The hot summer is here, and people are out and about enjoying the warmer weather. At the same time we are being bombarded by various media in the U.S. and in Canada about the current election processes occurring in both countries. The average person probably couldn’t necessarily care less. However, Donald Trump’s antics in the U.S., Hillary Clinton’s e-mails and Senator Mike Duffy’s “fraud and bribery” trial in Canada have emerged as primary targets for the media and rumour mills. Nothing like a few scandals to get one’s attention!
How about those issues and party politics? When are the candidates really going to get down to brass tacks? So far, parties have been scarce on details and loud on rhetoric. The electoral processes are getting longer and longer and costlier, and the electorate is becoming more bored and disinterested. Millions will be spent on attack ads and media events. However, is the average American or Canadian really all that engaged under the current circumstances? Not really, and the polls tend to support this observation. Most of us would rather just be lying in the sun on a beach somewhere.
Indeed, the issues are important, starting with the economy. Then we have climate change, global and homeland security, structural unemployment, lack of good-paying jobs for young people, hydrocarbon, nuclear and green energies, immigration, urban decline, infrastructure maintenance and development, old age security, health care and aging populations, access to higher education, etc., etc. Maybe we’ll hear more about positions and policies in future debates, but whose going to be listening? We may all be turned off and tuned out by then. It would appear that many people already have made up their minds or will simply vote along party lines.
Well, we are democracies after all. Until something better comes along, I suppose that we have to live with the system as it exists, headaches and all. Good luck with that!
FROLITICKS 