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Originally Posted by MattyC
It's the responsibility of every MLA to represent the people that voted for them. To try and have their ideas put into practice. If you're in the opposition party, yes a lot of that is going to entail fundamental disagreements, but it's still their job to offer up solutions that would make their constituents happy. At some point, these people need to agree on things, and all the divisive politicking does is drive the government further apart on issues, and put wedges in between the people who support either side, when it really should be about finding out what we can agree on and getting stuff done.
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Sure and they offer up member bills, which in turn are voted on. They also debate based on the feedback they get from their constituents. But it is not their job to get the government re-elected.
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Originally Posted by MattyC
So what if the NDP came out tomorrow and said they are dropping all royalty rates to zero, make corporate tax 5%, and introducing flat tax for all individuals? The opposition is suppose to just oppose that because they're the other team?
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Remember when the royalty review came out, and all of the parties came out and congratulated the government on making the right choice, and then rightfully asked the questions, why did this take so long which hurt investor confidence, and why did we bother doing it anyways.
And why didn't the government just consult with the opposition parties about doing a royalty review, instead they wasted time and money to do what the opposition parties were telling them to do all the time which is not to change them. so where was the collaboration from the governing party there?
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Originally Posted by MattyC
Everyone up there is supposed to be working to help make Alberta better. And you can certainly argue that Notley and the NDP may not be doing that, but are the other parties helping anything by offering nothing to the contrary? How is any sort of compromise supposed to take place in that environment? Neither side is ever going to get exactly what they want, their are always going to be bits and pieces in every policy that get negotiated on, but you still have to negotiate, and in order to do that, you have to offer your own solutions.
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This government doesn't negotiate, we've seen it on the budgets where they didn't listen to the opposition leaders prior to the budget, we saw it with the farm bills where all opposition parties bought up concerns and clarifications and change requests, and the government basically rammed it through anyways.
So under your system, the government would have to listen anyways, and give credit to the opposition parties which they will never ever do because it makes the government less electable.
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Originally Posted by MattyC
People voted these individuals in to represent their views, not to sit their with their fingers in their ears calling the otherside a stupid-head while offering no alternatives.
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This is your fundamental mis-understanding right here. People voted for people based on the platforms of the party, and on top of that the willingness of the person to fight based on that platform.
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Originally Posted by MattyC
This is exactly how it should work. If they want to be electable (again, the idea that this is only reason to offer solutions personally offends me. That includes the NDP. The election is over, it's time to work together to provide solutions that help Albertans. Not their own future campaigns), shouldn't they be doing so by showing that they have good ideas, and not by trying to show how bad the other side is? Again, if you want the logical conclusion of that type of politics look to the south of us and ask yourself if that's what you want. A bunch of s*** tossing with little substance from either side except from people that many would consider radicals.
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Then do away with the party system. Elect a leader of the house. And run elections based on the individual. And then have the leader of the house take applications from the winners for cabinet positions, and appoint a cabinet. That's what you're literally looking for is a collaborative coalition government.
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Originally Posted by MattyC
You're an intelligent person. You can't seriously rather have your team fling crap for the next 4 years than have them offer up actual solutions.
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That's exactly how it works.
When I consult with my MLA, or my MP which I do when I need to, it is to give my viewpoint of a piece of legislation or to make an information request for example, or fire off a concern about something that the government is doing. Now of course right now I have a pretty much invisible MLA who's a member of the government and literally gives a lot of lip service to me anyways. I much prefer to have an opposition MLA or MP at times.
And thanks for the intelligent person comment, but its clearly not true
