Do we need more MLAs?

[Slava]

Rather than keeping the same number of seats (83) and re-drawing the boundaries for ridings it looks like we might just add to the number of seats.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/techn...998/story.html

Thoughts?

Personally I think that redistribution is the answer, but it would never fly in the rural areas...

[jtfrogger]

I would love to see a redistribution. Even better, I would rather see a slight reduction. However, that would be a political disaster for a number of reasons. Constituents in areas that would be losing MLAs would be upset and MLAs that have to fight each other would be upset (as would their supporters). Upsetting your members and constituents would be something that they would try to avoid. Adding seats would only mildly bother the population at large and likely not make a major impact on how people vote.

It sucks, but that is politics.

[SebC]

IMO, we should have Single Transferrable Vote with superridings. Change the whole system.

[edn88]

I will admit that I am completely lacking in knowledge about what our MLAs actually do for us, but I would feel happy with fewer of them. I don't think I could tell you who my MLA is, what my riding is, or what/how he has voted on issues that might be important to me.

I think we should have eleven of them. One for each major city of the province and then one for the north, south and central rural areas. If we need administrators to do the paperwork and prepar laws and such, then we could just hire them on an interview basis. The other 11 guys would have an easier time debating and enacting legislation.

This would certainly cut down on our taxes, and perhaps we could pay them more, so we would actually attract useful candidates (WTF is the Ed idiot anyway).

Disclaimer - I really don't know what I am talking about when it comes to politics, but then again, most people don't and seem to be quite happy to offer their uninformed opinion and hope you accept it as gospel.

[Puppet Guy]

how 'bout just less *Conservative* MPs?

[Ford Prefect]

They should reduce the number of MLAs by enough to balance the provincial debt.

[Mark]

I was hoping for a mass riding readjustment with the same number of total seats. True it will make the rural ridings larger geographically, but it better represents the population as a whole without adding more new MLA's.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

They should reduce the number of MLAs by enough to balance the provincial debt.

We would probably add more debt by getting rid of them.

[Addick]

While I would like the cost benefits of having less MLAs, I think that addressing the Rural-Urban imbalance is much more important. As such, I wouldn't mind seeing an increase in the amount of MLAs to balance the system and then a reduction in seats and redrawing of the boundaries once an Urban party or Urban leaning legislature was elected.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Azure

We would probably add more debt by getting rid of them.

Right ... golden handshakes. Forgot about that. How about if we give them a golden shower instead?

Originally Posted by Addick

While I would like the cost benefits of having less MLAs, I think that addressing the Rural-Urban imbalance is much more important. As such, I wouldn't mind seeing an increase in the amount of MLAs to balance the system and then a reduction in seats and redrawing of the boundaries once an Urban party or Urban leaning legislature was elected.

Why not just reduce the number of rural seats by enough to achieve the desired balance? That would be more desirable than adding more urban MLAs ... we have too many idiots at the trough already.

[LChoy]

Unless MLAs are making close to half a billion each, it's not going to help much to reduce our debt

[Addick]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

Why not just reduce the number of rural seats by enough to achieve the desired balance? That would be more desirable than adding more urban MLAs ... we have too many idiots at the trough already.

A reduction in seats will be much easier to pass once the Rural-Urban imbalance is fixed, unfortunately that will be much easier to fix by adding seats. Therefore, we need to add before we can even think about subtracting. It's not as desirable but it is easer and more likely.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Addick

A reduction in seats will be much easier to pass once the Rural-Urban imbalance is fixed, unfortunately that will be much easier to fix by adding seats. Therefore, we need to add before we can even think about subtracting. It's not as desirable but it is easer and more likely.

Bah ... just shoot 'em all. Call it a vermin eradication program.

[First Lady]

The thing I found interesting is that the PC's were saying..." ... going to add 4 more MLA's"
before the committee was even appointed.

So basically they have decided and are telling the committee ... "Make it so."