We should hit 100% at the polls

I’m hearing a lot of moaning about the ‘unnecessary GD election’ these days.

Only in Canada would you hear complaints about the freedom to choose.

Pick up an international newspaper, go online and look at current wars around the world, flip through slides of what’s happened in Japan, in Haiti, in New Zealand.

Look at countries (hundreds of them) whose citizens have suffered under revolutionary regimes, who’ve lost their individual and collective voices. Look at dictators who terrorize their citizens. Look at Egypt and Libya and Turkey. Look at communist countries whose citizens get no choice, no individual voting power.

And then complain??? Because you get to choose??? Because, if you want to you can actually put yourself in the race? Because you’re charged with the responsibility to listen and learn and decide.

As citizens of Barrie we experienced the ‘honour’ of being able to select our municipal leaders last fall. Next fall we’ll experience the ‘honour’ of being able to select our provincial leaders. And now we’re charged with the ‘honour’ of selecting our federal leaders.

People around the world are putting their lives on the line for the very thing we’re complaining about!
Every day, ordinary people are celebrating their first opportunity to vote in their entire lives after revolutions occur.

And we’re complaining.

April 14, the Barrie Chamber of Commerce is holding an all candidates meeting at Barrie City Hall in the council chambers. From 6 to 8 pm you can hear all the candidates; you can ask questions; you can listen to platforms and opinions on local issues.

This is open to the public and free of charge. The council chambers should be packed! And thank you, Barrie Chamber, for providing this opportunity!

As my late father-in-law, Nick, would have said… ‘such cheap rent for such a good country!’

We should hit 100% turnout at the polls for this privilege.