Blogs > It's Time To Take A Stand

Being a business theatre producer has allowed Brian the opportunity to meet and work with some very fascinating people from a variety of backgrounds which, in turn, has helped shape his knowledge and his opinions. His blog will not always be political, it will be about a lifetime of subjects, and nothing is off limits. “Few people have original thoughts, we are shaped by the people we know and meet” he says.



Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Difference between Canada and U.S.A.

During the recent Winter Olympics, I tuned into CKLW radio (Canadian radio station) to catch some of the action when I couldn't watch it on television. While listening to Canadian radio, I realized that our political situation with government ineffectiveness, inefficiency and corruption is more common throughout the world.

If you want a different take, listen and watch Canadian radio and television. Our friends north of the border seem to be complaining about Canada's government being bloated while wasting millions of dollars. And that is the difference, while Canadians talk about millions of dollars being wasted, we talk about billions and trillions. When you consider that their total population is only around 35 million and ours is closer to 10 times larger with around 350 million people, take away the estimated 40 million illegals, the problems are pretty much the same.

Their politicians don't listen to them either. Their politicians think they know better as well. Their politicians are all experts or at least claim to be and were elected by making promises that they had no intention of keeping. As Rodney Dangerfield used to say, "Their politicians don't get any respect" nor do they deserve it.

One of the differences is in what they call themselves. They have the Liberal Party (founded in 1867 as a liberal movement), the Conservative party of Canada (formerly the Progressive Conservatives and relabeled when merged with the Canadian Alliance party in 2003 as conservative) and the New Democratic party (a social democratic party founded in 1961) and the Bloc Québécois party, (founded in 1991 as a social democratic, Quebec nationalist organization).

Stephen Harper, is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada, and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became Prime Minister after his party won a minority government in the 2006 federal election. He is the first Prime Minister from the newly reconstituted Conservative Party, following a merger of the Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties.

The bottom line is that Canada is struggling with the same problems we are facing here in the U.S., just on a smaller scale but real none the less. For a long time, they struggled with the two party system but frustration over government policies lead to the formation of new parties. Canada seems to face many of the same circumstances as we face here when dealing with their respective political parties.

Canadians originally didn't think a third party would have a chance for survival but they are and continuing to grow in numbers because Canadians feel they are not being properly represented in government. Sound familiar? Maybe it is time for a major third party in the U.S.

Do yourself a favor; listen and watch Canadian television to get a different perspective of the world around us.

You might find views that are much more worldly and less just the U.S.

That's my stand. Let's hear your opinion but not before listening Canadian radio and television.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

There was a time when we voted for the "man" and not the party they said they represented. We need to get back to basics where our vote means something.

August 17, 2010 at 9:37 AM 

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