X marks the spot

First off, LOML and I had a great time at the Parkinson’s SuperWalk in Belleville. Yeah, yeah, it rained and rained and rained, but that’s just weather. We met some truly strong people who live with challenges that can only be managed, at best. To these people I say, “Thank you for making my day.” The Quinte/Belleville group raised over $30,000 for Parkinson’s disease research, advocacy and programs. Many of the silent auction prizes had been donated by Prince Edward County retailers and families. County people helped to rock that walk.

U.S. of America! Stop it, right now. We’ve got our own Federal election coming up, and thanks to all y’all, it’s a long, long path to the polls. But we don’t need to be boggled, bogged-down and bent by your hate-filled, oily, money-grubbing, gun-toting, paranoid bull-pucky. Get out of our way, please, so we can make informed decisions about which political party will put Canada back on the right track or, at least, repair the tracks. Somewhere along the line we’ve run ourselves off the rails. Canadians cling to the belief that our country is made up of a stable, kind-hearted, polite bunch of people, and we really aren’t. At least we aren’t right now. We need to pull it all back together. We need to start caring for ourselves again.

Unfortunately, the airwaves are awash with American rhetoric, their push-and-shove, their grandstanding and backstabbing. We’re finding it difficult to focus on what’s good for our country. We need good jobs, right here. We need outstanding support and encouragement for local economies. We need to find a way to get behind our Canadian agribusinesses. We need to become more self-reliant. Yeah, I know foreign trade is important, but seriously, do we really need so much foreign-grown produce on our shelves? What about meat and grain products? I’m not an economist, but I do know we’ve got that stuff here, in abundance. What the H E double decker sammies is going on?

On top of all the obvious goodies, it wouldn’t hurt us to re-think what our children and their children are learning in our publiclyfunded schools. I know education falls into the laps of our provincial politicians ,but, as a country, we have to encourage the arts and physical education programs at all levels. We need to encourage our youngsters to consider trades training. On top of that, we need to ensure quality health, food and financial support for our most vulnerable citizens. Across this country, there are seniors who don’t get enough food every day, who don’t have adequate shelter and can’t access the medical support they need. In a country as rich as Canada is, it’s hard to believe children go to school hungry.

I know I’ll be voting. More than any other time, this election is important. Prior to marking your ballot, you should think about clean energy. Think about agriculture. Think about pensions and income support. Think about clean water. Think about fair income taxation. Think about climate change. Think about what fair trade should really be for Canadians. Do some reading. Ask a lot of questions. Forget about the hair, the makeup, the sweater vests and the fluff. Your vote is important. It counts.

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca