I have picked up a book by Barack Obama titled "The Audacity of Hope." You may have seen it at your favorite corporate bookstore. Well, I have gotten through the first chapter and I am already pleasantly impressed. He calls for cooperation between the two parties in the U.S. Government. I believe Canada could learn a thing or two about cooperation. Is it not sad that in this "peacekeeping" country the "left" and "right" sides of our parliament in Ottawa are two and a half sword lengths apart? Following the recent "coup" it the Canadian government I got to thinking how foolish our governing system is. How is anything ever supposed to get done if two nearly equal enemies constantly shut each other down? Obama states that sometime in the past (1960s), the governing system went from a "balancing act" to an "either for or against." Instead of coming to an agreement with the other party, everything is done to shut down the opposition without even thinking of the nation.
In high school, I played an active role in representing a country in a mock United Nations caucus. I was impressed by the order and efficiency at which resolutions were agreed upon. In a UN debate, each representative must speak in turn and presents his/her values, views, and opinions clearly and precisely. There is no banging on tables, acting like animals. When a bill is to be reviewed, it is presented before the entire committee, there is a question period, and each individual country votes (yes, that's democracy). Not everyone agrees, and the bill can be amended in order to gain the support of the majority of voters.
Wouldn't it be nice if our government could make mature decisions like that?
No comments:
Post a Comment