Editor:
Last week’s letter from Anne Miles (Coast Reporter, March 8) made me wonder whether she understands that we live in a representative democracy and not a direct democracy.
A government that has achieved a majority of the representative vote sets the agenda for that term. A Liberal government will drive through its legislative agenda as readily as would a Conservative majority. Is this also considered bullying?
The HST debacle comes to mind. I am thankful that we have a strong Conservative federal government to temper the intrusive policies of our own Liberal government. There is a horrifying choice to make in the upcoming election between liberal and extremely liberal in the form of the NDP. Horrifying indeed.
Equally horrifying is the thought of teaching my children to emulate the so-called activists involved in groups such as Idle No More and Occupy.
Idle No More is the classic bully, jumping on the hoods of cars, for example, and has used non-democratic tactics by blockading highways and railroads. Occupy has been plagued with sexual assaults and other violence within its own rank and file — hardly the role models I would steer my children toward.
Instead I will teach them to do for themselves and keep out-of-control government as far from their lives as possible.
Gary Schreider, Halfmoon Bay
