Political Animal

This week I was on the radio as part of a round table discussing the upcoming election in Québec.  I want oh so badly to link to it, but I am still debating on how anonymous I want to be with this blog.

Politically I tend to be much more worried about equality and environmental issues than economy, mostly because I have the attitude that if you really want to work/make money and you are willing to do what it takes, then you will find work/make money in any economy.  The people who are usually the hardest hit in any economic downturn are those who have the attitude that it’s « not worth it » to work for less than a certain salary.  These are usually people who have never been close to starving poor.

Me, I have been close to starving poor, and my definition of what is « essential » or « necessary » is very different from most people.  I can live without TV, a cell phone, internet, hell; I’ve even lived without heat.  My past experience has made me lack pity/empathy for people like the students who were on strike, wanting free/lower cost post-secondary education, when they already pay drastically less than anyone else in North America, and have cars and iPhones.

So that being said, I am probably not in a majority with regards to what is important to me in a political candidate.  This year, however, I am really torn.  For the first time in my life, the elections will have a direct economic impact on me personally, and in the very near future.  Over half of the employees where I work are on projects that are contingent on who gets elected.  Depending on who gets elected, certain projects will start, and others will stop, which affect the company’s bottom line, which affects everyone’s job security.

To make matters more confusing, for the first time ever, I am passionate about a candidate in my riding, she’s smart, articulate, and her past personal values reflect my own.  The problem is, she represents the party that is against most of the projects I mentioned above, and a party whose leader I have never liked or supported, and In Canada, when you vote for a local candidate, you are voting for their party leader as well.

So right now my options are as follows

1- I vote for the candidate hoping that she does more good on a local scale than her party leader does harm at the provincial level, so voting for my values rather than my personal economy.

2- I vote for the candidate who represents the party I usually follow, even though in the past they have done little or nothing to improve things locally.

3- I don’t vote, but if I don’t vote, than I can’t complain J

I have another 2 weeks to figure this out.