Meh

Raise your hand if you are confused about the upcoming provincial election. Go on. Don’t be shy, ain’t no one sitting nearby who isn’t as glazed over as you. Ontario provincial election day, June 12, is fast approaching and I’m just not sure how it’s going to go down when I get into the poll.

For those of you who don’t really know me and for those of you who think you do, I’m not going to walk away with a political science scholarship. I’m not politically astute. I try to know what’s going on and what’s being dished up. And, I try to cast an informed vote. The truth is, I’m not a fan of Tim Hudak. It could be something as simple as not liking his smug face. I certainly didn’t like his high school, pep rally mentality with regard to cutting taxes and setting the budget straight. In spite of what many Ontario residents feel, with regard to the provincial public service, threatening to dump 100,000 employees from the public payroll isn’t going to make those unemployment numbers look any better.

Did you even think that one through, Tim? A lot of those public service workers have family and friends who are voters. Did you think about that when you ran out of the change room in your romper, shaking your pompoms, the public service would be sis-boom-bahing along with you and yours?

And, my initial enthusiasm for Kathleen Wynne is now waning. I’m thrilled she’s a woman. Maybe she can relate to women’s issues. I’m thrilled she’s fit. It’s a good example. The first time I saw the video of her running along a hilly country road and chatting about her platform I thought, “Bravo, she runs and talks sense and isn’t out of breath.” Kathleen, where’s your platform now? Maybe you should borrow Tim’s pompoms and have a pep rally, “We’ve got a T E A M on the W H A T”. Jumping around in a gymnasium would be easy enough for you, you’re fit.

And, Andrea Horwath. Did you forget that your party is what? A socialist party? What about the working people of Ontario? What about families? What about the immigrants? What about the underemployed and unemployed?

And, if it’s not bad enough we’ve got a dog’s breakfast going on with the top three political leaders, where the H E double-sided campaign signs is the NDP presence in our riding? As a matter of fact, the only person I’ve seen walking the streets of the County is Georgina Thompson. As far as her signs are concerned, I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of Liberal signs I’ve seen in the area. And where’s Merrill Stewart? No, wait. Who’s Merrill Stewart? If I ran into Merrill Stewart on the street, would I know Merrill Stewart? I don’t think so. I don’t even know if Merrill is a woman or a man. Ya, you’re right, I should know but I don’t and I know a lot of people.

Speaking of visual neglect, where’s Todd Smith? Ya, we’ve all seen Todd Smith in the past. His picture is on a lot of his signs and LOML and I get regular reminders of his pep rally policies in the mail. But where’s the real Todd? Should his PR folks buy him a red and white stripped pullover? We haven’t seen Todd, or Todd-ites glad-handing in our neighbourhood. And what about Anita Payne? Ya, you read that right. Anita Payne. I’m going out on a limb and say Anita is probably a woman. I think it’s important for woman to be involved in politics, but I’ve been tricked in the past with names like Beverly, Marion and Lynn. Anita Payne is the Green Party candidate. Anita Payne is, to me, the “none of the above” candidate.

As far as my vote goes, should I spoil my ballot? Is there a message in a spoiled ballot? Not likely. Maybe I will vote “none of the above”, even though a Green candidate is unlikely to win in this riding. Maybe I should vote for the Party and ignore the local personalities?

Two of them I don’t know and the other two, “meh”. It’s all so perplexing because I’m just a senior, female, who dreads opening the hydro bill and worries about winter heating costs and is afraid for our healthcare system and sad that so many of our young neighbours and family members can’t find a decent job and they have no hope of ever owning a home. But what the H E double hockey sticks do I know about politics? I’m just a constituent.

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca