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Originally Posted by peter12
No... I think that if I don't like parties, I shouldn't have to shell out any cash, on principle alone, I never said that other people shouldn't be allowed to donate under the $1200/year limit.
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You do not have to shell out cash any more under the vote subsidy than you do under the political donation. For example, if you make a donation to the Conservatives, you get a tax break and I have to pay for that just as much as you have to pay for the vote subsidy to the BQ.
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Originally Posted by peter12
It's ideal that the parties actually have to make an effort to create an adequate fundraising effort to support their marketing and election activities.
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Really? So you think that fund raising abilities is one of the most important qualities that a political party must have to survive? Let me ask you a question: in your view, what is the purpose of government?
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Originally Posted by peter12
Why do you think we are seeing so many elections, why are we seeing so many attack ads? Because each of the major parties have enough money in their war chest from the per vote subsidy to stay in constant election readiness instead of actually working together in Parliament.
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We are seeing so many elections because we have elected partisan politicians who are unwilling to make a minority government work. If you are really concerned about the amount of elections, go talk to Harper. He is directly responsible for the last two. As for attack ads, they are used because they work. They work because the voters are disengaged from the political system. They are disengaged from the system because the MPs we elect represent their parties rather than their constituents.
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Originally Posted by peter12
Honestly, the CPC was able to create and maintain a wide small donation fundraising base over the past 20 years. It was the other parties, Libs and NDP, who were able to raise massive amounts of money from the big banks and unions.
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Not true. The old Conservative party did not have this "wide small donation fundraising base". This base came from the old Reform party. The old Conservative party depended as much on the big banks and unions as the Liberals and NDP.
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Originally Posted by peter12
Now that the donation legislation is in place, these parties are massively in favour of keeping the subsidy because it's the only way they could financially survive in the current legislative milieu. They refused to adapt, and they should pay the penalty in the short run.
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They should pay the penalty for what? They are using the system the way it was intended and passed in Parliament. The Conservatives are the ones who are trying to change the system so that it will cripple the other parties. Do you really feel that it is good for Canada to have only one healthy party (that at most has 40% approval)?