LOST in the weeds
As an Independent political candidate in the Ontario election, my message will be lost in the cacophony of “bigger government” rhetoric from the more privileged Big Party candidates.
Elections are unfair.
I asked Claude.ai a simple question: “Do elections reflect the will of the people”? Claude replied:
“This is a complex question that deserves careful consideration. Elections can be seen as an attempt to aggregate individual preferences into collective decisions, but there are several important factors to consider:
The phrase "will of the people" itself contains some questionable assumptions. People often have diverse, conflicting preferences that can't be easily reduced to a single "will." Even individuals may hold contradictory views or change their minds over time.
Electoral systems face various practical challenges:
- Voter turnout is rarely 100%, so results may not capture all citizens' preferences
- Different voting systems (first-past-the-post, proportional representation, etc.) can produce different outcomes from the same set of voter preferences
- Issues like gerrymandering, voter suppression, or unequal access to voting can distort results
- The available choices on a ballot may not fully represent voters' true preferences
- Voters may make choices based on limited information or strategic considerations rather than their genuine preferences
That said, elections remain one of the most practical mechanisms we've developed for making collective decisions in large societies. While they may not perfectly capture some platonic ideal of "the will of the people," they provide a structured way for citizens to participate in governance and hold leaders accountable.
What aspects of electoral systems do you think are most important for translating individual preferences into collective decisions?”
Not fair to voters.
If a transgender female was allowed to compete with biological females in a weight-lifting contest, most of us would cry “fowl”.
When 25 provincial political parties (and an untold number of Independent candidates) enter an election, a handful enjoy special privileges that most us would cry “fowl” if they knew how the contest is rigged.
When 4 of those 25 parties receive millions of dollars in subsidies from the Ontario government, they have huge financial advantages to run expensive election campaigns. All taxpayers pay into these subsidies without their permission. This grossly biases the election outcomes. It is unfair to the electors of the province who are expecting fair, transparent and honest elections. All election candidates are taxpayers too - why are the politically marginalized by Elections Ontario, the incumbent government, the mainstream media, and other biased groups?
When Ontario residents have sat by helplessly as government debt has grown, draconian rules (regulations) were mandated during Covid, carbon taxes have continued to increase, and more, why can’t an Independent candidate register as an “Independent for Less Government” to allow voters to choose this if it is their preference. Should the Big Four, Big Government parties we allowed to dominate our political landscape forever without a Less Government ballot option?
When trust in government and politicians is “in the toilet”, why doesn’t every election ballot feature a single question (like the following) to survey the spending and taxation preference of all electors? :
Holding leaders accountable?
Claude.ai has been “trained” of information that reflects trillions of sources of information generally “available to the public”, including content that was prepared long ago.
The last five years have discouraged many citizens from believing in the notion of elections being “a structured way for citizens to participate in governance and hold leaders accountable.”
I wonder what Claude.ai say if I said:
Elections are “political theatre”.
They are expensive and elaborate public campaigns organized and funded by governments in an effort to convince the majority of electors of a fiction.
Citizens are encouraged to believe that they still live in an “electoral democracy” which allows each one of them the “duty and privilege” to vote once every four years which of a handful of strangers (political candidates), will best represent them in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (LAO).
Each successful MPP, in an LAO consisting of 123 competing elected representatives from other jurisdictions, is expected to be lobbied by special interests, and then to lobby the Government of Ontario from within the LAO.
The goal of all 124 MPPs is to acquire a small share of the limited pool of provincial tax dollars, and/or to obtain certain regulatory advantages for their riding constituents and successful third party lobbyists.”
This is contemporary politics.
exactly what I've said for decades: there is no accountability in govt, in fact the opposite is true. they waste our money and come back for more, blaming US. Less govt is the only way