Some people just don't get it.....

The province of Alberta had an election 7 days ago. It's taken me this long to cool off before attempting to post my thoughts on the event. And yet, I'm still pretty hot about it.

We had a voter turnout of 41% of the eligible populace - the lowest ever. This has sparked debate of whether Canadians are so apathetic as to warrant legislation like Australia, where it is mandatory to vote or suffer a fine.

But worse, I'm disheartened by those who voted Conservative (they won in a landslide) even though some didn't necessarily agree with their platform or identify with the party's leader. If you agree with a party's ideals you certainly should vote for that party. But using the excuse "better the devil you know....." doesn't wash with me.

If you know me, you know I'm a Liberal at heart, but that doesn't mean that if I thought another party could do the job better, or should be given a chance, I wouldn't vote for them. Far from it. I have voted other than Liberal both provincially and federally when the situation warranted it. But I didn't find that to be the case this time. I acknowledge that some of my readers will not see it this way and you're entitled to your opinion...... this is mine.

What I found interesting is that the 'first past the post' system we employ during elections got the Conservatives 72 out of 83 seats; with the Liberals getting only 9 and the NDP only 2 seats. If the seat count had been determined by popular vote, the Conservatives would have gotten 44 seats; the Liberals 21; the NDP 8; the Alliance 6; and the Green Party 4. Isn't that a bit more representative?

Alberta - I'm pissed at you. I hope King Eddie (what Conservative leader Ed Stelmach was crowned after the win) is everything you hoped for.