[whelan costen]

I am not offended, you are giving me advice about how to run a campaign, which is great, and you are indicating that you know how to do it, that's also great. So when the people want democracy, they will stand up and seek it out, if you wanted to know your choices, you would have searched them out. You cannot compare the Greens, with funding and several team members, or Conservatives with the option to use up to about $80,000.00 in the riding, with one CAP candidate and one campaign worker with limited funds, say aroun $2,000.00. The comparison is worse than apples to oranges.

yes it would be great to have numbers, it would be great to have funding, it would be great to have national media cover our Leader, in a perfect world, yes. Your criticism is simply an attempt to suggest that somehow I could have done more, if I had seriously wanted your vote; the problem with that statement is once again the difference in attitude, the big parties are selling, I was not. I was offering something different, a real choice for more people influencing government, you have attempted to undermine my efforts, however you had the right to chose what works for you. You have deliberately attempted to make this personal. Why? not sure? We have certainly not knocked on all the doors in this riding, and I would highly suspect that neither did any candidate, not even your favorite. It takes a good 6 hours just to drive across this riding never mind stop and talk to everyone. I have had letters in papers from Lethbridge, to Calgary, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, for the last several years, where are the Conservative MP's views? I have responded to thousands of emails this election, not to mention the administration of a small party. But your observations about the NDP provincially, really are not within the control of the candidate, again I had signs all over Okotoks, and they were removed, so you can make an argument about what streets could have worked etc, but the reality is quite different. I put out many signs this election, and many were vandalized or stolen, so if you believe that the election process is fair, or that all candidates are treated equally in the press, or that all candidates have the resources to cover a riding as large as Macleod, I would highly recommend you get out there and take a stand for what you believe in next election.

The point is when all is said and done, the cries for electoral reform, participatory democracy etc, will go unheard because the people crying about it won't actually participate in the democratic process! I guess my only comment to you is, show me how its done, I'll be watching next election when you run a real campaign! Perhaps you'll even use your real name so I can check out your platform. As for speaking volumes, yes your post has done an excellent job!

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

[lis2005]

Well... when it comes to party funding - I can agree - it must be hard to campain with a small amount.

I don't make this an personal issue.. however -- I find it quite arrogant when a new party comes along promising changes in our stagnant government, but can't put themselves out there for ppl to inform themselves.

Let's be honest here.. your appearance on the Eagle and some articles in the Western Wheel doesn't appeal to the regular every-day Joe... you are coming off as the type of candidate that won't "sell themselves" like the big parties do.. but just how do you think they got to where they were...?? By advertising on a local radio station, and a few local papers? And then that's it?

Voters will not seek out another choice -- and often times to change the way a Government works takes but a selected few to get the ball rolling... and I do truely believe that the smaller, independent parties such as yours could be a welcomed change... but when I talk to my father-in-law in High River if he knows of your party, and he says no... he asks his boss if he knows who you are, and his boss says no... my sister-in-law has NO idea who you are.. I could ask all the parents of my son's hockey team if they know who you are.. and chances are they'd say no.. do you have any idea how selling yourself to the voters would help you?

I think of my Grandfather all the time -- and how he worked very hard to promote his party.. and he was hated. He was hated my the majority of Canadians, but he put up a better fight in an election than what I see today by even the major three parties, never mind the little guy!!

As for having signs vandalized... try getting threatening phone calls.. my Grandmother used to keep her curtains shut and her doors locked while she was in the house during the day... at one point -- because of my family's political views -- my Grandfather had a hard time leaving the country, and the Government used to keep them under surveilance... BUT -- it certainly didn't deter my Grandfather from putting in a lifetime of work to promote his ideas and his party.

The observations I made about the NDP Provincially were mainly about the area that I live in, which happens to be an area in a riding that you campaigned in.

The thing that I can't stand the most is how these independent parties come along to promote their different views, and end up being nothing more than just a name on a ballot... !! It's different putting up a good fight and losing, but to just expect voters to seek them out is not the way to run a campaign.

What were to happen if you were elected?? Having a riding of over 97,000 and with a total office staff of... two? You had $2000.00 for your campaign, I just personally think it involves better planning.. IMO.

I am not sure if you realize just what you were getting yourself into. again - IMO.


As for my contribution to the democratic process.. I VOTE. I belong to the pathetic 41% of ppl who vote in my immmediate area. As for running? We'll see... but I can guarantee that if I did, I'd sell myself a little better.. sorry! The "Big Three" have stayed in power in this country, be it on the Municipal, Provincial or Federal level because they hit the streets and threw themselves out there -- and if it worked for them... then one can only assume it works for everybody.