ELECTION PERIOD CAN BE PRODUCTIVE OR WASTEFUL: YOUR CHOICE

OSOYOOS TIMES-September 10, 2008

Elections, elections, elections.

It would seem that our lives are going to be inundated with campaigning, polling and at least three trips to the ballot box between now and next spring.

Yeah, it's kind of a drag that in addition to having to worry about who is going to sit in those five council chairs at Osoyoos Town Hall this November and what kind of government will lead this province from Victoria as of May 12, 2009, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is sending the entire country a-voting on Oct. 14.

And yeah, it's even more of a drag that, for the third time in four years, we have to pick who will represent us in the House of Commons.

It's safe to say that most people have either complained or have heard complaints about one or all of the above situations at least once in the past several weeks.

Couldn't all that time used to vent such frustrations be used to really, really consider all the issues bearing down on every single one of us?

Wouldn't it be better to think about who, at the federal and provincial levels, can best manage the economy, environment and foreign affairs?

Shouldn't we be giving serious thought as to who's going to actually fix many of our local problems such as the lack of affordable housing, inadequate medical infrastructure and water quality and transportation issues?

As we enter an election season that will ultimately stretch across nearly nine months at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, we have a choice to either fuss about giving up a few minutes of time on three separate days to make a really important decision, or to focus on what matters most to us as Osoyoosites, British Columbians and Canadians and make a good decision at the ballot box.