And with the strike of 12 midnight, this marks the beginning of... dum dum dummmm... FRIDAY THE 13TH!

So, tonight thanks to my lovely mom, I found out that Rick Mercer has a blog, and not just anywhere, but here at blogspot, thanks to Blogger. Fantastic. More wit and whimsy prior to the Canadian election.

To all my friends in Canada, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE vote on January 23, 2006. I truly believe voting is vital to the continuation of a democratic Canada. ALSO, and most importantly, voting is the only REAL way you can complain and have a leg to stand on. Voting is the easiest way to say you give a crap about Canada, without ACTUALLY getting off your sorry excuse for a behind and doing something about this country you claim to love.

The more I read about this election, the more sad I become. Truly, this is becoming what Fallone's screen name is ALL about. "Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing bwtween the disasterous and the unpalatable."

I'm assuming that in this election, the disasterous is the righteous right, and the unpalatable is the ludicrous left. I am torn, and I think, perhaps, we may be doomed to yet another minority government. In theory, this is a fabulous idea really. No one party having enough sway to actually do any real damage, everyone bringing up suggestions is a sort of free forum for progress.

In practice, however, as most Canadians have observed for the past few years, this is not the case. Progress does not occur. Policy does not improve. It's a constant bickering match between the parties, fingers pointed, sometimes merely the middle one at any given time, and why? Because our system isn't designed to work with a minority government. Because our politician's refuse to adjust, to compromise, to be civil. In other democratic nations (ignore, for the moment, the democratic debauchery of the United States; they are a warning to all and a model to no one), like Sweden, politicans conduct themselves in admirable fashion. Their democracy functions, and of course, there are problems. But legislation in that nation actually has teeth once in awhile.

There is absolutely no excuse for the paltry excuse for policy that the Liberal party has been churning out for years now. We do not find ourselves on the world stage, where law is made of treaty, agreement and force, but ina nation where laws can be made and adhered to. A nation where policy can be made, and be made effectively, if we would only choose to do so.

I grow tired. Japanese medicine is making me drosy, and realistically, it's quite late, but I DID sleep all day. Basically, the end of my rant is my ever-ready call for PR. Proportional Representation. The Liberals clearly have no reason to support it, but even the idiotic right would gain from it. But then perhaps we woulg get some representation from a party or two who recognize an issue the other parties are ignoring: the environment. Everyone seems to think this is a non-issue.

It matters, people. Even those who are employed in resource extraction sectors should know that. Resources run out. You need a contingency plan. *sigh* Okay that's all my weary body will allow for today. Sleep well, world.