Rant: Suffering from Election Burnout

Somebody stop the campaign bus, I want to get off. Actually, not only do I want to hop off the bus, I want to set the damn thing on fire.

Tomorrow, those of us living in Ontario are set to go to the polls to elect our new provincial government. To say that I've had enough of all of this voting is an understatement.

Allow me to explain: last October, Toronto residents were sent to the ballot box to elect a new municipal government. As a result, we ended up electing the hack-and-slash, Jabba the Hutt wannabe, Rob Ford who's administration is now planning on decimating city services to balance the upcoming budget. Had I known things like libraries, the TTC, and the Toronto Police were about to become former shells of themselves, I'd have voted for George Smitherman instead.

Fast forward a few months later, and the yahoos up on Parliament Hill told us to vote for another new federal government; the sixth one in the past seven years. Granted, this time around Canadians voted for a majority; however, considering that Stephen Harper's Conservatives won and are currently pushing through Bill C-32 where the online privacy of Canadians is at risk, I'm not too thrilled with this possible Big Brother philosophy. And should the Feds be reading this or hacking into my computer, the stash of porn and lifted copyrighted pictures of celebrities on here are my roommate's. We just happen to share the same computer.

Which brings us to tomorrow when the residents of Ontario will be deciding who gets sent to Queen's Park. For those keeping score, that's three elections within the past twelve months. Sure, they've all been for different levels of government, but quite frankly, I've been exhausted with all of the campaigning, the mudslinging TV ads, and the phone calls canvassing for my support. And since we're on the topic of those phone calls, I've got something to get off my chest.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but since we live in a democratic society, isn't one of the benefits is voting via a secret ballot? That means, who I decide to be my next elected official is my choice and is between myself and the slip of paper I mark down anonymously. Then, why in the bluest of blue hells are all of these candidates' offices cold calling prospective voters and asking who they've decided to vote for, if anyone at all? The biggest culprit of this is the offices for my local Liberal candidte, who also happens to be the incumbant. Do they really want to know ahead of time? And, if I had admitted that I had already made up my mind and it was not them, would they be do a hard sell in an attempt to pursuade me to change my vote? I'll admit I can be swayed from time to time, but anyone who knows me knows I do not appreciate things being shoved down my throat. I lied to the caller and said that I was undecided; since then, the calls by this candidate's office hasn't stopped. Tomorrow, my voice will be heard, and whether or not I vote for this person is my choice. If they can't deal with it, then that's their damn luck.

The only problem is, early speculation has this election resulting in a minority government. If what the previous seven years in Ottawa have been any indication, the elected Opposition will sabotage the newly formed government partway into their mandate with one of these "non-confidence" votes and we'll be going through all of this bullshit all over again. I'm just sick and tired of all of these elections, and I'd at least like to have a breather for a while.

I have made up my mind, and on October 6th I plan to vote for... the Leafs and Canadiens on CBC at 7 p.m.

Until next time, the views may be from the outside, but no one better get between me and hockey.