From: rossw@sco.COM (Ross Wetmore)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: Two/three/four Canadas ? Two Ontarios !
Date: 9 Nov 92 23:02:51 GMT
Distribution: can
Organization: SCO Canada, Inc.

In article <1992Nov6.082022.1838@ee.ubc.ca> jmorriso@ee.ubc.ca (John Paul Morrison) writes:
>In article <1992Nov03.142745.24825@sco.COM> rossw@sco.COM (Ross Wetmore) writes:
>>In article <1992Oct28.184832.13713@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca> golchowy@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Gerald Olchowy) writes:
>>>This is the reason for the disillusionment with the political process...
>>>people are forced to vote NO all the time, and politicians believe that
>>>once they are elected, even though when the vote was more against the
>>>other person than for them, that they can be dictators for five years.
>>
>>  Voting NO has more to do with the opposition mentality of the electorate,
>>parties not currently in power and special interests who feel that whatever
>>the merits of something, opposing it is politically expedient (British
>>Labour vs Massricht shows this is not just a Canadian condition).
>
>this oppossition mentality is exactly what your hallowed British system 
>of representative parliamentary democracy creates and allows to flourish.

  No the big NO is of more recent vintage. The parliamentary system
didn't create it, but it does allow it to flourish if those who elect
representatives and those representatives they elect choose to ignore
the fundamental rules of give and take that underlie the basic 
philosophical underpinnings. Afterall our democratic institutions are
just a microcosm of the overall society in which differences of opinion
can be resolved by debate under something short-of-all-out-warfare
rules. If people choose not to accept the legitimacy of other views
and the possibility of having to live under them, then no other system
will serve either.

>>  I think we have been training our children to be pro-active in
>>anti-establishment, anti-authority civil disobediance, and to feel that
>>society owes them a free lunch with no responsibilities on their part
>>to consider either supporting the system or to accept not only the 
>>possible validity, but the consequences of other viewpoints.
>
>I think you are partially right, but only in a social sense. Politically, you
>are 
>way off the mark, because you are in fact saying is "do not challenge
>the system. respect it do not try to change it. government knows best"
>Taken out of context, that paragraph could be coming from Pat Buchannon,
>but I don't know if you are intending that.

  No, I am not saying that.

  There is nothing to stop one from going about constructive change from
within the system. You do not have to be outside it to be pure of heart
or have moral legitimacy. (I know I am a heretic in this regards).

  But when the system has come to a decision point, you must accept it 
at least to the point of living within its strictures until the next
opportunity comes to effect a legitimate modification. Since there will
always be decisions made by some majority or ruling minority that
everyone will disagree with at some point in their life, civil
disobediance, permanent pouting or vindictive strategic politics will
only lead to the breakdown of the rules and consensual authority needed
to run a viable civilization or have long term stability of government.
The counterpoint, is that those in power should moderate their exercises 
in power in cases where significant disagreements still exist. The short
term gains are not worth the long term erosion of the basic system of
rules and values needed to keep it running smoothly.

  Neither of these two are currently being followed by either side.

  But the best way to effect change is to understand the system we have 
how to work within it to affect incremental change, not to re-invent 
another complete system everytime it produces a result you don't agree with.

> John Paul Morrison                     |  

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Ross W. Wetmore - (416)922-1937 x259    | RFC822net: rossw@scocan.sco.COM
SCO Canada Inc, Toronto, Ont, Canada.   | UUCP:{uunet,utcsri}!scocan!rossw
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