Voting on the Brain - Monday is quickly upon us. Who are you voting for? Why? These are rhetorical questions.

This has been an awful period, trying to determine who to vote for. I have listened to all the candidates, listened to all the “false news” (I pay close attention to who spreads hate of any kind and it is only reflective for me, on who is responsible for it). I was getting really nervous and wondered if I would be staring at the voting list on Monday and still not know who to vote for. I have never been in that position before. I have been selecting different candidates at different times during the day or week, and I have never been this undecided, when it comes to voting. Last night I watched Peter Mansfield interviewing Canadians across Canada and I heard more voices, some reflecting my own concerns. I have also payed attention to the polls. So with all this information how do I deduce who I think is best to lead our country? I have given this a lot of thought because voting is a big deal. Who best represents my own views? So here goes. What has my own interaction with politicians been like? In my neighbourhood the Liberals are very active. Last election here, the NDP won in my riding which came as a surprise to many. I have never had a NDP representative come to my door. The liberals come in droves. They are educated, well spoken and generous with their time. They fight hard at the municipal and provincial level. They are often on the news speaking on behalf of our concerns. At the provincial and municipal level, they serve me well. Then there are the Conservatives. For the first time last summer I met the Conservative in my area. He came with his mom. I found I had a lot in common with his mom. How many people bring their moms to work with them? I recommend not bringing your mom for a work interview. I talked shop with his mom. He has followed up an email now that the campaign is on. When I told him he was the first Conservative candidate I saw at the door, he revealed that he had heard that a lot. Today I have my door open and screen door locked and am waiting to see who will be coming to the door. I never saw any other representatives. Will that change today? When I spoke to a Green Party representative at Word on The Street and mentioned I never heard a peep in my neighbourhood, he said there weren’t enough to go around. Ok! That can be a problem Huston! Ok, what have I got from the Federal Level? There is Pierre Trudeau. Can I forgive the SNL disaster? Can I forgive buying a pipe line? Has there been a request for forgiveness? Yes, for the “black face”, but does anyone really think that Trudeau is prejudice? He has done much for immigration. Interesting how that came out just before the elections. He was a Drama teacher. Show me a play where you do not dress up the best you can for a production. That may include changing your colour. Ok, maybe it wasn’t the smartest move but who hasn’t done something dumb in their lifetime? I wouldn’t be able to stop counting. Anyone perfect out there? I just got an email from the Conservatives asking me to volunteer. That is two emails now. He is very simpatico. I do get a lot of emails from Ford’s nephew at the municipal level and his nephew does work hard in his community. Ok I have had no communication with any other party. Why? Where are their volunteers? How come I have no one knocking on my door right now? My priority concern right now is global warming. There are still people who don’t understand or believe in global warming. That is a problem if they are in a position where they can do something about it. There is a generation of young people right now out there, becoming loud for immediate action. Are they being heard? Their generation will be the most affected. I attended a three day lecture regarding global warming over 10 years ago and at the time we were informed that it was too late. Not our generation and not our children but after that life as we know it is over. We were told that we were at edge. We were told that we could do nothing to change that but we could make it sooner if we were not careful. Careful was not the word used. So, it is evident that global warming is a serious concern for me. I empathize with the youth because we have made a mess for them, that they may not be able to overturn. Do the Conservatives take that serious? When one sent me an email wishing me a Merry Christmas, I indicated my concern of global warming. He did not respond. Sometimes, silence speaks volumes. Sheer does want to do something about crime. That is also a concern of mine. Then there is the NDP. Singh understands that global warming is a serious concern. He wants to make some changes which are favourable. Then there is the Green Party who probably has the most effective change for climate warming but she also wants to make changes that I am very much against. She wants to legalize drug possession. How can I vote for that? She wants to consider pulling out from NATO. That is a no no for me. How can I vote for that? Can I for the sake of serious work at delaying global catastrophe? What I also heard last night was how older people seem to be loyal to certain parties for better or worse, while younger people do not. I can understand that. There was a time where loyalty counted a lot, but it worked both ways. People worked for companies for a very long time, some got pensions or other bonuses, people could afford homes, a car etc……Young people today are more educated, but have more difficulty finding a standard of affordability etc……Of course they are going to vote for who can help them get back on track for a positive future. So, I feel more prepared to go to the voting polls. I may not stand there looking at names and wondering who should I vote for? Am I still undecided? Yes. But, I know what I don’t want and do want when it comes to issues. I’m more prepared than I was a week ago. Of course there might be someone knocking on my door today who may just sway me one way or another. There might be a knock that will encourage me to better understand something I may be missing, that they can provide to help me decide to vote. Who you vote for is your business. However, please vote. There was a time when women could not vote. There was a time when persons of colour could not vote. There are places in the world where people do not have a choice. There is no such thing as democracy. Just look at Hong Kong whose people are trying so hard to fight to retain their freedom. We live in a beautiful country and a beautiful world. We have a responsibility to take care of it and our freedoms. We are stewards who have not done a great job in protecting those who cannot protect themselves, we have failed our wild life. We have failed at preventing hunger. Maybe a prayer is in order to discern to make the right choice. Every vote counts. We are reflective of our leadership. What do you think? I think I hear a knock at the door.