Politics and your Vote

Time for another election… Once again. You would think by the amount of elections we have had over the past few years Canadians would know how to vote. Now I don’t mean that in the context of who to vote for I simply mean how to physically vote… As in make a check mark on the ballet.

Judging by the last election and the fact that 40% of those who are eligible to vote did not, experts are saying that this coming election is not going to be any better (http://www.montrealgazette.com/Experts+predict+voter+turnout/4551740/story.html) Why is this? You may ask. Well there are numerous opinions regarding this matter. The link posted states that one of the reasons people do not bother with voting is the fact that they feel that politicians make it seem like their vote does not count. The article also makes the argument that people are not voting due to the fact that promises are continually being broken by those whom are elected.

And then in my own personal opinion there are those that just may not understand and who “don’t have the time” to bother voting. A small part of me can’t blame them. The reason I say this is that politics is rather confusing and can take a good deal of time to understand fully. When you put that together with the other reasons previously described it makes for a very unappealing way to spend your time.

There are those that try to solve this problem such as CBC’s vote compass, which has gained attention from over one million people (http://www.vancouversun.com/Vote+Compass+passes+million+mark/4557719/story.html). I was included in those one million people and I participated in finding out what party I should vote for. Although for me, as I assume it is for others, it is not just the party I am voting for but the person as well. The question I ask myself is not only what party to I want to have the most electoral power but who is it that I want to be in charge of running the country that I live in. To add to concerns regarding this there has also been news story’s accusing the vote compass to be bias toward the liberals (http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/03/31/cbcs-vote-compass-accused-of-bias/).

So if we can’t rely on a 5 minute questionnaire to give us answers, if we can’t be bothered to spend countless hours to research who would be the best leader for our country then what are we to do? I’m sorry to disappoint any of you who thought I would have an answer to this question because I do not. I am left with simply doing my own personal best to be an educated citizen. If you decide to do the same then good for you, that makes at least two of us. 

 

So you want to be a Journalist??

When I picture what the perfect journalist would look like I see someone with a disheveled appearance likely due to lack of sleep because they have been working on a story all night or researching other news stories that are possible leads. I’m not sure if I say this because this is the way Hollywood portrays journalists however even so this is how I picture a dedicated journalist.

When thinking about skills missing in journalists today it is a difficult question to answer. I say this because there are so many different types of journalists out there all over the world with so many different opinions and outlooks on stories. Maybe that is the skill missing- lack of communication between journalist. I can read the same story in 5 different newspapers and finish with not only 5 different opinions but 5 versions of the same story. I am then left with wondering which one is closest to the truth.

When I think of topics that might be under reporting the first word that comes to mind is truth. Can we really blame journalists for this though? As we know the news organizations are being run by large corporations and add campaign companies that are telling the paper what they can and cannot print thus it leads to the news organizations to tell their journalist just how much truth they are allowed to reveal.

So I ask myself the question - What is it that sometimes prevents journalists from being journalists? To answer that question in regards to myself and what is preventing me to choose that career path I will give you these three reasons.

1.     The ability to write freely is taken from you as soon as you begin to work for news organizations. As I mentioned above journalists are constantly being told what they can and cannot write in regards to truth.

2.     Journalism isn’t what it was say even 50 years ago. With the internet and personal blogging there is a great change from when someone would go down the corner store and pick up a newspaper. I would not go so far as to say journalism is a dying profession, I would simply say it just isn’t what it used to be.

3.     Finally going back to how I began this blog with my vision of what a journalist should look and then trying to relate that to myself… That is not what I want. I’ve talked to others in the profession and it seems to me that it takes a great deal of commitment and time, which includes time away from the office. Personally I just feel it would be an extremely stressful environment and unless you’re extremely committed it would be a difficult job indeed.  If you are this type of person that can be so committed to the news and allowing the public to be informed (to a certain degree) then I have a great deal of respect for you. After all someone has to do it and if it’s you then all I have left to say is go for it.

When you Wish Upon a… Crane

Thousands of people have lost their homes in Japan. People are surviving rather than living. The death toll is at 11,000 with around 16,000 people still missing. The Country is mourning great loss along with a continued fear caused by the nuclear plant. The world is watching every move and people, as we tend to do in times like these, are yearning to come together and to help.

There has been over $120.5 million donated to the Red Cross by individuals as well as large donations from various organizations.  

Allow with relief efforts going to Japan people from all over the world have begun making paper cranes.  Young children and adults alike join in together to make, not just a few, but at least one thousand cranes. This is being done by students in grade school, college and university students as well as other various organizations. In Japan cranes are a symbol of good luck and peace. It is also said that if you make one thousand cranes you are granted a wish. Along with the symbolic relevance, these cranes are being sold to help raise money for donations to the Red Cross and other charitable organizations

I look upon my life so dear

So content without a care

And then I think of those in need

“Let me help you” I plead

But what can I do?

A thought

A prayer

A hope

A wish

I’ll find a way even if small

To try to show my support to all

So I will make this crane for you

One, one thousand, maybe two

If it even just brings a little hope

Or helps those in need to cope

Then I will make one thousand more

And let their wings so soar

Strait to you Japan, so near

To give you peace and strength to persevere 

Hyperlinks 

Americans Give Generously to Japan Red Cross - http://blogs.smartmoney.com/paydirt/2011/03/30/americans-give-generously-to-japan-red-cross/?mod=SMBlog

A wish from city to city - http://thenelsondaily.com/news/general/wish-city-city-10544

Death toll rises to 11,102 from great quake-tsunami in Japan - http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7334964.html

Flight of Hope - http://www.observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/557604/Flight-of-Hope.html?nav=5047

Thousand cranes folded for Japan tsunami appeal by Wimbledon Chase students - http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/wimbledonnews/8941202.Thousand_cranes_folded_for_Japan_tsunami_appeal/

Black and White News

In 1971 the New York Times published official top secret government documents for the public to view. Daniel Ellsberg was the one responsible for leaking this information to the press regarding the Vietnam War. The documents contained information regarding multiple lies of those in power regarding the war that was happening at the time. These documents are what are now referred to as The Pentagon Papers which consisted of over 7,000 pages. Ellsberg was willing to go to jail to see that the general public was informed as to what their government was actually doing and what their brothers, fathers, husbands and sons were in reality fighting for.
In more recent news Bradley Manning has been arrested for leaking documents to Wikileaks regarding information on the war in Iraq. Bradley Manning has a possible death sentence looming regarding this unleashing of government documents and has allegedly been quoting saying “I wouldn’t mind going to prison for the rest of my life”.
Both of these men have been willing to put their own lives aside to inform the public of what governments are hiding from them.  Yet you may ask yourself, as I did, what are we (the public) willing to do with the information we receive? Do we want the news to be in black and white or do we enjoy reading the grey print?  News like this might shock us and make us question governments however how far are we willing to go to help individuals like this and others continue to inform us.
Hundreds of people were willing to show their support when they demonstrated outside the prison where Bradley Manning is being held. Thirty five individuals were arrested by police at the rally.  This just goes to show that people want a change they are willing to fight for their right to know. However if we look back to the 1970’s we see a different picture when Ellsberg released the documents that proved that Nixon (current president) was lying to his country it only took a couple months after the release that the president was reelected.
I do believe that people are beginning to realize that they want a change and the truth. I think it is important that newspapers continue to publish this information and continue to help with this change. I respect the New York Times and Wikileaks for publishing this crucial information; it was a risk for them as well. With technology constantly evolving it is not only the obligation of the press to inform us but for the public to inform each other. 

 Hyperlinks

  

Police arrest 35 at Quantico rally for suspected WikiLeaks whistleblower -  http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2011/mar/20/6/hundreds-rally-quantico-suspected-wikileaks-whistl-ar-916404/

Another View: When it comes to government, it's your right to know - http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110322/OPINION/103220307/1048/Another-View-When-comes-government-s-your-right-know

Pentagon Papers leaker: 'I was Bradley Manning' -http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/03/19/wikileaks.ellsberg.manning/index.html

Pro-WikiLeaks activists target base holding Bradley Manning - http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/03/10/anonymous-manning-quantico-ddos.html

Hundreds protest treatment of alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower - http://reesenews.org/2011/03/21/hundreds-protest-treatment-of-alleged-wikileaks-whistleblower/12734/

coffee or cough medicine?

Would you like a coffee or cough medicine? That is the question that some patients in New Westminster, B.C Royal Columbian Hospital could have been asked on the evening of Monday, February 23, 2011.  Due to the increasing problem of overcrowding during the past few years the emergency ward at this hospital has had to, yes; put patients in the Tim Horton’s restaurant located in the hospital. It was at approximately 9pm on Feb 23, when a large influx of patients arrived at the emergency ward. Struggling with hallways and closets already overcrowded the staff at the hospital had no choice but to look for an alternative location for the patients to go.

The public have expressed that they are by no means unhappy with the staff in the hospitals, they understand that they were simply doing what needed to be done - find a place to put their patients.  The public told news reporters that they would rather be laying next to the espresso machine then to be sent home unwell. However as understanding as the public may be toward the staff at the hospital they seem equally frustrated at the government’s lack of hospital funding.

As well there is the question of safety. Tim Horton’s has only been used this one time for a couple of hours but what about the overcrowding which has caused patients to frequently be placed in hallways and even closets. There have been complaints regarding privacy issues, not just from patients but from doctors as well voicing their frustration at the lack of privacy to allow patients to speak freely and feel secure that doctor/patient confidentiality is honored. This problem is not only a provincial one but one that affects the public right across Canada. Infections can spread much faster with patients in hallways. There is also the question of whether or not cleanliness standards are being compromised due to admitting and discharging patients as quickly as possible to allow for more room.

As I said this is not just a concern in B.C but across Canada. Quebec has been faced with this problem also and it is said that the hospitals there are running above their recommended safety capacity. Locals in the area are reporting that they have been left on stretchers for hours in hallways not being treated or given a bed. There have also been reports sating that some 100 patients were left on stretchers for up to two days. The Quebec government has said that improvements have been made however they are still experiencing a lack of space. Regarding the spreading of infection, an outbreak has once again occurred in Ottawa called the VRA. The director of infection control has been quoted stating that the overcrowding in hospitals is partly to blame for this recent epidemic. On a side note, the VRA is an antibiotic resistant bug. So let me ask you, how would you like to go to the hospital for a medical complaint and come out with a completely different illness?

Overcrowding in hospitals has been an ongoing problem at Royal Columbian hospital for years, especially since Saint Mary’s Hospital closed in 2004. The staff at Saint Mary’s predicted this problem would occur. They even protested, during which they stated that there would be an insufficient number of beds, unfortunately for the public they turned out to be right.  There continues to be proposals for the expansion of the Royal Columbian hospital but nothing is set to be completed until at least 2015. But my question is what do we do until then? Perhaps they will build another Tim Hortons across the street just in case, this could probably be completed in just a few months’ time. You never know, put all the coffee shops in Vancouver together and you might just have a hospital. Now I hope you know I’m being sarcastic but this is really what it has come down to. The question to be asking is why hasn’t something being done sooner?  

There is a staggering increase in housing in the greater Vancouver area and lower mainland all the way to east Chilliwack. Shouldn’t a certain percentage of revenues from developers be allotted for schools and hospitals? What about the taxes from these housing developments, is enough of the money that is being collected being used to fund these essential services? What will happen when people move into these developments and have to deal with overcrowded hospitals and schools? It is in the public interest that these issues be dealt with and in a timely manner.

In the residential areas just discussed it is, as I said, not just lack of space in hospitals but is schools as well. Recently there was a walk out and student protest at the Earl Marriot School in Surrey B.C on Tuesday March 1, 2011.  Students protested stating that they wanted more space. Halls and classrooms are overcrowded and students have been asked to leave the building on their breaks.  Currently Earl Marriot School is over capacity by over 300 students. The school has set up portables for extra class room but state that they don’t have enough funds to expand further.

There continues to be an increase in residential areas throughout the greater Vancouver area and the cities throughout are continuing to allow developers to build with no plan published to help with the overcrowding in hospitals and schools. It is an increasing problem that citizens need to be aware of and governments need to be responsible to provide sufficient funding and essential services for citizens.

Reference list

Ivens, A. (2011, March 1). Surrey student walkout over plan to extend school hours. The Province.          Retrieved from  http://www.theprovince.com

Luba, F. (2011, March 2). Tim Hortons doubles as New Westminster emergency room. The Province        Retrieved from http://www.theprovince.com

News staff. (2011, March 3). Ottawa Civic Hospital struggling to contain outbreak of bacteria caused        partly by overcrowding. 1310 News. Retrieved from http://www.1310news.

News Staff. (2011, March 2). Tim Hortons triage: B.C. patients treated in coffee shop. CTV News.              Retrieved from http://montreal.ctv.ca 

Quebec fights ER overcrowding. (2011, January 6).  CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca

Tim Hortons-turned-ER a sign system works: Hansen. (2011, March 1).  CBC News. Retrieved from           http://www.cbc.ca