Saskatoon Municipal Election 2012

Chances are good that, if you've landed here, you googled "Brandon Snowsell" perhaps looking for my website which is located here.  Or perhaps I left a door knocker on your door and you are doing your due diligence and researching your civic candidate.  I applaud you!

I've always had an interest in politics and I started this blog to stimulate debate.  Lately, I find that there is no political party that completely speaks to the things I value.  As such, my thoughts have rarely been championed by anyone.  Additionally, often times, ideas are put forth not to discuss, but it seems that politicians are only interested in their well-being, or the success of their party.  I personally believe that politicians are to seek the best for the people they represent and sometimes that means building consensus and not ramming programs down our throats.

The issues I speak to in this blog are typically not civic in nature, but rather federal.  However, I firmly believe if we seek to speak to one another and have an open, honest discussion and not seek to "win" then perhaps we ourselves become enriched.

That being said, I do believe our current city council is making some reckless decisions and more thought needs to be put into what are our priorities?  For more of my background click here and for more of what I want our city to look like click here.  If you would like to speak with me about my views, I can be reached via Facebook, Twitter or email--details here.

Hope to see you on the campaign trail!

Brandon

Robocalls--Undermining Democracy

I think the rest of the world, if they have time to watch our news, must be rolling their eyes. Democracy is important. The right to vote too easily taken for granted here. I think of Iraq and the real threats that average people faced by radicals that threatened to kill anyone who went to the polling stations...and yet, people went.

Here we are, lamenting that some recorded phone messages tried to trick people into going to the wrong place to vote. And, that those phone calls happened has somehow delegitimized the entire process and we should throw out the election results and have another election. What? Are we serious? Don't we have real problems in this country without again getting all partisan and making stuff up as we go.

Let's stop and think this through. Someone gets a phonecall from a recording. What do 99% of us do? That's right. We hang up the phone. I'm amazed to find that folks are actually listening to these messages.  Unless it's Wayne Gretzky's recorded voice, I hang up just after I hear "this is an important message" or "you've just won a free cruise" or "you can consolidate your debt" or "your house is on fire" (okay, I haven't gotten that last phone call...but they would get points for creativity and I probably wouldn't hang up immediately--I'd smell for smoke first).

But, lets pretend for a moment that someone actually listened to the fraudulent message stating that the polling station had changed and then went to the new location only to find (insert dramatic, mystery-reveal music) that there was no polling station. "Well, Bob, that's it...I guess we can't vote now. Might as well go home and watch TV." "Of course, we could look at the VOTER REGISTRATION CARD that came in the mail, and that we brought with us, and see where it says we should go...maybe it's right after all...it's close, let's just drive by on our way home." "Oh look, there's the voting sign. Well, let's go vote."

I think it's reprehensible that anyone should attempt to trick someone into not voting. But, so far, no one has claimed that they were unable to vote as a result of these hi-jinks, or that they were tricked into switching their vote. So, let Elections Canada do their work and find the guilty party/parties. And please, let's seriously tone down the rhetoric. Trying to stop someone from voting is vastly different than succeeding in that endeavour. Our system worked in spite of some idiots and to make a mountain out of a molehill just makes the public less likely to listen when there is actually something worthy of screaming "FIRE!"

Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan

With the revival of the Remai Art Gallery discussion taking centre stage today, there has of course been spill over onto Twitter.  @MarkHorseman is against @RandyDonauer supports and @seanshaw is sitting on the fence (not necessarity against, but not entirely for--that's how I define the fence).  Who's right?  You tell me.

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