Conservative Minority

So the political tides have finally shifted and we have a minority Conservative government in Ottawa. I think it's a healthy change because a single party can only stay in power for so long before they get disillusioned, power-hungry, and money-grubbing. And recent evidence with the Quebec referendum scandal has shown that it doesn't take long for power to corrupt those that posess it.

If there's one thing that I've learned from my first federal election (since I missed the one in 2004 by less than a month), is that politics is one helluva touchy subject. That, along with religion, should pretty much not be discussed. Oh, throw gay rights into that mix, since we're all so politically correct now. I've learned that everyone has an opinion, strong or weak, on just about anything and everything. Emotions run high and clear-thinking doesn't necessarily always prevail.

Even some comments on people's MSN names like "Conservative minority? Noooo..." irked me a bit, but everyone has an opinion. Some people look at the scandal as an indication of how truthful the government is, and then others just glaze over it saying that everything else in the country is alright.

What I really had hoped would come from this election would be a majority government, in either direction. Minority governments don't get anything done and they have to walk the tightrope so finely in fear that they may be dethroned the second they slip up. I say let a party have their way for at least five years. The opposition party is there to keep them in check so they won't go do something incredibly stupid. Right now we're setting ourselves up for another government that won't accomplish all that much (maybe their crowning achievement will be the free vote on same-sex marriage) and will probably get sent up for another election in maybe a year or two's time. If we have another election in the next three years, I definitely think that this political scattering will be detrimental to Canadian society.

I think the smear campaigns and their ads helped educate me on our political leaders. You had to have been an idiot to know that Harper is more pro-American than Martin. I didn't know until recently that Martin used private health care and he registered his trading ships under foreign flags to save on tax expenses. Stuff like this strengthens my beliefs, but I'm surprised it doesn't weaken those that do support him. Above all else, I've learned that religion doesn't superceded politics. All Catholics / Christians don't go against the Liberals. Does that mean the times are a-changing? Maybe. But I think it goes against their doctrine. I find it funny that I'm standing up for traditional Catholic / Christian views. I guess this election is full of ironies.

One thing that I definitely found irritating about the election is its coverage on major Canadian channels. Their graphics for updating the number of seats each party won involved using a white crosswipe across the number. The bottom or side of the screen was flashing so much that I had to change channels to one that had a static number. It was near seizure-inducing. Why can't they take a page from the American networks and broadcast using subdued, professional colours? NBC always looks just more professional compared to CTV and CBC.

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PDEng... oh how I loathe thee. I'm now officially one of two PDEng rep for the Software Engineering class of 2009. This should be a fun upcoming term when I go head-to-head with Dr. MacGregor and give her a piece of my mind on the course... and then subsequently being shut down again. I think I'll have to come up with some crazy, radical ideas for PDEng reform... or I could just sit back and be a yes man. Only time will tell.

Back to reality... PDEng... I'll have to do it at work tomorrow. There was just no time today considering there was 24, a Leafs game, a Raptors game, the election, wasting time, Star Wars: Empire at War, etc., etc. Just generally more interesting stuff, and lots of it, to do other than PDEng. I'll do it on my lunch break... and hopefully it won't drag on too long. There's lots of reading to be done. Gah.