<head></head><body data-blackberry-caret-color="#00a8df" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: initial;"><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Great letter, Don. It was clear and readable. </div> <p style="font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.</p> <table width="100%" style="background-color:white;border-spacing:0px;"> <tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <div id="_persistentHeader" style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223); border-top-width: 1pt; padding: 3pt 0in 0in; font-family: Tahoma, 'BB Alpha Sans', 'Slate Pro'; font-size: 10pt;"> <div><b>From: </b>Donald Fraser</div><div><b>Sent: </b>Friday, February 3, 2017 12:16 PM</div><div><b>To: </b>FVC Waterloo Region Discussion</div><div><b>Reply To: </b>FVC Waterloo Region Discussion</div><div><b>Subject: </b>Re: [fvc-wat-disc] Letters to the Editor Needed</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(186, 188, 209); border-top-width: 1pt; font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><br><div id="_originalContent" style=""><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div>I'll pick the negative one ... just love a scrap ... so here's my response<div><br></div><div>======================================================</div><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Dear Editor,<span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p><h1 style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"times new roman";font-weight:normal">Re:</span><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"times new roman""> </span><u><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"times new roman";color:black">The political fallout of breaking a
promise</span></u><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"times new roman";color:black;font-weight:normal"> by Joanna Smith_Feb3_2017<span></span></span></h1><p class="gmail-printable-text" style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Ms Smith asks, “<span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">But what of the majority of Canadians? Do they care? Does it matter?”
in reference to Electoral Reform (ER). <span></span></span></p><p class="gmail-printable-text" style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">It matters.
In our system of First Past the Post (FPTP), votes cast for a Green candidate,
for example, who loses are useless. The Planet-caring, environmentally
conscious, politically aware voters in the particular riding have no say in </span><span><span><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">Ottawa</span></span></span><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">. A certain percentage of all Canadians want Green
objectives to be part of the laws of </span><span><span><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">Canada</span></span></span><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">. <span></span></span></p><p class="gmail-printable-text" style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">It matters
because these environmentalists should have their say in the structure of
government. In a proportional system, for instance, every vote counts to obtain
the same percentage of seats for a party as the party received in the national
vote count. <span></span></span></p><p class="gmail-printable-text" style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">It matters
because they may not vote in the next election, knowing that their votes won’t
count.<span></span></span></p><p class="gmail-printable-text" style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">I matters
because, due to discouragement, they may cease to engage in the political discussion
and the environment will suffer for it.<span></span></span></p><p class="gmail-printable-text" style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">Later Smith
states, “Then there is a much larger group that knows little and cares less
about ER” in reference to the Canadian electorate at large.<span></span></span></p><p class="gmail-printable-text" style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">“… knows
little and cares less … “ is simply cause and effect. Unfortunately, it is
difficult to excite the electorate about ER possibilities when they “know
little”. Attempts to educate the public about ER are generally regarded as “election
activity” which annoys citizens between elections. To be fair there is a small
percentage which does respond with enthusiasm.<span></span></span></p><p class="gmail-printable-text" style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><span style="color:rgb(90,90,90)">New Zealand
(NZ) solved the problem by having a trial run at Mixed Member PR (MMPR) for
four terms. The electorate was educated by experience and when consulted after
the trial, voted for MMPR over the former FPTP system. Their experience
demonstrates that an educated public will choose a proportional alternative to
our antiquated and unfair FPTP which wastes the votes of any citizen whose
local candidate did not win in their riding.<span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:7.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><span>Germany</span> has practiced MMPR since WW2.
The resulting stable form of coalition government has allowed Germans to become
the master long term planners we recognize them for. They avoid the 'Policy
Pendulum' in which false majority governments cancel, at great expense to the
taxpayer, the projects of the preceding government. Rather each new government improves and supports policies of the previous government.<span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Yours Truly,<span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Donald A Fraser,<span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>184
Forsyth Drive</span>,<span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span>Waterloo</span>, <span>Ontario</span></span>,<span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">N2L-1A2<span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal">519-576-9210<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 2 February 2017 at 23:02, Sharon Sommerville <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:sharonsommerville@gmail.com" target="_blank">sharonsommerville@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Hello <span id="m_-8079304990863333784:2do.1">FairVoting</span> Friends,<div><br></div><div>Two great articles in today's Record for us to respond to:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www" target="_blank">http://www</a>.<span id="m_-8079304990863333784:2do.2">therecord</span>.com/news-<wbr>story/7100196-the-political-<wbr>fallout-of-breaking-a-promise/<br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www" target="_blank">http://www</a>.<span id="m_-8079304990863333784:2do.3">therecord</span>.com/<wbr>opinion-story/7098054-d-<span id="m_-8079304990863333784:2do.4">amato</span>-<wbr>broken-promise-may-haunt-<wbr>liberals/<br></div><div><br></div><div>We should capitalize on these articles with letters to the editor. A couple of letters in response to each letter would be wonderful. Any number would be great.</div><div> </div><div>Have sent the request out to our larger discussion list as some new names would be helpful!</div><div><br></div><div>Let me know if you can take either of these on.</div><div><br></div><div>With thanks,</div><div>Sharon</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>
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