I want to live in a world where I have my equal say on the expectations that society can hold me to.  I want to have some say in the laws, and how they're enforced.  And I want everyone to have the same say.  That's why I like the idea of democracy.But there are good and bad ways to do democracy.Good ways ensure that people can see the effect of their participation in the system.  It gives the system legitimacy.  Bad ways tend to ignore what the majority of people prefer, and make it an easy system to ignore.

I saw in the Edmonton Journal today that Airdrie-Chestermere MLA Rob Anderson has moved Bill 205, a private members bill that would limit third-part advertising expenditures.

Well, they are off and running in BC, and electoral reform will once again be on the ballot.If you are not from British Columbia, you may skip down to "EVERYONE" below.If you are from British Columbia, and you know everything there is to know about the BC-STV method, what it means, how it was chosen, and so on, you may skip to "EVERYONE FROM BC" below.

So I'm reading an editorial linked to by a friend on facebook, and I come across this little tidbit:Canadians pondering electoral reform should be thinking about the present turmoil in Ottawa and whether they like it as a possible norm under the system of proportional representation.And I think to myself...

Man, people at school today were pissed off.I don't get it. It's as if people don't understand the concept of majority rule. Like, if a majority of people with similar enough views are willing to work together, that they still don't count for anything because they are divided. Like the largest plurality is the only legitimate source of power.I wonder where they would have gotten that crazy...Ohhhhhhh!

OK, here's the updated situation.  Stephen Harper has backed off on eliminating the cash-per-vote political funding, but has proposed to de-index it (which means it wouldn't increase to keep up with inflation).  On the proposal to ban public sector strikes for a few years he has pulled back completely.  On the (lack of) fiscal stimulous, he has pushed the budget a few weeks early, and is hinting that there will be help for the auto industry.

It took me a while to come around to supporting Fair Vote Canada.

So Ralph Anderson made a comment a while ago about the possibility of cheating in a MMP system. He suggested that by not running a party-affiliated candidate in the local election, but instead running an "independent" candidate who would join the party after the election, a party could artificially boost the proportional seats assigned to them. He called this an "enormous loop hole."

Anything that was wrong with a nomination process is entirely addressed by running as an independent and giving people a choice. They had a choice, they made that choice. They chose Uppal in a fair and democratic process.But Jim Ford has decided that the fight between himself and Tim Uppal isn't over. Jim's justifications for going on?

OK, in numerical list format. Here we go.

1. Uppal-Gate 2008 (The Finale)I am shocked that James Ford got over 30% of the vote in Edmonton-Sherwood Park. Shocked. My cynicism with regards to independent candidates in this country has been severely shaken.