[fvc-wat-disc] Invite Bob Hepburn to talk?

[Cathy Scott]

Hi, Dave
I was glad to see your letter published in the Record.  I think it was
yesterday.
Cathy

On Sun, Jun 24, 2018 at 9:59 AM, Dave Arthur <arthurd23 at bell.net> wrote:

> Since my letter has not been published by either the Record or Star, I
> sent the following followup letter to both of them this morning.
>
> We’ll see but I’m not holding my breath.
>
>
>
> I recently submitted the letter below, the purpose of which was to point
> out misinformation in Bob Hepburn’s column. The five risks he listed are
> not true and need to be challenged. They were clearly shown to be untrue
> throughout the testimony to the government’s ERRE proceedings last year.
> That should be a major purpose of journalism. It seems we can call out Doug
> Ford and Donald Trump for rejecting facts and truth, but not a columnist.
> You followed up Hepburn’s column with a letter from John Fessenden that
> made the same false claims that also need to be challenged. If my first two
> sentences are too offensive, then remove them. Hepburn’s ‘alternative’
> facts need to be challenged. This is particularly important because the NO
> forces are attempting to prevent Canadians from adopting PR, used by 90% of
> other developed democracies, by putting out the same false and distorted
> claims.
>
>
>
> *More misinformation against electoral reform.*
>
> Chrystia Freeland says “Facts and truth matter.” Bob Hepburn’s column
> ‘Rejecting  the siren call for electoral reform’ rejects both.
>
> Bob Hepburn points to five risks, all as distorted as the election results
> under our current system.
>
> First, minority governments have served Canada well and tiny parties do
> not get enough votes to meet the threshold required in most of the 90% of
> developed democracies using proportional systems. Pointing to atypical
> countries like Israel and Italy is misleading.
>
> Second, Canada has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the world while
> most countries using PR where all votes count and strategic voting is not a
> factor have significantly higher voter turnouts.
>
> Third, extreme right-wing parties are unlikely to gain oversized
> influence. Research shows governments elected under PR systems have more
> cooperation, consensus, and better long-range planning.
>
> Fourth, PR systems, including MMP, have various methods of awarding, not
> appointing, MPs that can give voters more choice, more representation, and
> better balance of urban and rural interests.
>
> Fifth, B.C.’s 2005 referendum approved change to PR with 58% but was
> denied by the government that had won its election under FPTP with 39% of
> votes and required 60%. PEI’s referendum voted 52% for MMP but had voter
> turnout too low to be accepted. Ontario’s 2007 referendum, due to poor
> preparation by the government, was a fiasco. 70% of Ontarians did not know
> what the referendum was about and only 10% understood the proposed MMP
> system.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows 10
>
>
>
> *From: *Catherine Campbell <cdcampbell9 at gmail.com>
> *Sent: *Thursday, June 21, 2018 3:07 PM
> *To: *FVC Waterloo Region Discussion <fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org>
> *Subject: *Re: [fvc-wat-disc] Invite Bob Hepburn to talk?
>
>
>
> The Records letters editor. I’m just going into WLU Co-op Program to beg
> for a Co-op student for September to work for the company my husband and I
> own. I’ll try to remember to give you Rons number later
>
>
> On Jun 21, 2018, at 2:07 PM, Dave Arthur <arthurd23 at bell.net> wrote:
>
> Hi Cathy
>
> I always include my name, address, phone and e-mail.
>
> Is Ron at The Star or The Record?
>
> Dave
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows 10
>
>
>
> *From: *Catherine Campbell <cdcampbell9 at gmail.com>
> *Sent: *Thursday, June 21, 2018 12:00 PM
> *To: *FVC Waterloo Region Discussion <fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org>
> *Subject: *Re: [fvc-wat-disc] Invite Bob Hepburn to talk?
>
>
>
> Resubmit it with your phone number, Dave. And call Ron DeRuyter and
> innocently ask if he’s planning on printing it.
>
>
> On Jun 21, 2018, at 10:06 AM, Dave Arthur <arthurd23 at bell.net> wrote:
>
> Doesn’t look promising for my letter.
>
> Nothing from The Star.
>
> The Record called and it sounded like they were planning to print it but
> haven’t yet.
>
> I am suspicious that criticism of their columnists facts and truth spells
> no.
>
> Dave
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows 10
>
>
>
> *From: *Catherine Campbell <cdcampbell9 at gmail.com>
> *Sent: *Monday, June 18, 2018 1:17 AM
> *To: *FVC Waterloo Region Discussion <fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org>
> *Subject: *Re: [fvc-wat-disc] Invite Bob Hepburn to talk?
>
>
>
> Excellent letter, Dave
>
>
>
>
> On Jun 17, 2018, at 10:35 PM, Sharon Sommerville <
> sharonsommerville at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks Dave, it is very good.   Hope that the Star prints it, you could
> also send it to The Record.
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> S.
>
>
>
> On Sun, Jun 17, 2018 at 10:23 PM, Dave Arthur <arthurd23 at bell.net> wrote:
>
> I sent out this letter to The Star earlier today for comments but maybe
> sent it to the wrong group address.
>
> Let me know your thoughts.
>
> I know it’s over the 150 word limit but couldn’t pare it down any more.
>
> Maybe they’ll let it go.
>
> Dave A
>
>
>
>
>
> *More misinformation against electoral reform.*
>
> Chrystia Freeland says “Facts and truth matter.” Bob Hepburn’s column
> ‘Rejecting  the siren call for electoral reform’ rejects both.
>
> Hepburn points to five risks, all as distorted as the election results
> under our current system.
>
> First, minority governments have served Canada well and tiny parties do
> not get enough votes to meet the threshold required in most of the 90% of
> developed democracies using proportional systems. Pointing to atypical
> countries like Israel and Italy is misleading.
>
> Second, Canada has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the world while
> most countries using PR where all votes count and strategic voting is not a
> factor have significantly higher voter turnouts.
>
> Third, extreme right-wing parties are unlikely to gain oversized
> influence. Research shows governments elected under PR systems have more
> cooperation, consensus, and better long-range planning.
>
> Fourth, PR systems, including MMP, have various methods of awarding, not
> appointing, MMPs that can give voters more choice, more representation, and
> better balance of urban and rural interests.
>
> Fifth, B.C.’s 2005 referendum approved change to PR with 58% but was
> denied by the government that had won its election under FPTP with 39% of
> votes and required 60%. PEI’s referendum voted 52% for MMP but had voter
> turnout too low to be accepted. Ontario’s 2007 referendum, due to poor
> preparation by the government, was a fiasco. 70% of Ontarians did not know
> what the referendum was about and only 10% understood the proposed MMP
> system.
>
>
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows 10
>
>
>
> *From: *Sharon Sommerville <sharonsommerville at gmail.com>
> *Sent: *Sunday, June 17, 2018 1:13 PM
> *To: *FVC Waterloo Region Discussion <fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org>
> *Subject: *[fvc-wat-disc] Invite Bob Hepburn to talk?
>
>
>
> Hello All,
>
>
>
> Would it be of interest to invite Bob Hepburn to discuss PR with Dennis
> Pilon or the journalist that wrote that supportive article in the Star?
>
>
>
> It would be interesting.
>
>
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> S.
>
>
>
>
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