To the Editor,
Tom Mulcair is making a lot of promises on his election campaign. National $15-a-day childcare. Roads, bridges, and transit infrastructure. Restore home mail delivery. Raise guaranteed income supplement for seniors. Hire and train 2,500 new police officers. Improve the CPP. Where is Mulcair going to find this extra money, and still balance the budget in the first year of his mandate?
Either Mulcair has a money-minting genie in a magic lamp in his campaign bus or he has some explaining to do to voters. If Mulcair and his NDP is elected to the government of Canada, you know exactly how he intends on keeping his promises above. The No. 1 rule of NDP economics of finance is to borrow, tax and spend.
Some of you may not like the present Conservative federal government, but how many of you do not like your next-door neighbours, but still don’t bother to move to another neighbourhood? Governments are all the same, but some are better than others.
Joe SawchukDuncan
To the Editor,
Re: We should consider voting strategically, Letters, Sept. 3.
My vote isn’t a tradable commodity. Nor is it for sale, loan, rent, spoiling, splitting or sharing.
Here on Vancouver Island, the tired old ‘strategic voting’ rhetoric is simply irrelevant. In a two-way race like Nanaimo-Ladysmith, voters needn’t hold their nose or other contortions.
Vote for what you believe in. Make 2015 the year that ‘strategic voting’ nonsense is finally replaced by commitment to a truly democratic process like proportional representation.
Norman AbbeyNanaimo
To the Editor,
Re: We should consider voting strategically, Letters, Sept. 3.
The writer of this letter states that the only way to return Canada to its ideals of “fairness, democracy, peacekeeping and environmental responsibility” is by voting for the NDP or the Liberals. He wrote from Delta, having a very different political reality to that of Nanaimo.
Here the Conservatives and Liberals are polling way behind the NDP and Greens. There is no need to vote ‘strategically.’
With the leader of the NDP forcing his MPs to vote for trade deals involving investor rights – which hamper or destroy fairness, democracy and environmental responsibility, I’d suggest that those wishing to reclaim that kind of Canada would be best served to vote Green.
Ian GartshoreNanaimo
To the Editor,
Re: If we care about our planet, it’s time to act and vote, Letters, Aug 27.
If Justin Trudeau’s comment about a self-balancing budget had been his only gaffe, the letter writer might be easier to agree with. However, Trudeau’s mouth running without his mind in gear is becoming legendary.
His expression of admiration of China’s dictatorship supports his ignorance of global economics. On our joining the battle against Islamic State, what was he hinting at with “whipping out our CF-18 fighters?” He seems to think that dropping humanitarian aid on Iraq and Syria will stop ISIS atrocities.
Trudeau has yet to unveil any ideas that would create wealth rather than spend it, improve trade or further enhance Canada’s effectiveness on the world stage. The only people who would be happy to see him on the world stage are political cartoonists.
Jim CorderNanaimo
To the Editor,
An attack ad ran into me yesterday when I was listening to the radio, and I am appalled that we have sunk to such a level of superficial, nasty, meaningless dribble. There was no useful information, no respect for voters or government, no intelligent dialogue about the serious issues of our day. Just petulant, mean-spirited jeers.
It’s all one step below the ‘Santa Claus effect’ of meaningless gifts and promises of what a candidate will ‘give us’ (using our money) if elected. I value my vote too much to sell it that cheaply.
I will vote for the candidate who talks to me like I’m intelligent.
Barbara CooperNanaimo
To the Editor,
What are you voting for?
The difference between First World nations and Third World nations is the amount of corruption their communities tolerate.
If the people you vote for tolerate corruption you are voting for poverty.
Remember, “One of the essentials of democracy is eternal vigilance.”
R. Lillievia e-mail
