Tuesday – the most productive day of the week!

In my Ripley’s Believe it or Not Journal this morning was a tidbit of information about Tuesday’s.  Apparently Tuesday is by far the most productive day of the week.  Tuesday’s has always been special for me and my friends becauseit is the day that we get together for dinner each week.  It has become a lovely tradition to meet at our local restaurant and catch up with each others lives.  There are a core of five of us but others join from time to time.  They join for a reason or a season and then they move on.

Tuesday’s is a day that shows up in songs and book and movie titles from time to time.  Ruby Tuesday, If this is Belgium it must be Tuesday, Tuesday’s with Morrie. etc.  Tuesday’s child who is full of grace.  Tuesday is a great day and today is a lovely Tuesday here in Calgary.  It is a warm fall day with lots of sunshine and an optimism in the air about life and winter, which we all know is close.

I have been working to support my local candidate in this election.  I am discouraged, not by the campaign or the usual rhetoric, but by the apparent lack of interest by the voting public.  It is another conversation where one of the parties is not listening.  Candidates are working hard to have their voices heard and they are talking into no one listening.  Voters have either made up their mind at birth and cannot hear the arguments for changing it or they just don’t care.

Here in Alberta, even after 35 years as a resident of this great province, I continue to be amazed at the sheep like voting patterns that change very little from election to election no matter what is going on on the political scene.  There is no accountability for the elected members of parliament in this city and they know it.  They are not even campaigning here because they are assured of a win even without a campaign.

Loyalty is good.  I don’t knock people who remain loyal despite the obvious need for change.  My hope is that they will work to change things from the inside.  Misplaced loyalty or compliance out of apathy bothers me.  People should know who they are electing and for what purpose.  My should wand is clear on this.  Voting should be informed, well informed and if after weighing the choices people choose to reward a non performer with another chance then so be it.  The people have chosen.

It is heartbreaking to know that someone as dedicated and intelligent as my candidate cannot defeat a shadow of a man who doesn’t even show up to campaign, who thumbs his nose at his constituents, who cannot hold a candle to her on so many important fronts.  She is fighting shadows and ghosts, the ghosts of other politicians and their decisions of times past and the shadows of leadership from Ottawa.  She is not allowed to fight the real fight here in the constituency, where, “man to man”, she is the best choice.

I saw a lawn sign the other day.  It said “Just Vote Damn It”.  I agree.  Especially those of us who only earned the right through bloody protests in the 1920’s ought to be sure and vote.  Good luck and thank you for all who choose to run for poliical office.  You have already made a difference. On Tuesday the 15th we will know who was listening and who was not.