Vote "Buying" Starts to Hurt...

I am finding it increasingly hard to see the smiling faces of BC elected officials in the newspaper and TV.

For the past 2 months or so, the smiling faces have not been seen without hands holding rather large cheques. Gordon Campbell has been smiling through photo ops all over the province - 6 million here , 10 million there.

Are we that crass a society that this type of vote "buying" actually has an effect?

Comments

[Jason Johnson]

We sure are that crass of a society. Quebec won't separate because the cheques from Canada always clear. As long as the cheques keep coming and are not NSF, the voters will continue to vote for the ruling party.

The money received in one hand makes one forget the trials in the other hand. Remember that scene in "Beverly Hills Cop" where Gilbert Godfried bribed Eddie Murphy's character to forget about the outstanding parking tickets? That happens every election time in this country.

[Jason Johnson]

My bad... the movie should be "Beverly Hills Cop 2".

[Justin]

Well, if we didn't see the cash flowing, there would be more than a few feathers ruffled while the budget sees a surplus. I fully agree that it's not wise to base a vote exclusivly on the recent spending. Of course, it's hard to forget the past 12 years either. Isn't the purpose of voting to hold politicians accountable? The Liberals face a very different electorate than they did 4 years ago, and no one should be surprised that their tone will change accordingly.

[Arjun Singh]

I really hope that voters look at the whole 4 years of Liberal government and then make a decision about who to vote for. I guess my frustration is with this wink wink nudge nudge situation where even the news media accepts it. There needs to be some expressions of opposition, in my view.

[Justin]

I'm not sure specifically what you mean by "accepts it." Accepts what exactly?

[Arjun Singh]

When I say "accepts it", the columnists talk about it, but they don't really speak against it. Seems to me the media kind of act like its par for the course. You don't often see reporters directly asking politicians questions as to why all the announcements now. And that goes for any governing party before an election. Gordon Campbell was very critical of the NDP for doling out more money just before the 2001 election. And now he is doing exactly the same thing. That's my view anyways.

[Justin]

I just wasn't sure what you meant at first, but I hear ya there.

[Jason Johnson]

The media accepts it because they need the politicians as much as the politicians need them to "spin" the political message. We need a centrist party who will work on behalf of all Canadians. There are values that unite us like safety, strong economic growth, and accessible healthcare. Unfortunately, it is time for regime change. If we had more oil, maybe the Americans would come and "liberate" us.