the same thing get broadcast over and over has kind of made me sleepy. I will have to find some toothpicks to hold my eyes open for the rest of the Democratic primaries; they seem to be dragging out, but in a good way. The good thing about having a lengthy Primary is that you really get a sharp picture on where the candidates stand. America, it is your time to make your opinions count during this election, choose your candidate well and make sure you show up at the polling stations to make your voice heard. As for what this means for Canadians, we will work with whoever you choose to lead your country; but I'm sure quite a few of us Canadians have either lost interest or also going to get some toothpicks to hold their eyes open. If you have made it this far in my post please leave a comment and share your point of view, I look forward to hearing more opinions on the elections. Thanks for reading my opinion.

Image Source: WP Clip Art

Democratic Indecision

As I was reading through a few articles on both of my favourite news network's websites I found an article about Hillary Clinton admitting that Senator Barrack Obama could win the presidential race this year. I have not been paying much attention to the primaries as of late considering that I am a Canadian and cannot vote in the U.S. Elections. As for my thoughts on voting, you really should take a stand and vote for who you think could best lead your country; do you really want some one else to speak for you? Anyway the last time I caught any primary coverage Clinton was slightly ahead of Obama in the polls; I now see that Obama has a little bit of a lead on Clinton.

It certainly seems like there is a lot of indecision on who will lead the democrats into the upcoming elections on November 4, 2008. The republicans have already nominated Senator John McCain, but the democratic nomination is still up for grabs. There still are 9 more primaries left to sort out the democrats nomination; but it seems as though people are split on who they want leading the democrat party.

Canadian politics are so very different in terms of choosing a party leader. For example members of the Liberal Party will nominate some one and the members of the party will elect their leader. Considering that we have at least 4 different parties on the ballot in federal elections this is much easier than having campaign races for each party leader. Now I am not saying that the American Electoral system is wrong and should be changed to emulate the Canadian Electoral system, I am just pointing out a difference. In my opinion the race for the Democrat Nomination is dragging on.

In conclusion the race for the democratic nomination is very inconclusive (from my point of view). As for how the primaries affect Canadians; well we do see a lot of American television and I am sure some of us Canadians are tired of hearing about how long the primaries are going on. I do not think we will see a clear victor in the race to win the presidential nomination until after the remaining primaries are concluded. I am sure that our Prime Minister will work with whoever wins the presidential race regardless of whether it is Clinton, Obama or McCain. We have the largest border with the U.S. and we also share one of our favourite past times (hockey), so of course we will work with whoever wins the election. But the Stanely cup playoffs are underway so choose your candidate and vote for them; hopefully these primaries will have concluded soon so we all can wonder about whether a democrat or a republican will lead the U.S. for the next four years. This has been my opinion; what's yours?

Image: David Ball
News Article: Clinton admits Obama could win White House

Another Thought of the Day: Elections

Today I found out that Pakistan is moving their elections from January 8, to Feb 18. The elections were moved to better facilitate a free and fair electoral process for Pakistan. The elections in Pakistan are crucial for democracy to succeed in said country. Then again, free and fair elections in any country is critical for democracy to succeed.

Here in Canada, we haven't had a federal election in a couple of years. The party I voted for didn't win the election, but the candidate did win a seat in the house of commons. Sometimes one vote doesn't make a difference, but if you don't cast your vote you are letting others speak for you. I'll never forget some of the commercials that elections Canada ran on TV networks encouraging people to vote.

In the United States, another federal election is on the horizon. This coming November U.S. citizens will be casting their votes for the next President of the United States. We are not too far away from finding out which Republican and Democratic Presidential hopefuls will be on the ballot for the U.S. federal election. I think a candidates foreign policy is very important, and it should be on the minds of every U.S. citizen eligible to vote.

Well those are some of my thoughts on elections, what are yours?

Image source: Visual_Studio_Dot_Net
News Story: Pakistan postpones election until Feb. 18

Can you run that by me one more time?

Okay, I was surfing the C.B.C.s website and I came across a show that is supposed to be airing next march. The show is called Canada's Next Great Prime Minister. Apparently its the second season of the show. I just have to say, "Can you run that by me one more time?"

The show is about young peoples ideas to make Canada a more prosperous nation. The prize they are giving out is $50,000. They don't really say very much about the show, I don't know why. There is an age limit set for those who want to apply, 18 to 25. You have to get people to vote for you in order to win, just like politics. I've never heard of this show before, has anybody else?

I can't think of any reason why this show was developed, except to get Canada's youth interested in politics. I'm sure all the young people of voting age are paying attention to politics, especially if they are in school. I remember teachers talking about people who don't vote let everybody else speak for them. Along with the latest commercials they came out with before this past election for Ontario's provincial government. Those commercials were quite funny, actually having someone else speak for you in different situations like a job interview. Do you go out and vote or do you let others speak for you?

But back to the show, what exactly is this show trying to accomplish? I had to do a double take when I saw the name of the show, really! Canada is moving into a better position on the global stage, and it is important for the youth of Canada to make an impact on our economy. I have a few ideas on what could make this country more prosperous, but what do I know, I'm just a blogger lost in the World Wide Web.