Oh boy.
There is only one thing worse than an NDP-led minority government, and that's an NDP-led majority government. At least with a minority other parties can hold the government's feet to the fire, so to speak. But with last Tuesday's results, it's the electorates' feet that will now be held to the fire.
You might say we got burned big time, and the burning will just get worse over the next four years.
Actually, it wasn't all bad: The Wildrose, given up for dead only months ago, is now a revived and resurrected official opposition party. I see them being a force to reckon with in four years.
I hardly know where to start as I try to analyze Rachel Notley's win. In terms of faith, education, and business, I don't share the same worldview, value, or strategy, with any party on the left—be it NDP, Liberal, or Alberta. I'm still right (pun mercilessly intended) when it comes to most things.
As an evangelical, educator, and entrepreneur, I have some legitimate concerns. While they give lip service for the rights of all Albertans, the NDP track record in other jurisdictions suggests otherwise. Will Alberta's new government be any different?
Obviously, I write from a whole life perspective, and I believe the rights of all humans should be protected, from the cradle to the grave—the womb to the tomb, you might say. Have we just voted in a government that believes that? I sincerely hope so.
I have yet to see a clear policy on education, especially for non-public schools. I know the NDP's history, and I hear and sense things, so I am holding my breath. Alberta has always promoted school choice and parental rights. Are those still intact? What will happen to the many (and not only faith-based) private institutions and home education? Are we back to that “equal rights for all, but more equal for some” scenario? God spare us, if that's the case.
And then there's business, big and small--those economic engines that drive the economy: They need the freedom to re-invest and re-invent, to deliver and develop. They should not be shackled by extra taxes, inane rules, and conspiracy theories. There's money to invest in Alberta: Will it be welcomed, or will the NDP drive the much-needed capital elsewhere?
I have seen what an NDP-led government has done to the economies of Saskatchewan, Ontario, and British Columbia, in recent years. Speaking of BC, the similarity is uncanny between what happened there in the '70s and what just happened last week here in Alberta:. We see a long-reigning right-of-center party get thrown out, the left comes in, ruins the province, and it takes years to recover the province's former resilience.
Believe me, I was there during the reign of Messrs. Barrett, Clark, and Harcourt, et al. Not a healthy economical environment, let me tell you.
As stated here before, and many times at that, the NDP make great official opposition parties but ineffective governments. They don't know the difference between “running” a province and “ruining” one.
It is hard to believe that Albertans were in such an anti-Conservative snit that they voted in the New Democrats. That is irresponsible and irrational, quite frankly. I can't believe people are that stupid. Shame on them: They should have voted Wildrose.
I see by the the demographics it was primarily city people that voted left and country people voted right. Re-stated: City people left their senses and country people were right after all
That's a crass over-simplification, to be sure, but election-night maps don't lie. What is it with city slickers that make them lose their common sense when it comes to politics? Is it the smog? The noise? Maybe the pace?
Let me work in a drama metaphor: There has been the auditioning, the memorization of lines, and as of the last Tuesday, someone got the leading role, others got bit parts. This show is now going to run for another four years.
The rest of us are part of the audience. Apparently we got tired of re-runs. How soon will we get tired of this new performance?
Let's hope the new government is not a bunch of bad actors. It makes me think of a title for a new movie: “Dumb and Dumber, and Now Really Dumb.”
NDP: There's just something not right about them.
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