So......today was Municipal Elections for Ontario. I and several friends took the stance my mother taught me to have....."If you don't vote you don't have an opinion on how the government runs things"

Someone likened it to fascism......I have never known my mom to be anything but a hard working lady who believed in solid socialist values that gave everyone a fair chance and she raised me to have the same values.

So to prove the ideology of such a statement isn't about fascism it's about fairness.......here's an analogy........you're friends have a pot luck BBQ, there's that one guy who doesn't bring anything, contributes nothing, but complains the burgers suck and the beer is warm. Should he be allowed to have an opinion on the state of that BBQ seeing as he has given nothing to be there, while everyone else has?

None of my friends, myself included....who take this stance mean that you don't have a right to an opinion at all....that would be wrong.

It is your freedom to choose not to vote and stand by it. And I will always back up any friend to that right. I'm not arguing anyone's choice not to vote....I'm arguing their right to bitch and complain that the government isn't doing anything or it's getting worse.

I gave this advice to some young punk kids one day who said the same thing a long time ago....."If you do not like the institution then become the things you hate and change it. Don't just sit there and say it sucks.......be proactive; not reactive. Run for political government. Find a candidate who you know personally and help get them into the position to make the changes. Sitting there saying nothings getting better isn't going to make it get better."


I encourage healthy debate....I encourage making changes where needed. I've got a couple of high school friends running in this year’s election..... They got involved because they are sick of how things are done. I just don't like using a broad paintbrush to say all politicians are corrupt....the majority definitely have a personal agenda, I don't disagree with that. I know most of them tell you what you want to hear and do what they want in the long run. But here in London; where the last municipal election was won on 43% of the total number of eligible voters. I don't recall asking 43% of the populace to speak for me.

So I vote.

For me it is my opportunity to try not to be apathetic or to make light of the women who went to jail 100 years ago so I could vote. That's my reasoning. And until I can actually make myself a viable candidate, then this is my way of being proactive.