On Becoming Politically Active

Trying to become politically active in Canada is frustrating. I think this is because there appears to be so little difference between the three largest parties. The most outstanding similarity is a lack of inclusiveness, when you join they welcome you for practical reasons, financial contributions, help in a campaign, but there is total lack of interest in wanting to discuss the party's direction. Policy is always "grassroots" but never seeems to veer away from the modest official line that is so close to the other two mainstream parties. Strong opinions or a desire to stand up and be counted on an issue is avoided I think for fear of offending some portion of the electorate. Much of Canada's political direction come from academics, who live in comfortable tenured seclusion, these people seem to propose and dispose of much that is considered politically important. The mainstream media most of whom are ex inhabitants of academia and who spent a large portion of their formative years in the university mileau appear to be unable to escape from this influence and develope mature opinions based on more specific values than the generic idea of wanting to do good works. Canadians and Canadian political institutions have not been tested for years, they and the electorate want only the good life and don't seem to be aware that whether they like it or not the world and it's people have changed. The isssues that face the us as Canadians are not the same ones of 30 or 40 years ago. We've become a nation of aging hippies who want to make Canada into a national commune. The unreality of Canadian life and expectations are bizarre and sad. Our refusal to address even the minor flaws that surface such as rampant corruption in political circles, our clinging to such awful boondoggles as national healthcare, our inability to properly fund our military or even provide them with a sane agenda is just more evidence of our indulgence in fantasy. None of the political parties wishes to discuss national issues in any kind of common sense way taking into account of what is actually occuring.
So we join in hope and our efforts are appreciated but don't really hope for any change, that's going to come from the outside or maybe we'll just keep on drifting into the US orbit. After all they provide us with our defense umbrella, we do 80 percent of our trade with them and we all want to spend our winters "down there". Even those Canadians who are continually and vociferously ennunciating their contempt for the US seem to want affirmation of their personal success by acceptance and recognition below the line. However we now belong to the Conservative Party of Canada with much hope and sophomoric optimism