Please take two minutes to read the following:
If you can't figure it out, I am intending to vote for the change to the Single Transferable Vote system so we have more choice and less extreme governments. I hope that political innovation and greater competition will result from implementing the STV and I encourage everyone to research the topic to make an informed choice about the issue today.
Either way, get out and vote.
The housing market didn't even make it onto the radar during the campaign. I doubt it's much of a priority for the vast majority of voters. Plus both parties have not acknowledged there is a housing bubble in the first place. We're not even at step 1...
ReplyDeleteMost BCers have a polarized view of their political choices:
ReplyDelete1) The union friendly NDPers who sell that they are the party to care for the poor, sick, old, and downtrodden.
2) The business friendly Liberals who sell the idea that they rely on the free market to solve society's problems.
Whichever side you happen to fall on means that you'll likely vote for the party associated with that point of view.
Both parties are extreme in their policies and I don't particularly care for either one.
In relation to housing, neither party has suitable policies for developing a sustainable and affordable housing market.
honestly i dont see a good way to make housing affordable for the masses without screwing over new home owners and possibly banks. any measures taken to reduce housing prices faster will cause people to walk away from their mortgage and the banks sell the foreclosures dropping the price of homes faster... well you know the story in america. The only thing they can really do is to try and prevent this from happening again by putting in more regulation once the bubble has popped.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes mohican, both parties piss me off so i will just toss my vote to the greens and vote for STV so hopefully another party can get a few seats in the near future.
Sorry for off topic.
ReplyDeleteI recalled you posted rental and mortgage comparison early last year for 98-03 are the same payment.
Do you still have this data?
appreciate if you could post here.
Ach. I'm sad about STV not passing. I would like to be able to someday vote for and not against.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it's much of a priority for the vast majority of voters....
ReplyDeleteSure it is. The owners want higher prices and the renters want lower prices. That's why the parties won't touch it. :-)
any measures taken to reduce housing prices fasterWill result in fewer people buying at inflated prices, fewer foreclosures, and fewer losses for the banks and CMHC.
Prices that make sense against rents and incomes are inevitable and the sooner we get them the less damage will be caused.
Anyway now that the Liberals are back that's one less bogeyman the usual suspects can blame for the bust.
Good of you to take a position on STV Mo, I find it cumbersome (I prefer straight PR) but I do think a minority government (of either Liberals or NDP) would be better than what we have now, and we need some kind of proportionality in our electoral system.
norio - yes, i'll post that chart sometime soon
ReplyDeletepatriotz - i am quite disappointed with the STV result. I get the impression that there were a lot of folks who found it too complicated and yet don't like the current system but voted against STV anyway. I'd be happy with almost any electoral reform at this point - perhaps Mixed Member PR would be a good option.