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- Are you more like George Bush or Nelson Mandella? Pope Jean Paul II or the Dalai Lama? Take a 5 minute test and find out where you fit. Email me your results if you want along with which Alberta Party you support today; PC, Liberal or NDP. I'll compile the results and post them here; anonymously of course.
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Ralph Klein has gone and it is time to retire Ralph's World. Thanks to all of you who have supported this venture by contributing material and through your comments. It has been fun.
Should we get another blog underway? Let me know your thoughts by e-mailing me at johnnyslow@gmail.com.
John Slow
January 1, 2007
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Pandering to rural vote explained.
Consider the politics on the no smoking letter written to Dear Iris and good old Ralph. I think Ralph and company are willing to dump the cities in order to garner votes in the rural area!
1 in every 6 Albertan’s who are eligible to vote actually vote.
Thanks to conservative tinkering in the balance of votes split between rural and city dwellers, the 1 vote cast in the rural riding counts for about 6 for every vote cast in the city.
The math is simple. One vote cast in the rural Alberta ridings means 36 vote points at the ballet box. Anything the conservatives can do to charm the rural voter is big returns for them at the ballet box on election day.
The game in the no smoking is clear. Iris goes out with the loose mouth idea of banning smoking Province wide. Then, she ducks just like Ralph while the major centres who actually foot the health bills, put in no smoking by-laws.
Now, the smokers go to the rural restaurants and business there picks up. The conservatives are there to chide, look what we did for you. Left unsaid, remember me on Election Day because your 1 vote is worth 36 city votes. You will find a great many programs directed to the rural votes.
Mark Lysic said “People get the government they deserve.” A good insight!
Remember that when you pass up the ballet box on Election Day saying “I don’t make a difference.”
Thank you all for your continued comments and support!
John Clark cyberclark@shaw.ca
