Monday, March 16, 2009

Short-Sighted politics

Politics in Canada has often been criticized for being very short sighted. Promises are often made with intent, but if not upheld are quickly forgotten. Personal issues of politicians are often made public, then forgotten. Government often deploy very short term strategies and tax cuts in order to buy votes even if they are aware of long term consequences. In Canada our system of government puts a lot of trust in the people we elect, therefore making it very important that they are doing what they know is best for the country.

My question is what is to blame for the public's, or politician's lack of long term accountability. Firstly I believe that a 4-5 year term, or even shorter recently is a problem. It can take far longer to truly realize the impact on economic or social policy that even half a decade. Another issue which I believe might play a role is the abundance of information the public is exposed to. With an increase in political stories by mainstream media, massive expansion in citizen media and a generally busier public, people are exposed to tons of information. It becomes very difficult for people to keep their lives, as well as their work, families, and politics in check. Will this issue grow as citizen media and the amount of information available to us expands?

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