Alberta Politics Thread v2

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Jacks

Has to be a historic low for a governing party with a majority to have less than half of the nominations done right before an election call. I'm guessing we'll see about 40 union shop stewards, coffee shop servers and environuts agree to run in the near future.

Good news is the nightmare is almost over.

Has me wondering if the party is having trouble finding qualified people to run in ridings.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Dion you are a “team politics” kind of guy. We know who you’re voting for.

When the writ is dropped and platforms are released I will then look at each and decide which party to vote for.

I voted WRP last time and the PC's before that. Doesn't sound like "team politics to me"

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by Dion

When the writ is dropped and platforms are released I will then look at each and decide which party to vote for.

I voted WRP last time and the PC's before that. Doesn't sound like "team politics to me"

Actually yeah it kinda is

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Actually yeah it kinda is

Maybe to you but not to me. Anyway if you want to continue this, send me a PM

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Actually yeah it kinda is

If your teams are left and right I guess?

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Dion

When the writ is dropped and platforms are released I will then look at each and decide which party to vote for.

I voted WRP last time and the PC's before that. Doesn't sound like "team politics to me"

What would make you consider voting NDP?

[Dion]

Originally Posted by GGG

What would make you consider voting NDP?

An end to the carbon tax on household heating and gasoline useage.

A freeze or cut back on govt spending. We're on the road to a 100 billion dollar debt and the associated interest payments. We can't continue on this path where an ever increasing amount of our tax dollars are going towards paying down the debt. We need to bring that under control as opposed to kicking the can down the road for the next govt to deal with.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

I have literally NO idea how anybody objectively calls what our provincial governance has been a “nightmare”.

If you don’t understand that our issue is a national or interprovincial one- you just don’t get it, or you’re not trying to get it, or you’re blinded into team politics. It doesn’t matter what the NDP do. Or what the UCP do. Or what the Alberta Party does. It doesn’t matter.

I have no idea who I’m going to vote for. I’ve never been a team politics guy. I’ll survey the field and make my decision closer to. I work in oil and gas and dearly want a resurrection to industry and Calgary, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe the NDP hasn’t been trying to help. I think- it doesn’t matter. There are much greater agencies at stake working against us. Is Kenney, or the Alberta Party the ones to get us there? Notley?

I don’t think it matters, honestly. It’s a federal issue. It’s a national crisis.

People will eventually get it, it’s just sad that it’ll only be after our standard of living significantly slides to realize it. Some of these people that accepted money to fight against our industry should be in jail- honestly. Like- the seriousness should not be understated and we are into economic treason to be completely honest. These people aren’t Canadians. They don’t want the best for Canada. They don’t want the best for the environment. They want the best for themselves.

They should be in jail.

I’ll tell you what I think is nightmarish abou the NDP government; their complete inability to both budget and follow a budget. Not only have they borrowed for operations, which is basically indefensible, but they raised taxes and spending and didn’t manage to stick to that. I get it...The price of oil cratered and there are all kinds of issues. I do give them a pass for that portion, but the truth is they financially have been rather terrible.

But the other side of the coin is that I care about social issues. How can I look my kids in the eye and say “well I tied for people who effectively quashed LGBTQ rights because I was worried about the budget.”? So, I just don’t know.

[Travis Munroe]

Originally Posted by Slava

I’ll tell you what I think is nightmarish abou the NDP government; their complete inability to both budget and follow a budget. Not only have they borrowed for operations, which is basically indefensible, but they raised taxes and spending and didn’t manage to stick to that. I get it...The price of oil cratered and there are all kinds of issues. I do give them a pass for that portion, but the truth is they financially have been rather terrible.

But the other side of the coin is that I care about social issues. How can I look my kids in the eye and say “well I tied for people who effectively quashed LGBTQ rights because I was worried about the budget.”? So, I just don’t know.

Is there any supporting information that LGBTQ rights would suffer at all under different leadership? (not trying to start political debate but am curious if there are new headlines beyond the stuff that goes way back)

The world as a whole has evolved and people are much more understanding and educated on a wide range of topics. What was often seen as "different" many years ago is now completely normal. I am sure that a very large portion of the population has a much different view on the LGBTQ community today than they did 10 or 20 years ago and I am willing to bet that the LGBTQ community would agree.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Travis Munroe

Is there any supporting information that LGBTQ rights would suffer at all under different leadership? (not trying to start political debate but am curious if there are new headlines beyond the stuff that goes way back)

The world as a whole has evolved and people are much more understanding and educated on a wide range of topics. What was often seen as "different" many years ago is now completely normal. I am sure that a very large portion of the population has a much different view on the LGBTQ community today than they did 10 or 20 years ago and I am willing to bet that the LGBTQ community would agree.

UCP has a large contingent of older, more rural voters. These folks traditionally haven't been as progressive when it comes to LGBTQ as Gen X or younger. Whether they vote for the UCP on that basis alone I don't know, but the PC's before, the UCP and other further right parties tend to play more to their political preferences.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Travis Munroe

Is there any supporting information that LGBTQ rights would suffer at all under different leadership? (not trying to start political debate but am curious if there are new headlines beyond the stuff that goes way back)

The world as a whole has evolved and people are much more understanding and educated on a wide range of topics. What was often seen as "different" many years ago is now completely normal. I am sure that a very large portion of the population has a much different view on the LGBTQ community today than they did 10 or 20 years ago and I am willing to bet that the LGBTQ community would agree.

I agree with you, and want that to be the case. The reality is something different though. The idea that schools would have to inform parents about them being in a GSA might not be a big deal for a lot of kids. I wouldn't have an issue at all, personally, and in that regard I guess I think, "whats the problem?". But the truth is there are many kids who don't have that "luxury". They would have the idea that if they did something like that, their parents would disown them or at least cause a lot of strife, or even just the idea that this might be their reaction.

I also think that while things have changed for people around my age, and we're generally very tolerant and accepting, that's just plain not the case for everyone. I have no idea why...but people who think that way all tend to gravitate to one party here in Alberta. And in all honesty, while I do think that the NDP has tried to inflame this (which is downright pathetic, deplorable in my personal opinion), some of the voting and political behaviours of the UCP on this topic don't fill me with a lot of confidence that they'll champion equality. In all honesty, the Alberta Party (which is basically the PC's who didn't want to be under Kenney at this point) aren't a lot better. There is still a streak of intolerance for some reason, and while I can't relate to the hang-ups that some people seem to have there, I still think it exists.

[Travis Munroe]

I might be living under a rock but I also don't think that schools telling parents that their kids might be LGBTQ is as problematic at home as many think. I could actually see it doing more good than harm. Parents are often some of the most accepting yet feared from what I have seen. Once a child has that acceptance from their parents, I believe it really frees them to feel proud of who they are and being able to hide it from your home life could do more damage.

Of course, there will be situations where it doesn't work out as intended and some mother or father tears into their child about being ill or just not thinking right or any other number of inaccurate assessments. At the end of the day, the sooner someone can free themselves and be who they are in all environments, the better off they are. Teaching kids to bottle it up while outside of their school environment just isn't right (IMO)

(from the guy with no kids or experience in such a thing)

[OMG!WTF!]

I only know two gay kids and they would both be in serious trouble if their parents knew. They say their gay friends could not tell their parents either. It's weird to me that anyone who considers themselves a parent could disapprove of their kid like that. I think when God or rural living gets involved people do strange things.

[Envitro]

I don't understand how this is a hill that the UCP wants to die on...
I'm a conservative voter (fiscal, not social), and this kind of crap drives me crazy.

Why do parents need to know that their kid joined a gay/straight alliance club in a school? Who gives a crap??
Why should they care if they joined the computer club, or the chess club, or whatever club? If the kid wants them to know the should tell them themselves.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Envitro

I don't understand how this is a hill that the UCP wants to die on...
I'm a conservative voter (fiscal, not social), and this kind of crap drives me crazy.

Why do parents need to know that their kid joined a gay/straight alliance club in a school? Who gives a crap??
Why should they care if they joined the computer club, or the chess club, or whatever club? If the kid wants them to know the should tell them themselves.

Is it a hill they will die on? Have they released a platform?

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

I only know two gay kids and they would both be in serious trouble if their parents knew. They say their gay friends could not tell their parents either. It's weird to me that anyone who considers themselves a parent could disapprove of their kid like that. I think when God or rural living gets involved people do strange things.

wtf?

[CaptainCrunch]

Even if I don't vote for the leader, and I probably wouldn't vote for Notley, I think she made some nice speeches, but I question her execution. The budget process for her government has been disasterous, and she didn't campaign on a carbon tax and put it in after her election and the social license explanation failed.


Brandy Payne was my MLA, but her communication with her constituants were boring, and on the couple of times that I sent questions, I got no reply beyond an auto reply. Besides she's not running again.



Currently there are no NDP candidates slated to run.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by Dion

An end to the carbon tax on household heating and gasoline useage.

How? How would you do that while aligning with the federal requirements? At least until the Liberals are out. Can they change the carbon tax to more align with the federal one? Sure, and it would arguably be beneficial. But I'm not seeing actual suggestions by the UCP that make any sense.

If you think the UCP can stop the federal government from taxing the province, I got a bridge you'd love to buy.

[FireFly]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

I have literally NO idea how anybody objectively calls what our provincial governance has been a “nightmare”.

Do you forget that the NDP started out with a royalty review? After one was JUST done not too long ago? And the impact that had on investments in this province pretty much immediately after the NDP took office?


Sure, they've done a 180 since then, but they started out hammering the Oil and Gas sector and it took the loss of 10s of thousands of jobs to change their mind about how 'right' they were for our economy.


People have such short memories.

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

wtf?

People living outside of urban center, in particular people in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are less likely to be gay, know someone who is gay or recognize lgbtq as a community. This sort of follows the theory that less exposure equals less acceptance. Most gay people move to cities and this creates a bit of a vacuum in rural areas where it's not quite as accepted as in cities. I live with a toe in the country and have seen it so so often. I was even called an f word last week. I think for sure kids would have a harder time finding acceptance in rural settings but would imagine even that is changing.



https://nationalpost.com/news/canada...-of-gay-canada

Canadians living in Manitoba or Saskatchewan and in Alberta are least likely to know someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender — the rate is about 70% in those three provinces — and are by far less likely to have someone in their family who is LGBT....People living in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta were also the least supportive of same-sex marriage, with Alberta standing out as the only province in Canada where the majority of those polled say they do not support gay marriage. That is proof, University of Toronto professor Adam Isaiah Green said, of the so-called contact hypothesis, that says with less interaction comes less acceptance of the gay community.