A Facebook Message

The following is a message sent to me on Facebook yesterday by someone I've never had the pleasure of meeting. It's well-written and his own experience speaks volumes as to what Canada requires at this moment.  Thanks Timothy.This is an interesting site - My own riding of Oxford is deemed a safe Conservative riding and barring any surge in the voters that choose not to exercise their democratic right will remain so. I deal with reality every day but I also try and understand trends and perceptions of others. I find it troubling that the Harper Brand of Conservatives which I do not see as the brand of Conservatives that I remember (Mulroney-Clark-Davis) receive so much support with their pro-corporate tax cut stance (which we borrow money for to support).I like the Liberal platform - a good balance for Canadians - The NDP platform is ambitious and if Harper had not squandered the fiscal strength of the balance sheet he inherited from Paul Martin many of their ideas may have been possible but not right now. The Harper governments defunding of many programs for women should have the better half of our country lining up behind the Liberals to support them and families. The cost of education is not a part of Harper's platform - Harper would rather build buildings than help youth get the education they need. Even fiscal Conservatives that favour smaller governments should take note of the size of Harper's cabinet and government. Sole source contracts and $billion advertising campaigns are not usually the signs of fiscal Conservatism.The Liberal plan is a path forward to a strong fiscal future with more Canadians participating in the economy rather than corporations siphoning off our borrowed cash. An unsung advantage of the Liberal platform is the Canada Service Corps that not only helps students with their education costs but creates a boots on the ground assistance to the many volunteer initiatives across this land. I believe that showing youth the amazing benefits of self-growth received when you engage in volunteerism will set the path for our future.Finally Mr Harper wears being the best of a bad lot as a badge of honour. Mr Harper claims that a strong Conservative majority is what we need to finish the job. Myself I always believed that progressive leaders know that the job is never finished - It's like Kaizen - there is always something to improve. It is an approach I have always taken in my own management of organizations. I believe that the Liberal Party and Michael Ignatieff share that belief. In Kaizen the way to improve is to get the folks on the ground involved and a bottom up approach to improvement. Mr Harper's top down controlling nature is what decimated the likes of GM and other major North American corporations. If you look through the smoke and mirrors of the Harper Governments actions you can see that Harper's only focus and task is to destroy opposition. That is the job the wants to finish and we allow it at our own peril.