Interest Groups – Bad for Democracy (But not all the time)

I feel particularly strongly about interest groups. I think they are bad for democracy because I feel that powerful interest groups take away power from democratically elected governments just to pursue their own interests. I feel that if a government is elected by people, then the people have decided that the elected government is right to pursue and handle the issues the people feel are important (A bit idealist I know). So why then, should we allow groups with (at best) little representation of the population push issues to serve their own personal agendas on governments?

But then certain articles catch my eye. Like this one, which describes an interest group trying to improve health care for children of immigrants in the States. While this is (in my opinion) a rare, supportable interest group, it leads me to this question: why should it take an interest group to influence improvement for these children?

Cant Deny That ‘Robocalls’ Had an Impact on Elections

I wrote a blog post about my disgust at the recent robocall scandal that is currently at the forefront of Canadian political news.  In an article by the Province (found here) an unpublished study by SFU economist Anke Kessle suggests that the robocalls may have declined voter turnout by about 3% on average for each riding. While that number seems small on the surface, 3% can be anywhere 1 000 to 2 500 votes. That number is significant.

The focal point of democracy is THE VOTE, and the ability for the people to decide, in elections, who governs. Elections in Canada cannot stoop to the level of other corrupt countries. I feel that this will lead to an increase in political efficacy, as now more than ever, people really wont think the vote matters. A full scale investigation took place, especially if there is a possibility that up to 2 500 voters may have been deprived of their right. The integrity of both the vote, and the electoral process in Canada is at stake.

Bill to End Teacher Strike Needs Debate in Legislature

Anyone following the BC political scene lately knows to expect elementary and secondary school students to be spending some time at home rather than at school. Regardless of whose side you take, the friction between the Liberal BC government and the Teachers Federation is no doubt frustrating. After the BCTF announced that it would walk off the job starting next week, Education Minister George Abbott says that a bill intended to prohibit the strike will have to undergo full debate in the legislature (Article can be found here)

In class we learned about how bills work in legislatures. Currently, the bill is in second reading, which means that it wont be proclaimed till late next week at best. To be honest, I haven’t been following this situation too closely, frankly because I’m frustrated with both sides. I don’t like how the legislative debates could lead to teachers being forced back to work. On the other side, I do not like how teachers decide to walk off in the middle of March, and I feel terrible for those students trying to get into University and College, as this places added pressure on them. Lets be honest, we know a long time ago that these so called “negotiations” were not going anywhere, instead of waiting till March to walk off, I think the teachers should have done it earlier instead of their small scaled job action. At least that way whatever happened would’ve happened, and at this point students would be back in school. A simplistic view, yes, but at the same time this is a lose-lose situation for everyone.

Harper Isn’t Above Scandal

There was some big news in Canadian politics this week as it was revealed that automated telephone calls delivered to voters last elections mislead them by telling them voting locations had changed. At the center of the scandal is the Conservative party. According to an article by the Toronto Star (which can be found here) Prime Minister Harper should be held accountable for this scandal, even if his claims of not knowing about it are true (which still remains to be seen).

I agree, this man is not only leader of the Conservative party, but he is currently the Prime Minister of our country. As the PM he is (rightfully) held to a high standard. The reason I am so angered about this is because this isn’t the first time the Tories have been accused of dirty election tricks (Remember the In-and-Out scandal?). I agree with the article that the Conservative party has created an environment that these dirty tricks have become acceptable. I don’t ally myself with any political party (I tend to vote for the person, not the party!) but I do have to agree with Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae when he says

This stuff doesn’t happen unless the boss lets it happen.

 

Should the US Constitution be Amended?

A quick Google News search on the word “constitution” will bring up thousands of results and opinion pieces on the US Constitution. This is not uncommon during an election year, but one Fox News article (which can be found here) really caught my attention. The astoundingly right wing news faction quoted Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney when he said,

“I know this president will never get it, but we conservatives aren’t just proud to cling to our guns and to our religion. We are also proud to cling to our Constitution.”

Now to me, what Mr. Romney is implying, is that the Democratic incumbent President Obama does not respect the US Constitution. I disagree. Call me naive, but I truly believe that Obama believes in the fundamental principles of the nation that the Constitution highlights. I feel that while some of Obama’s decisions can be perceived as violating the constitution, he is only doing so as a result of the world we live in today. Maybe it is time that the US Constitution went through an amendment. Ever since 9/11 and the Bush decisions that followed it, the country has changed drastically. I think its time their Constitution reflected that.

My Political Compass

I took the Political Compass Test and compared my results to that of my parents.  Here is mine:

 

Here is my parents:

 

As you can, I have a much more Libertarian and left wing view that my parents. A reason for this, in my opinion, is that my parents are immigrated to Canada and still carry a very traditional view towards issues of the world. For example, my parents believed that classroom attendance in schools should be absolutely compulsory, whereas I had the through process of, “you can’t force people to go to class as its not for everyone.” Also, I feel that possession of marijuana should not be a criminal offense whereas my parents disagreed strongly.

 

Is Silicon Valley Heading to the Middle East?

The topic for this week’s blog post is whether or not globalization is the death-knell for nationalism. In my opinion, the answer is yes. An interesting article (which can be found here) from the New York Times quotes MIT’s head of  Media Laboratory Joichi Ito as saying that the Middle East is going to be the next Silicon Valley. Ito believes that the region will become a technological hub, with promising investment opportunities to attract North American technological investors. While this an economic issue, I believe it relates to the topic of globalization and nationalism as well. Entrepreneurship in a capitalist economy is a western trait.  If Ito’s prediction of the Middle East region becoming a technological and investment hub in 5-10 years reigns true, then that means an influx of western investors in the Middle East. That, combined with the new technological companies that would be located in the area, means an influx of western culture and technology. The way technology shapes our lives, is a threat to traditional Middle East cultures. With social networks like Twitter and Facebook, the Middle East is constantly more exposed to North American society. If Ito’s prediction comes true, than the prevalence of North American culture in the Middle East will greatly increase. I feel that the biggest users of new technology will be the youth. If the youth begins acting more Westernized, than it poses an obvious threat to newer generations as well. With Western technology and investors heading to the Middle East, I truly believe that their nationalistic ascriptions will be threatened. In order for them to be preserved, the entrepreneurial companies need to be from there, not here.