Does one vote, really make a difference?
If you had asked me that yesterday, I would have hesitated, and said probably not. Not sure if it does today either, but at least there is a glimmer of hope. Why? Because I finally met a politician who seems to care, who may one day be a Cabinet Minister, if not Premier.
David and I, met with MLA Rob Fleming at his Hillside office, and I have to say, I am impressed. Not just by what he said, but simply by the simple fact that he met with us, and didn’t rush us out the door. HE LISTENED!
You have to admit, that is rare today, even for an Opposition Politician. IT is even more rare, when you aren’t complimentary about his boss [Carol James] either, and perhaps that is what sets him apart from some of the others. He appeared to actually be interested in our views, in out thoughts of why we didn’t vote for his party.
Thing is, we aren’t in his riding, which is perhaps what makes this even more remarkable. I mean he took time to listen to us, for about 45 minutes, which says a lot to me.
What was my purpose? When I made the appointment, it was to talk about Health Care, about being an advocate and helping make changes, but that changed. The simple truth is, I doubted that in today’s political climate, that one voice could impact change, could make a difference.
Defeatist perhaps, but it is how things have changed, how hopeless it all seems at times, and so, I went, not to make change, but perhaps to just vent. I DID THAT, but it changed too, because across from me, sat a man who was listening. He was taking notes, as was his assistant, and it struck me. HE DID CARE.
I know, they all say they do, but they rarely look like they mean it. I mean come on, Stephen Harper tells us how he cares, while he snickers behind our backs, and I don’t know if Michael Ignatieff is much better, but Rob Fleming was different.
I think a great deal of voter dissatisfaction comes from a lack of communication. IF people would just have someone that would tell them the truth, not sugar coat it, maybe then we’d have more people willing to go out and VOTE on election day. And no, not some big rally every two or three days, but within smaller venues, like just a coffee shop or something.
For example, I know that Rob Fleming’s district is a bit large, and yeah he did win by a whopping majority, and so too is the Gordon Head / Oak Bay riding that we live in. Yet if our elected officials cared about us, about EARNING OUR VOTES, they’d make a better effort to get it.
It is maybe one of the biggest gripes today, in that our elected officials aren’t accessible. Yet, here was one of them, meeting with me and I am not even in his riding. GO FIGURE!
But it comes down to this, if these elected people DON’T stay in touch with US, they lose out. Mailings, and television ads won’t always cut it. They will be stuck swaying to the tune of whatever their leaders do, not what people think of them.
Take the time to go walk around a neighbourhood, ask them to join you in a coffee shop or church basement for a chat. Nothing extravagant, no media hype or big event, just a small group meeting, to talk to you. Maybe it’ll be a few hours long, take a few hours to walk the few blocks, but at least you will directly impact people.
People may [may not] attend, but if you keep at it, then the impact of what a bad leader does, won’t impact your personal results. CONNECT WITH PEOPLE can help push you over the top. IF the candidate for Oak Bay/Gordon Head had done that, PRIOR to the election, who knows, she may have won, may have gotten our support.
Because SHE DIDN’T DO THAT, we, the voters, were forced to rely on party style politics, and the end result was, she didn’t win. Not by a large difference either, so a bit more personal contact, and who knows what the outcome would have been. And think too, that if some of the other close races had candidates who met with people, who interacted with their potential employers [voters], it could have impacted that outcome too.
What does it all mean, well, IF Rob Fleming had been our MLA, or a candidate, in our riding, I would have voted for him, as would have the wife. In reality, it is that contact, that could have altered the results, despite the antics by the current NDP leader, which would mean, she could be our Premier right now.
Politics needs to be more VOTER FRIENDLY. It means that those who wish to be elected, to stay elected, need to meet with us, listen to us. Maybe they can’t help, but listening does help.
I learned today that the NDP is pushing for a separate oversight panel, for Seniors. Much like exists for children, and that is something I didn’t know about.
I learned that the hated HSTis a commitment to the year 2015 and that there is a penalty for opting out that would cost the people of BC ONE POINT SIX BILLION DOLLARS.
I LEARNED TO TWO THINGS FROM JUST TALKING TO AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, AND THAT IS WHY THEY NEED TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY TO US IN SMALL GROUPS. SO WE KNOW WHO TO SUPPORT.