Democracy in Canada

Is democracy really being served in Canada?

An appointed television personality is deciding the fate of the government. Stephan Dion, a man that only 25% of the electorate are “comfortable with" as PM, is taking office. The Liberal Party Convention will choose Canada’s next Prime Minster in April—hope you like Ignatieff!

Like Canada’s appointed upper house and monarch, all of the above is in the rule book. But if YOU were to build a democracy, are these the sort of things that you would write into the constitution? Sure you would to put checks on power and ensure functionality, but is this really how you would do it?

The fact that there has only been a single coalition government in Canada’s post-confederation history, says something about the wisdom and legitimacy that previous political leaders have afforded this process.

Canadians went to the polls and voted for five separate parties who promised to pursue five different platforms in Parliament. Now two of those parties have decided to abandon the platforms on which they were elected, and adopt a new one. I acknowledge and respect the right of parties to unite and work toward common goals. If Dion and Layton attempted to form a coalition government after six months of a stalled Parliament, I would be far more understanding. However, after very little effort, these two parties have “thrown in the towel” less than a month and a half after Canadians expressed their opinions at the polls. Personally, I firmly believe that this was the NDP and Liberal’s back up plan all along, but they concealed it due to the fact that A LOT less people would have voted for the Liberals had they known there was a real chance that Dion would actually become Prime Minister.

Canadians have become habituated to not getting what they voted for. Not that long ago, Jean Chrétien built his first campaign around a promise to abolish the GST. Once in office, he reneged on the commitment, but was happily given a second majority by voters. Similairly, Dalton McGuinty completely scraped virtually every one of his first term campaign promises, only to waltz into a second term. In Canada, election "promises" and platforms have come to mean absolutely nothing. Canadians have become complacent, and their democracy will continue to suffer as long as voters resign themselves to such low expectations of their representatives.

Listening to many left-leaning Canadians today, reminds me of listening to the Republican Party in 2001, who thought that their new found power in both legislative houses and the Whitehouse permitted them to ignore a political demographic of the population. This is never acceptable, nor is it productive. As the Republicans learned this November, you will reap what you have sewn. Canadian’s often worry about the separation of Quebec, but the Western Separatist movement is very real—and growing. In fact, in February 2008, an Angus-Reid poll showed that 23% of Albertans believe that their provice would be better off as its own country. The ousting of Harper will only help such statistics grow. With an abundance of money, the now "have not" province of Ontario, and longstanding complaints about a lack of representation in Ottawa, you can be certain that an increasing number of Westerners will begin to question their participation in the country we call Canada.

In these turbulent times, it is of utmost importance that all voices be factored into the policy-making process. Harper must LEAD, and not rule. The Prime Minister is charged with the task of representing all of Canada—including those with whom he disagrees. If Michaëlle Jean is wise, she will bring all the parties of Parliament together and insist that they do what Canadians very recently asked them to do: WORK TOGETHER. The minority Parliament evidences that the spectrum of political opinions in Canada is as broad and diverse as ever. This diversity must be voiced in Parliament, and will not be well-represented by any power bloc—be that bloc Conservative or Liberal.

McCain deserves to be President, Obama deserves to win this Election

Though many of my Obama-loving friends down here fail to allow themselves to believe it, I am thoroughly convinced that Obama is going to win today. Obama deserves to win, he has run a far superior campaign. But since I was old enough to follow politics, I have admired and respected his opponent John McCain, and I personally think there are few individual who deserve the presidency more than him.

Few men possess the courage and fortitude of John McCain. While most people know that McCain was a POW in Vietnam, far less know that after enduring almost a year of untreated injuries and vicious torture that he was given the opportunity to go home. McCain's father was a high-ranking U.S. admiral and the Vietcong wanted propaganda, however McCain kept to the code of conduct and refused to leave unless every man that arrived before him was also allowed to leave. This decision cost McCain five year of his life, which he spent enduring solitary confinement and additional torture.

Since concluding his military career in 1982, McCain has spent the past twenty-six years of his life serving as one of the most active and productive members of the legislative branch. McCain's extensive list of activities and accomplishments include his leadership roles on the Senate Indian Affairs, Commerce, and Foreign Affairs committees; his work with John Kerry to end the trade embargo with Vietnam; his co-authoring of several bi-partisan bills including McCain-Lieberman (Environment), McCain-Kennedy (Immigration), and McCain-Fiengold (Campaign Finance); his role in authoring the present counter-insurgency plan in Iraq; his repeated opposition to any form of sanctioned torture by the U.S. government; and much much more. Furthermore, he is one of the few politicians in Washington who has actually taken the time to frequently visit places like Iraq and Afghanistan to see first hand what is happening on the ground--something that both the troops and the people of those countries deserve.

John McCain has also been a politician who has foremost served his conscious, and not his political party. I will not deny that he has catered to his electorate on some issues, however those who claim that John McCain and George Bush are one in the same have not paid any attention to U.S. politics for the past 10 years. They are quite different, and anyone who remembers the 2000 Republican Primaries or has an attention span of more than four months knows this. As for those who echo Obama's mantra about McCain's 2007 "with Bush" voting record, they should remind themselves of who actually controls both houses of the legislative branch and is authoring the legislation on which these "Bush votes" are occurring.

I was extremely excited when McCain won the primaries this year, and had high hopes for him. But this campaign has been an utter disappointment in every respect and is not a fitting end to McCain's outstanding career. In my opinion, McCain has taken some very bad advice running his campaign. Obama on the other hand has run an extremely successful campaign, having demonstrated remarkable competence and composure throughout. However, though I give Obama full credit for employing an effective and intelligent strategy, I must say that this has been the most superficial campaign that I have ever witnessed in American or Canadian politics. It has been based largely on philosophy and not policy. While philosophy is inevitably going to play a big role in politics, I would be troubled if all semblance of issue-based discussion was lost in the election process.

The way I see it, though McCain certainly deserves the office of President, Obama deserves to win this election.

I like Barack Obama, and strongly believe him to be one of the next great leaders of the United States. Ten years from now, he would probably win my vote. However, at present, he remains a junior senator who has published two autobiographies but not a single piece of legislation. For this reason, tomorrow in the voting booth, I will be choosing to focus on McCain's 26 years of public service and not the past 26 days of his misguided campaign. These years have earned my respect, my gratitude, and deserve my vote.

If Obama wins today, it is my prayer that his election will help heal some very old wounds that run deeper than any financial crisis ever could. I will be proud of what his achievement represents, and be optimistic for the future of his administration. If by some anomaly Obama looses this election, I am confident his day will come in the near future--and I look forward to it.

For those who enjoyed the "O Brother, Where Art Thou" Soundtrack

There is something intrinsically refreshing about listening to traditional folk music. It is a music spawned by the human propensity to express experience through music, be that experience the boredom of travel, the joy of faith, or the anguish of slavery. It is hence a highly intimate and personal form of expression, intended for the individual and not the mass audience. Moreover, in the hands of the right musician, it is truly "living history."

Interest in the traditional folk music of the United States received a healthy boost following the release of the soundtrack from O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). The soundtrack, produced by T-Bone Burnett, featured a host of modern folk musicians and some select recording from the early twentieth century. It is indeed a highly enjoyable collection of music.

For those of you that have not heard this soundtrack, I recommend that you check it out. For those that enjoyed this album and would like to hear more music from this genre, here are some suggestions:

1. The Anthology of American Folk Music (Harry Smith)
   This series is a collection of American folk music recorded between 1920-1932. Released in 1952, many historians and biographers have considered this collection a major contributing factor to the 1960s folk revival. Though serious questions now existed regarding the actual extent of the impact, it remains perhaps the most famous of the collections.
   
2. The recordings of John and Alan Lomax
   In ethnomusicology the name Lomax is synonymous with the American South. John Lomax, his wife Ruby, and their son Alan toured the southern United States for years recording folk music. John Lomax made approximately ten thousand recordings in the 1930s, which are stored in the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress. His son Alan, made extensive recordings in the 1950-60s which are readily available on CD. The recordings of Alan Lomax are far more accessible than those of his father, his series Southern Journey is quite popular.
   
3. Live at the Gaslight 1962 BOOTLEG (Bob Dylan)
   The early Dylan albums are also great sources of American folk music. Though an official "Live at the Gaslight" album now exists, I highly recommend that you try to snag a bootleg version as many good tracks have been omitted from the official version. These recordings were made at the Gaslight Café in Greenwich Village before Dylan was really known outside of New York. They are a real treat for anyone who is a fan of pre-electric Dylan.

The above recordings--which represent a mere sliver of what is available--are easily available for purchase (or download!) online. They are good samples of historical performances of traditional folk music; however, I do not want to encourage people to become, as Alan Merriam put it, "preservationists who strive to rescue folk music from the carelessness of the folk!" In this respect, it is important to bear in mind that folk music is in essence a living genre of which there are many great composers and performers today.

I hope you enjoy the above suggestions. If you have you own suggestions, which I am sure many of you do, please share them in comments!

Introduction

I am a 25 year old graduate student living in Boston Massachusetts who believes strongly in the three words which comprise the title of this blog: peace, love, and libertarianism.

I do not intend to focus on any one topic within this blog, however I will most likely spend much of my time discussing the two passions of my life: music and politics.

In this first entry, it is perhaps most prudent for me to explain the lesser known concept of libertarianism, which will feature prominently within my political musings. Though a plethora of definitions exist, libertarianism is perhaps most broadly defined as a political ideology which puts a strong emphasis on individual liberty and free will. In accordance with these priorities, libertarians believe that governments should be minimal and administer only the most essential laws and services to its citizens.

These philosophies result in a political ideology that many would describe as "socially left" yet "economically right." For example, most libertarians believe the state has no business prohibiting individuals from consuming a drug such as marijuana or controlling what consenting adults do behind closed doors. We may have personal opinions on these matters, but they are of no concern to the state. Similarly, libertarians strongly believe in minimal taxation and allowing individuals to determine the use of their income. Moreover, they hold that someone like Sam Walton bears the right as a free individual to make billions of dollars building Wal-Marts across North America. It should be noted, however, that Libertarianism does not subscribe to individuals exercising their freedoms to blatantly hinder the freedoms of others. In this way, Bill Gates can corner the computer market, but an armed Microsoft militia cannot storm random Best Buys and force citizens to buy Windows Vista.

Like any political philosophy Libertarianism is an ideal which will breakdown in certain situations. For example, a nation full of heroin addicts is a poor excuse for a free state. Moreover, people will never fully agree on its meaning.

In this blog, I hope that I may identify with other individuals who often opt for the "swirl cone" when asked to pick between a left-wing or right-wing affiliation. Moreover, I hope that it will serve as an acceptable medium for the unacceptably long diatribes I have been posting to my Facebook wall.