Thursday, April 14, 2011

It is only economy that can save us


I did my citizen's duty yesterday. I gave my vote to my candidate in the newest election. It was advanced voting, as the elections are on May 2nd, and I won't be in Canada on that day.

It was interesting at the voting station - a guy who worked there, looked very much like Chinese, and his accent was telling me that. Not that I wanted to label him, I asked him if he were from China, as I was going there in couple of days, and he said that he was from Hong Kong. I said that Hong Kong was in China, but he showed me with his body language that he didn't like it.
I thought how funny that was - politics and lunatics created borders that still exist.

Before I went voting I was actually debating if I should vote. Somehow I felt there was no platform, and there was no candidate that I would vote for. I didn't hear anything positive from them. They have used majority of their energy to attack each other, and to say how great they were. None of them actually presented their platforms.
They talk all the time about leadership, but that's where everything ends - I only hear words - nothing gets done and that tells me that there is really no leadership. I don't want them to talk about leadership, I want them to demonstrate it.
The current government did everything only for themselves - and that is normal because their first and only job is to get another term. What is not normal, is to create this culture of absolute control. Group of control freaks gathered together, that actually want more control.
They emphasize one word in their presentations: economy. As economy is the only thing that exists. As there is nothing else. As everybody can see only one thing. And as the only thing that people need is work, more work, and stuff.
For me, that's such a narrow view. They only see very close future. There is no strategic view - they only offer tactical solutions. They don't think what will be left for future generations.

What is worse than narrow views, is that people are buying it. They really believe that economy is the most important thing in their lives. They would do anything to be able to spend, and spend, and spend. To maintain their consuming life styles. To scale up. To get everything bigger.
I am not saying that we don't need economy, we certainly need it - I am also saying that there are other things that we need, except economy. We have to think about our own sustainment.

My problem was that I didn't see anyone with a vision. There are no visionaries in Canada. At least those ones who are nominated by their parties. Their vision is blurred, and they are blind to needs of majority of people.
They respond to the 'needs' of their friends, actually to the needs of the elite - and all of us know who they are. That's why corporate taxes were decreased, and they want to decrease them again. They want to go to 15%, and that is 20% less than in USA.
They say that by doing that, they are saving the economy, that people are getting jobs, and Canada is save from recession and depression.

Idea is to work, to work, and to work. People don't use their vacation time, I've seen it - and I actually I haven't seen any of my Canadian friends taking vacation longer than 3 weeks.....
Well, there is no time to rest, as economy has to continue its progress.

Because, it is only economy that can save us.