Weekend chores.
Lots and lots to do this weekend. There’s no way I’ll be able to fit it all in, but I’m going to do my best. I have computers to repair, a house to de-disaster, a car and bike way past due for fall maintenance.
Oh, and I have to figure out who I’m voting for.
I made the conscientious decision to not form an Alberta Party CA until I had a stronger group of local citizens involved. There are many times I’ve regretted that decision and many times I’ve celebrated it.
My biggest regret is that I don’t have anyone outstanding to vote for. As so many of my friends have said, I need to be voting FOR someone, I’m long tired of voting against someone.
In Calgary East I have Moe Amery (PC), Bonnie Devine (Com), Jasbir “Jesse” Minhas (WR), Ali Abdulbaki (ALP), and Robyn Luff (NDP). Unfortunately the only two I know are Moe Amery and Bonnie Devine. Even worse, either the campaigns are the only people respecting my ‘No Fliers’ sign or no one’s come by at all. I need to figure out a way to find a better balance. (A mailbox for campaign literature only during the election?)
My head’s been spinning all month - both intentionally and unintentionally. I haven’t been home most nights so even if someone came a door-knocking, I would have missed them and I didn’t spot a single all candidates forum out here. Thankfully, I’ve got calgarypolitics.com! (Joey, you’re a saint.)
I very much like Mr. Amery on a personal level. We’ve worked side by side on more than one occasion (and by “worked” I mean “work involving heavy-lifting”) and his ability to keep up with me is impressive. I’m not sure that I’m willing to let that trump my estrangement from his party.
I remember Ms. Devine well from the mayoral race. I like that she’s running, I certainly respect her and her husband for taking a stand against racism, but her views definitely do not represent my own.
Mr. Minhas has been interesting. I wish I ran into him and got a chance to chat a while. Not necessarily so much for his views, but to see his reaction to mine. I want to know that someone is going to listen to what I have to say and at least consider my words before shutting me down.
Mr. Abdulbaki has been entirely invisible to me, so quite literally Joey’s paragraph is all that I know. That’s more than enough for me right there.
There has been a smattering of NDP signs I’ve noticed. Normally I’d leave it at that, but I feel a responsibility to be more thorough now so I spent some time going through Robyn Luff’s site. No real surprises there to me.
So, all in all, nothing I find particularly compelling and I really don’t like what my best fit appears to be. Refuse my ballot, perhaps? Ugh, what a waste.
And the senator race. Well, objectively I would prefer to see party lines kept out of the senate. For that reason anyone running as an independent immediately goes up one notch on my radar. It’s got to be ridiculously difficult to campaign province-wide for a job that may or may not ever open up, but hey, you gotta respect anyone willing to try.
Pretty much everything I get has to come from their webpages and social media, so that ought to be a pretty good hint where I’m leaning for the House of Grumpy Guses. Err.. Sober Second Thought.
Funny. The hardest decision to make is my own.