Ontario's Electoral Referendum

If you live in Ontario, you are aware that there is going to be a referendum on the tenth of October. We are being asked if we want to change the way our votes are decided. A number of groups have felt that the way we currently elect our government is not fair. With more than three candidates to choose from in each constituency, the one elected need not necessarily by the one the majority have chosen.
The proposal is that our ballots should have two votes. One would be for the candidate of your choice for the riding, the other would be for the party to form the government. Each party would have a list of people who would sit in the legislature if their party is chosen, but has not won enough seats through election. In the event that the chosen party has, it isn't clear how those extra seat would be filled, presumably by percentage of the popular vote.
I cannot say that I am a fan of the proposed changes to our electoral system. I have a number of problems with them.
The biggest issue is that it results in people sitting in the legislature that the public has not approved. The parties will choose them, not us. You can be sure that seats will be given for favours, promises to vote on party lines at all times. That is not what a democracy is about. The people should choose those who represent them.
Another problem I see is that any government selected by this new method would have an artificial majority. This means that they can pass whatever legislation they want, without even the possibility of the wishes of the population being taken into account. True, this is tied to the first issue I raised, but that's the way party politics works.
The way I see it, the only way we could ever have a truly representative governing system is to eliminate party politics all together. Instead, each candidate would have to stand on his or her own. They would be responsible to the constituents alone, the people who chose him or her for the job. When they took their oath of office, he or she would know exactly who the boss was.
That is an idealized way of setting up a democracy. The party system evolved so that there would be less confusion in policy for the government, and those proposing laws would have to justify those bills to the opposition. It is the price we pay for trying to streamline getting things done.
There may or may not be a problem with the way we elect our members of the legislature. The proposed system, however, presents the larger problem of putting unelected people into positions that affect how we are governed. That is not democracy. If the proposal were changed, maybe I could get behind it. Until then, the current system of "first past the post" is the only fair way I can see to elect our government.

Space for guests

We had a house full of people yesterday afternoon. It worked out pretty well actually. This apartment has plenty of space. I can actually see doing a little entertaining here. Granted, more than six or so guests is out of the question. Given enough chairs, we could sit and talk comfortably.
Since Sandra started getting some proper sleep, she has even started to feel more at home here. There is a way to go yet, of course. Change takes time to get used to.
Unless you happen to be one of our cats. Somehow, they adapted to the new place within a couple of days. They just needed to have their litter pointed out to them. The trains don't bother them. The dogs upstairs could run around to their hearts' content and they wouldn't notice. They have even staked out the best window seats.
Anyway, back to where I started.
Entertaining is going to be a bit of an issue this year. With my in-laws moving to new apartments, I suspect that we will probably be hosting Christmas Eve here this year. It just makes more sense for them to come here than for us to go to two places, or try to fit us into their new homes, given that we don't know exactly how much space they have to work with.
I would like to have a bit of a get-together for New Year's Eve. Not a full blown party mind you. There isn't that much space, and besides, there are neighbours to consider. It would be nice to have friends over for a while, and family after that. I could set up a little buffet on the table, and put some good movies into the DVD player.
It's just nice to have the option of having people in now and then.

Inexpensive computers

Have you seen the little laptops that one of the major companies in the States has produced? It looks like it was put together by Fisher Price. It is durable, colourful and sized just right for young kids. That was the idea.
Whatt the producers want to happen is for those who can afford it to buy one for their own child, and by doing so, purchase one to be given to a third world or underprivileged child. The plan is that every child in the world should have the same advantages when getting an education.
Let me point out, these little laptops are no toys. They are Internet capable, work wireless, and have pretty good resolution on the screen. On a television news article, they showed one of these things playing streaming video. It's better than the first computer I ever learned to use. If things go the way they are meant to, we will have a very large computing world indeed.
I think they are serious about all of this. The tiny machines are running a simplified but very effective version of linux software as the operating system. They've avoided the whole Windows Vista thing. At least they got around that whole thing.
In case you haven't figured it out, I am an advocate for this program. The more companies we can get on board, the better. We made this a technical world, so we had better get our people on the ball. I'd like to see these machines made for use in Canadian schools, just as much as in the third world. These are computers made for kids the world over. It's a great start for the next generation. With the wireless abilities, each classroom could have a couple of printers, and kids could just print out their homework assignments.
If we insist on kids having computers to do everything, let's do the job right.

Where Islam got it right

It isn't really politically correct to discuss religion these days. Still, I think I have to say something about the Muslim Faith, and believe me, it's positive.
In most interpretations of the Qua ran, it is forbidden for those of the Muslim faith to drink alcohol. It is considered a major sin, and a vice that can lead to even greater evil.
Last night, Sandra and I were disturbed by one of the neighbours fighting with another woman. There was an awful lot of shouting and banging. The last time I heard the "F" word shouted that loudly, there was sex involved. At any rate, we had to call the police. They came promptly and hauled one of the women away in cuffs. Unfortunately, we also had to wake the superintendent.
Now, I cannot prove the link, but I did see one of the involved parties come in by taxi with a bottle of booze. That was in the afternoon, so by two-thirty in the morning, there must have been SOME affect.
Now, putting two and two together, we come to the conclusion that, if Muslims are not permitted to drink, these things couldn't happen.
There are other things about the Islamic faith that I cannot get behind so easily. The idea that women are somehow inferior and the property of their family is just dumb to me for instance. At one time, it may have had social relevance, but in a modern age?
Before I become labeled a conservative Arab hater, I should point out here that the same sort of thing can be said for most every major religion. Every faith managed to get a little something right though.

Confined pets, shameful owners

I am getting so sick of the dogs upstairs. They bang around as if they are trying to jump through the ceiling, and land on top of us down here.
It isn't the dogs' fault of course. After all, the one is just a puppy. Dogs need space, especially large breeds like the dogs upstairs. Once they grow older, they can live the quiet life. At this age, Labs, Huskies and Collies need to be able to run for a couple of hours each day.
No, the real problem is the owners. Maybe they don't have any real options about where to live, but that doesn't give them licence to let the dogs go nuts. They should take the dogs for regular exercise and tire them out a bit. All we have ever seen them do is take the dogs across the street so that they can "do their duty", and then take them right back upstairs.
We have complained to the superintendent of the building, of course. Since we haven't even been here a month though, I don't know how much weight our complaint carries.
Besides that, there is a limit to how much can actually be done by the landlord of any building. The tenant of an apartment has a lot of rights under the law, and doing anything about complaints is a lengthy process. The law says that you are permitted pets, to a limit of two dogs in an apartment. That law does not specify about breed.
I think the biggest losers in the whole deal is the dogs. They are cooped up in a place that doesn't allow them to exercise. When the owners are out, they are bored to tears, if dogs could cry. Is it any wonder that the poor animals go nuts when their mistress is home and awake? It just isn't fair to keep large dogs in an apartment building.
I've always dreamed of some land out in the countryside where I could have a dog. My dream home is a horse ranch where underprivileged kids can go to have some fun and experience a little peace. My wife wants a log house, and that fits in well with my dream. I picture a winter evening spent in front of the fireplace, with the dog, suitably exercised and content, lying by the hearth and a cat on my lap while I read.
Hey, if you're gonna dream, dream big!
I love animals, and they seem to love me. I just want to see the right thing done for them.