Election 2011

Monday, 2 May 2011, Canadians went to the polls and cast their votes for the federal government. It was sort of a strange campaign, and very few people were really confident in their predictions.

Most, I think, were suggesting that the Conservatives would manage another minority government, with the Liberals returning as Official Opposition. I predicted that the Conservatives would either just barely achieve a majority (155 being the magic number) or they'd just barely miss it.

Wow, were we wrong. The Conservatives pulled out a huge victory, getting 169 of the 308 possible seats! That means they'll have a more stable gov't with which to affect change in this country, and we won't have to live under the threat of another election for 4 more years.

Me, I'm pumped. I voted Conservative because I believe in their economic policies, feel like they're the only party with a plan for the Armed Forces, and I think Stephen Harper has been a great Prime Minister. I even helped out a campaign, and that candidate won what some called an upset! So, I was so pumped to see the results roll in.

I could spend hours talking about this election and what it means. I probably will at some point. But I wanted to highlight something I observed by watching my Facebook feeds:
Left-wingers speak as though everyone agrees with them, even though the results tell a different story.

There's no more irritating clichee than the rabid liberal. It often seems like there's been no thought given; someone is conservative and therefore they (insert heartless behaviour and motive here). It's wearying.

You are not the majority any more. People seem to be tired of the elitist attitudes and the sense of entitlement. People seem to want responsible gov't that collects no more tax than is necessary. People don't want the gov't meddling in their lives as though they were children.

I'm pumped for this new gov't. I'm intrigued to see what happens with the political landscape in the coming weeks. It won't be boring, that's for sure.

So: are you happy with the results?